By Princess Williams

Around 65 students gathered to hear the University of Montevallo administration, including Interim President Dr. Terry Roberson and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Courtney Bentley on January 21at 5:30 pm inside of the Humanities Auditorium, hosted by SGA and Falcon Facilitators. 

The University has been going through a lot of changes recently, including the tuition increase. This meeting served to communicate with students about the new changes and allow them to ask any questions about the academic programs and future of the university. 

After students signed in, SGA President Caleb Jernigan opened with the reason we are all here today. Rules were given, such as “This is not a debate” and how participants should behave– by listening and responding to administration at the end with any questions. 

Dr. Bentley began telling the audience about how Montevallo got here, noting 3 big reasons: budget issues, capital, and scholarships for students. Bentley said that current students will not feel the effects of any decision on decrease of scholarships; it will only affect the upcoming students beginning in Fall 2026. 

With all the modifications, Bentley says, “We are stable for now.” One of the ways they have gotten things under control is by not overspending. The administration is working towards balancing their budget and the goal is to fill in that gap. Their focus today is to protect students. One attendee asked whether there were any actions in place so this wouldn’t happen again, and they responded with they were building capital. 

Students in attendance asked about the future of their academic programs, including Game Studies and Design. Last year in Fall of 2025, there were reports stating the university was cutting certain minors and concentrations, but administration assured students that “there isn’t a decision to drop any concentrations/minors yet.” It’s still a work in progress at this time.  

Administration also discussed the merge of the Theatre department and the Music department citing, “that they are usually put together as Performing Arts.”  

Dr. Roberson ended with encouraging words to the students of Montevallo stating that they do care and they are doing the best that they can.  

After the Town Hall meeting, Caleb Jernigan spoke on his interpretation of how the event went and what he seeks to accomplish by the end of his term.  Jernigan stated, “I think it went very well. I think that more students are aware of the current state of the university as a whole now, but I am aware that there are questions that weren’t able to be answered in the town hall, which leads us into what comes next. The Student Government Association and the Falcon Facilitators will host forums to continue this conversation further. Simply asking a question would not do some topics and concerns justice; it requires a continued dialogue.”  

In addition to the big turnout with students, many seemed pleased with how the university is moving forward and Jernigan believes that the students’voices are needed in order for the university to continue. “Everyone asked good questions, and I believe a lot of people got the answers they were looking for. I think the openness of administration and honesty will help with further dialogue. This recovery process is one that requires students’ voices to be heard. After all, we are the largest stakeholders in the university; without students, there is no university.”   

Jernigan ended with, “Before I graduate in a few months, I want to see the signs of recovery. I want to see the first signs of safeguards to make sure that something like this never happens again. Most importantly, I want to see a university that is made stronger through all of this. We are a very resilient little school, and I know that through these times, the school will bounce back better than ever. When I first got on SGA in 2022 as a freshman senator, I had a goal to leave this school better than when I found it, and I am still committed to this goal.”