More than $6 Million Headed to UNA Thanks to Sen. Britt, Congressional Delegation
Feb. 12, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – More than $6 million is headed to the University of North Alabama thanks to the efforts of the congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. Spearheaded by Sen. Katie Britt, $5 million has been allocated to the Joel R. Anderson Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Studies and $1.024 for the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions as part of the Congressionally Directed Spending grants.
“UNA has had the great fortune to be the recipient of federal funding that has helped facilitate the purchase of equipment and other necessary items for a variety of areas on campus,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “We are incredibly grateful for the allocations from the Congressionally Directed Spending grants that will have a positive impact on our students and their academic success.”
The $5 million designated for the Joel R. Anderson Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Studies will provide students will new and exciting opportunities.
“We are thrilled to learn of this significant development for the Center and how it can benefit innovation and entrepreneurship at the local and regional levels,” said Mary Marshall Van Sant, Director of the Office of Regional Engagement, which houses the Center at UNA’s College Street location. “It is incredibly important now, more than ever, that we focus on these skills that will be invaluable to UNA’s students as they graduate and enter the workforce.”
In addition to the $5 million for the Joel R. Anderson Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Studies, $1.024 million will be put toward the purchase of needed equipment in the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The congressional delegation in D.C., works closely to ensure UNA and its needs are considered as part of these vital grants. In addition to the work by Sen. Britt in this latest round, UNA has been assisted by Congressman Robert Aderholt and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and, combined, they are responsible for more than $20 million in Congressionally Directed Spending during the past four years.
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; the Spencer College of 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/.