Profiles of 17 public senior institutions in Alabama are presented as part of an annual report of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to the Governor and Legislature. The profiles are divided into three main sections: mission, role, and scope. The sections on mission were written by the institutions and were left largely as submitted. Information on the role of each institution was taken from various data sources, which are identified. The information on scope is limited to the inventory of academic and teacher certification programs as of June 1984. For each institution, information is provided on: location, mission, history, governance, organization and administration, academic resources (faculty and library), academic facilities, financial support, types and numbers of degrees/certificates awarded, undergraduate and graduate enrollments and the distribution by sex and race, freshman admission requirements, graduate student admission requirements, and research and service. Information on academic programs of each university includes the program title, degrees offered, and the accrediting or approving agency. Appended are statistical tables that summarize the information from the profiles, including data on faculty, revenues, degrees, rankings by field of study and level, and enrollments and characteristics of undergraduate and graduate students. (SW)