UNA Welcomes Accrediting Agency, ACHE to Campus for Inaugural Road Show
Apr. 27, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – The University of North Alabama recently served as host to the first SACSCOC Road Show, welcoming Dr. Stephen Pruitt, the President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and Dr. Jim Purcell, the Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), to campus.
SACSCOC is the recognized national accrediting body for universities and community colleges in the southeast.
“Our goal is to tell the stories of what’s going on at our member institutions,” said Dr. Pruitt. “We are not doing enough to share our students’ stories as well as the economic contributions our students are making in their respective areas, and it is our students who are going out into the workforce and thriving.”
The Road Show was co-hosted by ACHE and, in addition to hearing from Dr. Pruitt, attendees got updates on the latest accreditation information and federal policies on higher education. Presidents, provosts, and intuitional accreditation liaisons from across the state were in attendance.
“The Road Show offered us a unique opportunity to host others from across the state on our beautiful and historic campus,” said Dr. Ken Kitts, UNA’s President. “These connections with SACSCOC and ACHE are vital to our ongoing success as an institution, and that is also the case for other members who rely on these updates as part of their accrediting process.”
The event included information for both two- and four-year institutions across the state. The Alabama Community College System was represented by Deputy Chancellor Chris Cox, and local representatives from Northwest-Shoals Community College extended a welcome to the attendees and participated in the discussion.
In addition to the day of general and concurrent sessions focused on data-driven continuous improvement and substantive change, attendees also enjoyed an outdoor dinner under the lights at the Memorial Amphitheater with music by Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and Eminent Visiting Artist of Practice John Paul White.
“Taking our message on the road through this event allows us the face-to-face opportunities with the state’s four-year and two-year colleges and universities,” said Dr. Purcell. “It is an important part of the process that we keep our lines of communication open, and, in that way, we all improve.”
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/.