Ever since Dr. Ken Kitts, President of the University of North Alabama (UNA), began Project 208 back in 2017, one of the major goals of the Florence-based university has been to rediscover its importance in North Alabama’s economic development and educational impact.

Dr. Kitts stated that Project 208, named after the 208 miles that separate the campus from the seat of government in Montgomery, was created to both illustrate how often UNA has added to the development of the state, and how underfunded the university has been over the past few years.

Flash forward to 2022, and UNA has officially announced a 12.76 percent increase from the 2022 fiscal year budget in appropriations from the state, totaling at around $45,004,247.

In a recent interview with the Huntsville Business Journal, UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts stated that the increase will help the University focus on a variety of new goals that intend to help in the development of North Alabama.

One development is an increased focus on student recruitment, especially in the case of Huntsville and Madison County.

“The increase simply allows us to expand the scope of our operations and helps us to increase our focus in and around the Huntsville area,” stated Dr. Kitts. “It is in our best interest to expand recruitment to Madison County, both on the road and here at UNA, and this increase will help us meet these goals.”

In addition to the recruitment, the University will also receive a supplemental appropriation of $3.2 million for a new program in power generation engineering. This program will be the cornerstone of UNA’s workforce development initiatives and will be a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity for students nationwide.

According to Dr. Kitts, power generation engineering focuses on creating a field for students that reflects the workforce demand in and around the shoals area.

“The new Applied Engineering program reflects the demand of industry in the area. The Shoals area is the original home of the TVA and, since engineering fields that directly relate to our most important industry are relatively scarce, we see this field as filling a key industry needed for the economy of all North Alabama, including Huntsville,” said Dr. Kitts.

In this way, Dr. Kitts sees the increase in appropriation as a means of adding to North Alabama’s workforce development, stating that the new increase has a lot to do with the success of project 208.

Since the Project’s implementation five years ago, UNA’s state appropriation has increased by 60 percent. While the institution still remains at the bottom of the list according to appropriation numbers to other state public universities, the gap has narrowed and now stands at $6 million, more than $4 million down before Project 208 was implemented back in 2017.

“What I want people to understand from Project 208 is that UNA is a vibrant university that represents the entirety of North Alabama. We want people to see UNA as an Outstanding University of option and opportunity, and for Huntsville students to see UNA as their #1 choice when deciding on colleges,” said Dr. Kitts.

“The increase simply allows us to serve, not only North Alabama, but the entire state as well.”

For more information, please visit https://www.una.edu/