Author: Kathy Dean

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile is the #1 Best Small College in Alabama for 2021 with the #1 Best Dorms in the state, according to the 2021 Best Colleges rankings by Niche.

Plus, the University of Mobile was named #1 Best College in the Mobile Area, according to Niche.

UM also earned national honors from the site that combines research with reviews to offer nuanced insight to help students find their ideal university.

Nationally, the University of Mobile is the #17 Best College Campus in America for 2021 out of 1,408 college campuses ranked by Niche.

University of Mobile residence halls are the highest nationally ranked dorms in Alabama and are named #20 Best College Dorms in America for 202,  out of 1,376 colleges ranked by Niche.

The Christian university earned top honors in other categories, ranking #2 in Alabama for Safest College Campuses, Best College Campuses, Top Private Universities and Best Christian Colleges. UM was named #3 for Best Student Life and #4 for Best College Food in the state.

UM was ranked a Best Value College in Alabama, and Niche also cited the university’s business, psychology, history, education, nursing, music and religious studies programs, as well as overall academics and diversity, in its top 10 rankings for Alabama.

According to Niche, the 2021 Best Colleges rankings are based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Top-ranked colleges offer outstanding campus resources across classrooms, labs, performance venues, housing, food and recreational facilities, along with outstanding campus housing that is safe and clean with modern amenities at reasonable prices.

The University of Mobile offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the university is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres.

For video tours of the UM campus and residence halls, or to plan a campus visit or register for a UM Day, go to umobile.edu/umday or call Enrollment Services at 251.442.2222.

See all Niche rankings for the University of Mobile at https://www.niche.com/colleges/university-of-mobile/rankings/.

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About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.

 

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile again earned top honors from U.S. News & World Report in the 2021 Best Colleges rankings released Sept. 14, 2020. The annual Best Colleges report assess academic quality among regionally accredited colleges and universities throughout the United States.

The University of Mobile was the highest ranked regional college in Alabama for veterans, named #5 Best Regional College in the South for Veterans. Overall, UM was named #16 Best Regional College in the South.

The University of Mobile was named a “Best Value School” among regional colleges in the South. Best Value Schools are chosen based on academic quality and net cost of attendance. Best Value Schools are considered to offer the best value for students, according to U.S. News & World Report. UM ranked #25.

The University of Mobile also ranked in the top 100 regional colleges in the South as a Top Performer on Social Mobility, at #71. The category recognizes colleges that are successful at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating economically disadvantaged students awarded with federal Pell Grants, which are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.

School rankings are based on academic reputation and academic quality, including factors such as graduation rates, faculty information, admissions data and peer assessment, according to U.S. News & World Report. Colleges are grouped in categories to compare schools with similar missions.

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About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 77 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile recorded its highest enrollment in five years for Fall 2020, bucking a nationwide trend of declining college enrollments during a global pandemic.

The Christian university reported a total enrollment of 2,016 for Fall 2020, up from 1,989 in 2019. The increase includes the largest class of graduate students in the school’s history, along with a significant jump in transfer students.

School officials said new academic programs, plus a reputation for personal attention that becomes even more attractive to students and parents during a pandemic, helped spur the growth.

“When you consider that many ‘experts’ were predicting up to 20 percent declines nationwide in fall enrollments, our increase reflects a great amount of hard work and God’s faithfulness,” said UM President Lonnie Burnett.

Charity Wittner, vice president for enrollment and student life, said being a small private university actually helped in enrolling students during a pandemic.

“We can more easily make the necessary adjustments in social distancing, and our small classes with a culture where faculty and staff know and care about their students are a real advantage,” Wittner said.

Fueling the record graduate enrollment of 266 are the Family Nurse Practitioner program in the College of Health Professions; the Master of Arts in Musical Theatre in the Alabama School of the Arts; and the Master of Business Administration and new Master of Science in Leadership and Communication, both in the School of Business. New doctoral programs in the School of Nursing and the Alabama School of the Arts also are bringing in more graduate students. Additional graduate programs are planned, with another expected to start by Fall 2021 in the School of Nursing.

The university expects to continue the enrollment trend with the addition of a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies starting in Fall 2021 and a Master of Athletic Training program launching in Summer 2021.

A breakdown of the 2020 enrollment of 2,016 includes 1,530 undergraduate and graduate students, plus approximately 486 dual enrollment students. (Dual enrollment high school students are continuing to enroll, making it possible that total enrollment for 2020 will increase slightly.) That compares to 2019 enrollment of 1,989 with 1,509 undergraduate and graduate students, plus 480 dual enrollment.

The jump in transfer students from 83 in 2019 to 104 in 2020 reflects continued growth in partnerships with Bishop State Community College and Coastal Alabama Community College, Wittner said.

UM President Burnett said the university’s track record for quickly responding to the pandemic has given parents and students confidence in the school’s ability to act rapidly and decisively in an ever-changing pandemic world.

“Parents appreciated what we did last spring,” Burnett said, noting that the university quickly moved to online delivery of classes when the pandemic gained traction. A campus survey several weeks later showed students overwhelmingly felt faculty and staff were going above and beyond to meet their individual needs and make the change as smooth as possible.

“A university of our size is like a speedboat – because of our size, we have the ability to be nimble, which is more difficult for large universities. Larger schools are like aircraft carriers – they are hard to turn quickly,” Burnett said.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 251.442.2222.

 About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile has scheduled multiple “UM Days,” a chance for prospective students and parents to preview the campus, learn about academic programs offered, and receive a $2,000 scholarship for attending.

UM Days for the 2020-2021 academic year are: Friday, Sept. 25, 2020; Friday, Oct. 16, 2020; Friday, Nov. 6, 2020; Friday, Feb. 5, 2021; Friday, March 19, 2021.

To RSVP for a date, please visit umobile.edu/umday or call 251.442.2222..

UM Days allow potential students to tour the University of Mobile campus, speak with professors, meet current students, work with financial aid and submit a free application. Prospective traditional undergraduate students that attend a UM Day can also receive a $2,000 scholarship when they enroll.

“I chose to come to UM because of my preview experience,” said freshman Haylee Lind. “I liked the small classes that were offered; the preview day leaders prayed over our group, and I saw how great the community was.”

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About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile announced today that it will modify its fall 2020 academic schedule.

Classes will begin as scheduled on Monday, Aug.17, but all on-ground classes will end on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Faculty will have the option of giving an on-ground final exam during the last class meeting, or giving a final exam in an online format during Nov. 30 – Dec. 3. Clinical experiences and internships will follow their regular schedules.

Commencement ceremonies for the spring and fall 2020 graduating classes will be moved from Dec. 12 to Saturday, Dec. 5. Additionally, fall break, which was scheduled in October, has been cancelled. Monday, Nov. 23 and Tuesday, Nov. 24, which had been scheduled as part of Thanksgiving break, will now be used as class days.

According to university president Dr. Lonnie Burnett, these changes are made to ensure that most students will be off campus at a time when increased cases of COVID-19 might appear.

“As always, we are acting with an abundance of caution with the health and safety of our students and employees as our main concern,” Burnett said.

The university continues to plan for the resumption of on-ground instruction this fall along with open resident and dining halls. Current CDC and Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines are the basis for the university’s COVID-19 preparations.

“Our plans can become more or less restrictive based on the guidelines and orders that might be in effect when the fall semester begins,” Burnett said.

An overview of the current COVID-19 safety plan can be found on the university website at www.umobile.edu/coronavirus.

About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile vocal ensemble Voices of Mobile will present a live online Night of Worship on Facebook Live this Friday, June 19, at 7 p.m. on facebook.com/voicesofmobile.

Voices of Mobile is a versatile vocal ensemble of outstanding students from the Christian university’s Alabama School of the Arts. Voices of Mobile has performed at the White House and presents over 150 concerts each year across the United States and internationally, including at the university’s annual Christmas Spectacular.

Due to COVID-19, their spring touring schedule was cut short and the summer tour was canceled.

“For Voices, the touring year ended on a comma. This very special Night of Worship allows these students in the 17^th year of Voices of Mobile the opportunity to sing together one last time, giving the year the exclamation point it deserves,” said Dr. Roger Breland, executive director of Voices of Mobile.

Voices Director Collin Clardy said, “Our prayer is that the songs these students hold near and dear to their hearts will touch the hearts of everyone who is able to join with us virtually. For some of the students, it is the final opportunity to sing songs which have been a staple of their college journey.”

The Night of Worship is a free event, and donations are being accepted to provide scholarships and offset travel expenses for the group. Those making a donation of $20 or more will receive three Voices of Mobile CDs.

Donations may be made at umobile.edu/voices.

For more information about Voices of Mobile, visit umobile.edu/voices, “like” the Facebook page at facebook.com/voicesofmobile, or call the Alabama School of the Arts at 251.442.2383.

 

About the University of Mobile

The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.

For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.