Roberts Hall

Roberts Hall, formerly known simply as the Humanities Building before it was dedicated to Dr. Frances C. Roberts, houses part of the University of Alabama in Huntsville's liberal arts community, of which Dr. Roberts was once a member via the history department. It was constructed in the early 1970s, and opened to studies and classes in 1972 to provide space for the college to grow and establish liberal arts as a viable field at UAH. Later, it was dedicated to Dr. Roberts in 1988, for her dedication to and significance within the UAH community that extended beyond her department into all aspects of life at UAH.

The Humanities Building of the University of Alabama in Huntsville was originally intended to be open by early 1971, but due to weather and other concerns, it instead initially opened in January of 1972, intended to hold the academic departments and classrooms related to the humanities so that the other academic buildings would feel less crowded. It was part of an ongoing expansion of UAH's reach and footprint that continues even into today. A growing school needed a location to store additional academic disciplines, and the humanities department of UAH was finally able to expand and fill the hole missing in UAH's mostly scientific schooling.

The English and History departments were formerly contained within portables behind Morton Hall, and as they moved out into a dedicated building, UAH was able to bring in more departments using those portables. The establishment of a building for humanities was the first step towards a more versatile UAH, not only for the new studies that the humanities would bring, but also for the space that new constructions provided on campus. It was the beginning of a new era in UAH history, one not of crowded education in a small town, but of a diverse and growing campus in a diverse and growing city. This was only the beginning of growth on the UAH campus that continues into today.

The dedication of the Humanities Building was performed on the 14th of May in 1988. It's namesake was Dr. Frances C. Roberts. Dr. Roberts was one of the original five instructors at the University Center in Huntsville, teaching history at the school. Despite the nature of UAH as an engineering and science university, she established herself as a professional in her field never letting UAH forget how important history and liberal arts are. She continued to be a part of UAH's history department and of the larger university community for many years, leaving an impact on everyone she met, faculty and student alike. UAH President at the time of dedication, Frank Franz considered Dr. Roberts to be:

A superior professor who had an impact on countless people in North Alabama. She was a forceful and effective advocate for liberal arts and indeed the whole university. She personified the dedication to excellence and caring in higher education^[1]

She left a lasting mark on not only her department, but the entire university history. She helped establish liberal arts as a viable field at UAH, and for that reason, the Humanities Building was dedicated in her name. Dr. Frances Roberts' legacy lives on in the liberal arts programs available at UAH. Even today, Roberts Hall still houses liberal arts departments that offer much educational merit even though UAH has historically been a science and engineering-focused institution. Despite the surrounding community's normal academic environment, the UAH liberal arts community has been able to grow and thrive, in no small part due to Dr. Roberts and this construction. One of the oldest, but also one of the most important buildings on campus, Roberts Hall represents everything that Dr. Roberts wanted for the school.

Ceci, Katie. "Humanities Building renamed Roberts Hall." Exponent (Huntsville) May 18th 1988. .2.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville. "Humanities Building opens." Exponent (Huntsville) January 20th 1972. 4 ed, 9 sec, 4-16.

^[1] “UAH Insight, Volume 10, Nubmer 18, November 21, 2000,” Series 3, Box 1, Folder 2, Frances Cabannis Roberts Collection, The UAH Archives and Special Collections

The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Roberts Hall, UAH Events. Accessed June 6th 2022. https://www.uah.edu/events/venues/detail/26/1/roberts-hall.