"Cheers to 50 Years!" is the 2023 Homecoming theme.

UNA 2023 Alumni Award Winners Announced

Jul. 25, 2023



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@p8216.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – This year, the University of North Alabama celebrates 50 years of being UNA, its ninth and final name change. The visionary leadership of past presidents Dr. E.B. Norton and Dr. Robert Guillot set the stage for this year’s Homecoming, the theme of which is “Cheers to 50 Years.” 

“As we approach this very special anniversary in the life of our almost 200-year-old institution, we want to also remember how we got here, how we became UNA,” said Justin “Bishop” Alexander, Alumni Relations Director. “Part of that is, of course, our very worthy alumni award winners. We will also have a special recognition for our Greek organizations that are also celebrating 50 years of being on campus as part of our annual Alumni Celebration.” 

This year’s Alumni Award recipients are:

  • Lifetime Achievement: Carol Lyles Reeves ’70, Florence
  • Alumni of the Year: Stacy Suggs ’90, Tuscumbia
  • Friend of the University: Macke and Kimberly Mauldin ’94, Florence
  • Military Service: Scott Milliet ’10, Lakeland, Tenn.
  • Educator of the Year (Higher Education): Andrea Porter ’95, Jacksonville
  • Educator of the Year (K-12): Dax Glover ’10, Iuka Miss.
  • Community Service: Bethany Green ’10, Florence
  • Public Service: Peggy Smith Bush ’84, Orlando, Fla.
  • Faculty Alumni Service: Amanda Hitt ’04, Leighton
  • Staff Alumni Service: Jill Chambers ’01, Killen
  • Young Alumni Service: Abigail Gaddy ’16, ’19, Harvest 

Alumni Award winners will be featured at the Alumni Celebration on Friday, Sept. 29, and tickets are available at this link. In addition to celebrating 50 years of the UNA name and the presence of Greek life on campus, the event will also acknowledge 30 years of LaGrange Society, the official hosts and hostesses of the University, as well as the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the foundational program in the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. These acknowledgements will be followed by a historic University announcement.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: p8216.com and p8216.com/unaworks/.