UAB to Join UA, State Archives in Publishing Alabama Heritage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama at Birmingham has joined The University of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Archives and History as a copublisher of Alabama Heritage magazine, according to its editor, Donna L. Cox.

Begun in 1986 as a publication of The University of Alabama, the magazine quickly gained a following throughout the state and beyond. The state archives joined as a copublisher in 2002. UAB became a part of the team Jan. 1, 2007.

“I’m so proud to have UAB’s name on the cover,” said Cox, a graduate of UAB’s master’s program in history. “It’s a wonderful school, my alma mater, and this vote of confidence in us is the greatest possible compliment.” UAB’s financial support will allow Cox to expand the size of the magazine, to improve equipment and staff training, and to continue the building of an endowment fund.

UAB is no stranger to the Alabama Heritage circle. In the mid-1990s, a funding crisis jeopardized the magazine, generating great concern for the publication’s readers. UAB stepped in to assist UA in the funding of the magazine for five years, allowing Alabama Heritage time to form a foundation and to obtain corporate assistance, which has helped to sustain it since then.

After UAB President Carol Z. Garrison’s arrival in 2002, she became an admirer of the magazine and wanted to restore the partnership. “Alabama Heritage is a valuable resource to the state. It is in UAB’s interest to contribute to its success and survival,” she said.

Dr. Shirley Salloway Kahn, UAB’s vice president for development, alumni and external relations, was instrumental in negotiating the new arrangement. “Everyone benefits by this partnership,” Kahn commented. “We’re all strengthened by working together here.”

“Education is our chief mission,” said Cox, “but we want to educate in a way that enlightens, entertains, and inspires our readers.” The magazine’s readership extends to every state and to some foreign countries—a favorite of expatriate Alabamians, according to Cox.

Cox is also pleased that the partnership will foster the sharing of resources between the two campuses. “UAB has an outstanding history faculty, several specializing in Alabama history. And the archives of the medical school and the Reynolds library are very useful tools for our work,” said Cox. “We can reciprocate by offering UAB students the opportunity to do marketing and editorial internships at a successful and respected publication.”

Alabama Heritage, a quarterly magazine about the history and culture of Alabama and the South, is known for its lively content and its full-color graphic design by Birmingham’s Robin McDonald. The publication has received at least 40 district and national awards since its inception. In addition to traditional local, state, and regional history, articles cover art, literature, language, archaeology, music, religion, architecture, and natural history.

For more information, write Alabama Heritage, Box 870342, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0342, call 205/348-7467, or visit www.alabamaheritage.com.