Una To Celebrate Groundbreaking For Academic Center And Student Commons

Aug. 28, 2012

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@zo23.com, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - The University of North Alabama will celebrate the official groundbreaking for its Academic Center and Student Commons this Friday at 3:30 p.m. The new center will be constructed on E. Irvine Avenue between Rogers and Keller halls. "This is going to be an excellent addition to campus and to the surrounding community," said Dr. William G. Cale Jr. "We're excited about the amenities it will offer, and we're eager to see in action the new opportunities it will create for students." The Academic Center and Student Commons will offer a full-service Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, Frostbite ice cream and an expanded Follett Campus Bookstore. It will also house the UNA Center for Academic Advising and Retention Services, the Department of Criminal Justice, the Center for Financial Literacy and The Hill, a full-service, student-operated branch of Listerhill Credit Union. The Center for Financial Literacy, created through a partnership of UNA and Listerhill, will be incorporated into the commons area as a casual environment offering educational financial resources to help ensure students begin their post-college lives on a solid financial footing. The center will employ UNA students professionally trained in financial products by Listerhill. "In today's economy, students throughout the nation are graduating with significant amounts of debt, and they're financially burdened even before starting their careers," said Heather Brown, Listerhill director of the Center for Financial Literacy. "College is an excellent investment, but investments have to be managed wisely, and students are too often not learning those skills of personal financial management. This center is changing that." The $7.67 million Academic Center and Student Commons is being funded in part through gifts from Listerhill, Sodexo Campus Services and Follett Corporation. The facility was designed by Hugo Dante, of Create Architects in Tuscumbia, and is being constructed by Consolidated Construction, of Huntsville. The center is expected to open by mid fall 2013. IMAGES AVAILABLE: Architectural renderings of the UNA Academic Center and Student Commons are available for download in the UNA photo archives.