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📰 BEST BETS
“One Tide. Endless Tradition. Forever on the Rise.” is the theme for Homecoming 2026. Events will take place throughout the week leading up to the Homecoming parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday followed by the Crimson Tide’s football game with Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m.
UA leading innovative rural EMS system
A new rural emergency medical services system led by The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences will help EMS providers treat eligible patients on site, expanding access to care while reducing unnecessary and costly trips to hospital emergency rooms.
Why This Matters: Through $1.76 million in funding from the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Grant Program, the College will provide participating rural EMS agencies with telemedicine and other resources to support the safe care of patients at the scene. In addition to telemedicine equipment, the CCHS project will also provide agencies with connectivity, training, clinical protocols, documentation tools, referral workflows and quality monitoring.
For more information, contact Leslie Zganjar at lzganjar@ua.edu.
College voters care, but likely won’t act
In election years, young voters get plenty of attention, often with the assumption that they’ve checked out of politics. New research from UA paints a more complicated picture.
Why This Matters: Civic engagement includes voting, community service, political participation and expressing opinions in person or online. Students remain as vocal and concerned about issues as before, but despite a slight rebound, their real-world participation remains below pre-pandemic levels.
For more information, contact Jessica Nelson at jessica.nelson@ua.edu.
UA capital campaign raises record $2.1 billion
Backed by more than 196,000 donors, the Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign has raised more than $2.1 billion over the past decade to fund scholarships, faculty support, student programs and campus facilities.
Why This Matters: The Rising Tide 2.0 is the most successful capital campaign for higher education in state history, surpassing its previous fundraising goals of $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion and adding new endowments and facilities that support students and impact the state of Alabama.
For more information, contact Alex House at alex.house@ua.edu.
UA works with peer universities on AI initiative
UA is a founding partner in the Southeast Region Super-Intelligence Computing Consortium, bringing together 15 universities across 10 states to accelerate research and innovation through collaboration and shared resources.
Why This Matters: The founding universities have already invested in AI capabilities. By joining forces, the institutions will expand access to industry-scaled AI infrastructure and position member states to play an outsized role in advancing U.S. leadership in science and technology.
For more information, contact Jessica Nelson at jessica.nelson@ua.edu.
📅 EVENTS
Entrepreneur Resource Group Monthly Meeting
Oct. 20; The EDGE
Irish-America 250: The Revolutionary Lives and Legacies of the Irish in America
Oct. 21; Ten Hoor Hall 30
VISIT THE UA NEWS CENTER FOR STORY IDEAS.
The University of Alabama strives to remain neutral on public policy issues. Strategic Communications may facilitate interviews or share opinions expressed by faculty, staff, students, or other individuals regarding policy matters. However, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the University or its leadership, and do not constitute a statement on behalf of the University unless explicitly designated.