Type of College: four-year collegiate liberal arts institution founded in 1856 and operating under the auspices of the Alabama-West Florida and North Alabama Conferences of the United Methodist Church.

Campus and Location: 192 wooded acres in the western section of Birmingham. The city is served by six major airlines, AMTRAK, and Interstate highways 20, 59, and 65.

Academic Calendar: two semesters and a January interim term. Four units of credit required each semester and one each interim.

Enrollment: 1,500 students from 28 states and 18 foreign countries.

Faculty: of the full-time members of the faculty, more than 92% hold either the doctorate degree or the highest degree in their field.

Advising/Counseling: faculty advisors, academic and personal counseling, career counseling, and pre-professional guidance in business, church-related vocations, health-related careers, and law.

Degree Programs: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education, Master of Arts in Public and Private Management, Master of Music in composition, organ, piano, and voice.

Disciplinary Majors: accounting, art (art history, painting, photography,
printmaking, and sculpture), art education, biology, business administration, chemistry, computer science, dance, dance education, economics, education, English, French, German, history, mathematics, music (composition, church music, music history, music performance), music education, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, Spanish, theatre arts.

Interdisciplinary Majors: Asian studies, biology-psychology, computer science-mathematics, history-political science, international studies, musical theatre, philosophy-politics-economics, religion-philosophy, sociology-political science, sociology-psychology. Students who desire a more specialized or personally designed major may develop an individualized major with the guidance of a faculty committee.

Special Programs: Vail College Fellows, Foreign Language Across the Curriculum, Graduate Studies, Honors, Leadership Studies, Service Learning, Biomedical Research Scholars, Marine Environmental Science Consortium, Costa Rica Science Semester, Central Europe Semester, British Studies at Oxford, Air Force and Army ROTC, Dual Degrees in Engineering, Environmental Studies, and Nursing.

Library: Housed in the Charles Andrew Rush Learning Center, the N.E. Miles Library includes a collection of 257,000 volumes; 57,000 government documents; 1,100 periodical subscriptions; 49,000 microfiche; 14,500 microfilm; 3,800 video and audiovisual packets; 6,300 slides; and 20,000 recordings, compact discs, and cassettes; and numerous full text, electronic databases. A total of 38 computer workstations are located in the Learning Center/Library, 28 of which are for public use. The Learning Center/Library was extensively renovated and remodeled in the summer of 1997 and includes a variety of facilities for individual and group study, research, and instruction, including an electronic classroom, seminar rooms, and research carrels.

Computer Facilities: four host computers; a campus wide ethernet network with 630 college owned personal computers plus connectivity for student-owned machines in the residence halls; sixteen student laboratory locations, each equipped with a varying number of computers and a network-shared laser printer; a full time T1 Internet connection offering access to all members of the college community; and a number of multimedia development locations equipped with an optical scanner, color printer, computer with CD ROM drive, and appropriate software. All students receive access to an e mail account and may create a personal World Wide Web home page.

National Honor Societies: Phi Beta Kappa plus nineteen other honorary or professional societies in various academic areas.

Student Activities: newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, scholarly review, dance and theatre productions, a full range of musical groups including four choirs and a variety of instrumental groups, plus numerous special interest, service, and honorary organizations. A full range of men's and women's intramural sports as well as a variety of planned and impromptu outdoor activities.

Student Government Association: the official organization of the student body, responsible for planning student activities and for administering regulations governing student behavior and the Honor Code through the Honor Council. The SGA enables students to play a major role in the governance of the college community and in the maintenance of the academic integrity of the College.

Religious Life: several weekly offerings from diverse Christian traditions are held in Yeilding Chapel. In addition, for non-Christian traditions, there is an interfaith room available for reading, meditation, and prayer in the Campus Ministry Lounge, in the Solarium, in the Hanson Residence Hall. Religious, academic, and social life at the College provide various additional opportunities for worship, study, service, and intentional growth in faith and understanding.

Social Life: six men's national social fraternity chapters, seven women's national sorority chapters, Quest II film/lecture series, Entertainment Fest, Southern Comfort, Homecoming, a Black Student Union, an International Student Association, Southern Outdoor Recreation outdoor activity group, and a diverse schedule of social and cultural activities sponsored by the SGA.

Intercollegiate Athletics: baseball, women's and men's basketball, women's and men's cross country, women's and men's golf, women's rifle, women's and men's soccer, softball, women's and men's tennis, and women's volleyball. The College is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and will become an active member in 2003 04.

Residence Halls: six residence halls on the residence hall quad, two apartment buildings, six fraternity houses on Fraternity Row, and six sorority town-houses behind the Bruno Residence Hall. Each student living on campus is automatically a member of the Residence Hall Association. RHA meets regularly to plan activities promoting community among on-campus residents and to hear concerns they may have.
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Cost Summary (2001-2002):
Tuition $16,810
Residence Hall 3,120 - 3,840
Books and supplies (approximate) 100%
Meals 2,080 - 3,100
Student Activity Fee 250
Automobile Registration 5
Student Health Insurance 235
Computer Usage Fee 120

Financial Aid: more than $9 million in federal, state, and institutional programs, including scholarships, loans, grants, and work-study.