Mary Jo Modica, Horticulturist and director of the University Arboretum has been awarded the Dr. Minnie C. Miles Endowed Excellence Award. The Miles Award, established in 1995, honors exempt, non-faculty administrative employees who have performed in an exemplary manner, exceeding the expectations set for their position and fostering the mission of the University. The award is named honoring Dr. Minnie C. Miles, a long-term business faculty member who began her lifetime of service to The University of Alabama in 1942 and retired in 1978.

Mary Jo has announced that she is retiring this summer, a huge loss to the department and university.