University of Mobile - History

History

The Alabama Baptist organization first expressed interest in establishing a Baptist college in Mobile in 1946. At that time the organization was considering combining the already established schools of Howard College (Now Samford University) and Judson College and move the newly formed school to Mobile. The proposal was unsuccessful, but the concept of establishing a Baptist affiliated school in the Mobile area persisted.

In 1957 the Alabama Baptist State Convention was formally asked to study the possibility of establishing a junior college in Mobile. In 1959 the convention agreed to the proposal if $1.5 million could be raised by the community. A year later $2 million had been raised by local churches and businesses. Sylacauga Baptist Church pastor William K. Weaver Jr. was elected as the founding president after serving on the convention's study committee. The Alabama Baptist convention approved the establishment of Mobile College on November 14, 1961 and was granted state recognition less than a month later by Governor John Patterson.

Mobile businessman Jay P. Altmayer donated 200 acres in north Mobile as the site for the newly established college. Ray Loper of Loper Lumber Company donated another 50 acres (200,000 m2) along the Chickasabogue Creek. Other purchases brought the land total to 400 acres (1.6 km2). Today the University campus encompasses 880 acres (3.6 km2).

Weaver remained president until his retirement in 1984. During his tenure Mobile College grew to include two residence halls, a dining hall, a gymnasium, a library, a fine arts academic building, residence cottages, tennis courts, and an outdoor swimming pool.

Michael A. Magnoli, a member of the college's first graduating class, succeeded Weaver as president in 1984. One of Magnoli's first acts as president was to establish the school's athletic program. Under Magnoli the campus continued to grow, adding an additional residence hall and new classroom buildings. Magnoli also oversaw the relocation of the St. Stephens Baptist Church to the campus in 1987. The church was renamed Lyon Chapel in honor of former trustee Willie Mae Lewis Lyon and was an acknowledgment of the commitment of the Alabama Baptists to the establishment and continued support of the college.

On July 1, 1993, Mobile College became the University of Mobile to better reflect the growth in programs and facilities. To add an international component to the university and expand its academic programs the university opened the Latin American Branch Campus in San Marcos, Nicaragua in the fall of 1993. The expansion plan would eventually inflict a serious strain on the university's financial status. In March 1997 Magnoli sent a memo to board members outlining the financial situation of the university and reported that the school will have a $1.5 million cash flow shortfall by the end of the fiscal year. Adding to the problem was the university's lines of credit with two area banks, totaling $2 million. A month later, after a 4-hour meeting with the university trustees, Magnoli's tenure at the University of Mobile had ended despite having 2 years left on his contract. A few unnamed board members told the Mobile Press-Register that the university was now facing a $4 million cash flow shortage heading into the coming months. In October 1999 Magnoli was convicted of falsifying his 1993 federal income tax returns. Magnoli had declared that he had $15,000 on his person when arriving at New Orleans airport in 1993. He told officials his occupation and claimed that the money belonged to the university. Investigators uncovered that the school had no knowledge of the money and that Magnoli had used the cash as a down payment for a home on Ono Island.

On February 13, 1998, the Board of Trustees appointed Mark Foley, former executive vice-president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, as president of the university. Shortly after being appointed, Foley told board members that "any operation related to the University of Mobile under my administration will operate in the black or it will not operate." Two months later, the Nicaragua campus was sold to Tom Monaghan, founder of the Domino's Pizza chain, and was renamed the Ave Maria College of the Americas. Foley came under fire in August 1998 for his new hiring policy which stated that the university will only hire Christian faculty members. This drew criticism from members of the Jewish community including long-time donor Gordon Kahn, who asked for his name to be removed from the scholarships and foundations he had donated. Foley contested that for the university to carry out its faith-based mission it must have full support and understanding from all of its faculty members.