Academics News

Imagine visiting a home in Guatemala or bartering for food in Uganda without ever leaving the country. That’s exactly what 37 UWA students had the opportunity to experience at the simulated rural Global Village and Urban slum at the campus of Southern Institute for Appropriate Technology (SIFAT) in Lineville, Alabama in September.
On any given day, conversations with Dr. Thomas Ratkovich can feature topics so unrelated yet masterly that they’re hard to absorb. They could involve the first isomorphism theorem, the best law enforcement training for active-shooter drills, the work of heralded British mathematician Andrew Wiles, the finer points of driving forklifts and snowplows, how to protect crime-scene evidence, or the definitions of topological groups and closure axioms.
Sculpture created out of clay gummy bears

What happens when you combine thousands of pieces of clay shaped like a small, sweet and chewy gelatin-based candy? One of Jessica Smith’s unique ceramic sculptures of course.

UWA Nursing Students with Pro-Certified medals

When the University of West Alabama held commencement exercises in May, nearly 40 graduates from the Division of Nursing decorated their robes with round medallions dangling from red-and-white ribbons.

The University of West Alabama has announced nearly 700 outstanding undergraduate students named to the President’s List and the Dean’s List for the Spring 2023 academic semester.
Dr. Amanda Pendergrass

Upon hearing that she’d won the University of West Alabama’s most prestigious faculty award, Dr. Amanda Pendergrass walked to the lectern and addressed the commencement crowd.

UWA cross-country runner Audrick Pyronneau

Speed comes naturally to Audrick Pyronneau, a former distance runner on the University of West Alabama’s track-and-field team. That he’s using that trait to pursue his academic goals shouldn’t be a surprise.

Dr. Richard Shellhammer

The hints inside Dr. Richard Schellhammer’s crowded campus office aren’t subtle. They reveal personal secrets: who he is, what he adores, how he fills his days. History books bloat his bookshelves. Framed trinkets of his academic expertise -- pre-World War I Germany -- hang near the desk.

The University of West Alabama is accepting applications for the upcoming UWA BOSS II Summer Camp for rising 12th graders. The deadline to apply is May 15.

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