University of Alabama finds success recruiting more top academic students

The University of Alabama has a reputation for hauling in an annual catch of blue-chip athletic recruits, but the university is increasingly casting a net to snare top-level academic recruits as well.

The current academic year produced a record enrollment at UA with an overall class size of 39,623, a number that includes 3,184 freshmen from Alabama in a freshman class comprised of 8,279 students. The overall enrollment includes 1,142 National Merit Scholars, which makes the University of Alabama one of the nation’s largest enrolling institutions of National Merit Scholars. The freshman class has 43.4% of its members with a 4.0 high school grade point average, to go along with 300 National Merit Scholars.

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"With over 600 student organizations, experiential learning opportunities like our remarkable entrepreneurship program, and boundless undergraduate and graduate research opportunities, students choose the University of Alabama to become well-rounded global citizens, ready to make a difference," said President Stuart R. Bell.

In 2018, the Carnegie Foundation recognized UA with its “Very High Research Activity” status, also known as the R-1 category, in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The R-1 research designation plays a big role in drawing top-performing students.

Jennifer Roth-Burnette, a professor specializing in medieval chant and polyphony, said she works with a lot of parents and students across many disciplines in her capacity as the director of UA's Learning Commons, a part of the Capstone Center for Student Success that helps students find tutoring and study spaces.

"I get to encounter lots and lots of students who know that we are football champions, but we are also research champions and academic champions," Roth-Burnette. "That kind of excellence that we look to our football team to embody is also going on in every place in the university."

Major research projects such as the one led by professor Jennifer Feltman on the sculptures of Notre Dame Cathedral, are a major draw to high-level students.

"When it comes to football, we understand that we have to be strategic in recruiting great players. It is not that different in the academic area, we have to have high-profile students. We want to be the No. 1 team. Through persistence, patience, and vision, you can do really interesting things," Feltman said.

The Carnegie R-1 research designation certainly plays a role in recruiting students, said James Dalton, UA's executive vice president and provost.

"Undergraduate students considering a graduate degree consider those same factors and often look more closely at the graduate programs offered, the research interests of the faculty, the quality of the research facilities, and career outcomes," Dalton said.

"UA’s ability to offer a large number of baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctoral and professional programs, the outstanding faculty that students meet when they tour campus, and the classrooms and research facilities in which students learn are all a part of advantages that attract students to UA as an R-1," he said.

According to Dalton, the University of Alabama doesn't simply wait for prospective students to contact them. Members of the administration and faculty are actively involved in academic recruiting. The university holds recruiting events and UA leaders, including Bell and the deans of the various schools, visit high schools to tout the university's virtues to prospective students.

"We had over 58,000 applications for undergraduate admissions for fall 2023.  Some of these students may have attended a recruiting event in their hometown, some may have visited the campus or have family who are alumni, while others curated their interest online and from afar," Dalton said.

Having top quality professors involved in research projects helps with the academic recruiting process as well.

Alexandre Tokovinine, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, participated in recruiting a highly sought after student with an interest in archaeology. He is a member of the team with Feltman exploring the Notre Dame Cathedral statues.

"I had a prospective student come in last fall that was interested in five top archaeology programs across the south. I think that this was the (Notre Dame) project that finally convinced the student that we are worth coming to," said Tokovinine.

"It is interesting how our ability to attract talent really depends on these high profile projects. A university cannot survive on professors alone. Our ability to attract undergraduate and graduates students is part of our success as an institution," he said.

Professors who can elevate students academically provide a big draw for incoming students who have their eye on high-level academic achievement.

"Because we are an R-1, we recruit and retain really talented faculty that are the best and brightest in their field, whether it be in engineering, business, nursing, or the many programs in Arts & Sciences and other colleges," Dalton said.

"Faculty are drawn to universities where they can pursue their research and scholarship while teaching and interacting with talented peers and students.  These faculty are at the cutting edge of their discipline and they share it with our students when they step into the classroom or laboratory.  We have countless stories of student success across campus and they invariably include an amazing faculty or staff mentor who worked with that student," Dalton said.

UA has increased its financial commitment to research. In 2017, UA committed $63.3 million to academic research. That number grew to $129.5 million by 2021. In 2022, the university spent $163.2 million. In 2022, 40% of the UA faculty was involved in research.

"That vision of professors sitting in their offices with just books all day long happens sometimes, but most of the time we are engaged with lots of different people and students to move our ideas forward," Feltman said.

Gary Cosby Jr. is the photo editor of The Tuscaloosa News. Readers can email him at gary.cosby@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: University of Alabama lures more top-performing academic students