Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2007-04-30

Birmingham Certified Public Accountant Brian Barksdale was named Samford University School of Business 2007 Alumnus of the Year during an April 26 awards ceremony.

Barksdale, a 1979 magna cum laude business administration graduate with an accounting emphasis, is managing partner of the Birmingham office of Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC.

He is council chairman of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants and a past president of the group's Birmingham chapter. He is a member of the Samford School of Business Advisory Council and a trustee of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Barksdale was presented the 2007 alumnus award by Samford business dean Dr. Beck A. Taylor. The awards program also included the presentation of student awards and a record $175,000 in scholarships

Top student awards went to William Fredrick Hutchins of Roswell, Ga., Wall Street Journal Management Student of Achievement Award; Brittany Bergquist of Vestavia Hills, Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants Award; Jason Pointer of Gadsden, Outstanding Economics Student Award; Kathryn Murnane of Carmel, Ind., School of Business Distinguished Service Award; Lauren Herb of Duluth, Ga., and Lisa Burnette Taylor of Bessemer, School of Business Community Service Award; and Adam Hancock of Paducah, Ky., John C. Pittman Award.

Faculty award recipients were: Dr. Thomas Woolley, excellence in teaching; Dr. Jeremy Thornton, outstanding scholarship; and Dr. Betsy B. Holloway, distinguished service.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.