Published on October 8, 2010  

Dr. Penny Marler of Samford’s religion department received a $47,000 grant from the Indianapolis-based philanthropic organization for her studies on peer learning in spiritual settings. The endowment will help Marler complete a book project on the three-year study which began at Austin Presbyterian Seminary.

The peer group study researched the benefits for pastors who learn and grow in peer group settings. Dr. Marler published and presented her findings before a national gathering of Sustaining Pastoral Excellence directors in May.

 
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 5,791 students from 49 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.