All roads apparently lead to Nanchang, China.  I am writing today from Nanchang where I just concluded discussions with officials at Jiangxi Normal University regarding collaboration.  But the city of Nanchang is important for another reason:  it is the current home of a young lady named Caroline, Samford Class of 2013.  She is here teaching English to 160 students at a local University.  Caroline and I happened to walk into the Pete Hanna Center together on Commencement morning last May and when I asked her what she would be doing after graduation, she replied that she would be working in China. "Maybe our paths will cross," I said.  So I was struck two days ago when I received my trip itinerary and--of all places--Nanchang was one of my stops.  I was impressed today as she told me how she cherishes her work and her students.  Her concluding comment:  "Samford prepared me very well."

The world is better because Samford people (like Caroline) are everywhere.

 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, 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 enrolls 6,324 students from 44 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 is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.