Two alumni of Samford University’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences, Danielle ’11 and Stephen Bailey ’11, have established the James C. Brown Excellence Fund for University Fellows. This newly endowed fund will expand opportunities for Samford students to pursue research, global learning experiences and advanced scholarly engagement.
Created in honor of Danielle's uncle, James “Jim” Brown, the fund will support programming and activities within Samford's University Fellows program, including student research opportunities, travel stipends, guest speakers, global internships, advanced scholarly pursuits and summer seminars.
The Baileys said the gift reflects both Brown's lifelong commitment to learning and exploration and their own desire to invest in experiences that shaped their lives as Samford students.
“We wanted to honor Danielle's uncle, Jim Brown, whose life has been marked by curiosity, scholarship, adventure and a deep engagement with the wider world,” the Baileys said. “That openness to adventure started in undergraduate education and reflects the kind of lively, expansive education we hope more students can experience.”
Brown's academic and professional life has been defined by a passion for learning and international engagement. A native of Long Island, New York, he earned a bachelor's degree in comparative literature from Susquehanna University before completing a master's degree in semiotics at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. His studies included Russian, art history and French literature before he continued his academic work in developmental psychology and genetic epistemology.
After more than a decade in Switzerland, Brown moved to Oregon and later served as resident director of Oregon University’s exchange program in Lyon, France. There, he recruited French university students and supported American students studying abroad. Even in retirement, he continues to travel extensively, visit colleagues and friends across Europe and lead an advanced French conversation group for members of the Portland Alliance Française.
The Baileys saw a natural connection between Brown's life and the mission of Samford's University Fellows program.
“The University Fellows program felt like a natural home for this fund because it shares that same commitment to intellectual seriousness, exploration and formation beyond the classroom,” they said.
For the Baileys, the decision to establish the fund was also deeply connected to their own undergraduate experience at Samford.
“We owe a great deal of the foundation of our adult lives to our undergraduate experience at Samford,” they said. “It is where we met each other, but also where we had the space to explore ideas, careers, faith and the world in ways that shaped who we became.”
They credit faculty mentors such as Rod Davis and Dennis Sansom, along with opportunities to travel internationally, with helping broaden their perspectives and shape their future paths.
“Experiences such as travel to Greece, Costa Rica and Peru helped open our perspectives in lasting ways,” they said. “We look back at undergraduate as four of the most important years of our lives.”
The University Fellows program brings together highly motivated students from across disciplines to pursue rigorous scholarship, leadership development and experiential learning opportunities. Through the new fund, future Fellows will have greater access to experiences that encourage intellectual growth, global awareness and academic achievement.
“We hope future Fellows gain the kind of formative experiences that can change the direction of a life: meaningful research, travel, serious conversation, exposure to excellent teachers and speakers, and the confidence to pursue ambitious questions,” they said.
At a time when students often feel pressure to focus exclusively on career preparation, the Baileys believe a broad-based education remains essential.
“In a time when students face enormous pressure to make education purely career-oriented, we believe a rich liberal arts education remains especially valuable,” they said. “It's not a replacement for professional preparation, but it's the foundation for deeper judgment, curiosity and leadership.”
Through the James C. Brown Excellence Fund, the Baileys hope to empower faculty and students alike to pursue ambitious ideas and transformative experiences.
“Our hope is that this fund gives Samford professors more latitude to create opportunities that challenge exceptional students and make those experiences available to students from many different backgrounds,” they said.
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