New President Greets Families As 9,400 Students Move In at University of Alabama

The newly hired President of the University of Alabama greeted freshmen and families Friday morning as many of the 9,400 students who will live on campus this semester moved into their dorms.

Peter Mohler - a father of three himself - had long, personal conversations with parents about their feelings as volunteers helped their children unload clothes, TVs, stuffed animals, and more.

In a chat with local reporters after talking with families, Mohler said he was deeply proud watching incoming freshmen and their parents arrive at the University of Alabama.

"My first week here, I had a chance to graduate almost 1400 students and to see the pride of those students as they finished at the University of Alabama," Mohler said. "To see the cycle starting all over again with excited, fresh minds moving into Tuscaloosa who are really going to represent the future of the state of Alabama and leaders across the country - we're looking forward to hopefully a new record enrollment for the University."

With two of his kids on their way to college, Mohler said he understands the weight of move-in day better than ever.

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"We're going to take care of your kids," he said. "We're going to take care of them on one of the best-looking campuses in the country with incredible faculty that are invested in their success, with faculty mentors and student mentors that have their well-being in mind."

As Mohler mentioned, UA is expecting to exceed its all-time high enrollment record, which was set at 40,846 students last year. He said on Friday that he will need time to assess if UA has the need or the room to grow more.

"We talk a lot about numbers in higher education. I think the most important thing for me is to think about the quality of education," Mohler said. "We pride ourselves at the University of Alabama of being a student-centered campus. I think I need to understand that sometimes if you get too large, you might dilute some of your academic advising, some of the mental health, some of the quality of the dorms. Before we would do any sort of expansion, we really need to understand what would be the impact on our student experience, affordability and access."

More important to Mohler is attracting a larger number of students from Alabama to Tuscaloosa - he said to expect a sharper focus on growing in-state student enrollment.

"One of our first priorities and one of my major priorities as a president is to get into all 67 counties and really understand how do we push recruitment of Alabamians to the University of Alabama," Mohler said. "I'm excited to do that."

The University has been in the headlines recently as a lawsuit brought by students and professors over Alabama's recently adopted "anti-DEI" legislation stifled teaching and violated constitutional rights.

Mohler took a question about the matter and said the school remains committed to inclusivity.

"We should be and we are a university that welcomes all. And not only welcomes all, but where we really spend time, not just in admissions, in getting students to the University of Alabama, but in really making sure that they're successful both academically and as leaders. 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 deliver on that."

Mohler said UA is "without question" the most beautiful campus he's ever visited and it houses an incredible athletic program, top-to-bottom.

"We talk a lot about football here, but I've also had an opportunity to see some of the other sports," Mohler said. "I would just remind you all that the women's soccer team plays tomorrow night at 6:00. It's their first home game. They had a big win last night, 6-2!"

"You all may not see this in your reporting, but behind the scenes, our coaches, our athletic director, Greg Bryne, and Coach DeBoer talk about things like leadership, they talk about partnership, they talk about brotherhood, they talk about development," Mohler continued. "Beyond all these great things that you might see on the field, it's really enlightening and heartening to see how much work has been behind the scenes with these student athletes to make sure not only that they're maturing as athletes, but as men and women to be future leaders."

When asked how he'd handle seeing the Crimson Tide take on Ohio State - his former employer - for a national title, Mohler said he'd yell Roll Tide as loud as he could.

For more news from the University of Alabama and other coverage from around the region, stay connected with the Tuscaloosa Thread.