UA Dedicates Judy Bonner Child Development Center

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama on Friday officially dedicated the Judy Bonner Child Development Center in honor of UA's first female president.

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The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees passed a resolution in February to rename the Child Development Research Center in recognition of Judy L. Bonner’s work over four decades at UA.

“Important work takes place in this building. Combined with the primary mission of educating UA students, the expertise of the faculty and staff has an impact that is exponential,” Bonner said. “With their successful contract and grant activity, they touch the lives of young children and their families throughout our great state and beyond. I am so proud to have my name associated with their work.”

The Judy Bonner Child Development Center houses the Children’s Program — a National Association for the Education of Young Children accredited laboratory school enrolling approximately 114 students ages two months.

UA says the state-of-the-art research facility is equipped with multi-media research technology, seven large research suites and eight research rooms. Each research room has an adjoining observation booth.

“If you count the number of years I was a student and the years I was a member of the faculty and an administrator, I spent over 40 years at The University of Alabama,” Bonner said. “I truly love the Capstone, and I am profoundly honored that the board of trustees approved President Bell’s recommendation to name the Child Development Center for me.”

The facility also houses ...

• Capstone Family Therapy Clinic, which provides the community with help in resolving personal problems and trains graduate students specializing in marriage and family therapy.
• Pediatric Development Research Laboratory.
• The UA College of Education’s Belser-Parton Literacy Center.

The UA System Board of Trustees first tapped Bonner to serve as UA's 28th president in 2012, after she first began her career at UA in 1981 as an associate professor before serving in several administrator positions, including head of the department of nutrition and hospitality management, dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences, provost and vice president of academic affairs, provost and executive vice president, and president.

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