Profiles of 16 public senior institutions in Alabama are divided into three main sections: mission, role, and scope. The sections on mission were written by the institutions, while 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 August 1986. For each institution, information is provided on: location, mission, history, governance, organization and administration, academic resources and facilities (faculty and library), 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)