CONTACT: Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256-606-2033 or 256-765-4392 April 28, 2021

FLORENCE, AL - Officials with the University of North Alabama and PCH Hotels and Resorts signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will benefit all PCH Hotels and Resorts employees seeking any online or on-campus, graduate or undergraduate degree from UNA. Further, the agreement highlights the opportunity for employees to take part in UNA's New Start Scholarship program. Any PCH Hotels and Resorts employee who enrolls in two courses will qualify, and the first course will be free.

"We are fortunate at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa to be in proximity to UNA, and we understand the value in this partnership and how it can benefit our employees," said Larry Bowser, General Manager of the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa. "For PCH more broadly, UNA has a large-scale online presence, which will allow them great opportunities to start or finish any number of degree programs."

PCH Hotels and Resorts was incorporated in 1999 and developed to manage the Marriott Grand Hotel and Resort, which was financed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama. PCH now manages all eight hotels owned by RSA, which includes the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.

The agreement is effective immediately and will allow PCH Hotels and Resorts employees to take advantage of all programs, both online and on-campus, as well as graduate and undergraduate, at UNA, while receiving a tuition scholarship to do so.

"UNA is pleased to officially sign this agreement with PCH Hotels and Resorts," said Dr. Ross Alexander, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. "UNA has developed multiple agreements, and, with PCH, we see the opportunity to positively impact the lives of employees across the state by allowing them to achieve their educational goals. Further, this aligns with UNA's role as the workforce development leader in Alabama."

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 and Sciences, Business, 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 the NCAA Division I's ASUN Big South Conference. 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: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/