University of North Alabama history

In 1850, a grammar school was added to LaGrange College. (Today, UNA's Kilby Laboratory School is the only university-owned and operated elementary laboratory school in Alabama.

LaGrange graduate Doctor Richard H. Rivers, after becoming president of the college, led most of the students and all but one faculty member from the mountain in late 1854 to relocate to Florence.

One hundred and sixty students enrolled in the first year of operation (1855) of Florence Wesleyan University.

In 1858, following the death of the school's president and the loss of most of its students to nearby Florence, the college was suspended and re-established as the LaGrange College and Military Academy, with James W. Robertson as superintendent.

On April 28, 1863, the buildings were destroyed by Union soldiers of the 10th Missouri Cavalry, including a library of 4,000 volumes.

When the Methodist Church deeded Florence Wesleyan to the State of Alabama in 1872, the institution became the State Normal School at Florence, the first state-supported teachers college south of the Ohio River.

A year after its becoming a state school, the institution opened its doors to women; however, none attended until 1874, when 31 young women enrolled.

The first woman joined the faculty in 1879.

Florence Normal School's Newton W. Bates, professor of language and literature, published his History of Civil Government of Alabama in 1892, the first textbook on the history of Alabama.

T.S. Stribling, one of the university's most noteworthy alumni, graduated from Florence State Normal School in 1903.

The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1931.

In 1947, the curriculum was expanded again to include A.B. and B.S. degree programs in fields other than teacher training.

Through at least 1954, the lodge hosted organizations like the Wesleyan Foundation, which met on Wednesday nights.

In 1956, the institution crossed another academic milestone with the formation of a graduate course of study in education leading to the Master of Arts degree.

With the establishment of a new Graduate Division, the graduate program was launched in the summer of 1957.

In 1963, Wendell Wilkie Gunn became the first African-American student to enroll at the college.

Leo was born April 14, 1973, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Less than a decade later, on August 15, 1974, the university underwent another change of name to the University of North Alabama, symbolizing its coming of age as a comprehensive, regional university.

Gunn, who subsequently earned degrees from Florence State College and the University of Chicago, went on to a distinguished career in banking and finance, including an appointment as international trade adviser to President Ronald Reagan in 1982.

He came to UNA at five months old in July 1988.

Following a reorganization in 1991, the university's administrative structure consists of four divisions: Academic Affairs, Business Affairs, Student Affairs and Advancement, each headed by a vice president.

In 1993, the Board of Trustees, anticipating continued and steady enrollment growth, adopted a new master facilities plan to ensure that UNA will be equipped to accommodate 10,000 students.

Skipworth, Jay B. "Leo's Provides Students with Place to Go." Flor-Ala, Summer 1996: 11.

2002 Learn MoreGeorge H. Carroll habitat built on UNA campus.

2003 - Present UNA is proud of our volunteers and fundraisers who make it possible for us to have the only live lion mascots in the United States currently living on campus.

The Center for Writing Excellence began as the English department's volunteer effort in spring 2004.

By 2005, the Stone Lodge had become a computer classroom and part-time lab operated jointly by the English department and Collier Library.

In 2007, the English department received approval and funding to hire a director for the writing center who would develop it as a university-wide resource for students and faculty.

The public history program at UNA began in 2012.

Wendell Gunn was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the University of North Alabama by Governor Kay Ivey in 2019.

Una weighed approximately 300 pounds before she passed away in the summer of 2020.