2023 was another banner year that marked big events, major milestones and notable stories of student, faculty, staff and research achievements.
Here’s a look back at the year’s biggest stories from the UA News Center.
Ready to Roll
As Crimson Tide football blazed an electrifying trail to clinch the Southeastern Conference Championship title, readers turned to the News Center for the ultimate game day guide.
Record Enrollment
UA welcomed a freshman class this fall that pushed the University to a record fall enrollment. It also marked UA’s fifth consecutive year with an in-state enrollment increase and the largest number of in-state freshmen since 2010.
This year’s incoming class continues to be academically talented, with 43.4% boasting a 4.0 high school GPA, a record average high school GPA of 3.87 and 300 National Merit Scholars.
Standout Stories from the Class of 2023
Among the spring 2023 graduating class were several students with incredible stories that captured hearts across the country. A 16-year-old graduate and a 77-year-old graduate both proved it’s never too early or too late to follow your dream. And a set of quadruplets from Pennsylvania graduated from the University at the same time.
Ancient Ocean Floor Uncovered
UA researchers led a global project to produce seismic images of the Earth’s interior that revealed new insights for geological studies.
“Our research provides important connections between shallow and deep Earth structure and the overall processes driving our planet,” said Dr. Samantha Hansen, the George Lindahl III Endowed Professor in geological sciences at UA and lead author of the study.
Welcoming New Leaders
2023 brought new academic leadership to the Capstone. Dr. Tiffany Sippial was named dean of the Honors College and Dr. Joyce Alexander was named dean of the College of Education. William S. Brewbaker III became the Law School’s new dean in May. And the College of Nursing welcomed Dr. Julie Sanford as its new dean.
Happy Homecoming!
A storied tradition of UA, homecoming never ceases to make headlines, from the unveiling of the court to the announcement of the homecoming queen.
Coming Soon: New Child Care Center
After securing initial approval from The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees, the University announced a new child care center for employees and students is planned to open in fall 2024.
New Construction
Campus was abuzz with excitement for the new buildings that opened in the fall, including Drummond Lyon Hall and Starbucks on University Boulevard. And those were just two of several renovation and construction projects that took place this year.
Best and ‘Fulbright’est
Fourteen students representing a variety of departments and programs received various awards from the prestigious Fulbright Program in May. UA also was recognized as a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the sixth time in eight years in February.