Anderson Family Makes Largest Philanthropic Gift in University of North Alabama History

Feb. 22, 2022

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@zo23.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The University of North Alabama has received the largest gift in the institution’s almost 200-year history, a $6.5 million gift from the Charles C. Anderson family. The gift is being given to academic and athletic areas of campus, with $1 million specifically earmarked for the women’s athletic programs in memory and honor of Hilda B. Anderson.

“(Hilda) was very passionate about the women’s athletic programs at UNA, and she wanted to ensure they had the necessary funding,” said the family patriarch Mr. Charles C. Anderson. “Our sons, Charlie, Terry, Clyde, and Harold, wanted to honor her and her legacy with this gift.”

Mrs. Anderson, who passed in March of 2020, had a long history of supporting the women’s athletics programs at UNA, and she was particularly fond of UNA Softball and UNA’s Head Softball Coach Ashley Cozart. The UNA’s Softball Team plays at the Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium.

“This transformative gift by the Anderson Family makes clear that UNA is a great philanthropic investment,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “It will change the lives of our students, faculty, and staff throughout all areas of campus as we continue to serve the Shoals and the Northwest Alabama region.”

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: zo23.com and zo23.com/unaworks/.