University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is a public university in Florence, Alabama, United States. It is the state's oldest university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. The four cities compose a metropolitan area with a combined population of 140,000 people.
The University of North Alabama was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century. It was founded as LaGrange College in 1830. It was reestablished in 1872 as the first state-supported teachers college south of the Ohio River. A year later, it became one of the nation's first coeducational colleges.
History
UNA's earliest predecessor was LaGrange College, which arose from the idea offered at an 1826 meeting of the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church to establish a college which would not be "religious or theological". By January 1829, the selection of Lawrence Hill on LaGrange Mountain, about 15 miles south of Florence, was made for the site of the school, and the college opened on January 11, 1830, to students of all denominations in two three-story brick buildings.LaGrange graduate Richard H. Rivers, after becoming president of the college, led most of the students and all but one faculty member from the mountain in late 1854 to relocate to Florence and re-incorporate it as Florence Wesleyan University, with 160 students enrolled in its first year of operation. In 1858, the remnant of the original LaGrange College was re-established as LaGrange College and Military Academy, which continued to operate until 1863, when the buildings were destroyed by Union soldiers of the 10th Missouri Cavalry. However, Florence Wesleyan was saved from destruction during the Civil War.
When the Methodist Church deeded Florence Wesleyan to the State of Alabama in 1872, the institution became the State Normal School at Florence, the first state-supported teachers college south of the Ohio River. Shortly thereafter, it became one of the first co-educational institutions in the nation; in 1874, 31 young women enrolled. In 1929, it became a state teachers college offering a four-year curriculum in elementary education. In 1947, the curriculum was expanded again to include A.B. and B.S. degree programs in fields other than teacher training. In 1956, the institution formed a graduate course of study, and the following year, the Alabama Legislature voted to change the institution's name to Florence State College. In 1963, Wendell Wilkie Gunn became the first African-American student to enroll at the college, after a hearing that lasted only ten minutes.
In 1967 the Alabama Legislature removed jurisdiction for the college from the State Board of Education and vested it in a board of trustees. A year later, the new board voted for another name change to Florence State University, accompanied by the establishment of separate schools within the university. Less than a decade later, on August 15, 1974, the university underwent another change of name to the University of North Alabama, symbolizing its coming of age as a comprehensive, regional university.
Following a reorganization in 1991, the university's administrative structure consists of four divisions. In 1993, the Board of Trustees, anticipating continued and steady enrollment growth, adopted a new master facilities plan to ensure that UNA will be equipped to accommodate 10,000 students. Kenneth D. Kitts became the 20th president of the University of North Alabama in March 2015.
Campus
UNA's campus facilities master plan was developed by the Olmsted Brothers, the sons of the architect who designed New York City's Central Park. The campus has three antebellum structures: Wesleyan Hall; Rogers Hall; and Coby Hall. All three are listed in the National Historic Register. The University of North Alabama encompasses two campuses, following a decision in June 2006, by the university's board of trustees to purchase J.W. Powell School from the Florence City Schools. The East Campus houses several academic units, including the Office of Continuing Studies and Outreach and the Human Environmental Sciences' state-of-the-art Culinary FacilityBuildings
The UNA Science and Engineering Technology Building was completed in 2015. The five-story, 160,000-square-foot facility was designed by Lambert Ezell Durham Architects and constructed by BL Harbert, The building houses engineering technology, biology, chemistry, occupational health science, physics and earth science. It also includes conference areas, faculty offices, research facilities, specialized classrooms, a dining area, computer laboratories, super laboratories and lecture halls. In June 2018, the building was renamed the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building in honor of Mitchell Burford, the largest individual private donor in the university's history.The Wendell W. Gunn University Commons was completed in 2014. The $8 million complex houses the University Success Center, Student Financial Services, the UNA branch of Listerhill Credit Union, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A. The commons was designed by Hugo Dante and Create Architects, and was built by Consolidated Construction. In March 2018, the building was renamed the Wendell W. Gunn University Commons in honor of Wendell Gunn, the first African-American student to enter Florence State College in 1963.
Harrison Plaza was made possible by 1955 alumna Laura McAnally Harrison and her husband, Donald C. Harrison, of Cincinnati. The plaza, constructed around a large Italian limestone fountain, occupies the former intersections of Morrison and Wesleyan Avenues and Seminary Street between 601 Cramer Way, Keller Hall and the George H. Carroll Lion Habitat, which houses UNA's live mascots. Harrison Plaza now constitutes the hub of UNA's three pedestrian walkways and serves as the principal entrance to campus.
With its distinctive towers, Wesleyan Hall, one of UNA's most familiar structures, is considered one of the most eminent landmarks in North Alabama. The Gothic Revival structure was designed to serve LaGrange College when this Methodist institution relocated from Franklin to Lauderdale county and was renamed Florence Wesleyan University. During the Civil War, Wesleyan Hall was occupied by both Union and Confederate armies. General William Tecumseh Sherman is considered the most famous Civil War-era occupant of Wesleyan Hall. After the war, the building was deeded to the state of Alabama and thereafter served as a state normal school. It currently serves as the center for Foreign Languages, Psychology, and Geography. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Adjacent to Wesleyan Hall in a specially constructed tower is the Wesleyan Bell, which tolled regularly throughout the last quarter of the 19th century to summon Florence Normal School students to class. Sometime around 1910, the bell was removed from Wesleyan Hall and stored. Rediscovered in 2002, the 130-year-old Wesleyan Bell was restored to a prominent place on campus following construction of the Smith Bell Tower in 2004.
Rogers Hall, another one of UNA's most distinctive structures, was constructed by planter George Washington Foster in 1855 at the summit of Court Street. Because construction would result in the permanent obstruction of a major thoroughfare, the city had to secure the approval of the Alabama Legislature before work could begin. In the fall of 1864, the residence served as the headquarters of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Courtview was occupied by members of the Foster family until 1900, when it became the home of Alabama Governor Emmet O'Neal. In the 1920s, the residence was acquired by Thomas M. Rogers Sr., and in 1948 by the university. It houses the Offices of Advancement, Alumni Relations, and Communications and Marketing.
Constructed in 1930, 601 Cramer Way houses UNA's senior administrative offices. The building is named for David Bibb Graves, who served as Alabama's governor from 1927 to 1931 and 1935–39. Graves's passage of the largest education budget in Alabama history led to the moniker as the "Education Governor", Graves's support for education led to recognition on virtually every Alabama college campus. The Office of the President, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs, Human Resources, and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering are housed in the building.
Coby Hall was donated to the university in 1990 by David Brubaker in memory of his wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker. Built by John Simpson on the site of his earlier home in 1843, the Simpson House/Irvine Place, as it had been known, later was purchased by George W. Foster, builder of Courtview, for his daughter, Virginia, and her husband, James B. Irvine. The University Admissions office is located in the building. Coby Hall is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Robert M. Guillot University Center is named after UNA's former president, who served from 1972 to 1989. Popularly known as the "GUC," it houses the Post Office, 256 Grill, Moe's Southwest Grill, Panda Express and the Lion's Den Game Room. The GUC also houses the Student Engagement Office, the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, Student Conduct, Title IX, University Case Manager, Career Planning, the University Center Operations and Event Management Office, Disability Student Services, UNA Dining, Military and Veterans Services, University Ombudsman, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, PMA Program and the Student Government Association. The Performance Center, located on the second floor, hosts a variety of events including concerts and comedy acts.
The Memorial Amphitheater, erected in 1934 as a memorial to World War I veterans, is used for outdoor plays, concerts and speeches. Much like the nearby Guillot Center, it is a popular site for socializing, lounging and studying between classes.
Originally a men's dormitory, Keller Hall, constructed in 1947, is named after James Albert Keller, who served as president of Florence State Teachers College from 1938 to 1948. Keller Hall serves as the headquarters of UNA's College of Business & Technology, housing the dean, faculty offices, computer labs and classrooms, as well as the Steele Center for Professional Selling. Keller Hall underwent a significant expansion following dedication of the Raburn Wing in 2002. This new addition provides state-of-the-art classrooms and related space for the College of Business & Technology.
Originally a women's dormitory, Willingham Hall, named after long-serving President Henry J. Willingham, was constructed by the Works Projects Administration in 1939. Willingham Hall houses the Department of English, the Department of History, and the Department of Politics, Justice, Law, and Philosophy.
The President's Home, completed in 1941, was constructed by the Works Projects Administration. Occupied by President and Mrs. Kenneth Kitts, the residence is located next to the George H. Carroll Lion Habitat, home of Leo III and Una, the university's live lion mascots. Overnight guests often were awakened by the lions' roaring.