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University of North Alabama

Former names	LaGrange College (1830-1855) Florence Wesleyan University (1855-1872) State Normal School of Florence (1872–1929) Florence State Teacher's College (1929–1957) Florence State College (1957–1967) Florence State University (1967–1974)
Motto	Veritas Lux Orbis Terrarum (Latin)
Motto in English	Truth and Light of the World
Type	Public university
Established	1830; 194 years ago (1830)
Endowment	$53 million[1]
President	Kenneth D. Kitts[2]
Academic staff	365
Students	8,832[3]
Location	Florence , Alabama , U.S. 34°49′N 87°41′W / 34.81°N 87.68°W / 34.81; -87.68
Campus	Urban, 130 acres (53 ha)
Colors	Purple and gold[4]
Nickname	Lions
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – ASUN
Mascot	Leo & Una
Website	www.una.edu

The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama. It is the state's oldest public university. Occupying a 130-acre (0.5 km²) 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.^[5]

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. ^[6] 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.^[7][8]

History

LaGrange College opened on January 11, 1830, in a mountain hamlet a few miles south of Leighton in northeast Colbert County, Alabama. LaGrange means "The Barn" in French. Twenty-one local college trustees were listed in Acts of Alabama, Eleventh Annual Session.

The town of LaGrange and its college were sacked and burned by Union troops in 1863. But by then, however, the college had moved north across the Tennessee River to Florence. The section of Franklin County containing LaGrange Mountain is now Colbert County. LaGrange College, which became Florence Wesleyan University in 1855, is now the University of North Alabama.

LaGrange College arose from the idea offered at a November 28, 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 was made for the site of the school.

A year later, LaGrange College opened to students of all denominations in two three-story brick buildings.

The Rev. Robert Paine was the first president. The North Carolina native was also the professor of moral science and belles lettres and taught geography and mineralogy. He was assisted by two other professors. The first board of trustees had a total of 50 members, including two Native Americans, a Choctaw politician and a Cherokee leader. In 1830, Turner Saunders, a native of Virginia, was the first president of the board of trustees. Saunders' mansion, built around 1826, still stands in Lawrence County. Among the many distant trustees was John Coffee of Florence, friend of Andrew Jackson. Among the local trustees was Henry Stuart Foote of Tuscumbia, who would move to Mississippi and defeat Jefferson Davis in the 1850 Governor's election.

In 1850, a grammar school was added to LaGrange College. (Today, UNA's Kilby Laboratory School is the only university-owned and operated elementary laboratory school in Alabama. In 1858, following the death of the school's president and the loss of most of its students to nearby Florence, the college was suspended and re-established as the LaGrange College and Military Academy, with James W. Robertson as superintendent. Under its new name, additional buildings were constructed and the school reached its highest prosperity. The state of Alabama made provision for two cadets from each county to be enrolled, and by 1861 47 of its 171 students were state cadets. The school suffered a loss of enrollment again when Alabama seceded, and in March 1862 Robertson received approval from the Alabama governor to enroll the 35th Alabama Infantry from faculty, cadets, and enlistees from surrounding counties.

On April 28, 1863, the buildings were destroyed by Union soldiers of the 10th Missouri Cavalry, including a library of 4,000 volumes.

Among LaGrange's alumni were several generals, Alabama governors Edward A. O'Neal and David P. Lewis, Alabama Supreme Court justice William M. Byrd and U.S. Senator Jeremiah Clemens, who wrote the first American Civil War novel and the first western novel.^[7]

Florence Wesleyan University

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. The school was re-incorporated as Florence Wesleyan University.

Admission to Florence Wesleyan required an acquaintance with English grammar, arithmetic, geography and the Latin and Greek Grammar. Prospective students also were required to demonstrate an ability to translate four books of Caesar's Gallic Wars, six books of Virgil's Aeneid, Jacob's or Felton's Greek Reader, and at least one of Xenophon's Anabasis.^[9]

One hundred and sixty students enrolled in the first year of operation (1855) of Florence Wesleyan University. The school quickly attracted students from five states and two foreign countries. Among Florence Wesleyan's graduates were Alabama governor Emmet O'Neal and Texas governor Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (the latter of whose tenure as president of Texas A&M University was known as the 'golden age' of that institution).^{[7][better source needed]} Ross also is the namesake of Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas.^[9]

The Civil War

The American Civil War bestowed much hardship on the institution.^[7] Robert A. Young, president of Florence Wesleyan at the time, is credited with saving the institution from destruction.^[9]

Florence Wesleyan alumnus Lawrence "Sul" Ross, the future Texas governor and university educator, served as a general in the Confederate States Army. LaGrange College and Florence Wesleyan University also produced three other Civil War generals: Confederate Generals Edward A. O'Neal (later an Alabama governor) and John Gregg and Union General Daniel McCook Jr.^[9]

State Normal School at Florence

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. A year after its becoming a state school, the institution opened its doors to women; however, none attended until 1874, when 31 young women enrolled. The first woman joined the faculty in 1879.^[7]

Florence Normal School's Newton W. Bates, professor of language and literature, published his History of Civil Government of Alabama in 1892, the first textbook on the history of Alabama.^[9]

T.S. Stribling, one of the university's most noteworthy alumni, graduated from Florence State Normal School in 1903. He is recognized as one of the leaders of the Southern Renaissance for his novels Birthright, The Forge, The Store and the Unfinished Cathedral. The Pulitzer prize-winning novelist and author outsold contemporaries William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway during the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s.^[9]

Florence State Teachers College

The institution functioned as a normal school for more than 50 years until 1929, when it became a state teachers college offering a four-year curriculum in elementary education.

The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1931. Less than a decade later, the curriculum was expanded to include a four-year course of study in secondary education. In 1947, the curriculum was expanded again to include A.B. and B.S. degree programs in fields other than teacher training.^[10]

Florence State College

Progress continued apace toward the comprehensive university the institution would ultimately become. In 1956, the institution crossed another academic milestone with the formation of a graduate course of study in education leading to the Master of Arts degree. With the establishment of a new Graduate Division, the graduate program was launched in the summer of 1957. The same year, the Alabama Legislature voted to change the institution's name to Florence State College to reflect its expanding academic mission.^[10]

Integration at Florence State College

Compared with other southern institutions of higher learning, particularly the universities of Alabama and Mississippi, integration occurred almost painlessly at Florence State College.

In 1963, Wendell Wilkie Gunn became the first African-American student to enroll at the college. Gunn had initially been denied admission. Then-President E.B. Norton sent Gunn a letter informing him that the Alabama Legislature and Board of Education would not allow the college to accept his application. Speaking at UNA in 2005, famed civil rights attorney Fred Gray, who represented Gunn, recalled that the hearing that integrated UNA lasted only ten minutes, after which Gunn returned to campus and enrolled. Gray described the episode as "the easiest case of my civil rights career."^[11]

Gunn, who subsequently earned degrees from Florence State College and the University of Chicago, went on to a distinguished career in banking and finance, including an appointment as international trade adviser to President Ronald Reagan in 1982.^[12] Wendell Gunn was appointed to the board of trustees of the University of North Alabama by Governor Kay Ivey in 2019.^[13]

Florence State University

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, once again symbolizing the steady expansion of the institution's academic offerings and mission.^[10]

Ethelbert Brinkley "E.B." Norton, who was serving as president at the time this name was adopted, is distinguished as the only president in the university's history to preside over three institutional name changes: Florence State Teachers College, followed by Florence State College in 1957, and, roughly a decade later, by Florence State University.^[9]

The change of name also was accompanied by an extensive reorganization of the university's academic and administrative structure, including the establishment of separate schools within the university.^[10]

The University of North Alabama

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. The following year, the graduate curriculum again was expanded with the introduction of the master's degree program in business administration.

Following a reorganization in 1991, the university's administrative structure consists of four divisions: Academic Affairs, Business Affairs, Student Affairs and Advancement, each headed by a vice president. 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.^[10]

Kenneth D. Kitts became the 20th president of the University of North Alabama in March 2015.^[14] Kitts formerly worked as provost at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Kitts also taught at Francis Marion University in South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, and Appalachian State University in North Carolina.^[15]

Campus

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The UNA campus is adjacent to the Seminary-O'Neal Historic District, named for the street on which the Florence Synodical Female College was located and for two Alabama governors. The district, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, also is noted for its residential structures, built between 1908 and 1943 and representing a wide array of architectural styles.^[16]

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. A copy of the original Olmsted plan is permanently displayed in the President's Office in 601 Cramer Way.^[17]

The campus has three antebellum structures: Wesleyan Hall; Rogers Hall; and Coby Hall.^[7] All three are listed in the National Historic Register.^[9]

Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building

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 state-of-the-art 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. The UNA Science and Engineering Technology Building is a FEMA rated storm shelter capable of withstanding an F5 tornado.^[18] 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.^[19]

Wendell W. Gunn University Commons

The Wendell W. Gunn University Commons was completed in 2014 and is located between Rogers Hall and Keller Hall at the north end of Court Street. 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 Wendell W. Gunn University Commons was designed by Hugo Dante and Create Architects, and was built by Consolidated Construction.^[20] 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 (now the University of North Alabama) in 1963.^[21]

Mattielou and Olive Residence Halls

Mattielou and Olive residence halls were completed in fall 2015 and spring 2016, respectively. The new residence halls are located on the extreme north end of campus, behind Covington and Hawthorne halls. Mattielou has 335 spaces and Olive has 429 spaces. These buildings were built primarily for incoming freshmen students. There are double and limited single rooms and each unit has its own bathroom.^[22]

Laura Harrison Plaza

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.^[23]

Wesleyan Hall and Bell

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.^[17] General William Tecumseh Sherman is considered the most famous Civil War-era occupant of Wesleyan Hall.^[9]

After the war, the building was deeded to the state of Alabama and thereafter served as a state normal school.^[17] It currently serves as the center for Foreign Languages (French, German, and Spanish), Psychology, and Geography.

Wesleyan Hall houses personal effects and mementoes of former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and U.S. Senator Howell Heflin, a native of nearby Tuscumbia. 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.^[17]

Rogers Hall (Courtview)

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 (hence its original name, Courtview). 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 Gov. Emmet O'Neal. In the 1920s, the residence was acquired by Thomas M. Rogers Sr., and in 1948 by the university.^[17] It houses the Offices of Advancement, Alumni Relations, and Communications and Marketing.

601 Cramer Way (formerly Bibb Graves Hall)

Constructed in 1930, 601 Cramer Way houses UNA's senior administrative offices.

The building is named for David Bibb Graves (1873–1942), who served as Alabama's governor from 1927 to 1931 and 1935–39. Graves proved unsuccessful in his early political career, but eventually he used his connections and leadership in the Ku Klux Klan to propel his ascendancy to the Governor's office. Once in office, 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.^[24]

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

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.^[17]

The Guillot University Center

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 (a recreational center where students can play video games, table tennis, or pool). 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.^[25]

Collier Library

Collier Library is named in memory of C.B. Collier, Dean of Florence State Teacher's College from 1918 to 1946. Notable items in the 350,000-volume library include the collections of several musicians, actors, and writers, including W.C. Handy, acclaimed the world over as "father of the blues." The Pulitzer Prize Certificate and Collection of T.S. Stribling, one of the South's premiere novelists and an alumnus of Florence Normal School, is housed in the library.

Script collections include those of science fiction author Ray Bradbury and actors Lucas Black, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Cherones, Elinor Donahue and Noble Willingham. Also included are the memorabilia of science fiction writer Forrest Ackerman.

Collier Library is the location of the George Lindsey Television and Film Collection, part of which is displayed in Norton Auditorium.^[17] In 2018 the library launched the UNA Scholarly Repository, a digital repository of the research and scholarly output of UNA faculty and students.^[26]

Memorial Amphitheater

The Memorial Amphitheater, located on the grassy commons between Guillot University Center and Collier Library, is another one of the most familiar sites on the University of North Alabama campus. Erected in 1934 as a memorial to World War I veterans, the amphitheater 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.^[25] Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=University_of_North_Alabama
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