Published on July 23, 2021  
AM08192118

William J. Stevens, chair of Samford University’s Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of a steering committee for the inauguration of Samford President Beck A. Taylor who began his tenure as the university’s 19th president on July 1.

Robert Holmes, Jr., vice-chair of the trustees, will serve along with Stevens as co-chair of the committee and Michael D. Morgan, assistant to the president at Samford, will serve as vice-chair. Other committee members are Allison Brymer, director of event management; Keith Deakle, assistant director of student financial services, representing the staff; Robert W. Hensarling, professor and director, Samford’s School of Health Professions Office of Inter-professional Education, representing the faculty; Tyler Kendall, Student Government Association president, representing students; Betsy Holloway, vice president for marketing and communication; and Randy Pittman, vice president for university advancement.

The installation ceremony will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 4 in the Leslie Stephen Wright Fine Arts Center. Other inauguration events and plans will be announced soon, Stephens said, and additional subcommittees will be formed to help develop and implement plans.

 
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.