UNA President Bill Cale signed an agreement with Shenqi Ethnic Medicine College last week. The agreement will form a partnership in building a Center for Integrative Health in Florence.

The center would offer a Master of Science degree in health and human performance with a concentration in integrative health, according to a UNA release.

The agreement still has to be approved by the boards of UNA and SEMC as well as the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.

“Integrative health takes a holistic approach to health, and that approach is now emerging through several clinics throughout the country,” Cale said in a release. “But we have not identified an academic program offering specialized training in integrative health. The partnership will be groundbreaking, as it prepares students to become professionals and leaders in the field.”

UNA will be responsible for development, implementation and operation of the program. SEMC will be responsible for construction and the purchase of land, according to the release.

The center is expected to be up and running in fall 2013.