University of Alabama President Stuart Bell will leave the college this summer after a decade as its leader, he announced Wednesday.
“It has truly been an honor to serve and represent the University of Alabama as president over the last 10 years,” Bell said in a written statement. “I am grateful for the longstanding support of our board of trustees and filled with pride and gratitude for all the accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. Collectively, we have witnessed record-breaking successes and as our University continues its positive trajectory, the moment is right to initiate the completion of my tenure as president.”
A soon-to-be appointed committee will do a national search for the school’s 30th president.
Bell was on the UA faculty early in his career and chair of the mechanical engineering department before taking leadership roles at the University of Kansas and Louisiana State University. He returned to UA as president in July 2015.
Achievements in Bell’s tenure include record enrollment at the Tuscaloosa campus. Fall 2024 enrollment surpassed 40,000 for the first time at 40,846, driven in-part by a record in-state freshman class of more than 3,400, according to the university. In-state student growth is outpacing the state’s population growth, up 7.9% among first-time undergraduates.
In a message to the UA community, Bell highlighted the successes in the last decade of the school’s research and scholarship programs.
“The university has grown graduate programs, particularly at the doctoral level, and increased scholarly works by our faculty and students,” he wrote. “We secured R1 Carnegie Classification for Research Universities, and this year we again set a record for external sponsored funding with approximately $270 million, almost three times more than 10 years ago. Likewise, our research expenditures classify UA as one of the fastest growing research institutions among R1 universities.”
University Trustee Karen Brooks will chair the search for Bell’s successor. She was on the committee that hired him.
“The University of Alabama has been fortunate to have this beloved leader at the helm for 10 years, and we will certainly miss working with him,” she said in a written statement. “The board of trustees proudly celebrates President Bell’s historic success and legendary legacy, and we congratulate him and his equally outstanding wife, Susan, on this well-deserved next chapter following a decade of exemplary service.”