Walter “Rusty” Trapp has been named a recipient of the Robert L. Potts University of North Alabama Foundation Leadership Award. Established in 2020, the Potts Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions of time, talent, and/or treasure to UNA, the UNA Foundation, and/or the community.

Teacher candidates in the University of North Alabama’s Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences achieved a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the Education Teacher Performance Assessment, or edTPA, for the 2025-2026 academic year. All 152 candidates in the College exceeded the Alabama State Department of Education’s required score on their first attempt, demonstrating their readiness to enter the classroom and serve students across a range of teaching fields.

Students in the Accelerated Nursing Program who have been interviewed and selected by sponsoring hospitals have signed their Apprenticeship Agreements. These individuals represent the second cohort in the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of North Alabama to take this exciting next step in their healthcare careers.

Two University of North Alabama Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions faculty, Dr. Melissa DeFoor and Dr. Amanda Hitt, alongside JoAnne Silbert-Flagg, have authored The Maternal & Child Health Nursing: Care of the Childbearing & Childrearing Family, 10th Edition, set to publish in June by Wolters Kluwer. This widely recognized textbook provides a comprehensive, family-centered approach to maternal and pediatric nursing care.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.