UNA Commemorates 196 Years, Looks Ahead to Bicentennial as State’s First Four-Year Public Higher Education Institution
Jan. 12, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – On Jan. 11, the University of North Alabama commemorated 196 years of service to Alabama, leading the way as the state’s first publicly chartered four-year higher education institution. As part of the events on Founders’ Day, officials at UNA launched UNA’s multi-year celebration leading up to UNA’s official bicentennial date of January 2030.
“It is important that we set aside a day to remember our founding, a day that set in motion the centuries of academic excellence that have followed,” said UNA’s President Dr. Ken Kitts. “This year, in particular, is special as it serves as the launch of our official run-up to our Bicentennial in 2030 and the commemoration of our role as Alabama’s first four-year public higher education institution.”
The tradition of observing UNA’s founding in 1830 began in 2020 as an opportunity to share the University’s rich history with the campus and broader community. LaGrange Mountain, in Colbert County, was the site of UNA’s first home. In 1864, the school made its way north to Florence where it was re-incorporated as Florence Wesleyan University. A series of name changes followed until 1974 when University of North Alabama was officially adopted.
Since the initial Founders’ Day in 2020, the commemoration has come to include programs and other anniversaries of note; for instance, this year’s Founders’ Day will include a nod to the Briggs Family Department of Entertainment Industry that is celebrating 50 years. Students had an opportunity to decorate their own Founders’ Day canvas bag.
The buildup to 2030 and the Bicentennial, however, has been underway for some months, with Dr. Minnette Ellis, Dean of Students and Executive Director of University Priorities, along with Assistant Professor of History Dr. Sean Jacobson spearheading the work toward that significant time in UNA’s history.
“Our committee has been meeting for almost a year as we prepare for that big anniversary,” said Dr. Ellis. “We are eager to incorporate a variety of facets into the celebration that will take place over multiple years that will be open to the campus and the larger community.”
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.