Spring Updates
UA News for the Division of Community Affairs Board of Advisors
[may 2023]
To connect you with what’s happening at the Capstone, we’ve gathered some recent news that may be of interest to you as alumni and as members of the Board of Advisors.
We plan to publish periodically, not only to keep you informed of what’s happening on campus, but also of what’s happening in the world of the BOA membership.
Sippial Named Dean of UA Honors College.
Dr. Tiffany Sippial has been named the next dean of The University of Alabama Honors College and will begin her tenure July 5.
Brewbaker Named Dean of UA School of Law.
William S. Brewbaker III, JD has been named the next dean of The University of Alabama School of Law and will begin his tenure July 10.
UA Names Sanford Dean of Capstone College of Nursing.
Dr. Julie Sanford has been named the next dean of The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing and will begin her tenure Aug. 1.
Spring 2023 Commencement Weekend in Photos.
The Spring Commencement ceremonies were held May 5–7, 2023.
UA Students Receive U.S. Fulbright Program Awards for 2023–2024
The Fulbright Program has selected 13 University of Alabama students for various awards for the 2023–2024 academic year.
Five UA Faculty Receive Fulbright Awards.
Five University of Alabama faculty members have received Fulbright awards for educators to teach and research around the globe.
Air Force, Army ROTC Prepare Future Leaders.
The Air Force and Army Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at UA have a longstanding tradition of preparing leaders for various careers.
Entrepreneurship in Alabama at All-Time High.
Small business entrepreneurship is healthy in Alabama, according to an analysis of websites registered with a popular web hosting platform.
Council hosts 17th Annual Excellence Awards.
The Council on Community-Based Partnerships recognized University of Alabama students, faculty and staff, as well as community partners, for their achievements in community-engaged scholarship during the 17th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards on April 20 at the UA Student Center Ballroom.
The Division of Community Affairs’ Office of Global Engagement
will host a reception to honor visiting Fulbright scholars on June 5 from 5:00–6:30 p.m. in Capital Hall. Visiting scholars are from Indonesia, Panama, Russia, Mali, Iraq, Madagascar, Bahrain, South Korea, Burma (Myanmar), Argentina, West Bank, Japan, Slovenia, Angola, Egypt, Spain, Ukraine and Morocco.
Swim to the Top is scheduled to take place June 5–29
at the Barnes Branch YMCA and Tuscaloosa’s PARA Freeman Pool. New to 2023, this year will include adult swim lessons and health screenings for families. Skilled swimmers from the oldest age group will also be invited to serve as junior instructors.
Vision Days was awarded the Extending the Dream Grant
from the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling to use for high school transportation cost coverage with support from UA Admissions. Vision Days was also invited to participate in early May college and career readiness events at Amelia Love Johnson High School, Francis Marion High School, and the Robert C. Hatch Community Center in Uniontown. More than 150 high school juniors and seniors and their family members attended. Five UA undergraduate students have been invited to serve as Vision Days Ambassadors for the 2023–2024 school year.
BLAST Academy (Building Leaders Through the Arts, STEAM and Teamwork)
will return for the second summer in a row July 3–28, on the UA campus. As of May 16, more than 225 children have registered for BLAST. This includes children from Bibb, Hale, Lauderdale, Pickens and Tuscaloosa Counties, as well as from the city of Tuscaloosa. BLAST was recently awarded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation Summer Reading Program Grant to support Developing Reading Skills through Arts Literacy in the BLAST Academy.
Congratulations to BOA member Kendra Key.
Key, who is also Regions Bank senior vice president, was recently selected to lead Regions’ Birmingham Black-Owned Business Initiative.
The upcoming NFL draft has drawn BAMA folks to Kansas City this week,
but one — BOA member Ryan Davis (aka Kadesh Flow) — won’t have to go far to find the spotlight. He and three of his fellow KC hip-hop artists will perform at Friday night’s City Market Red Zone Concert in the famed commercial and entertainment district north of downtown.
Holly Luther, Michael Luther, Prince Cleveland, and Jessica Sanders Walker
joined us on the 2023 New Faculty Community Engagement Tour, hosted by the Division of Community Affairs, which took place May 10–12. The 3-day tour included stops in nine different cities across nine different counties throughout the Black Belt region, including the cities of Jasper, Gordo, Alberta, Eutaw, York, Greensboro, Demopolis, Marion and Selma.
Congratulations to BOA member Terri Brewer.
The United Way of West Alabama recently announced its 2023 campaign chair, board of directors and campaign cabinet. Brewer will serve on the campaign cabinet, representing Tuscaloosa County Schools.
Congratulations to BOA President Samarria Munnerlyn Dunson.
Dunson was selected as an Alabama Law Foundation Fellow. The selection committee extends this invitation to exceptional lawyers who have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to improving their communities and the state and invites no more than 1% of Alabama bar members to join.
Congratulations to BOA member Kyle Buchanan.
Buchanan, president of Helen Keller Hospital, was recently appointed to the University of North Alabama (UNA) Board of Trustees. The Tuscumbia native earned his undergraduate degree from The University of Alabama and now lives in Muscle Shoals with his wife and two children.
As BOA members are also UA graduates, we know how invaluable your experience as UA alumni has been.
If you have not already done so, please consider participating in your local alumni chapter.
Have news to share with us?
If you have not already done so, we encourage you to follow us on Twitter at @UACommAffairs, on Facebook at @UACommunityAffairs and at @UA.CCBP and on Instagram at @ua_community_affairs
Additionally, did you know the Board of Advisors has its own Facebook group page? This is a place for you to connect with your fellow board members, as well as share news of potential interest to members of the group. Search “ua community affairs board of advisors” and ask to join the group. We’ll approve you right away!
You can follow the initiatives and news of the Division of Community Affairs on the web at communityaffairs.ua.edu. Your Board of Advisors web pages live here under the Community Collaborations link.
