University of Mobile
Encyclopedia
The University of Mobile is an American four-year, private, Baptist
-affiliated university in Mobile, Alabama
. The master's-level university has an enrollment of 1,577.
) and Judson College
and move the newly formed school to Mobile. The proposal was unsuccessful, but the concept of establishing a Baptist affiliated school in the Mobile area persisted.
In 1957 the Alabama Baptist State Convention was formally asked to study the possibility of establishing a junior college
in Mobile. In 1959 the convention agreed to the proposal if $1.5 million could be raised by the community. A year later $2 million had been raised by local churches and businesses. Sylacauga Baptist Church pastor William K. Weaver Jr. was elected as the founding president after serving on the convention's study committee. The Alabama Baptist convention approved the establishment of Mobile College on November 14, 1961 and was granted state recognition less than a month later by Governor John Patterson
.
Mobile businessman Jay P. Altmayer donated 200 acres in north Mobile as the site for the newly established college. Ray Loper of Loper Lumber Company donated another 50 acres (202,343 m²) along the Chickasabogue Creek. Other purchases brought the land total to 400 acres (1.6 km²). Today the University campus encompasses 880 acres (3.6 km²).
Weaver remained president until his retirement in 1984. During his tenure Mobile College grew to include two residence halls, a dining hall, a gymnasium, a library, a fine arts academic building, residence cottages, tennis courts, and an outdoor swimming pool.
Michael A. Magnoli, a member of the college's first graduating class, succeeded Weaver as president in 1984. One of Magnoli's first acts as president was to establish the school's athletic program. Under Magnoli the campus continued to grow, adding an additional residence hall and new classroom buildings. Magnoli also oversaw the relocation of the St. Stephens Baptist Church to the campus in 1987. The church was renamed Lyon Chapel in honor of former trustee Willie Mae Lewis Lyon and was an acknowledgment of the commitment of the Alabama Baptists to the establishment and continued support of the college.
On July 1, 1993, Mobile College became the University of Mobile to better reflect the growth in programs and facilities. To add an international component to the university and expand its academic programs the university opened the Latin American Branch Campus in San Marcos, Nicaragua in the fall of 1993. The expansion plan would eventually inflict a serious strain on the university's financial status. In March 1997 Magnoli sent a memo to board members outlining the financial situation of the university and reported that the school will have a $1.5 million cash flow shortfall by the end of the fiscal year. Adding to the problem was the university's lines of credit with two area banks, totaling $2 million. A month later, after a 4-hour meeting with the university trustees, Magnoli's tenure at the University of Mobile had ended despite having 2 years left on his contract. A few unnamed board members told the Mobile Press-Register
that the university was now facing a $4 million cash flow shortage heading into the coming months. In October 1999 Magnoli was convicted of falsifying his 1993 federal income tax returns. Magnoli had declared that he had $15,000 on his person when arriving at New Orleans airport in 1993. He told officials his occupation and claimed that the money belonged to the university. Investigators uncovered that the school had no knowledge of the money and that Magnoli had used the cash as a down payment for a home on Ono Island
.
On February 13, 1998, the Board of Trustees appointed Mark Foley, former executive vice-president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
, as president of the university. Shortly after being appointed, Foley told board members that "any operation related to the University of Mobile under my administration will operate in the black or it will not operate." Two months later, the Nicaragua campus was sold to Tom Monaghan
, founder of the Domino's Pizza
chain, and was renamed the Ave Maria College of the Americas
. Foley came under fire in August of 1998 for his new hiring policy which stated that the university will only hire Christian faculty members. This drew criticism from members of the Jewish community including long-time donor Gordon Kahn, who asked for his name to be removed from the scholarships and foundations he had donated. Foley contested that for the university to carry out its faith-based mission it must have full support and understanding from all of its faculty members.
of the College of Arts and Sciences with Dr. Ted Mashburn currently holding the title of Associate Dean. The college offers degrees in arts, history, political science
, psychology
, sociology
, social science, biology
, environmental management
, marine science, mathematics
, English
, humanities
, and communication. The University of Mobile has also established engineering partnership programs with Auburn University
and the University of South Alabama
by which students may receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mobile and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the participating university.
is available from the School of Christian Studies. Dr. Cecil Taylor is the current Dean.
and elementary education as well as secondary certification for biology, history, mathematics, language arts, social sciences, and human performance and exercise science. A degree in athletic training is also available.
. Dr. Richard McElhaney is the current dean.
, and track, in addition to women's softball
, men's baseball, and women's volleyball and cheerleading
. The university has won championships in men's tennis in 1993; women's tennis (1994); men's golf, men's tennis, and women's soccer in 1997; women's golf (1998); men's soccer (2002); and women's softball (2006).
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-affiliated university in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. The master's-level university has an enrollment of 1,577.
History
The Alabama Baptist organization first expressed interest in establishing a Baptist college in Mobile in 1946. At that time the organization was considering combining the already established schools of Howard College (Now Samford UniversitySamford University
Samford University, founded as Howard College is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist Convention-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It includes the , Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....
) and Judson College
Judson College (Alabama)
Judson College, originally named Judson Female Institute, was founded by members of the Siloam Baptist Church in 1838 in Marion, Alabama. It is the fifth oldest women's college in the United States. It was named after Ann Hasseltine Judson, the first female foreign missionary from the United States...
and move the newly formed school to Mobile. The proposal was unsuccessful, but the concept of establishing a Baptist affiliated school in the Mobile area persisted.
In 1957 the Alabama Baptist State Convention was formally asked to study the possibility of establishing a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
in Mobile. In 1959 the convention agreed to the proposal if $1.5 million could be raised by the community. A year later $2 million had been raised by local churches and businesses. Sylacauga Baptist Church pastor William K. Weaver Jr. was elected as the founding president after serving on the convention's study committee. The Alabama Baptist convention approved the establishment of Mobile College on November 14, 1961 and was granted state recognition less than a month later by Governor John Patterson
John Malcolm Patterson
John Malcolm Patterson is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Alabama, from 1959 to 1963. Previously he served as State Attorney General ....
.
Mobile businessman Jay P. Altmayer donated 200 acres in north Mobile as the site for the newly established college. Ray Loper of Loper Lumber Company donated another 50 acres (202,343 m²) along the Chickasabogue Creek. Other purchases brought the land total to 400 acres (1.6 km²). Today the University campus encompasses 880 acres (3.6 km²).
Weaver remained president until his retirement in 1984. During his tenure Mobile College grew to include two residence halls, a dining hall, a gymnasium, a library, a fine arts academic building, residence cottages, tennis courts, and an outdoor swimming pool.
Michael A. Magnoli, a member of the college's first graduating class, succeeded Weaver as president in 1984. One of Magnoli's first acts as president was to establish the school's athletic program. Under Magnoli the campus continued to grow, adding an additional residence hall and new classroom buildings. Magnoli also oversaw the relocation of the St. Stephens Baptist Church to the campus in 1987. The church was renamed Lyon Chapel in honor of former trustee Willie Mae Lewis Lyon and was an acknowledgment of the commitment of the Alabama Baptists to the establishment and continued support of the college.
On July 1, 1993, Mobile College became the University of Mobile to better reflect the growth in programs and facilities. To add an international component to the university and expand its academic programs the university opened the Latin American Branch Campus in San Marcos, Nicaragua in the fall of 1993. The expansion plan would eventually inflict a serious strain on the university's financial status. In March 1997 Magnoli sent a memo to board members outlining the financial situation of the university and reported that the school will have a $1.5 million cash flow shortfall by the end of the fiscal year. Adding to the problem was the university's lines of credit with two area banks, totaling $2 million. A month later, after a 4-hour meeting with the university trustees, Magnoli's tenure at the University of Mobile had ended despite having 2 years left on his contract. A few unnamed board members told the Mobile Press-Register
Press-Register
The Press-Register is a daily newspaper serving the southwest Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin. The newspaper is a descendant of one founded in 1813, making the Press-Register Alabama's oldest newspaper...
that the university was now facing a $4 million cash flow shortage heading into the coming months. In October 1999 Magnoli was convicted of falsifying his 1993 federal income tax returns. Magnoli had declared that he had $15,000 on his person when arriving at New Orleans airport in 1993. He told officials his occupation and claimed that the money belonged to the university. Investigators uncovered that the school had no knowledge of the money and that Magnoli had used the cash as a down payment for a home on Ono Island
Ono Island (Alabama)
Ono Island is a long barrier island in southern Baldwin County, Alabama, at the mouth of Perdido Bay on the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered by Bayou St. John to the north and Old River to the south. Surrounding communities include Perdido Key, Florida to the south and east and Orange...
.
On February 13, 1998, the Board of Trustees appointed Mark Foley, former executive vice-president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions...
, as president of the university. Shortly after being appointed, Foley told board members that "any operation related to the University of Mobile under my administration will operate in the black or it will not operate." Two months later, the Nicaragua campus was sold to Tom Monaghan
Tom Monaghan
Thomas Stephen "Tom" Monaghan is an entrepreneur and Catholic philanthropist and activist who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983-1992....
, founder of the Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
chain, and was renamed the Ave Maria College of the Americas
Ave Maria University
Ave Maria University or AMU is a private Catholic university in southwest Florida, United States, founded in 2003. The university moved to its permanent campus, situated in the planned town of Ave Maria, east of Naples, Florida, in August 2007...
. Foley came under fire in August of 1998 for his new hiring policy which stated that the university will only hire Christian faculty members. This drew criticism from members of the Jewish community including long-time donor Gordon Kahn, who asked for his name to be removed from the scholarships and foundations he had donated. Foley contested that for the university to carry out its faith-based mission it must have full support and understanding from all of its faculty members.
Organization
The University of Mobile is governed by a board of trustees. Members are recommended by the president of the university, reviewed by the Committee on Boards at the Alabama Baptist State Convention, and appointed by the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Elected trustees serve 4-year terms with reelection possible up to a maximum of 12 continuous years, after which an individual must be off the board for at least one year before becoming eligible to return. Life trustees must have held an elected position on the board for 20 years and may then be presented by the president for election to the life position. As of April 2008, the university had 33 elected trustees and four life trustees.College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Dwight Steedly is the DeanDean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the College of Arts and Sciences with Dr. Ted Mashburn currently holding the title of Associate Dean. The college offers degrees in arts, history, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, social science, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, environmental management
Environmental management
Environmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
, marine science, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, and communication. The University of Mobile has also established engineering partnership programs with Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
and the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
by which students may receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mobile and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the participating university.
School of Business
Dr. Jane Finley is the Dean of the School of Business which offers fields of study in accounting, business administration (with concentrations in finance, global business, management, and marketing), and computer information systems. The school also offers a master's degree in business administration.School of Christian Studies
A Bachelor of Arts or Science in TheologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
is available from the School of Christian Studies. Dr. Cecil Taylor is the current Dean.
School of Education
Dr. Peter Kingsford is the current Dean for the school of education which offers degrees in early childhood educationEarly childhood education
Early childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
and elementary education as well as secondary certification for biology, history, mathematics, language arts, social sciences, and human performance and exercise science. A degree in athletic training is also available.
School of Nursing
The school of nursing offers associates and bachelors degrees in nursing. The school also offers a Master of Science in nursingNursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
. Dr. Richard McElhaney is the current dean.
Center of Performing Arts
The Performing Arts division is chaired by Roger Breland and offers fields of study in music, theater,and worship leadership.Demographics
The University of Mobile has 1,577 students from thirty states and twenty-four nations. Overall, sixty-five percent of the students enrolled are from the Mobile area or surrounding counties while seventeen percent are from other areas in Alabama. Forty percent of the student body reside on campus. Sixty-five percent of the students are Southern BaptistResidential life
At its inception, Mobile College was entirely a commuter school until the first residence halls, Arendall and Bedsole Hall, were completed. Along with Arendall and Bedsole, President William Weaver also oversaw the addition of housing cottages named Avery Woods. President Magnoli organized the addition of the university's fourth student housing unit, the 3-storied Ingram Hall. Under President Foley the university has expanded to include Samford Hall and Faulkner Hall.Media
There are several media outlines at the University of Mobile:- "The Ram Report", Official bi-weekly newsletter of the University of Mobile. It is produced by the Public Relations Office and does have some student photography and articles written by students. The Ram Report does not publish opinions.
- "UM NewsNet", Official online news source of the university which is e-mailed to students, faculty, staff and others who sign up online at www.umobile.edu/news.
Athletics
The university colors are maroon and white, and a ram is the mascot. The school's intercollegiate program began in 1985 as one of the first acts of the newly appointed President Magnoli. The university fields athletic teams for both men and women in soccer, basketball, golf, cross countryCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, and track, in addition to women's softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, men's baseball, and women's volleyball and cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
. The university has won championships in men's tennis in 1993; women's tennis (1994); men's golf, men's tennis, and women's soccer in 1997; women's golf (1998); men's soccer (2002); and women's softball (2006).
Notable alumni
- Erin BetheaErin BetheaErin Bethea is an American actress. She is known for appearing in Sherwood Pictures' films, Facing the Giants and Fireproof.- Personal life :...
Actress - Big Daddy WeaveBig Daddy WeaveBig Daddy Weave is a contemporary Christian band composed of Mike Weaver , Jay Weaver, Jeremy Redmon, and Joe Shirk. Their popular songs include: "Every Time I Breathe", "Audience of One", "In Christ", "Fields of Grace", "Without You", and "What Life Would Be Like". They are signed to Fervent...
Members: Mike Weaver, Jeremy Redmon, Jeff Jones and Joe Shirk - Joey EspadaJoey EspadaJosue Espada is the third base coach for the Miami Marlins.-Playing career:Espada attended the University of Mobile. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft...
Major League Baseball coach, Florida MarlinsFlorida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at... - J. C. Romero Professional baseball player, Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
- Saúl RiveraSaul RiveraRabell Saúl Rivera is a right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher currently a free agent.-Career:...
Professional baseball player, Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium... - Steven V. Taylor Dove Award Winner, Grammy Nominee