At a recent meeting on the campus of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama approved renaming the UAH College of Liberal Arts to the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The change becomes effective August 18, the beginning of the fall semester.
"The purpose of the name change is for people to more quickly become aware of what we do here," said Dr. Mitch Berbrier, College of Liberal Arts Interim Dean and Professor of Sociology. "Liberal Arts has a rich history as reflective of the intellectual core of universities, and for some people it still holds rich meaning. However, we anticipate that the name Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences will mean more to a larger group of potential students and their parents, as well as employers.
"The new name also reflects the ways in which our college has added to its mission of inquiry and reflection, clarifying and retooling curricula in each of our programs to ensure that our graduates are better prepared when they present themselves to prospective employers," Berbrier added.
"The renaming of the College of Liberal Arts to the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences will give a clear statement of the academic fields that are contained within the college. This clarity will assist both current and prospective students in knowing the breadth of disciplines that UAH has in which they can major, minor or take courses of interest," said Dr. Christine W. Curtis, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. "We believe, too, that this renaming will assist the public and our current, new and prospective students in identifying disciplines that are available to them at UAH and will assist UAH in recruiting highly qualified students who are interested in the arts, humanities, and social sciences."
The UAH College of Liberal Arts is home to 10 undergraduate majors, 16 minors and cognates, and four graduate programs. UAH was founded in 1950 and became an autonomous campus with The University of Alabama System in 1969. The UAS includes The University of Alabama (located in Tuscaloosa), The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville.