Posted by Philip Poole on 2011-10-25

Samford University’s board of trustees executive committee approved a new academic major and a new professorship in their regular meeting Oct. 25.

The bachelor of science degree in science and religion is an interdisciplinary major that is part of Samford’s Center for Science and Religion that was approved last year by trustees. The major builds on existing courses in the sciences, mathematics and religion and includes three new courses specific to the new degree.

Graduates will be prepared to pursue advanced degrees in science and religion or another area of specialization. This will be one of the few, if not the only, undergraduate majors of its kind in the United States and is expected to attract students from all over the country, according to Samford Provost and Executive Vice President J. Bradley Creed.

Trustees also approved the Paul N. Propst Professorship in Natural Sciences. Named for the father of Samford alumnus and benefactor William S. Propst of Huntsville, Ala., the professorship will be awarded on a rotating basis to faculty in the natural sciences departments in Samford’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences. Recipients will be chosen on the basis of the highest standards of teaching, service and scholarship.

The next full meeting of the board is Dec. 6.

 

 
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.