The Measure of our Progress

Faculty and staff, thank you to everyone who joined us for our Fall Campus Assembly. I was grateful for the opportunity to celebrate what we are accomplishing and recognize the role each of you plays in our students’ experience.

We are helping more students successfully complete their degrees. Our six-year graduation rate reached a record 75.5%, the highest since UA began tracking it in 1988. That is meaningful progress.

As the future-ready flagship, success is measured by what students are able to do because they chose Alabama and how well we prepare them for their lives and careers ahead. This year, UA was ranked the Best Value University in Alabama for In-State Students by U.S. News & World Report, reflecting our commitment to delivering an exceptional student experience while stewarding our resources responsibly.

Thank you for helping make that possible for our students. I am proud of the work we are doing together..

– Peter

DEVELOP | Talent Ready to Lead

Our students enroll with tremendous ability, and it is our responsibility to challenge them, broaden what they believe is possible and give them experiences that prepare them to make an impact.

• Celebrate an exceptional class. This fall, 280 National Merit Scholars joined our freshman class, bringing UA’s total to more than 1,200. Our first-time undergraduates also arrived with an average high school GPA of 3.86. I am proud they chose Alabama, and I cannot wait to see their accomplishments here.
  
• Stretch beyond what you know. Students, some of the most valuable learning happens when you step outside your field and see what your knowledge can do in a new context. Aerospace engineering junior Fernando Salinas entered an international space weather program with little experience in the field. Working with scientists in the United States and Germany, he applied machine learning to complex research and saw how his engineering background could contribute across disciplines.

DISCOVER | Put Curiosity to Work

Research gives students the opportunity to ask important questions, work alongside faculty experts and contribute to new knowledge across disciplines and throughout their undergraduate experience.

• Find your research opportunity. Students, you can get involved, whether you have previous experience or are just beginning to explore an idea. New travel grants, support for student-led projects and the Research Apprenticeship Program are expanding those possibilities, and research can also fulfill Built by Bama experiential learning requirements. If there is a question that inspires you, I encourage you to see where it leads.

SERVE | Strengthening Alabama

Being Alabama’s flagship carries a responsibility to put our people, expertise and resources to work for communities throughout the state.

• Build Alabama’s rural health workforce. For more than three decades, our College of Community Health Sciences has prepared future physicians and dentists to serve rural Alabama. This fall, CCHS welcomed new classes of Rural Medical and Rural Dental Scholars, continuing a pipeline that helps bring more healthcare professionals to communities that need them most. 
  
• Help Alabama businesses go further. The Alabama International Trade Center helps up to 200 companies each year reach customers around the world, while giving UA students hands-on experience in global business. It is a great example of how our expertise can create opportunity for Alabama businesses and our students at the same time.

Voices of UA

“It really does unify all of us together through the years we’ve played this.”

-Delaney Woodard