The Camellia Center is located in the South Lawn Office Building at 1101 Jackson Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. For detailed directions, please call us at 205-348-5040.
We are open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. whenever the university is open. To reach our victim advocate after hours, on weekends, or on university holidays, please call UAPD at 205-348-5454 and ask for the Camellia Center advocate. You can do this anonymously.
History
The Camellia Center has been a central component of support to the UA community for over 30 years.
Brief History
The Women’s Resource Center was established at UA in 1993 as part of a collaborative effort by students and administrators to promote women’s inclusion and opportunities on campus. Even in the early days, the library offered resources to the campus community to grow self and cultural awareness for holistic development. In 1997, the library was named for and supported by a generous gift from Frances S. Summersell. Since then, the Center – and the library – have grown and evolved.
Expansion of Services
By 2015, we had strategically expanded our scope to provide comprehensive support for members of the UA community, especially related to interpersonal violence, and we changed our name to the Women and Gender Resource Center to represent the full spectrum of eligible clientele. We have built mentorship programs with young men and women in local elementary schools to help foster positive leadership and integrity in our community.
Namesake
In 2025, to highlight the broad scope of the services and programs we provide to students and the entire campus community, we changed our name to the Camellia Center. We offer advocacy, outreach, and support related to interpersonal violence to members of the UA community, as well as programming to promote holistic well-being.
The camellia, Alabama’s state flower, thrives here despite not being native to the area, symbolizing Alabama’s welcoming spirit. As a center that welcomes and serves the entire campus community, we were drawn to the Camellia as a symbol of our comprehensive advocacy and support.