Samford University’s Brock School of Business presented student scholarships and awards and announced the Outstanding Faculty Awards at its 55th Annual Scholarships and Awards ceremony on April 12, 2019.
At the event, endowed and annual scholarships established to assist with tuition were awarded to current students. Endowed scholarships are major gifts to the university usually honoring a loved one of the donor or the donor himself. These scholarships are preserved so that the gift will last indefinitely. Annual scholarships reflect a donor’s commitment to support a scholarship for a specific number of years and choose the criteria in which recipients are chosen.
Brock School of Business scholarships are given by individuals to honor family members, by companies, and in honor of former members of the faculty and administration. Scholarships are given based on financial need, academic merit, and Christian character and commitment. Some scholarships are large enough for more than one student to receive and some students received more than one scholarship. In total, 79 scholarships were awarded equaling $166,000 which will be effective for the 2019-2020 academic year.
“We are most appreciative of the endowed scholarship funds as well as the outstanding corporate and individual donations we receive annually. It is through this support that we are able to award scholarships to these deserving students,” said Dean Howard Finch.
Olivia Godfrey, a junior accounting major from Pelham, Alabama received recognition for the highest grade point average in the business school. On April 30, additional scholarships will also be awarded to accounting students during the Beta Alpha Psi banquet.
In addition to the student scholarships and awards, Brock School Business faculty were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the school in the areas of teaching, research and scholarship. These awardees were nominated and chosen by their faculty peers.
Finch stated, “The best measure of a great business school is the quality of the faculty, and we are blessed to have faculty members who possess the highest possible professional education together with a passion for the mission of Samford University.”
This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award was Clif Eason, assistant professor of marketing and director of the professional sales concentration. During the past year, Eason taught a number of upper level marketing and sales classes. In addition, he served as the faculty adviser for a Brock Scholars’ thesis. Students regularly comment on the passion he brings to the classroom, his engagement with their learning progress, and the opportunities for application and integration with real-world experiences. He excels at using the needs of area businesses as applied learning opportunities to allow students to conduct market research and providing consulting which results in stronger regional economic growth. Eason works tirelessly alongside the director of professional success to identify internship opportunities for students in marketing and sales and then ensures they result in meaningful learning experiences. His work to build the professional sales concentration through curriculum development and student involvement in national sales competitions has strengthened the marketing program greatly.
“It is a privilege to play a small part on a team of great faculty in Brock School of Business,” Eason said. “We all care deeply about what we do and invest heavily into our outstanding business students. I am humbled to have been selected for this award.”
This year, Archie Lockamy, professor of operations management and the Margaret Gage Bush professor of business, was selected to receive the Outstanding Scholarship Award. For many faculty members across the country, five publications represent an entire career of research productivity. During the past year alone, Lockamy had five different peer-reviewed journal publications accepted. His work appears in international journals that often accept less than 20 percent of all article submissions, including Management Decisions, Journal of Business Leadership, and the International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management. Other scholars cite his articles regularly and recognize him for expertise in supply chain risk and in the areas of entrepreneurship and family business decisions. He has presented working papers on a diverse range of topics at academic conferences worldwide.
Lockamy commented, “Scholarship is the vehicle by which academic faculty create new knowledge. This new knowledge is disseminated among our students via classroom lectures, the academic community during conference presentations, and the business community through faculty participation in our Executive Education program. Scholarship enriches the education of our students, expands the body of knowledge in our academic disciplines, augments competitiveness in the business community, and enhances the reputation of Brock School of Business.”
Sara McCarty, associate professor of economics and leader of the Brock Scholars honors program, was honored with the Outstanding Service Award, recognizing her service to our school, university and community. McCarty serves on the school’s Undergraduate Education Process Committee, the Scholarship and Awards committee, and is a very capable recruiter for the economics major. This past year she was instrumental in helping form a new student organization, Finance & Economic Women, or F.E.W. She served as a member of the Faculty Senate from 2015-2018 and is very active in service to the economics profession nationally. She has been the secretary and treasurer for the Association of Christian Economists since 2015, serves on the editorial board of the International Review of Economic Education, and is an ad-hoc paper reviewer for seven different economics journals. Within the Birmingham community, she provides the annual economic outlook speech to the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) organization. The IMA recognized her faithful contributions to their membership through the establishment of a Brock School of Business student scholarship named in her honor.
“While service can sometimes be the part of our work that students don’t see or hear about, it’s a critical part of what we do at a university, and especially so at a Christian university,” McCarty said. “I am humbled to be given this award by my colleagues, who dedicate so much to this university.”
Dean Finch concluded, “Our faculty members are dedicated teachers and scholars who make important contributions to our community, university and economy. We are grateful for their dedicated service to provide quality business education and support for the Christian mission of Samford University."
To close the ceremony, Samford University President Andrew Westmoreland took the podium to share his words of gratitude to Dean Howard Finch for his service to Brock School of Business for eight years. In July, Dean Finch will transition to the role of senior associate provost in Samford’s Office of Academic Affairs. The audience stood with applause in thanks for Dean Finch’s leadership.
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