University of North Alabama

Occupying a 130-acre (0.5 km2) campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals.

[7][8] LaGrange College opened on January 11, 1830, in a mountain hamlet a few miles south of Leighton in northeast Colbert County, Alabama.

[7] LaGrange graduate 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.

[9] Florence Wesleyan alumnus Lawrence "Sul" Ross, the future Texas governor and university educator, served as a general in the Confederate States Army.

The same year, the Alabama Legislature voted to change the institution's name to Florence State College to reflect its expanding academic mission.

[10] Compared with other southern institutions of higher learning, particularly the universities of Alabama and Mississippi, integration occurred almost painlessly at Florence State College.

"[11] 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.

A year later, the new board voted for another name change to Florence State University, once again symbolizing the steady expansion of the institution's academic offerings and mission.

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.

[14] UNA's campus facilities master plan was developed by the Olmsted Brothers, the sons of the architect who designed New York City's Central Park.

The $8 million complex houses the University Success Center, Student Financial Services, the UNA branch of Listerhill Credit Union, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A.

The plaza, constructed around a large Italian limestone fountain, occupies the former intersections of Morrison and Wesleyan Avenues and Seminary Street between 601 Cramer Way, Keller Hall and the George H. Carroll Lion Habitat, which houses UNA's live mascots.

The Gothic Revival structure was designed to serve LaGrange College when this Methodist institution relocated from Franklin to Lauderdale county and was renamed Florence Wesleyan University.

[15] Rogers Hall, another one of UNA's most distinctive structures, was constructed by planter George Washington Foster in 1855 at the summit of Court Street (hence its original name, Courtview).

Keller Hall serves as the headquarters of UNA's College of Business & Technology, housing the dean, faculty offices, computer labs and classrooms, as well as the Steele Center for Professional Selling.

The vision of Kilby Laboratory School is to serve as a site for university students to engage in meaningful interdisciplinary teaching, research, and service opportunities.

The combined holdings of the libraries provide users with access to literature from a wide range of disciplines and include newer formats such as streaming media.

Script collections include those of science fiction author Ray Bradbury and actors Lucas Black, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Cherones, Elinor Donahue and Noble Willingham.

However, during the Robert Potts administration, UNA undertook a concerted effort to diversify its student body by recruiting individuals from throughout the world.

[43] Sigma Chi's Eta Rho Chapter at the University of North Alabama served as the international fraternities' first official colony.

[44] Nevertheless, after more than two generations, UNA Greek life is alive and well, even though fraternities and sororities combined represent slightly less than 10 percent of the undergraduate student population.

[48] "Lion Pride" is a term frequently used by members of the UNA community to describe commitment to school traditions and activities reflected among students, alumni and friends of the university.

Pride Rock is a 69-pound, engraved granite stone bearing the actual paw print of Leo II, UNA's second live lion mascot.

Placed just behind the north end zone of all UNA home games, Pride Rock is touched by players as they file past on their way to the field.

[50] On July 22, 1974, former UNA president Robert M. Guillot brought a lion cub to the campus and Leo I spent the next 14 years "roaring" the school to victory.

The earliest usage of UNA's character mascot (also called Leo) is in an article from the January 1949 edition of the Flor-Ala, describing him as a "cartoon" to be used in that years issue of the Diorama.

Within the past few years, pregame tailgating at Spirit Hill, an area adjoining Braly Municipal Stadium, has developed into a major UNA tradition, thanks largely to the efforts of former Athletic Director Joel Erdmann.

The Marching Band has represented the university at many different events since, including a performance for President Jimmy Carter during his historic 1980 visit to neighboring Tuscumbia.

The band also appeared in the award-winning movie, Blue Sky, starring Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones and Powers Boothe.

[59] In the spring, Step Sing is a well-attended event in Norton Auditorium sponsored by the University Program Council featuring take-offs of musical comedy production numbers by campus organizations.

Harrison Plaza at the University of North Alabama in Florence. The school was chartered as LaGrange College by the Alabama Legislature in 1830.
The monument marking the site of LaGrange College
The Kilby Laboratory School was constructed in 1922 and named in honor of then-Alabama Governor Thomas K. Kilby. The building still functions as a lecture hall. UNA has the only university-owned and operated elementary laboratory school in the state of Alabama.
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Texas governor from 1887 to 1891, was a graduate of Florence Wesleyan University, now the University of North Alabama.
Florence State Normal College Dialectical Society, 1893
The seal of Florence State College is displayed in the masonry bordering Guillot University Center.
The 28-foot (9 m) high Italian limestone fountain in Harrison Plaza bears design elements patterned after the limestone art deco accents on 601 Cramer Way.
Harrison Plaza, official entrance to the University of North Alabama. In the background is 601 Cramer Way, the University's main administrative building.
The Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building at UNA
The Wendell W. Gunn University Commons at UNA
Laura Harrison Plaza
Historic Wesleyan Hall, one of the most familiar sites in Northwest Alabama, was used by both Union and Confederate armies during the U.S. Civil War. The 130-year-old Wesleyan Bell (foreground) tolled frequently throughout the late 19th century, summoning Florence Normal School students to class.
Rogers Hall, another distinctive UNA landmark, functioned as a Confederate command post during the U.S. Civil War.
601 Cramer Way, the University of North Alabama's main administrative building.
601 Cramer Way, the University of North Alabama's main administrative building
Coby Hall houses the university's Admissions Office.
Named after one of UNA's presidents, the sprawling Guillot University Center constitutes the hub of UNA student life.
The Memorial Amphitheater, one of UNA's most prominent landmarks, the focal point of the university's grassy commons and the site of pep rallies, lectures and live performances.
Keller Hall, constructed in 1947, serves as headquarters for the university's College of Business & Technology.
Willingham Hall is one of several buildings on campus built by the Works Projects Administration in the 1930s.
The President's Home, completed in 1941, was constructed by the Works Projects Administration.
Olive Residence Hall
Collier Library
The Court of Flags, located in the atrium of Guillot University Center, symbolizes UNA's highly diverse student body.
O'Neal Hall, circa 1978. A former dormitory, the "Brick House," as O'Neal was commonly known, housed the embryonic Greek community at UNA. The Greek letters are clearly visible under the windows. In time, most of the fraternities secured off-campus lodges. Sororities remained until the building was demolished in the 1980s to make space for Guillot University Center.
The Phi Gamma Delta House, which has functioned longer as a fraternity house than any other house on the UNA campus
UNA's Panhellenic Residence is located in Appleby East and West Halls.
The Pi Kappa Alpha House, constructed in 1985, occupies a prominent place on UNA's Fraternity Row.
Leo III during a mid-morning outing at the George H. Carroll Lion Habitat
Fans cheering at Braly Municipal Stadium