UNA’s Spring Commencement Set for May 8, 9 Stewart, Garrett to Serve as Speakers
May. 01, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Spring commencement ceremonies at the University of North Alabama are set for Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, in Norton Auditorium. Sherri Stewart ’69 and State Rep. Danny Garrett will provide the commencement addresses to the graduates. More than 1,000 students are expected to cross the stage as part of six ceremonies.
“Commencement is a time for celebration and the completion of an academic journey, and it is also a time for reflection, a time to pause and consider the work that brought our graduates to this place and special time in their lives,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “Our speakers often use this opportunity to share words of wisdom, advice, and encouragement about what lies ahead. Of course, part of that is taking UNA with them wherever they go.”
Stewart graduated from UNA in 1969 with a B.S. degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. She has been an outspoken advocate for Title IX and was hired by Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., as the Coordinator of Women’s Athletics. During her time there, Stewart successfully negotiated full recognition of women’s athletics with Purdue President Arthur Hansen and Title IX. She will speak to the graduates during the 3, 5:30, and 8 p.m. ceremonies on May 8.
Garrett, who will speak at 9 and 11:30 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. as part of the May 9 ceremonies, was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and 2022. He represents House District 44, which includes the Trussville, Clay, and Pinson communities in Jefferson County, an area that is home to many UNA students. Rep. Garrett also works closely with the state’s higher education committee through his role as Chair of the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee.
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/.