IMPACT REPORT

ENROLLMENT FROM YOUR COUNTY

Students from every Alabama county enrolled at UA in the Fall Semester 2025. The University of Alabama is proud to serve all counties and is honored to have the privilege of working with these students to achieve their educational goals.

ALUMNI IN
YOUR COUNTY

Alabama graduates live in each of Alabama’s counties, and we are proud of the positive ways they contribute to their communities after they obtain their degrees.

VISION

Establish a nationally recognized institution for leadership and public policy education, building on the Capstone’s storied history of educating effective civic leaders and policymakers who are shaping the state of Alabama and beyond.

MISSION

Provide interdisciplinary, practice-oriented education that prepares students to become effective leaders, policymakers and public servants who will contribute to Alabama’s social, economic and civic well-being.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Undergraduate and graduate degrees are planned in the fields of leadership and public policy.

PRIORITIES

Educational Excellence:
Develop curriculum that combines theoretical foundations with practical policy application.

Leadership Development:
Equip students with the skills, knowledge and ethical grounding necessary for leadership roles in public service.

Service and Impact:
Establish strong partnerships with local, state and federal agencies to promote civic engagement and public service.

Economic Development:
Contribute to the state’s economic growth by training leaders to address challenges facing Alabama, the southeast region and the nation.

CURRICULUM

The interdisciplinary curriculum of the School of Leadership and Policy will equip students with the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in civic life and government, with a strong understanding of the foundational principles that shape American institutions, laws and public discourse. Students will be exposed to multiple viewpoints and engage directly with public institutions, nonprofit organizations and private sector partners through internships, policy labs and community-based projects — ensuring they graduate with the skills and insight needed to address complex challenges with tangible solutions.

Through this dynamic blend of evidence-based education and real-world experiential training, the School will cultivate a pipeline of leaders and public servants and prepare them to lead with innovation and impact at the state and national levels.

Classes begin Fall 2027!

Serving Students, Serving the State

Each day UA students, faculty and staff engage in activities that advance the state of Alabama and serve citizens in countless ways. These insights highlight just a few programs that serve our mission of teaching, research and service. If a program is not currently available to your county, perhaps it can be! See the Resources section or contact us at president@ua.edu.

01. Student Success

• Alabama Advantage Scholarship
• Crimson Scholars
• CrossingPoints Certificate in Occupational Studies Program
• REACH
• Rural Dental Scholars Program

02. Developing Alabama

• Alabama Productivity Center
• Mobile Digital Forensics Unit
• Municipal Training
• Small Business Development Center
• UA Safe State

03. College Readiness

• ACCESS
• Career Technical Education Pathways
• Rural Health Scholars Program
• UA Early College

ALABAMA ADVANTAGE SCHOLARSHIP

Since Fall 2020, the Alabama Advantage Scholarship has supported students from the state of Alabama with the highest levels of demonstrated financial need. Alabama Advantage is the first of its kind to come from an Alabama college or university. After scholarships and grants have been applied, Alabama Advantage funds up to $5,000 needed to cover the remaining cost of UA’s in-state tuition. Since inception, the nearly 3,400 Alabama Advantage recipients represent students from all 67 Alabama counties. With a total investment of $8.1 million thus far, the scholarship continues to assist in-state Pell Grant recipients in achieving their academic and professional goals. Find out more at afford.ua.edu/scholarships/alabama-advantage.

CRIMSON SCHOLARS

Crimson Scholars provides academic and other support for Alabama students who are Pell Grant recipients (those with the greatest financial need). Academic support for Crimson Scholars includes help with time management, college-level study skills, resiliency, communication, leadership, connecting with campus resources and much more. They meet in small groups for weekly workshops and also have individual meetings with peer mentors and professional staff advisors. Crimson Scholars have exclusive study hall sessions that provide access to tutoring services beyond those already offered to all UA students. Learn more at success.ua.edu/crimson-scholars.

CROSSINGPOINTS CERTIFICATE IN OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES PROGRAM

The CrossingPoints Certificate in Occupational Studies program at The University of Alabama is a non-degree certificate program for young adults with intellectual disabilities who are interested in pursuing a postsecondary education experience. Participants gain critical skills for living independently including financial management, transportation, agency/self-determination, self-management, sound decision-making and community building. CrossingPoints students engage in practical experiences in community-based employment settings.

The CrossingPoints program pairs UA undergraduate students to serve as mentors to the CrossingPoints students. Mentors play a critical role in supporting CrossingPoints students as they develop skills that will help them achieve their goals.

To learn more, visit crossingpoints.ua.edu/tier-3.

REACH

REACH provides a supportive community for UA students who are current and former foster youth, legal orphans, youth raised in kinship/guardianship care and students experiencing homelessness. REACH provides financial, academic and social support in a community of peers with similar lived experiences. Each REACH student receives financial support. Know someone who would be interested in REACH? They can learn more at success.ua.edu/reach.

RURAL DENTAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The Rural Dental Scholars Program was founded in 2023 to address the shortage of dentists in Alabama’s rural communities. The program recruits and assists rural Alabama college students to become dentists and practice in the state’s rural communities. The program is modeled after The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences’ very successful Rural Medical Scholars Program.

The program is a separate admissions pathway to The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry specifically for students from rural Alabama. Students selected for the program spend a year studying at CCHS, receiving a master’s degree in Rural Community Health, and are granted early admission to the School of Dentistry. Their course of study with CCHS includes biomedical science courses designed to adequately prepare scholars for a rigorous dental school curriculum, and prepares them to practice rural health, including learning about community engagement.

ALABAMA PRODUCTIVITY CENTER

The Alabama Productivity Center (APC) focuses research and educational resources on the enhancement of productivity and quality within Alabama businesses. APC works directly with businesses, organizations and government agencies throughout Alabama to increase their efficiency, provide cost-saving solutions and improve overall productivity.

The APC is home to Region 3 of the Alabama Technology Network, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the state of Alabama. For more information about APC, visit apc.ua.edu.

MOBILE DIGITAL FORENSICS UNIT

The University of Alabama Police Department (UAPD) supports small and rural law enforcement agencies throughout Alabama with digital forensics. Agencies bring UAPD their priority cases for assistance. UAPD also remains proactive with internet crimes against children and child sexual abuse material.

UAPD REACT’s (Regional Evidence Analysis & Cyber-intelligence Team) Rural Violent Crime Reduction Program has assisted Alabama’s rural and small agencies in reducing and solving violent crimes for more than 10 years. REACT utilizes advanced technology and federal grant partnerships to provide much-needed resources to rural communities.

Types of crime for which small and rural law enforcement agencies recently asked the UAPD Mobile Digital Forensics Unit for hep:

• Child sexual abuse material
• Internet crimes against children
• Crimes against minors
• Sex crimes
• Violent crimes
• Property crimes
• Narcotics crimes
• Financial crimes
• Human trafficking
• Traffic homicides
• Traffic accidents
• Jail contraband

MUNICIPAL TRAINING

The University of Alabama works closely with municipalities to provide training for municipal clerks, revenue officers and employees with financial responsibilities. The curriculum for each program is developed in partnership with the Alabama League of Municipalities.

We offer the following programs:

• Alabama Certified Municipal Clerk Institute
• Alabama Master Municipal Clerk Academy
• Alabama Certified Municipal Revenue Officers Certification
• Certified Governmental Accounting Technician Certificate

For more information, visit training.ua.edu/municipaltraining.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

The Alabama Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) provides existing and aspiring entrepreneurs with the expert assistance, tools, training and education they need to succeed. The Alabama SBDC brings jobs to Alabama’s people, stability to our communities and innovation to our economy.

The Alabama SBDC at The University of Alabama advises and trains entrepreneurs and business people in a wide variety of business topics and provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in many fields. Business advising services are provided at no charge to small business owners. In fiscal year 2025, the Alabama SBDC at UA assisted 2,480 small businesses throughout the state.

For more information about SBDC, visit sbdc.ua.edu or call 205-348-1582.

ALABAMA INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER
Export finance and assistance
aitc.ua.edu

APEX ACCELERATOR
Government procurement and contracting assistance
ptac.ua.edu

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Assistance for entrepreneurs
sbdc.ua.edu

UA SAFE STATE

The Safe State Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Program is a free, confidential service provided by The University of Alabama to employers throughout the state of Alabama. Businesses can request Safe State consultants to come to their office or plant and perform a survey to advise about existing or potential health and safety problems. A safe and healthy workplace reduces the cost of doing business and contributes to a return on investment in both the short and long term.

In addition to the Consultation Program, UA Safe State offers environmental programs such as:

• Environmental Management System helps organizations understand and comply with regulatory requirements.
• State-of-the-art equipment and experienced staff assist with environmental investigations.
• The Environmental Accreditation Program is the Alabama state agency for accrediting lead-based paint and asbestos training providers and individuals.
• P2 Program assists businesses with technical assistance and training to find ways to reduce waste and save money.
• In collaboration with the Alabama Department of Public Health, UA Safe State is responsible for Asbestos in Schools Program compliance monitoring at schools in Alabama.
• UA Safe State and the Alabama Department of Public Health assist homeowners in identifying and removing environmental hazards in the home.

UA Safe State also provides robust training, including through the UA OSHA Training Institute Education Center housed in the newly renovated Facility for Outreach, Research, Training, and Education (FORTE) building. FORTE is a flagship training site for UA Safe State and is equipped to accommodate robust in-person training as well as hybrid and remote learning. UA Safe State and FORTE reflect UA’s role as a leader in practical, professional safety training in Alabama.

More information is available at alabamasafestate.ua.edu

ACCESS

UA provides courses as part of ACCESS Virtual Learning (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide), which is an initiative of the Alabama Department of Education. ACCESS provides opportunities and options for Alabama middle and high school students to engage in Advanced Placement, elective and other courses through online learning that otherwise wouldn’t be available. ACCESS offers all of the following absolutely FREE:

• Supplemental and blended courses available to every sixth-through-12th-grade public school in Alabama
• Credit recovery courses
• Advanced Placement courses
• Foreign language courses
• Alabama certified teachers in all courses
• NCAA-compliant courses

120+ unique courses are aligned with Alabama Courses of Study and are taught by Alabama certified teachers who are highly qualified in their areas of study.

For more information, contact ACCESS Director Nellie Christian at jgchristian@ua.edu or 205-348-2647.

6,748

student enrollments in UA ACCESS

CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION PATHWAYS

Career Technical Education (CTE) within ACCESS provides six FREE complete pathways giving students the opportunity to engage in rigorous, career-focused learning experiences that align with high-demand industries in Alabama. By completing a pathway, students are not only earning academic credit but also building the technical, problem-solving and workplace skills that employers seek.

One of the greatest strengths of ACCESS has always been its ability to bridge gaps for students where course offerings may be limited. The expansion into CTE means that no matter a student’s ZIP code, they now have access to complete career pathways that can shape their future.

RURAL HEALTH SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The Rural Health Scholars program is for rising high school seniors from rural Alabama communities who are interested in pursuing careers in medicine and other health care professions. The program is an initiative of the College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS), a state and national leader in the education and training of family medicine physicians and a frontline health care resource for the people of Alabama. CCHS operates six University Medical Center locations — in Tuscaloosa, Northport, Carrollton, Demopolis, Fayette and Livingston — making it the largest multispecialty community medical practice in rural and west Alabama.

Program participants take college courses, participate in seminars with practicing health care professionals, shadow physicians and other health care professionals, and visit rural health care facilities. The program is FREE for participants.

Part of the nationally recognized Rural Health Leaders Pipeline at CCHS, Rural Health Scholars was created to address the shortage of primary care physicians in Alabama’s rural communities. More information about the program is available at cchs.ua.edu/rural-programs/high-school/#rhs.

UA EARLY COLLEGE AND DUAL ENROLLMENT

UA Early College allows high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a 3.0+ GPA to earn college credit while still in high school. All Early College students have the option for Summer On Campus, an on-campus academic experience incorporating living in a residence hall.

Early College students have a team of staff, peer coaches, academic advisors and student success coordinators to help along the way.

UA Early College students can transfer academic credits to a variety of institutions, not just UA.

More than 400 high schools in Alabama have a dual credit agreement in place with UA Early College. High schools that want to offer or expand with UA Early College can reach out via email at ec@ua.edu.

Alumni Chapter Scholarships

We are proud of the scholarship dollars given in academic year 2025-26 by our alumni chapters across Alabama. These are in addition to institutional, merit and other endowed scholarships students may receive.