INTRODUCTION 

The Mission

Montevallo faculty members are an important part of an institution committed to quality in its academic programs and its faculty.  The University’s unique mission, incorporated into State statutes in 1979, is as follows:

The mission of the University of Montevallo, unique in higher education in Alabama, is to provide to students from throughout the State an affordable, geographically accessible, “small college” public higher educational experience of high quality with a strong emphasis on undergraduate liberal studies and with professional programs supported by a broad base of arts and sciences, designed for their intellectual growth in the pursuit of meaningful employment and responsible, informed citizenship.

Brief History

The University of Montevallo was proposed in 1892 in a bill introduced in the State Senate by Sol D. Bloch of Camden. The bill, steered through the House by John McQueen of Birmingham, was passed the following year. In June 1895, after considerable competition from other parts of the state, Montevallo was selected as the site of the University because of the town’s location near the exact geographical center of the state, its healthful surroundings—and a substantial gift of cash and property by local citizens who wanted a public educational institution in their town.

The school, dedicated to the education of Alabama females, opened on October 12, 1896, with Captain Henry Clay Reynolds of Montevallo as President, a faculty of 10, and a student enrollment of 145. The “campus” consisted only of Reynolds Hall, erected in 1851. The institution, known as Alabama College for most of the century, became the University of Montevallo in 1969.

Management of the University from the beginning was vested in an eleven member Board of Trustees in addition to the Governor, who is its president, and the State Superintendent of Education, both of whom serve ex‑officio. Members are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the State Senate.

The University has had fourteen presidents. The first, Captain Henry Clay Reynolds, was a lieutenant in the Confederate States Army, and at the time of his election was a merchant and a planter. In 1898 he was succeeded by Dr. Francis Marion Peterson, professor of Ancient Languages at Southern University (now Birmingham‑Southern). The third president, Dr. Thomas Waverly Palmer, before coming to Montevallo in 1907, had been Dean and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Alabama. In 1926, Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Dean of the University since 1922, became the fourth president. Dr. Arthur Fort Harman, former State Superintendent of Education, served the University as its fifth president from 1935 to September 1, 1947, when he was succeeded by Dr. John Tyler Caldwell, its sixth president. On July 1, 1952, Dr. Caldwell was succeeded by Dr. F. Edward Lund, former Dean of Florence State College. In August 1957, Dr. Howard Mitchell Phillips, Sr., Dean of the Graduate School, Emory University, became the eighth president of the College. Dr. Delos P. Culp, President of Livingston  State  College,  succeeded  Dr. Phillips becoming  the  ninth  president of the University.  In March 1968, Dr. Kermit A. Johnson became the tenth president of the University of Montevallo. On August 1, 1977, Dr. James F. Vickrey, Jr., became the eleventh president of the University. In March 1988, Dr. John W. Stewart became acting president and was appointed as the twelfth president on October 12, 1989, serving until his retirement in June, 1992. On July 1, 1992, Dr. Robert M. McChesney became the University of Montevallo’s thirteenth president.  He served the University for 14 years until his retirement in August 2006.  Dr. Philip C. Williams became the University's 14th president on August 1, 2006.

In the fall of 1955, President Lund recommended to the Trustees that the institution become a coeducational liberal arts college, offering standard courses in the arts and sciences and in the various professional fields in which the University had historically pioneered. In response to the recommendation, which was approved unanimously by the Trustees, the State Legislature on January 17, 1956, passed the necessary legislation to permit the University to admit qualified male students. The University thus opened its sixty‑first session as a coeducational liberal arts college.

The University of Montevallo has developed from its beginning as a women’s school with a curriculum covering high school subjects, special work in commercial courses, normal training, music and domestic arts to a public, liberal arts university granting undergraduate and graduate degrees.  It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is committed to the attainment of national accreditation in all of its undergraduate programs where such recognition is available and appropriate.  In addition, UM is also a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.  Montevallo’s facilities include a 160-acre main campus, with more than 30 major buildings included in the $50-plus million physical plant.  Spacious lawns, stately trees, red-brick walkways and streets, and an unusual number of flowers and shrubs contribute to the natural attractiveness of the campus, the center portion of which is a National Historic District.

The University is comprised of four divisions:  the Division of Academic Affairs, the Division of Student Affairs, the Division of Business Affairs, and the Division of University Advancement.  UM offers study in four colleges:  the College of Arts and Sciences, the Michael E. Stephens College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Fine Arts:  The University grants Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Science degrees, as well as the Master of Arts, Master of Education, Master of Science, and Educational Specialist degrees

Regional Accreditation

The University of Montevallo is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia  30033-4097; telephone number 404-579-4501).  Application is made every ten years for reaffirmation of accreditation.

The UM faculty and staff recognize the importance and public trust that accompany regional accreditation, and the national and international acceptance accorded degrees granted by accredited institutions.  In carrying out the University’s mission, Montevallo is committed to adhering to the principles and requirements set forth and refined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), including those referred to in SACS literature under the heading of Institutional Effectiveness, a term which encompasses the systematic and documented processes of planning, assessment, and improvement.  It is incumbent upon the faculty to be familiar with and to abide by the requirements contained in the SACS Criteria for Accreditation,, housed in the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment and/or in all departmental offices, and to participate in the Institutional self-studies required by SACS for each application for reaffirmation of accreditation.

University Policy

University policy is developed, revised, and issued as conditions warrant, as the Board of Trustees’ action dictates, or as new state or federal legislation is enacted. 

Faculty are encouraged and expected to be aware of all University policies.  Complete information about each of the University’s official policies is available through Personnel Services, and in the Policy Manuals located in departmental offices, or in the Policies section of the University’s web page at www.montevallo.edu/faculty/policies/contents.shtm.  Questions should be directed to the appropriate Department Chair, the appropriate Dean, the Provost, or Personnel Services.

Administrative Prerogative

The University seeks faculty opinions about working conditions, ways and means of enhancing institutional effectiveness, efficiency, and other matters of faculty interest.  From time to time, however, the University, like any other organization, has to make decisions without prior consultation with its faculty.  Accordingly, the University maintains exclusive discretion to exercise the customary functions of management including, but not limited to, the discretion to select, hire, promote, transfer, demote, suspend, dismiss, assign, supervise, and discipline employees; to determine work schedules; to determine the size and composition of the work force; to establish, change, modify, and abolish policies, procedures, rules, and regulations; to evaluate policies on a "case-by-case" basis before making employment decisions; to consider extenuating circumstances in the interpretation or application of policies, as appropriate; to determine and modify job descriptions and job classifications; to assign responsibilities to employees; and to establish and change salary and wage rates in accordance with needs and requirements determined by the University.

The Faculty Handbook

The Faculty Handbook is not a contract of any kind but is provided as a general guide to the University of Montevallo to help you become familiar with selected University policies, procedures, and benefits.  The information contained in the Handbook is not all-inclusive; rather it is a summary and overview.  While it is the intention of the University to apply the substantive and procedural standards set forth in the Handbook fairly and consistently, the Board of Trustees and the University reserve the right to modify or deviate from application of Handbook provisions when such action is deemed necessary or appropriate.  The Board of Trustees and the University retain full discretion and authority to adopt, amend, and enforce lawful work rules and policies, whether or not they appear in writing in the Handbook or elsewhere.  Should any provision of the Handbook or stated University policy conflict in any way with applicable law, the law will control to the extent of such inconsistency, and University policy shall be deemed amended so as to conform to the requirements of the laws.