The Kilby Laboratory School Robotics Team, known as the “Load and Link Lions,” won the Energy Award in their division at the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Mo. Kilby bested 81 other teams as a result of their energy, sportsmanship, and positive interactions with other teams and fans.
Two dozen graduates were honored as part of the six University of North Alabama commencement ceremonies that took place May 8 and 9. The Turris Fidelis Key was presented to two graduating seniors, while 22 students received the Keller Key award.
University of North Alabama students Hayden Blakely and Sam Hathcock took first place with a $10,000 prize to move their mobile fishing tournament app, CastOff, forward as part of this year’s Singing River Trail Launch Tank Competition.
Every student in the Fall 2025 cohort from the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has completed their rigorous national licensure examination with an unprecedented 100 percent first-time pass rate.
The University of North Alabama will host the 2026 Sport Leadership Summit on May 11 in the Guillot University Center on the UNA campus. The one-day professional event is designed for high school coaches, athletic administrators, and sport professionals from across Alabama.
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.
Congressman Robert Aderholt has requested $7 million for safety enhancements and streetscaping of Pine Street, according to his website. The request was submitted as Community Project Funding in the FY27 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill.
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.
The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) has conferred its award of Exemplary Program with Distinction on the University of North Alabama. This award recognizes the outstanding quality of the French program within the Department of Foreign Languages. The UNA program is one of only six in the nation to receive the award in 2026.
University of North Alabama Graduate Student Ella Stephenson and Sophomore Caleb Ellis have been awarded Young Professionals fellowships through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. The opportunity will take the students to Germany for a year to live, work, and study.
High school students from across the region are invited to participate in a unique, immersive music experience that celebrates the iconic Muscle Shoals sound as part of a week-long summer camp June 8-12 at the University of North Alabama.
Nominations for Homecoming Awards at the University of North Alabama, and the date for the annual event has been set for Oct. 23-24. It will be UNA’s first Homecoming in Bank Independent Stadium.
Fashion Merchandising and Design students at the University of North Alabama will have their annual UNA Designer Showcase tomorrow, Friday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Connie D. McKinney Center on Seminary Street.
Gannon McNees, a sophomore at the University of North Alabama, has won a position with the U.S. Navy Fleet Bands after an audition in Millington, Tenn., where he competed against 44 other tuba players from across the United States. Gannon is the first UNA student to accomplish this role.
Multi-platinum rapper Wiz Khalifa will headline this year’s University of North Alabama Spring Concert set for Thursday at CB&S Bank Arena. Bluewire, winner of UNA’s Battle of the Bands, will open the show, followed by Steven G. Admission for UNA students is free, and general admission tickets are available for $35.
Lydia Uptain, a rising senior at the University of North Alabama and a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Muscle Shoals, has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship from the Goldwater Excellence in Education Foundation that supports talented college sophomores and juniors who aspire to become the next generation of researchers in science, engineering, and mathematics. Lydia is also a student in the Delores and Weldon Cole Honors College.
Nominations are open for the University of North Alabama Greek Alumni Hall of Fame, Class of 2026. The process will close Friday, May 8.
Faculty, staff, and students in the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions will have Leo’s Feel Good Fest, a campus and community-wide wellness event, on Thursday, April 9, from 4-7 p.m. in Harrison Hall and Stevens Hall on the University of North Alabama campus.
The David and John Briggs Family Department of Entertainment Industry at the University of North Alabama has partnered with the Alabama Music Hall of Fame to unveil a new permanent exhibit that celebrates and honors the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed music and entertainment industry program.
After a nationwide search for the Director of Bands role at the University of North Alabama, Dr. Joseph Gray has been selected to lead the Marching Pride as well as to serve as an Associate Professor of Music.
