Posted by Philip Poole on 2006-12-06

Routine business dominated the agenda for the Dec. 5 regular meeting of Samford University's board of trustees.

Mary C. Karlet was elected associate professor and department chair in nurse anesthesia. Previously she taught at Western Carolina University and Duke University.

Two academic changes included the change of the department of chemistry to the department of chemistry and biochemistry to better reflect the department's diversity. Also, trustees approved a new master of science in education degree with a certification in gifted education. The new degree was in response to requests from local school systems and directors of gift education programs in central and north Alabama, according to Jean A. Box, dean of Samford's Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Students.

Birmingham businessman William J. Stevens was re-elected as chair. Other officers are vice chair W. Clark Watson, a Birmingham attorney; secretary John E. Bell Jr., a businessman from Birmingham; and assistant secretary Wynema J. Lowry, a retired teacher from Cullman.

Curtis James, CEO of Birmingham's St. Vincent's Hospital, was elected to a three-year term on the university's board of overseers. The overseers assist the university administration in fundraising and advocacy on behalf of Samford.

In other routine business, trustees approved candidates for graduation in December, subject to completion of degree requirements, and approved new members for dean's advisory boards for the school of nursing and the school of education.

 
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.