About Montevallo

Montevallo’s Legislatively mandated mission, 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 the intellectual and personal growth in the pursuit of meaningful employment and responsible informed citizenship.”

To say that Montevallo is unique would be an understatement. As a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges and as one of only 26 public liberal arts universities in the United States, Montevallo has emerged as a national leader in liberal arts education and has been recognized in numerous editions of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges as the highest ranked Tier One, public master’s level university in Alabama.

The college of choice for many of the brightest young minds in the Southeast, Montevallo is home to approximately 3,000 students and its 160-acre central campus is noted for its unparalleled beauty. Situated in the geographic center of the State of Alabama, Montevallo’s white columned brick buildings, famous red brick streets, verdant lawns, colorful flowerbeds, and stately trees surround students with academic tradition. The core of the campus, designed by the world-renowned Olmsted Brothers, has been designated as a National Historic District. Twenty-eight campus structures or sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the city of Montevallo (population 4,500), 35 miles south of Birmingham, Montevallo is easily accessible from Interstate 65 (7 miles).

The 97,000 square-foot Robert M. McChesney Student Activity Center, opened in 2004, houses a 6-lane collegiate-competition-size pool and a 6,000 square-foot weight training and cardio-conditioning theatre, offering students up-to-date fitness technology. The Center is also home to the 3,500-seat People’s Bank and Trust Arena, where the Montevallo Falcons basketball and volleyball teams compete.

The newest residence hall, as yet unnamed, opened for the fall 2009 semester. Measuring 65,000 square feet, the new hall features suite-style living. Each suite includes four bedrooms, a kitchenette, refrigerator, microwave, a common living area and two bathrooms. Each floor also contains a larger kitchen and study rooms. The new facility also offers residential college faculty fellows, who are assigned to each floor to give students a structured independence.

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—make up Montevallo’s broad fields of study. Students may choose from 37 challenging degree programs while enjoying a student/faculty ratio of 16 to one.

Underscoring Montevallo’s commitment to quality, more than 85 percent of Montevallo faculty members hold the terminal degree in their discipline.

Interesting Facts:

• Central portion of campus is a National Historic District.
• Twenty-eight University buildings listed on the National Register of Historical Places
• Three antebellum structures (and a family cemetery!)
• Walking tours with unique themes
• Public concerts, lectures and cultural events
• Area attractions include the American Village, Brierfield Ironworks, antique shopping and more.
• Montevallo’s Welcome Center is located in the historic Will Lyman House, at Oak and Middle streets, just outside the campus gates. Follow the historic-district signs to campus.