Samford University is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist-affiliated university located in Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, and is home to Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing 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. The 2006 ranking was the 17th consecutive year for the school to be ranked in the top 10 in its category.In 2007, Samford was reclassified as national research university and on 17 August 2007, Samford ranked 118 out of 261 doctoral universities in U.S. News and World Reports college rankings.

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 benactor, because there was already a Howard University in Washington, D.C..

he 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, fective educational program and encouragement of Christian beli 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.

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:

Howard College of Arts and Science

Metro College

Brock School of Business

Beeson Divinity School

Beeson School of Education Professional Studies

Cumberland School of Law

Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing

School of the Arts

McWhorter School of Pharmacy

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:

Alpha Phi Alpha

Kappa Alpha Psi

Lambda Chi Alpha

Pi Kappa Phi

Sigma Chi

Sigma Phi Epsilon

Sigma Nu

Sororities

The sororities represented on campus are:

Alpha Delta Pi

Alpha Omicron Pi

Delta Zeta

Zeta Tau Alpha

Kappa Delta

Phi Mu

Chi Omega

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.

Student Housing

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.

Erskine Ramsay Hall

On Sunday March, 9 2008 at 3:58 PM Ramsay Hall suffered structural damage. Rafters supporting the roof collapsed unexpectedly. Residences heard a serious of loud shots minutes bore the roof collapsed. Campus safety responed promptley alerting fire departments and structural engineers. President Andrew Westmorland helped students survive the first night by providing a $100 gift card in order to purchase necessities until personal belongings could be recovered from the dormitory. All residences were reassigned dorm rooms the following week. As of August 2008 the remainder of the dorm still stands on campus with no construction repairs done. The fate of the building is still unknown.

Notable alumni

The Samford University Alumni Association counts more than 27,000 graduates among its membership. Some notable alumni include:

Derrick Adam, (2004), JET Programme ALT, Linguist

Robert Aderholt (1990), United States Congressman from Alabama (1997- )

Bobby Bowden (1953), former football coach, current coach at Florida State University. Bowden currently has the most wins in Division 1 (including A and AA) history, and has been inducted into the College Football Hall-of-Fame.

Bonnie Bolding, movie/television actress and wife of John Swearingen, former chairman of Standard Oil Company

Marv Breeding (1952), MLB player

Francois Coutu (1981), President and CEO of Jean Coutu Group.

Charles Crist, current Florida Governor, graduated from Cumberland School of Law

Cortland Finnegan, (2005), Cornerback for the Tennessee Titans

Jimbo Fisher(1987), Offensive Coordinator for Florida State Seminole Football Program.

Deidre Downs, (2002), Miss America 2005.

Karen Fairchild, singer for country music band Little Big Town

Wayne Flynt, (1961). Pulitzer Prize-nominated historian.

Anne George, mystery author

Ben Burnett, Pianist

Tony Hale, actor Arrested Development

Charles Hammill, inventor and noted psychologist

Susan Pace Hamill, (2002), legal scholar

Andrew Gerow Hodges, (1942), decorated World War II hero and Liberty National Life Insurance Company executive.

William E. Hull, retired Provost of Southern Seminary and Samford University; New Testament scholar

Page H. Kelley, Old Testament scholar at Southern Seminary.

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.

Adrian McCullough, famous social worker

Scott James Meyer, Stand up comic and actor.

Eric Motley (1996) State Department official, graduate of St. Andrews [4]

Wesley M. Pat Pattillo, National Council of Churches official, former VP at Samford and Southern Seminary.

James Record (1950s), former Alabama Senator and former chairman of the Madison County (Alabama) Commission

Kimberly Roads, singer for country music band Little Big Town

Betsy Rogers, National Teacher of the year, 2003 [5]

Janie Shores, retired Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of Alabama who was brily considered as a potential nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court

Arthur Walker, late vice president of Samford University and Southern Seminary and executive director of the SBC Education Commission

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