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1984 --¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Purchases London Study Centre.
More than 8,000 students have studied at ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ's address in central London, now called Daniel House. The former bed-and-breakfast hotel was bought to serve as the focal point of international programs that touch five continents.

1984 --Football Returns and Women 's Athletics Begin.
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ breathed new life into its intercollegiate athletics program by resurrecting football, dormant since 1973, and adding women's athletics. By 1991-92, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ football reached the national playoffs in NCAA Division I-AA.

1986--Computer Intensification Begins.
Recognizing the significance of personal computers early, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ provided every faculty member with a PC in 1986-87. By 1993, more than 1,000 PCs were available in 14 student labs. Later, residence halls were wired for PCs.

1986 --Beeson Woods Begins.
Construction of the first five units of the residential village marked the first new housing construction in 25 years at ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ. Beeson Woods, which featured apartment-type units, ultimately grew to 12 buildings for 500 students.

1987--¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Celebrates 100 Years in Birmingham.
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ observed its first century in Birmingham by opening Centennial Walk.

1988 --Healing Arts Center Completed.
The Dwight and Lucille Beeson Center for the Healing Arts provided a much-needed home for ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ's Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing. The domed structure also houses the Rotunda Club and classical art featuring healing themes.

1988--Beeson Divinity School Opens.
A generous gift by Ralph W. Beeson made possible the first divinity school to be opened on the campus of a Southern Baptist university. Over the years since, other Baptist universities emulated the trend begun by ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ.

1988--PARCA Established.
To fill the need for an independent, nonpartisan fact-finding body for public policy in Alabama, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ helped establish the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. Former Alabama Governor Albert Brewer was the first executive director.

1990--National Magazines Discover ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ.
U.S. News & World Report began listing ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ in its annual selection of America's Best Colleges. It has done so every year since (current ranking: fifth in the South). Other magazines such as Money, Peterson's, The Princeton Review and Barron's Profiles of American Colleges also ranked ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ high.

1990--Beeson Provides Titanic Estate Gift.
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ benefactor Ralph W. Beeson, who died in the fall of 1990, left ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ $54.8 million, at the time one of the largest gifts ever to an American university. A titanic figure in ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ history, Beeson and his family donated more than $100 million to ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ in all.

1991-1992--¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Celebrates 150th Birthday.
Chartered in 1841 and opening its doors in early 1842, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ celebrated its sesquicentennial with a two-year observance highlighted by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's visit April 7, 1992.

1994 --Trustees Vote for Charter Change.
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Trustees voted to elect their own members. The action was taken to protect the University, while intensifying its commitment to Baptist and Christian principles. The University enjoys a covenant relationship with the Alabama Baptist State Convention, which continues its generous support of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ.

Mid-1990s --Campus Expansion Continues.
Beginning in 1993, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ modernized and refurbished Davis Library, which included Hudnall Library, a major addition. In 1995 Divinity Chapel and Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library were added. Total cost of these structures: $25 million. In 1998, the Children's Learning Center was completed with major support from Memphis philanthropist Paul Piper. Divinity Chapel was named for longtime Trustee Andrew Gerow Hodges in 2002.

1997-2002--Foundations Show Confidence in ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ.
In 1997 ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ received a $1 million grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to implement problem-based learning (PBL) techniques into undergraduate studies. Pew awarded a $750,000 follow-up grant in 2000. In 2002 the Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ two grants of $2 million each to establish a Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence and to set up Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation.

1999 --¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Makes The Big Dance.
The ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ men's basketball team made the first of two consecutive trips to the NCAA post-season tournament, earning the school national exposure.

2000--Education School Recognized Nationally.
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley presented the first National Award for Effective Teacher Preparation to ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ's Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies.

2001--Lucille Beeson Leaves Millions for Scholarships.
Lucille Stewart Beeson, a generous donor during her lifetime, left ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ what was believed to be the largest scholarship gift in Alabama history, $10 million to establish the Dwight and Lucille Beeson Exceptional Scholars Program. The scholarships encourage top Alabama students to study and reside in their state. She also left another $1 million in scholarships to the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing.

2001 --Sciencenter Opens.
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ opened its largest academic building, a 90,000-square foot structure to house the biology, chemistry and physics departments. Costing $29 million, the center houses 35 labs, Alabama's largest planetarium (100 seats) and a medicinal plant conservatory. Every undergraduate takes at least one class in this building.

2003 --Rogers Named Teacher of Year.
Validating earlier recognition of the ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ education school, graduate Betsy Rogers of Leeds, Ala., was named National Teacher of the Year by President George W. Bush. Rogers holds four degrees from the ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ education school.

1983-2005--Endowment Grows to $258 Million.
¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ endowment stood at $8 million in 1983. An aggressive investment program, coupled with generous gifts and the development of ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ's Lakeshore property adjacent to campus, spurred dramatic endowment growth through the '90s. Today, the endowment stands at $258 million.

2004 --¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Issues The Promise.
The ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Board of Trustees approved sweeping initiatives underscoring the school's commitment to offer "a vigorous academic experience, remain loyal to Christian beliefs, and continue as a friendly, caring community. " Dr. Corts described the initiatives as "a promise for all ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ generations." Included are provisions for increasing the enrollment and endowment, additional scholarships and professorships, a new recital hall and arena/fitness center, and other features.

1983-2005--Corts Awards 17,000 Diplomas.
Dr. Thomas Corts personally has signed and presented more than 17,000 diplomas to ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ graduates over his 22 years as president. ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ's 17th president has served longer than any current Alabama university president.