The Board of Trustees of
The University of Alabama

Established in 1969, The University of Alabama System includes The University of Alabama (located in Tuscaloosa), The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The System is governed by a self-nominating Board of fifteen elected and two ex-officio members.

The Constitution of the State of Alabama provides that the Board is composed of three members from the Congressional district in which the Tuscaloosa campus is located and two members from each of the other six Congressional districts. The Governor and the State Superintendent of Education are ex-officio members of the Board. Those members who are not ex-officio are elected by the Board, subject to confirmation by the State Senate and may serve up to three consecutive, full six-year terms.

The purpose of the Board of Trustees is to ensure the effective leadership, management and control over the activities of the three doctoral research universities in The University of Alabama System. This structure provides for a definitive, orderly form of governance, and secures and continues responsive, progressive, and superior institutions of higher education.

The primary functions of the Board are to determine the major policies of the System. These include reviewing existing policies; defining the mission, role, and scope of each campus; and assuming ultimate responsibility to the public and political bodies of Alabama. Rules, policies, and procedures are promulgated to ensure that, through The University of Alabama System Office, the necessary flow of information for such accountability takes place.