Posted by Philip Poole on 2009-09-11

Samford University’s board of trustees approved one new faculty member, the fiscal 2009 audit and several routine bylaw and charter changes in their regularly-scheduled fall meeting Sept. 11 in Birmingham.

C. Delane Tew was approved as associate professor in the core curriculum and director of the Christian Women’s Leadership Center.  A 1978 Samford graduate, she earned a doctorate in history from Auburn University. Previously, she was associate professor of church history at Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tenn.

Representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers reported their intent to issue a clean opinion for their audit for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2009.  Trustees gave approval to the audit.

The bylaw and charter changes reflect recent reorganization and nomenclature changes for some administrative areas, according to Samford President Andrew Westmoreland.  The bylaw changes brought trustee committee names and administrator titles in line with recent organizational name changes.  Acknowledging that charter and bylaw changes sometimes raise concerns in the public, Westmoreland termed the changes a minor “clean up process” recommended by the university’s legal counsel that does not change the university’s core mission or its historic relationship with Alabama Baptists.

Trustees also approved more than 300 volunteer members of advisory boards for seven of Samford’s academic schools.

A series of reports highlighted current and recent activities on campus.

Harry B. (Buck) Brock III, Samford’s vice president for business affairs, gave a preliminary report indicating a possible record fall enrollment of more than 4,650. Final enrollment totals won’t be available until Sept. 18, but enrollment is running about 180 ahead of the fall 2008 enrollment.

Brock also reported that the university’s endowment as of July 31 was just over $214 million.  The university’s total net assets at fiscal year-end were about $275 million. Brock said the university’s investments are seeing some upswing from recent economic volatility.

Annual giving for the 2009 fiscal year was a record $23 million, according to W. Randall Pittman, vice president for university advancement.  Pittman also reported on planning for Samford’s next fundraising campaign.

“For this campaign to succeed, we will have to trust God,” Westmoreland said.

 
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.