UNA has been named a 2026 Great College to Work For.

UNA Named a “2026 Great College to Work For;” Honor Puts UNA in Elite Company

Sep. 29, 2026



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The University of North Alabama is one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For program.

The results are based on a survey of 171 colleges and universities. In all, 76 of those institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium, and large institutions, with UNA included among the large universities with 10,000 or more students enrolled.

“This is a very satisfying affirmation for UNA, but our real goal is not recognition – it’s being a community that values the contributions of the faculty and staff who are at the heart of the UNA family,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “In that sense, everyone at UNA contributes toward making this a great place to work.”

UNA won honors this year in a number of categories, including:

  • Faculty Experience. Faculty have a unique experience in the life of a university, and there are some elements of their specific employment experience – the support for advancement and promotion opportunities and the perceived balance of teaching, service, and research, for example—that are uniquely viewed through the faculty lens.
  • Professional Development. Support for faculty/staff development is critical in terms of building organizational capacity and supporting individual development needs.
  • Confidence in Senior Leadership. This category is based on the expressed confidence faculty and staff report in the capabilities and credibility of senior leadership.

Equally as significant as the categories, UNA was also named to the Great Colleges Honor Roll, a status granted to only 42 colleges each year who are highlighted most across the recognition categories.

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captures employment data and workplace policies from each institution, and a confidential survey sent to a random sample of faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.

The Great Colleges to Work For program is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all current and previously recognized institutions, visit GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com. ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results.

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 and United Athletic conference. 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: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/.