Samford University
| Motto | For God, For Learning, Forever |
|---|---|
| Type | Private (Baptist-affiliated) |
| Established | 1841 (as Howard College) |
| Endowment | $286 million (summer 2007) |
| President | Andrew Westmoreland |
Academic staff | 264 |
| Undergraduates | 2,882 |
| Postgraduates | 1,558 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Suburban 180 acres (0.7 km2) |
| Athletics | 13 varsity teams |
| Colors | Hades Red and Heaven Blue |
| Nickname | |
| Affiliations | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Website | [1] |
 | |
Samford University is a private, coeducational, Baptist-affiliated university located in Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, and is home to Cumberland School of Law and Beeson Divinity School. As of 2006, Samford ranks number four in the South among master's degree institutions in this year's U.S. News & World Report rankings of America's Best Colleges. [2] The 2006 ranking was the 17th consecutive year for the school to be ranked in the top 10 in its category.[3] In 2007, Samford was reclassified as "national research university" and on 17 August 2007, Samford ranked 118 out of 262 institutions in U.S. News and World Reports' college rankings. [4]
History
Samford was founded as Howard College in 1841 and opened its doors to students on January 3, 1842, in Marion, Alabama. In 1887 the school relocated to the East Lake community of Birmingham.
Women were first admitted to Howard College in 1895, and the college officially became coeducational in 1913. One year later the school established its Teacher Education Division. In 1920 the school joined the Southern Association of Colleges and in 1927 it added its pharmacy school.
In 1961, the school acquired the Cumberland School of Law from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Under the leadership of President Harwell Goodwin Davis the college looked to relocate again and on June 11, 1953 Howard College broke ground on its third campus in the Shades Valley just south of Birmingham. The school occupied its new campus in 1957.
In 1965 Howard reinstituted its master's degree program. This led to the college's elevation to university status on November 9, 1965. The school was renamed in honor of Frank Park Samford, chairman of the Board of Trustees and to that time, the institution's most generous individual benefactor, because there was already a Howard University in Washington, D.C..
The Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing owned by the Baptist Medical Center of Birmingham, was added to the University in 1973. In 1988, the Beeson Divinity School was established through donations from Ralph W. Beeson.
The University now consists of the Howard College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies, School of Performing Arts, Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Beeson School of Divinity, and Cumberland School of Law.
On January 29, 2004, in his Founder's Day Address, then-President Thomas E. Corts announced a multi-year improvement plan called, "The Promise." According to Dr. Corts, "Samford University will be an academically vigorous Christian university that coordinates a strong, effective educational program and encouragement of Christian belief and service, within a community that respects its individual members and encourages each to highest and best levels of performance and conduct -- academically, socially, spiritually, physically."
The plan calls for Samford to invest some $200 million to "enrich and enhance the educational experience of its students." Since June 1, 2003 more than $37 million has been contributed in philanthropic gifts toward the campaign.
Organization
Board of Trustees
Samford University, as a private corporation, is wholly governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The Board appoints the President of the University, who serves as chief executive officer. The Board consists of its regular members and the President.
President
Andrew Westmoreland is the current President of Samford University. Appointed by the Board of Trustees, he is the chief executive officer of the university, and serves only at the pleasure of the Board. Prior to his taking office on June 1, 2006, Westmoreland served as president of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Prior to Westmoreland, the following men served as president:
| President | Tenure | Institution | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Sterling Sherman | 1842–1852 | Howard College (Marion) |
| 2 | Henry Talbird | 1853–1863 | Howard College (Marion) |
| 3 | Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry | 1865–1868 | Howard College (Marion) |
| 4 | Edward Q. Thornton | 1868–1869 | Howard College (Marion) |
| 5 | Samuel R. Freeman | 1869–1871 | Howard College (Marion) |
| 6 | James T. Murfee | 1871–1887 | Howard College (Marion) |
| 7 | Benjamin Franklin Riley | 1888–1893 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 8 | Arthur W. McGaha | 1893–1896 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 9 | A.D. Smith | 1896–1897 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 10 | Frank M. Roof | 1897–1902 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 11 | Andrew P. Montague | 1902–1912 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 12 | James M. Shelborne | 1912–1917 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 13 | Charles B. Williams | 1919–1921 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 14 | John C. Dawson | 1921–1932 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 15 | Thomas V. Neal | 1932–1939 | Howard College (East Lake) |
| 16 | Harwell G. Davis | 1939–1958 | Howard College (Homewood) |
| 17 | Leslie Stephen Wright | 1958–1983 | Samford University |
| 18 | Thomas E. Corts | 1983–2006 | Samford University |
| 19 | Andrew Westmoreland | 2006–present | Samford University |
Colleges and schools
Samford University is currently divided into degree-granting units. Each division is headed by a dean. The divisions of the university (and their current heads) are:
| College/school | Dean |
|---|---|
| Howard College of Arts and Science | David W. Chapman |
| Metro College | Cindy Kirk |
| Brock School of Business | Beck A. Taylor |
| Beeson Divinity School | Timothy George |
| Beeson School of Education & Professional Studies | Jean A. Box |
| Cumberland School of Law | John L. Carroll |
| Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing | Nena Sanders |
| School of the Arts | Joe Hopkins |
| McWhorter School of Pharmacy | Bobby G. Bryant |
Demographics
As of fall 2005, the last semester for which comprehensive data have been published, the university had an enrollment of 2,941 undergraduate students and 1,565 graduate and professional students.
Approximately 37% of the total student body comes from Alabama, 20% come from Tennessee and 17% come from Georgia. As a result, Samford's flavor, though leavened with students from across the United States (40 states are represented, along with 21 foreign countries), is overwhelmingly Southern. Almost 90% of Samford's students are Caucasian, and about 6% are African American. About 10% of Samford students are minorities, and 38% are male.
Campus
Samford's campus has moved several times during its history. Originally, Howard College was located in Marion, Alabama, near Mongtomery. In 1887, the college moved to the East Lake community in Birmingham.
The college -- and now University -- is presently located approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of downtown Birmingham in Homewood, Alabama's Shades Valley area. The campus lies along Lakeshore Drive in Homewood, just 2 miles (3 km) from Interstate 65.
Besides its lush lawns and well-maintained gardens, Samford boasts one of the most distinctive examples of Georgian style architecture in the United States. Samford's uniform style, based upon Colonial Williamsburg, was the vision of President Harwell Davis when he moved the campus to the Shades Valley area in 1953-55.
Today, that vision is maintained in each new building project, even if the project in question would not have been possible in the time-period of the style (as with the new 132,000-square-foot (12,300 m2) Pete Hanna Center, which is completed except for landscaping, etc., on the southwest side of campus).
Student life
Organizations
According to Samford officials, co-curricular involvement is an important aspect of a total education. Because of this philosophy, Samford students are encouraged to select from more than 100 honors, religious, professional, educational, service and social student organizations. These groups, overseen by the Office of Student Involvement, offer Samford students an opportunity to explore their interests with like-minded individuals.
Samford's diversity of programming runs the gamut from a student-led group of Amnesty International, a human-rights activist organization, to the Samford Young Life chapter, an Evangelical Christian group.
Greek life
As of spring 2004, 33% of the undergraduate student body was affiliated with one of 14 social Greek organizations. Specifically, 29% of men were members of fraternities and 34% of women were members of sororities.
The local chapters are supported by active alumni bases that continue to involve former active members in both the life of the social organization and the life of the University. Many members of Samford's administration, along with several notable alums, were members of Greek organizations.
Fraternities
The fraternities represented on campus are:
| Fraternity | Chartered locally |
|---|---|
| Alpha Phi Alpha | 2000 |
| Kappa Alpha Psi | 1998 |
| Lambda Chi Alpha | 1911 |
| Pi Kappa Phi | 1925, 1991 |
| Sigma Chi | 1872, 1984 |
| Sigma Phi Epsilon | 1930, 1997 |
| Sigma Nu | 1879 |
Sororities
The sororities represented on campus are:
| Sorority | Chartered locally |
|---|---|
| Alpha Delta Pi | 1910 |
| Alpha Omicron Pi | 1995 |
| Delta Zeta | 1924 (closed) |
| Zeta Tau Alpha | 1964 |
| Kappa Delta | 1968 (closed since 1985) |
| Phi Mu | 1924 |
| Chi Omega | 1963 |
Samford also houses chapters for Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the social fraternity for men of musicianly character; Delta Omicron; and Gamma Sigma Sigma, a service sorority. These chapters are not affiliated with the Interfraternity Council or Panhellinic Council.
Code of Values
Samford University upholds a Code of Values which serves as the standard for personal and academic behavior. It serves as both a regulation of conduct and as an honor code for Samford administration, faculty, and students.
Samford's Values Court deals with specific infractions of the Code of Values by students and consists of representatives of all three of Samford's stakeholders: administration, faculty, and students.
- Preamble
We as the Samford community affirm the value of a peaceful and purposeful community, founded on the moral and ethical integrity of students and faculty. We commit ourselves to the Christian values on which Samford University was founded. We expect that our commitment to mutual responsibility and a spirit of cooperation will create a community that is orderly, caring and just. - Worth of the Individual
We value the intrinsic worth of every individual in the community. Our respect for other individuals includes an appreciation of cultural backgrounds different from our own, an understanding of different attitudes and opinions, and an awareness of the consequences of our actions on the broader community. - Self-Discipline
We value personal responsibility and recognize the individual’s need for physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional wholeness. We value the full development of every student in terms of a confident and constructive self-image, of a commitment to self-discipline and of a responsible self-expression. - Integrity
We value a campus community that encourages personal growth and academic development in an atmosphere of positive Christian influence. We affirm the necessity of academic standards of conduct that allow student and faculty to live and study together. We value the fair and efficient administration of these standards of conduct. - Respect for Property and the Environment
We value the rights and privileges of owning and using property, both personal and University, and the benefits of preservation and maintenance of property and of our natural resources. In our stewardship of property, we recognize the accountability of our actions to the future of the Samford community. - Respect for Community Authority
We value our privileges and responsibilities as members of the University community and as citizens of the community beyond the campus. We value the community standards of conduct expressed in our system of laws and value the fair administration of those laws, including University, municipal, state and federal laws.
Allegiance to these values obligates the Samford University student to refrain from and discourages behaviors that threaten the freedom and respect every individual deserves.[5]
Student housing / Ramsay Hall roof collapse
All undergraduate students (with some exceptions) are required to live on campus until the age of 21 to the extent that on-campus student housing facilities can accommodate them.
Approximately 66% of undergraduates -— freshmen, sophomores, and many juniors -— live on campus. Many senior undergraduates also live on campus, and those who do not often join the graduate and professional students in living near campus. Consequently, student life at Samford is heavily intertwined with campus life.
On Sunday, March 9, 2008, around four o'clock in the afternoon, the roof of Erskine Ramsay Hall suddenly collapsed. Fifteen of the thirty-two residents were inside the residence hall at the time of the collapse, but no injuries have been reported. The cause of the collapse is still unknown at this time, but engineers are currently inspecting the site to determine the cause. Samford University President Andrew Westmoreland met with the students immediately and commended them for their courage. The hall, located in the western part of the campus, was originally built in the 1950s with eight faculty apartments. today, it is a small men's residence hall.<references/http://www.samford.edu//News/030908_1.html>
Media
There are several media outlines at Samford, with administration, faculty, and students producing different publications.
Inside Samford is the official newsletter of the university administration and faculty. Published ten times each year, it does not publish opinion.
Other media at Samford include:
- The Samford Crimson, the student-run, campus-wide newspaper. With a circulation of 4,000, it is available free to all full-time, undergraduate students and is distributed at key locations on campus.
- The Belltower, the official online news source of the University administration, published once per month during the summer and weekly during the academic year.
- Seasons, the alumni magazine, published quarterly.
- WVSU-FM (91.1), a 500-watt FM radio station that serves the southern portion of the Birmingham area.
- Cumberland Law Review [6] whose members are selected by write-on from the top 15% of the Cumberland School of Law's first-year class to write articles and comments on newly decided cases and recently passed laws.
- The American Journal of Trial Advocacy [7], also published by the Cumberland School of Law, which is a national journal focusing on developments in trial law, technique, and practice.
- Keeping Faith is a newsletter for Alabama Baptists about current events at Samford University. It is produced by the Office of Public Relations and published regularly in The Alabama Baptist newspaper.
- Samford Business is a semiannual publication of the School of Business, produced by the Office of University Communications.
- PBL Insight is the newsletter for the Beeson School of Education's Center for Problem-Based Learning, published by the Office of University Communications.
- Exodus magazine is published by journalism majors from Samford's Howard College of Arts and Sciences.
- ENGAGE magazine is a student run publication that was started in the fall of 2005. ENGAGE serves to encourage students to examine the relationship between faith, culture and vocation. Students are encouraged to contribute by writing and designing and it is made available to all students at key areas around campus when it is published twice a semester.
Athletics
 | It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Samford Bulldogs. (Discuss) |
Samford fields teams in 13 varsity sports (6 men's and 7 women's). The Bulldogs have done well in recent years in both football and men's basketball. The school will be a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in Division I of the NCAA (I-AA in football) until July 2008, when it will move to the Southern Conference [8]. The Samford Athletics staff is headed by Bob Roller and Peter Neuberger, both who have been at Samford for more than six years.
Mascot and school colors
Samford's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Bulldogs, and the team is represented by a costumed bulldog, complete with spiked collar and nasty growl, at football and basketball games. Spike, as he is called, has also been known to appear at other competitions where Samford is competing.
Even when it was Howard College, the school's colors were Red and Blue. Today, the red tends to be a bright color and the blue is usually depicted as a darker, navy blue. Both colors are primary (though, as the name of the student fan club, The Red Sea, and the name of the student newspaper, The Crimson, show that many Samford students lean toward red).
Rivalries
Samford, as the only private school within the Ohio Valley Conference, has a very different demographic compared to many of the schools against whom they compete, and this often leads to some tense rivalries between Samford and some of their state-school opponents.
In addition, there is something of an intracity rivalry between Samford and Birmingham-Southern College, located across town. This is particularly the case in baseball and basketball. Alabama's premier private institutions of higher learning battle for state-wide bragging rights.
Samford also contends against SEC powerhouses and fellow Alabama institutions Alabama and Auburn in some sports -- and often fare well. In 2006, for example, the Samford baseball team defeated Auburn in the annual game at the Hoover Met.
Traditions
- Fight song.: "Fight, Fight, Fight / For Samford Bulldogs, / Go onward to victory. / Oh, we’ll wear the red and blue, / Samford, we’re all for you / And we love you, too! / Fight, Fight, Fight, / For Samford Bulldogs, / Go onward to victory. / Oh, we’ll give a cheer or two, / Samford, we’re all for you! / Fight! Fight Fight!"
- Alma mater.: "Oh, Samford Alma Mater true / Her halls shall ever ring, / With sounding glories of the past / With plans and future dreams. / On knowledge that we seek, O Lord, / We pray thy blessings true. / With pride we pledge our hearts and minds, / To the Samford Red and Blue!"
Facilities
- Seibert Stadium - Seibert Stadium has been home to Samford's football team since 1958. Over the years, Seibert has seen some memorable football, including the Bobby Bowden era (1959-62), a one-loss season in 1971 and the Terry Bowden era, which ended with a 14-game Bulldog winning streak in the stadium. In Fall 2005, the playing surface, which had always been natural grass, was replaced by a new LSR Blade Synthetic Surface. The artificial turf also includes an extensive drainage system. The stadium is named for F. Page Seibert, a Daytona Beach, Fla., businessman, who donated the money for the completion of the stadium in 1961 with the addition of the stands of the west side. The largest crowd in Seibert Stadium history was in 1994 against Steve McNair and Alcorn State when 11,189 fans showed up. The stadium holds 6,700.
- Seibert Hall - Originally opened in 1959, the lower floor played host to Samford basketball until the main gym was added in 1961. At that time, the basketball teams moved upstairs and have used the facility for the past 41 years. It has been home to Samford volleyball since 1987. It will be replaced by Corts Arena in the new Hanna Center (see below) when that facility is completed in Fall 2007. Seibert Hall is also named for F. Page Seibert, a Daytona Beach, Fla., businessman, who donated the money for the completion of the upper floors. It was the largest donation at the time to then-Howard College.
- Pete Hanna Center - A new, state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility has been completed (with the exception of landscaping, and other minor details), as a part of Samford's improvement campaign, The Promise, next door to Seibert Hall and its Bashinsky Fieldhouse. The new building was christened Pete Hanna Center on Friday, October 19, 2007, while the arena itself was designated the Thomas E. and Marla H. Corts Arena. The facility was scheduled for completion by Homecoming weekend 2007 (October 19-21), but was still being worked on up to the last few hours before the first Homecoming event in the center was to take place on October 18. The new facility, one of the largest buildings ever built to strictly conform to Georgian style architecture, holds 5,000 for basketball and volleyball, 6,000 for concerts and commencements, and cost $32 million. Samford, wanting to show that the Hanna Center will truly be a multi-purpose facility, hosted three back-to-back major events on the Hanna Center's opening weekend. On October 18, Samford chose to make the first event the annual J. Roderick Davis Lecture, featuring author Walter Isaacson. On October 19, the center was officially christened and the 141st Annual Homecoming Alumni Gala Dinner was held on the Corts Arena floor. On October 20, the Homecoming concert, featuring Little Big Town, was held in the Corts Arena. The new fitness facility in the Pete Hanna Center for faculty and students opened on Monday November 26, 2007. The center is named after Birmingham businessman Pete Hanna, who played football for Samford when it was Howard College in the 1950s. The arena is named after Samford's president emeritus and his wife. Dr. Thomas Corts retired as Samford's President in May 2006.
- Griffin Stadium - In the spring of 2000, the Bulldogs baseball team opened its newly remodeled Joe Lee Griffin Field. Renamed Joe Lee Griffin Stadium, the 1,000-seat facility, constructed in Samford's Georgian-Colonial style, is complete with the baseball offices and locker room housed in the facility.
- Other facilities
- Darwin C. Hardison Tennis Center
- Bulldog Soccer Field, across Lakeshore Drive from the main campus
- Lady Bulldog Softball Field
Notable alumni
The Samford University Alumni Association counts more than 27,000 graduates among its membership. Some notable alumni include:
- Bobby Bowden (1953), former football coach, current coach at Florida State University. Bowden currently has the most wins in Division 1A history, and has been inducted into the College Football Hall-of-Fame.
- Jimbo Fisher(1987), Offensive Coordinator for Florida State Seminole Football Program.
- Marv Breeding (1952), MLB player
- R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (1980), President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
- Francois Coutu (1981), President and CEO of Jean Coutu Group.
- Deidre Downs, (2002), Miss America 2005.
- Wayne Flynt, (1961). Pulitzer Prize-nominated historian.
- Susan Pace Hamill, (2002), legal scholar
- Andrew Gerow Hodges, (1942), decorated World War II hero and Liberty National Life Insurance Company executive.
- Cortland Finnegan, (2005), Cornerback for the Tennessee Titans
- Tony Hale, actor Arrested Development
- William E. Hull, retired Provost of Southern Seminary and Samford University; New Testament scholar
- Charles Crist, current Florida Governor, graduated from Cumberland School of Law
- Betsy Rogers, National Teacher of the year, 2003 http://www.samford.edu/News/news2003/042903_1.html
- Scott James Meyer, Stand up comic and actor.
- Anne George, mystery author
- Derrick Adam, (2004), JET Programme ALT, Linguist
- Page H. Kelley, Old Testament scholar at Southern Seminary.
- Adrian McCullough, famous social worker
- Wesley M. "Pat" Pattillo, National Council of Churches official, former VP at Samford and Southern Seminary.
- Eric Motley (1996) State Department official, graduate of St. Andrews[9]
- Karen Fairchild, singer for country music band Little Big Town
- Kimberly Roads, singer for country music band Little Big Town
- Arthur Walker, late vice president of Samford University and Southern Seminary and executive director of the SBC Education Commission
- Charles Hammill, inventor and noted psychologist
Harold E. Martin (1923-2007), who received his bachelor of arts in journalism from Samford in 1954, also taught advertising and libel law at the university in the early 1960s. He won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting while he was publisher of the Montgomery Advertiser and the Alabama Journal. He was also the assistant general manager of the Birmingham News from 1960-1963.
External links
- Samford University
- Samford University Catalog
- Samford Bulldogs Athletics
- Ohio Valley Conference
- Alabama Baptist Convention
References
- "Samford History". History of Samford University.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Samford University Student Handbook. Birmingham, Alabama: Samford University, 2005.
- "Samford University". Statistical Analysis of Samford University.
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