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Board approves program launches, center closures and financial statements in Feb. 6 meeting
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Summary
The University of Alabama System board approved multiple institutional and administrative actions on Feb. 6, 2026, including new degree program approvals, center closures, naming and endowment resolutions, and adoption of the system financial statements following PricewaterhouseCoopers' audit presentation.
The University of Alabama System board of trustees voted Feb. 6 to approve a slate of program, administrative and financial actions presented across committee meetings at UAB.
Trustees adopted the meeting agenda and approved minutes from Nov. 7, 2025 before considering substantive items. The Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Committee approved UA individual action items that include two new degrees in the newly approved School of Leadership and Policy: a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and a Master of Public Policy, both proposed to launch in fall 2027. Dr. Leslie Reed presented the programs as interdisciplinary and practice-oriented, concluding, “I respectfully request the committee’s favorable consideration of the Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and the Master of Public Policy today.” The committee approved the UA individual action items by voice vote.
The board also approved a set of administrative items at UA, including the establishment of the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. Endowed Professorship in Leadership and Policy, renaming of the Kenimer Center to the James C. Kenimer Center for Innovation, and multiple distinguished professorship and chair appointments.
UAB received approval for an initial PhD in Health Physics (School of Health Professions). Dr. Janet Woodruff Gordon told trustees the program responds to a national workforce shortage in health physics and noted, “There are no health physics PhD programs in Alabama.” The UAB administrative slate — including center closures in the school of medicine and multiple conversions and endowed appointments — was approved by the committee and advanced.
At UAH, trustees approved a proposed Doctor of Engineering (DEng) in Engineering Management and separately approved the administrative request to close the Center for the Management of Science and Technology (CMOST), which system staff said had been inactive for several years and had no associated funds or employees.
The Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee recommended and the board approved a resolution adopting the University of Alabama System financial statements for the 2025 fiscal year following a presentation by PricewaterhouseCoopers. PwC representatives stated they had issued unmodified (clean) opinions for the University of Alabama, UAB, UAH, the UA Hospital and the system office.
Across committee and board action, trustees moved, seconded and approved numerous naming opportunities, endowment revisions, appointments to affiliated boards (including the Crimson Tide Foundation and the UAH Research and Technology Corporation), and consent-agenda items. Actions were adopted by voice vote during committee meetings and during the full board meeting; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the meeting record.
Next steps: programs approved for initial or final authorization will proceed through campus implementation steps, catalog updates and, where applicable, further board reporting (for example, inventory and financial reviews for centers and institutes were noted for the April board meeting).
