Posted by William Nunnelley on 2002-03-06

Samford University has received a $49,072 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind., to develop a program that helps students examine the relationship between their faith and vocational choices.

The program also would provide opportunities for students to explore Christian ministry as a vocation and would enhance the capacity of faculty and staff to teach and mentor students in this area.

Samford was one of 50 church-related schools awarded such planning grants of more than 300 applicants nationally. The program is designed "to identify and nurture a new generation of highly talented and religiously committed leaders for church and society," according to the Endowment.

The grant will enable Samford to coordinate the efforts of various programs and departments into an overall strategy for helping students relate their faith to their choice of vocation.

"Many different University programs and departments are concerned about this--Student Ministries, Community Service, the Religion Department, the Divinity School, the Alabama Poverty Project and various service learning programs," said Dr. David Chapman, dean of Samford's Howard College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Randy Todd, chair of the Samford Classics Department, leads the faculty/staff team that will develop the program.

 

 
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.