Peter Mohler, the University’s 30th president who assumed the role last month, greeted students and parents Friday as they moved into on-campus housing. According to the UA Housing and Residential Communities, approximately 9400 students will live in on-campus housing during the fall 2025 semester.
Mohler said that he wants to understand the culture of the campus and the community, and how they connect to the state.
“Universities, in my mind, should not just be about what happens the four years these students are here, but how do we prepare them, and what they do after they leave the University,” Mohler said
According to the UA Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, the University currently had over 40,000 students enrolled during the fall 2024 semester. Mohler said that he wants the number of students enrolled to stay consistent to maintain the quality of education the University provides.
“I think most important for me is to think about the quality of education we pride ourselves at The University of Alabama, of being a student-centered university, a student-centered campus,” he said, adding that when a university expands too far, it runs the risk of diluting its resources. “So before we would do any sort of expansion, we really need to understand what would be that impact on student experience, affordability, access.”
When asked about his administration’s plans to ensure all groups of people feel welcome on campus, Mohler said that the University should be, and is, a place that “not only welcomes all” but sets them up for success, in light of recent rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education.
Alabama Senate Bill 129, which restricts DEI programs at schools and universities. went into effect Oct. 1, 2024 and was met with a preliminary injunction filed in part by three UA professors against the UA Systems Board of Trustees and Gov. Kay Ivey.
“A big priority of mine is to make sure, with our faculty, with our staff and spending a lot of time with students, that we’re making sure that we deliver on that,” he said. “It’s one thing in writing to feel welcome, it’s another thing to have multiple eyes on you, making you feel like you’re welcome, making you feel like you’re successful, and ultimately graduating from The University of Alabama.”
