University of North Alabama Department of Geoscience

08/28/2026

Dr Pretes completed his three-month round-the-world trip (with only carry-on bags; yes, it can be done!) with stops in Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and California. In Australia he attended the American Association of Wine Economists conference, visited Rottnest Island near Perth where he saw cute quokkas (a marsupial related to kangaroos and wallabies), met with colleagues and traveled around, then went to New Caledonia in the South Pacific where he hiked in rainforests. On his last stops in New Zealand and California he met with colleagues as well before arriving back to 99 degree Alabama!

08/27/2026

WE ARE ONE FLORENCE: See below for an exciting opportunity to get involved at FMS! Florence City Schools

08/24/2026

Dr Pretes was recently in South Africa and Mauritius (including the small remote island of Rodrigues), where he conducted some field work in national parks and met with colleagues at Stellenbosch and Rhodes universities in South Africa and at Grande Montagne Nature Preserve in Rodrigues and Black River Gorges National Park in Mauritius. He will use some of this new material in his fall course offerings.

08/19/2026

Happy first day of class!!! We hope you have a wonderful year full of learning!! Roar Lions!! 💛💜🌎📚

08/02/2026

Congratulations to our Summer Graduates!! We are so proud of you all, and we know you will do great things! Roar Lions!!💜💛🌎

07/09/2026

The departments of SOHASS will be hosting a Welcome Back Lawn Party! We hope you can attend!! ☀️☀️

07/07/2026

Dr Pretes was recently on the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean (the place where Napoleon died), as part of his three-month summer trip. He spent three weeks there meeting with government officials including the governor and chief minister, hiking and exploring, and even gave a talk at the local museum.

06/29/2026

Dr Pretes was recently in Budapest, Hungary where he met with geography colleagues at Eötvös Loránd University and also visited a Hungarian friend that he hadn't seen for 34 years! He was also lucky to have a window seat on the flight out and got some good photos of this beautiful city.

06/12/2026

UNA Geoscience professors Dr. Emmanuel Ackom, Dr. Melissa Moore and Dr. Greg Buckley are in China for the graduation our our first cohort of students in our UNA-Guizhou major in Sustainability! Congratulations students!

05/20/2026

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Sunhui Sim on her award!

We’re thrilled to share and celebrate the latest faculty advancements in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at the University of North Alabama! These accomplishments recognize the outstanding dedication, excellence, and impact our faculty continue to make in supporting student success and strengthening our academic community.

Senior Lecturer Promotions:
• Dr. Timothy Harris, Department of Music
• Ms. Felicia Jones, Department of English
• Ms. Pamela Kelley, Department of Social Work
• Dr. Frances Turnbell, Department of History
• Ms. Tosha-Paige Whitten, Department of Communication

Professor Merit Incentives Approved:
• Dr. Christopher Klein, Department of Psychology and Sociology
• Dr. Benedict Lowe, Department of History
• Dr. Brentley Olive, Department of Chemistry and Physics
• Dr. Jeffrey Ray, Department of Biology
• Dr. Sunhui Sim, Department of Geoscience

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional faculty members on their well-deserved recognition. Their continued commitment to teaching, mentorship, and academic excellence helps drive the mission of forward every day.