UA Division of Community Affairs

Last month, we proudly welcomed our Board of Advisors back to campus to celebrate the board’s 10th anniversary. We appreciate their continued commitment to serving and giving back to their alma mater. We would also like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Cathy Randall for speaking with our members and encouraging their work. To learn more about the board, please visit the link in our bio.

On the final day of our Faculty Community Engagement Tour, we visited:

📍 Stop 1: Theo Ratliff Activity Center in Demopolis, Alabama, in Marengo County
📍 Stop 2: First Baptist Church in Uniontown, Alabama, in Perry County
📍 Stop 3: Selma and Dallas County Public Library in Selma, Alabama, in Dallas County
After a panel discussion, participants had the opportunity to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and visit the historic Civil Rights Memorial Park.

Thank you for another successful year, and thank you to everyone who helped make the 2026 Faculty Engagement Tours possible.

On the second day of our Faculty Community Engagement Tour, we continued exploring new places, meeting new people, and engaging with new communities. During the tour, we visited:

📍 Stop 1: Boligee Community Center in Boligee, Alabama, in Greene County

📍 Stop 2: Pop Start Community Space in York, Alabama, in Sumter County

📍 Stop 3: Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Greensboro, Alabama, in Hale County

Additionally, we toured the Safe House Black History Museum, where we learned about the home’s cultural and historical significance during the Civil Rights Movement.

Earlier this month, we embarked on our Faculty Community Engagement Tour, and it was a success. We explored new places, met new people and connected with new communities. Here’s a closer look at where we stopped.

During the first day of the tour, we visited:
📍 Stop 1: Pinnacle Bank in Jasper, Alabama, in Walker County
📍 Stop 2: Miner’s Diner in Berry, Alabama, in Fayette County

These three-day tours lay the foundation for partnerships that give participants opportunities to combine teaching, research, and service in ways that support the communities we serve.

Congratulations to the Division of Community Affairs staff for receiving the Distinguished Special Achievement in Community Engagement Award at the 20th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards.

This award recognizes individuals who excel in supporting community-based partnership initiatives and demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing them through meaningful community engagement.

Congratulations to the 2026 Distinguished Community-Engaged Scholar Award recipients at the 20th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards!

Community Partner Recipient: Jessica Sanders Walker is Vice President of Sanders Aviation and the Sanders Flight Training Center. She also founded the Operation Aviation Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to introducing underserved and underrepresented youth to aviation through mentorship, education and hands-on experiences.

Faculty Recipient: Dr. Schnavia Smith Hatcher, Dean of The University of Alabama School of Social Work, is recognized for her leadership in community-engaged learning and teaching. She launched and led the Black Belt Internship Initiative, an innovative model that strengthens partnerships between universities and rural, historically marginalized communities.

Student Recipient: Teddy Ross is a freshman in the Honors College studying cybersecurity and the founder of TeddyTech. His program educates and empowers senior citizens through cybersecurity education and scam prevention training.

We are so proud of their accomplishments!

Congratulations to the 2026 Graduate Fellowship recipients at the 20th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards:

Brooke Bailey (doctoral student, social work)
Project: Wired for Healing: Youth and Community Voices in Neurofeedback Implementation Research.

Jesse Pinkston (doctoral student, social work)
Project: Cultural Adaptation of an End-of-Life Conversation Intervention for Advance Care Planning Among African American Older Adults With Chronic Illness in the Deep South.

Priyanka Bhattacharjee (doctoral student, social work)
Project: Understanding Youth Recidivism in Alabama: A Cross-Agency, Ecological Analysis Using a Community-Based Participatory Research Approach.

We’re proud to congratulate Dr. Pruitt on his retirement and thank him for his years of leadership and dedication!

This year, at the 20th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards, we awarded four Seed Fund projects:

57 Miles, by Ruby Tilghman and Zacc Gleason

Diabetes Coping Strategies Among Indigenous Native Indians and Black Belt Residents in Alabama: A Mutual Learning Approach, by Dr. Seth Appiah-Opoku and Kwaku Karikari Manu

FIVE = Fruits & Vegetables for Improved Vitality in Elders, by Dr. Seung Eun Jung

Meeting the Demand: Strategizing to Co-Create a Nutrition Education Intervention With Adolescent Athletes to Improve Health Outcomes, by Dr. Jessica Wallace

Congratulations to the 2026 Seed Fund recipients!

Congratulations to the 2026 recipients of the Excellence in Civic Engagement Award at the 20th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards.

The faculty award was presented to Dr. Marissa Grayson, assistant professor and director of the public policy minor in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Grayson has become a highly impactful civic scholar at UA, engaging both students and faculty through innovative teaching methods.

The student award was presented to Sam Miller, an undergraduate in New College. Miller demonstrates strong civic engagement through active participation in campus initiatives and consistent support of his community.

We are incredibly proud of their work and look forward to what they will continue to accomplish in the future.