Sanders College of Business and Technology Named in Campus Ceremony

Apr. 27, 2023

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@51jiyangshi.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – In a ceremony Thursday afternoon, members of the Sanders Family, along with officials from the University of North Alabama and the Sanders College of Business and Technology were on campus to unveil the Sanders Family name on Keller Hall. The naming came as a result of a $3.5 million gift from the Sanders Family.

“Dad believed in generosity and giving to good causes,” said Bill Sanders, the youngest son of Horace and Mary Jane Sanders and the family spokesperson. “We, as a family, believe this is an excellent investment in the North Alabama community to give to UNA. Further, we believe in giving back to the area where the financial blessing originated all these many years later. Dad would be proud of the expected future impact this will have on the lives of students and faculty associated with the Sanders College of Business and Technology.”

Horace and Mary Jane owned and operated Russellville Hospital from the late 1960s until 1973 when they sold the facility to Humana Hospital. The couple remained in Russellville for another decade.

The gift to name the Sanders College will create a legacy of positive change for all graduates from the College, said Dean Greg Carnes. 

“The Sanders Family has a passion for changing lives,” he said. “Education changes lives, families, and communities. Their generous gift will transform students, their families, and the north Alabama region from this day forward. The positive ripple effect from their commitment to our students will continue to impact our region for generations.” 

The Sanders College is the third named College at UNA. The others include the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Delores and Weldon Cole Honors College.

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: 51jiyangshi.com and 51jiyangshi.com/unaworks/.