Published on September 16, 2010 by Mary Wimberley  

Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law has been recognized for its consistent and strong participation in the Birmingham Pledge effort.

Cumberland dean John L. Carroll accepted the Birmingham Pledge Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award during the group’s annual lifetime achievement awards ceremony Sept. 13 at Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Jefferson County civil court judge Houston L. Brown, a Cumberland alumnus and member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, presented the award.

As part of the law school’s annual first-year orientation, students are given an opportunity to sign the pledge, which stresses a personal, daily commitment to remove prejudice and treat all people with respect.

Foundation leaders report that the number of signed pledges from Cumberland law students is among the largest group of signatures they receive each year. Only batches from large city-wide campaigns may exceed the Cumberland effort, said Foundation executive director Wade Black.

“I am extremely pleased that we offer our students the opportunity to sign the Birmingham Pledge, and extremely proud of them for the leadership they show in signing the pledge in such significant numbers,” said Carroll.

 
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.