DEMOGRAPHICS
The Graduate School’s enrollment continued to include a geographically diverse body of students. Of the total of 3,385 enrolled in the fall of 2000, Alabama residents accounted for 2,052 (61%); 505 were from 63 foreign countries, and 828 came from 45 states plus the District of Columbia.
After Alabama, the states sending the most students were Georgia (146), Mississippi (82), Tennessee (66), Florida (63), and Louisiana (41). Georgia residents coming to The University of Alabama have been steadily increasing over the last four years, from 86 in 1997 to 146 this fall, an increase of almost 68%.
Table 6 gives a further analysis of state of origin and gender of US students.
Figure 5
Graduate Enrollment, State of Origin
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Hold the Ph.D. or other terminal degree, and |
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Hold the rank of at least assistant professor in a full-time, tenure-track position. |
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Full and associate members must demonstrate ability and continuing interest in the graduate program and in research or creative activity. Full members must show a strong, continuing record of productive research, publication, creative activity, and scholarly activity appropriate to the discipline. These broad requirements are best interpreted by each department and college considering their unique aspects. |
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Be recommended by the departmental graduate faculty, department chairperson, and dean of the academic division. |
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The chairperson of the Graduate Council’s Committee on Graduate Faculty Membership will then act upon these nominations, in consultation with the dean of the Graduate School. |
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Terms of appointment. Full and associate members are appointed for six-year, renewable terms. |
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Temporary membership. Temporary membership may be extended to well-qualified individuals who do not satisfy the above criteria, to perform specific functions for specific time periods, not to exceed one calendar year. They should be recommended by the departmental graduate faculty, department chairperson, and dean of the academic division. These nominations will then be acted upon by the chairperson of the Graduate Council, the dean of the Graduate School. |
GRADUATE STUDENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The Graduate School provides a variety of types and levels of support for graduate students. Departments are invited to nominate students for fellowships, scholarships, tuition awards, and travel and research grants. Federal programs specifically for graduate students are monitored and publicized to students to ensure that all possible financial assistance can be given.
In the academic year 1999-2000, a total of $18,751,622 was awarded to graduate students--an average of $6,406 for every graduate student enrolled on campus. This is an increase of 12% on last year’s average of $5,734.
Perkins Loans and Work-Study Support. In the 1999-2000 academic year, only one loan was made to students under this program, for a total of $1,130. Under the work-study support program, 30 assignments were given to graduate students for a total value of $137,969.
Travel and Research Awards. Twice each year the Dean of the Graduate School invites nominations for awards to support graduate research and travel. For research awards, priority is given to thesis, pre-dissertation, and dissertation research. For travel awards, priority is given to (a) graduate students who have been accepted to present personally their own research at the national meeting of their discipline’s major academic/professional organization, and (b) those whose department or college indicates its own support of the student by agreeing to cost share the necessary funding. In 1999/2000 179 students applied for support from these funds and 133 received awards, a rate of 74%. A total of $24,225 was awarded to these successful students, representing an average of $182 per student.
Graduate Council Fellowships. During the 1999-2000 academic year, the Graduate Council Committee on Financial Aid awarded 62 fellowships. Of this total, 9 were made for thesis/dissertation fellowships and 53 were research fellowships. The level of individual awards was: Graduate Council Fellows - $11,500; first year Graduate Council Thesis/Dissertation Fellows - $12,000; and second year Graduate Council Thesis/Dissertation Fellows - $12,500. A further 23 research fellowships were awarded for the summer of 2000.
License Tag Fellows. Under the provisions of the National Alumni Association Collegiate License Tag Program, 80% of the proceeds received by the university is endowed, and the income generated is used to support graduate fellowships. In 2000 sufficient funds were available to provide 24 fellowships with a stipend of $10,000 each. At the end of the academic year, the endowment had grown to $5,893,425.
Graduate Fellowship Supplements. Each year additional amounts are awarded to graduate students from a special Presidential Graduate Fellowship Supplemental Fund. The fund is financed from logo and licensing fees received by the University’s Office of Auxiliary and Support Services.
Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship Program. The National Alumni Association also funds a varying number of graduate fellowships in each college or school that offers a post-baccalaureate degree. During 2000 the Association awarded $141,126.
Graduate and Faculty Scholarship Committee. As in previous years, the Committee contacted approximately 500 students to determine their eligibility for and interest in Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, and Fulbright fellowships. Eleven students were formally interviewed resulting in nine nominations, as follows:
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Scholarship |
Number Interviewed |
Number Nominated |
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Rhodes |
5 |
3 |
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Marshall |
2 |
1 |
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Truman |
4 |
3 |
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Fulbright |
1 |
1 |
Minority Support. There are several programs aimed specifically at minority student groups and these are discussed in detail in a separate section of this Report.
Graduate Assistant Stipends. Departments are allocated a budget each year to appoint graduate teaching or research assistants and pay them stipends up to any level that they are able to fund. The Graduate School establishes minimum pay levels dependent upon the assigned work hours and gives guidance on the minimum and maximum number of enrolled hours that each student requires in order to maintain their full-time student status.
For 1999-2000 the minimum stipend levels were:
MINORITY GRADUATE STUDENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT
SREB Fellowships. The SREB Minority Doctoral Scholars Program encourages ethnic minority students to pursue doctoral degrees and become college professors. The Graduate School held the #1 ranking for number of SREB doctoral scholars in 1999-2000. Since 1993, the Graduate School has enrolled 28 SREB Minority Doctoral Scholars. SREB scholars receive $12,000 annual stipends plus tuition scholarships for up to 5 years of graduate study through a combination of SREB, Graduate School, and departmental funding. In 1999-2000, the Graduate School and departments supported 18 SREB fellows in stipends and scholarships. Six new UA doctoral students received SREB fellowships beginning in fall 2000, and the Graduate School and departments are supporting a total of 20 SREB scholars in fall 2000.
Future Faculty Fellows Program. This program is for minority-group students who plan to become college or university professors. Each Future Faculty Fellow receives an annual stipend of $9,000, a departmental assistantship, and a full tuition scholarship for up to four years of full-time graduate study. A total of 22 doctoral students have received Future Faculty Fellowships since 1991; 9 have received their degrees. In 1999-2000, the Graduate School supported two Future Faculty Fellows with stipends and scholarships. The Graduate School is similarly supporting three Future Faculty Fellows in 2000-2001.
Joint Minority Faculty Development Program Fellowships. The Joint Faculty Development Program was implemented in Alabama HBCUs for practicing college teachers who do not have a terminal degree. Faculty members participating in this program receive support from their home institution and a stipend and full tuition scholarship from The University of Alabama Graduate School. Institutions participating in this program include Alabama State University, Alabama A & M University, and Oakwood College. A total of 21 fellows have participated in the program since 1989, and nine have received degrees. In 1999-2000, four Joint Faculty Development Fellowships were awarded to faculty members of partner institutions. A total of three HBCU faculty members are participating in the Joint Faculty Development Program in fall 2000. Two additional fellows, having received Joint Faculty Development Fellowships for the past two years, are being funded in 2000-2001 with departmental assistantships and other scholarships for the dissertation year.
UA/Stillman College Joint Faculty Staff Development Program. The major objectives of the program are to provide support for Stillman College faculty and staff to complete degree requirements for a graduate degree and to provide inservice and staff development. In 1999-2000, the Graduate School provided tuition scholarships totaling $12,464 for six faculty and staff members of Stillman College.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
Graduate assistantships were awarded to 1,206 students in the fall 2000 semester compared with 1,206 in the previous year. This represents a rise of almost 6%. From the total for fall 2000, 303 are Teaching Assistants with primary teaching responsibility for a credit-bearing class; 361 are Teaching Assistants who do not issue final grades or who simply assist an instructor of record with their classes. The remaining 612 have various duties including research projects, administrative positions, and other non-teaching tasks.
Out of the total number of students receiving assistantships in fall 2000, 238 were funded from third party contracts, grants, gifts, or endowments. The remaining 1,038-over 81% of the total-were funded by the University. The colleges with the highest proportion of assistants funded from non-University sources are Engineering (34%) and Human Environmental Sciences (26%).
Total stipend payments made to graduate assistants during the academic year 1999-2000 amounted to $11,881,130. With a minimum stipend level of $8,102 for a 0.50 FTE student, this represents a total number of equivalent assistantships of 1,466 (last year 1,393). Of this total, $5,353,826 (45%) was paid to Teaching Assistants and $3,488,483 to Research and Other assistants funded by the University. The balance of $3,038,821 was funded by external sources. Again, the areas receiving the greatest support from external funding were the College of Engineering ($924,827 - 44%), Materials for Information Technology ($274,637 - 64%), and Human Environmental Sciences ($133,230 - 36%).
Average annual full time equivalent stipends awarded for the fall 2000 semester were $9,197 compared with $8,899 last fall. Again, the largest average awards were from externally funded assistantships with a total average of $9,718 ($9,541 last fall). The overall average award for Teaching Assistants with grading responsibility and who are funded by the University was $8,957 (fall 1999 $8,621) compared with $9,197 for TAs without grading responsibility (last fall $8,972).
The top 5 sponsors for research assistantships in 1999-2000 were the Department of Education ($364,657), the National Science Foundation ($343,886), the private business sector ($237,183), the Department of Trade ($222,711), and the Department of Health and Human Services ($196,156).
Figure 8
Graduate Assistants - Fall 1996 To 2000
WORKSHOP FOR NEW GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS
The fourteenth annual workshop for new Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) was held at the Bryant Conference Center on August 16-18, 2000. The Workshop serves multiple purposes, including familiarizing new students with the campus and University policies, assisting in new GTAs’ preparation to conduct classes, providing guidance about how to handle various classroom situations, and directing them to campus resources for ongoing improvement of teaching skills. During the Workshop, University faculty and staff members spoke on a wide range of areas related to teaching. Topics included syllabus and course preparation, conducting lab and discussion sessions, using multimedia and the Internet in college teaching, collaborative learning techniques as alternatives to the traditional lecture format, instructional support services for GTAs, effective communication in college teaching, and important policies and legal issues for GTAs and professors alike. Each new GTA received a copy of 2000-2002 Graduate Assistant Guide and numerous handouts on a variety of topics related to teaching.
Graduate Teaching Fellows, who are experienced GTAs recognized for superior teaching in their respective colleges, led eight simultaneous breakout sessions for a full day at the Workshop. The Fellows videotaped the new GTAs who each had prepared a short presentation. Each GTA received written and verbal analyses of teaching strengths and areas for improvement. The new GTAs also had the opportunity to analyze videos in order to “troubleshoot” some of the most frequently occurring problems in the classroom. The Fellows led the new GTAs in discussions of important issues such as services for students with disabilities, sexual harassment, academic misconduct, academic grievances, and the confidentiality of student records.
