SAMFORD UNIVERSITY CO M M E N C E M E N T D EC E M B E R 1, 2023 D EC E M B E R 9, 2023
WELCOME TO
Samford University Samford is one of the country’s leading Christian universities and offers 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. The Wall Street Journal ranks Samford in the top ten of all colleges in the United States when it comes to the quality of career preparation and learning opportunities it offers students. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report ranks Samford 113th nationally for best value. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, including Alaska, Hawaii and 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 the university is ranked sixth nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools. Samford’s 57,062 alumni living in all 50 states and 62 foreign countries have included more than 60 members of the U.S. Congress, eight state governors, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, one Secretary of State, four Rhodes Scholars, multiple Emmy and Grammy award-winning artists, two national championship football coaches and recipients of the Pulitzer and Nobel Peace prizes.
Contents
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CONGRATULATIONS From the President 2 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ACADEMIC HISTORY Alma Mater 3 History of the Mace 5 Commencement Honors 6 Academic Dress and Honors 6 College and School Gonfalons 6 Beeson Divinity School Speaker 8 Speaker 9 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ORDER OF COMMENCEMENT
Special Announcements Please silence watches and cellular phones. Emergency assistance during the service is available in the lobby. This listing of degree candidates is for ceremonial purposes only and is in no way to be considered an official listing of actual graduates.
Congratulations THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT SAMFORD UNIVERSITY to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2023. The commencement ceremony is the pinnacle of the academic year. All our work and effort at Samford leads to this moment. We rejoice in the fulfillment of our institutional mission and honor the beginning of a new era in the life of each graduate. This ceremony continues our tradition that stretches to Samford’s founding in 1841 as Howard College in Marion, Alabama. Over the past 182 years, Samford has granted thousands of degrees. Today, these graduates join the more than 57,000 living alumni serving around the world. We take pride in their hours of study and preparation required to earn their academic degrees. We recognize the enormous sacrifice of the students and their families, the excellent work of faculty and staff, and the dedication of so many who provide the financial support necessary to build and sustain a great Christ-centered university. All of us at Samford are especially grateful to those who have loved and supported these graduates. We welcome each of you into the fellowship of our extended Samford University family as we celebrate this very special day. Congratulations to the Class of 2023. We have given you our best, and we will hold you in our hearts until we meet again.
Sincerely,
Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D. President
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University Mace
There are two maces used at commencement. The oldest mace is from the 1970s, made from wood, and represents the founding of Samford University. It contains a medallion used in past university presidents’ inauguration ceremonies. The new mace—constructed of silver and ebony—comprises eight elements that symbolize Samford’s history and tradition as a Christian university. A simple cross resides at the top of the instrument. Beneath the cross, silver bands embrace a Lucite sphere embedding a computer chip containing the entire Bible, linking the high-tech world with the timeless biblical Word. A likeness of columns, reflective of Samford’s Georgian Colonial architecture, bears the university motto, “for God, for learning, forever.” A decahedron follows bearing the university seal, logo and historical scenes. A globe symbolizes Samford’s international mission as an educational institution devoted to world awareness and ministry. Below the globe, a cylinder encases actual soil from Samford’s four campuses (two in Marion, Alabama, and two in Birmingham). The cylinder bears the Shema (“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One”). Extending to the bottom of the mace is an ebony wood shaft inlaid with silver plates bearing the names of Samford presidents. The mace rests on an acorn base, reflective of Sherman Oak, symbol of the East Lake campus, and of the fact that sturdy, strong lives spring from humble beginnings. The mace is borne by a faculty representative at the head of all university academic processions as an ensign of authority. To be the mace bearer is an honor extended to faculty who have won teaching awards or who have been recommended for this honor by the dean of their college.
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Commencement Honors
Honors at Samford University are awarded on the basis of all academic work taken at Samford University. Students who earn at least 70 credits at Samford and a grade point average (calculated on all work done at Samford University) of 3.500 through 3.749 are graduated cum laude; of 3.750 through 3.899 are graduated magna cum laude; and 3.900 through 4.000 are graduated summa cum laude. Latin honors announced at commencement are not official; they are subject to change once grading is completed. Upon recommendation of the faculty, a candidate for a J.D. may be awarded the degree cum laude if the student’s grade point average at the law school ranks the student in the top 15% of the graduating class. A candidate whose grade point average at the law school ranks the student in the top 5% of the graduating class may be awarded a J.D. magna cum laude. A candidate whose grade point average at the law school ranks the student in the top 1% of the graduating class, but no less than two students, may be awarded a J.D. summa cum laude. Undergraduates receiving a degree designated “University Fellows” have completed the rigorous university honors program, which requires a two-year interdisciplinary core curriculum, and provides opportunities for international study and academic enrichment. As a result, this degree 6
recognizes exemplary academic achievement. These students may also qualify for summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude designations.
Academic Dress
The formal academic dress worn today originated in the Middle Ages and is modeled after the gowns used at Cambridge University and Oxford University in England. Until the Civil War, American university students usually wore their gowns to class each day. Now, gowns are typically worn only at commencement. In general, the gown indicates the level of the highest degree held: for bachelor’s degrees, the black gown with flowing, pointed sleeves; for master’s degrees, the black gown with sleeves slit midway for the arms and the sleeve bottom closed flat with a semicircle cut in the side; for doctoral degrees, the flowing robe with sleeves closed at the wrist, decorated with chevrons of velvet, most often black on black, but occasionally with chevrons of another color indicating the general field of study. Occasionally, the entire robe is of another universityspecific color.
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Gonfalons
In May 2016, Samford University introduced new gonfalons, the ceremonial flags that serve as a symbol of each college and school that compose Samford University. The gonfalons, hand-stitched by the New England Flag and Banner Company, are displayed only at university commencement. The history of gonfalons goes back to the time of ancient Rome. Roman armies used them to identify military units and were symbols of pride. In medieval Europe, gonfalons served important purposes in commerce. Most people could not read, so gonfalons served to advertise businesses. Different colors and symbols on the flags denoted what each business had to offer. In Renaissance Italy, gonfalons were used in religious processions and were often adorned with pictures of the life of Christ or of the saints. Trade guilds and city-states used them much as we use national flags today. Today, colleges and universities mark occasions of special significance with gonfalons. They are a reminder of both the solemnity and the celebratory nature of commencement.
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Speaker REV. DR. GERALD HEISTAND THE REV. DR. GERALD HIESTAND has been in pastoral ministry since 1998 and is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois. He is the co-founder and board chair of the Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) and served as its Executive Director from 2006-2019. Gerald holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in
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theology, and a Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Reading. Gerald has written and edited numerous books and articles, including The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision (Zondervan). Gerald is married to Jill, and they have four children.
Speaker DR. J. DEREK HALVORSON DR. J. DEREK HALVORSON is the founding Executive Director of the Brock-Barnes Center for Leadership at Covenant College—an academic center that draws on biblical insights, interdisciplinary liberal arts thinking, and the experience of seasoned practitioners to inspire and equip the next generation to lead with excellence. Prior to assuming this role, Derek served as the sixth president of Covenant College, where he led the largest endowment campaign in the college’s history and oversaw the largest capital project in the college’s history. Under his leadership Covenant rose to become one of only five Christian colleges ranked in the top tier of national liberal arts colleges. Prior to serving at Covenant, Derek was the second president of Providence Christian College in Pasadena, CA. Derek earned his BA in History from Covenant College, where he was a Maclellan Scholar and studied at the University of Oxford. After short-lived careers in semi-professional soccer (very short) and foreign exchange
trading, he earned his MA in History through the Division for Late Medieval and Reformation Studies at the University of Arizona. He earned his PhD in History, with a focus on late medieval and early modern Europe, from Loyola University Chicago. Derek has served on the boards of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and the Georgia Independent College Association. He is married to Wendy, and together they have a son and a daughter. The Halvorsons are active members of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, where Derek serves as an elder. When not spending time with Wendy or watching his children play college soccer, Derek can be found hiking, reading, or cheering vociferously for either Arsenal or the Green Bay Packers.
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ORDER OF COMMENCEMENT AND SERVICE OF CONSECRATION
Beeson Divinity School Friday, December 1, 2023 at 11 a.m. Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel
PRESIDING Douglas A. Sweeney, Dean, Beeson Divinity School ....................................................................................... PRELUDE "Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation" David Cherwien Dianne Norton, Organist Emerita, Dawson Memorial Baptist Church ....................................................................................... *PROCESSIONAL Hymn No. 529, “For All the Saints” SINE NOMINE Zac Hicks, Coordinator, Beeson Chapel Music ....................................................................................... *INVOCATION Douglas A. Sweeney ....................................................................................... *THE APOSTLES’ CREED I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
INTRODUCTIONS Douglas A. Sweeney ....................................................................................... WELCOME Beck A. Taylor, President, Samford University ....................................................................................... PRESENTATION OF DEGREE CANDIDATES J. Michael Hardin, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Samford University ....................................................................................... CONFERRING OF DEGREES Beck A. Taylor ....................................................................................... PRESENTATION OF DEGREES Douglas A. Sweeney ....................................................................................... REMARKS Douglas A. Sweeney ....................................................................................... THE READING OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 1 John 4:13-21 J. Michael Hardin .......................................................................................
BLESSING OF GRADUATES Beeson Divinity School Faculty Music for meditation and prayer provided by Dianne Norton ....................................................................................... *HYMN NO. 287 “Lift High the Cross” CRUCIFER Zac Hicks ....................................................................................... *BENEDICTION Robert Smith, Jr. Charles T. Carter Baptist Chair of Divinity Christian Preaching, Beeson Divinity School ....................................................................................... *RECESSIONAL “Finale from Organ Symphony No. 1” Louis Vierne Dianne Norton
*HYMN NO. 398 “Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” Zac Hicks ....................................................................................... SERMON "Loved to Love" 1 John 4:19 Dr. Gerald Hiestand, Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, IL ....................................................................................... PRAYER OF CONSECRATION Allen Ross, Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School .......................................................................................
CRUCIFER Beeson Divinity School, SGA Chaplain ....................................................................................... BANNER CARRIERS Beeson Divinity School, SGA President and Vice President ....................................................................................... GUEST ASSISTANCE Beeson Divinity School chapel attendants ....................................................................................... LIVESTREAM, VIDEO, SOUND Beeson Divinity School Media Center *The audience will please stand
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CANDIDATE FOR MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGICAL STUDIES Cooper Jackson Froehlich
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF DIVINITY Emmanuel James Boston Stuart Robert Clay Joseph Ryan Collins† Jordan Leigh Cummings
John Tribbett Fulwiler IV Graham Brooks Gaines Jermaine Rashun Johnson Davis Benton Kinchler††
Kristofer Victor Labenske†† Jessica Bristow Leslie Alan Reid Parrish Ava Claire Perego†††
William Jake Petty Cody Matthew Benson Prewitt†† Preston Alan Smith
CANDIDATE FOR DOCTOR OF MINISTRY Edwin Austin Baker †Also receiving Certificate of Anglican Studies
††Also receiving Certificate of Wesleyan Studies †††Also receiving Missions Certificate
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SAMFORD UNIVERSITY
Order of Commencement Saturday, December 9, 2023, 10 a.m. Pete Hanna Center
MACE BEARER Laura Byland, Professor, School of the Arts ....................................................................................... PRESIDING Beck A. Taylor, President ....................................................................................... PRELUDE Cathedral Brass, “O God Our Help In Ages Past” by Isaac Watts/William Croft/arr. Dan Boon. ASCAP ....................................................................................... *PROCESSIONAL Cathedral Brass, “Pomp and Circumstance” by Sir Edward Elgar ....................................................................................... WELCOME Beck A. Taylor .......................................................................................
BENEDICTION Kathryn Boyd, Instructor, Brock School of Business .......................................................................................
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKER Beck A. Taylor .......................................................................................
HOODING OF GRADUATES Jane Cobia, Professor, Orlean Beeson School of Education Amy Benton, Professor, Orlean Beeson School of Education Henry C. Strickland, III, Ethel P. Malugen Professor of Law, Cumberland School of Law .......................................................................................
ADDRESS J. Derek Halvorson, Ph.D., Executive Director, Covenant College Brock-Barnes Center for Leadership .......................................................................................
*INVOCATION Alan Jung, Professor, Dean, School of Health Professions .......................................................................................
PRESENTATION OF HONORARY DEGREES Doctor of the University (honoris causa) Joe "Claude" Bennett Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) Mary Beth Thorne Stukes .......................................................................................
SCRIPTURE READING Anna McEwan, Dean, Orelan Beeson School of Education .......................................................................................
PRESENTATION OF DEGREES J. Michael Hardin, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs .......................................................................................
*HYMN "Joy to the World” G.F. Handel, Lance Beaumont, Dean, School of the Arts
CONFERRING OF DEGREES Beck A. Taylor .......................................................................................
Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room, And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF GRADUATES Dana Basinger, Assistant Professor, Assistant Dean, Howard College of Arts and Sciences .......................................................................................
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns; Let all their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy,
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Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders of His love. .......................................................................................
REMARKS Beck A. Taylor ....................................................................................... ALMA MATER Lance Beaumont .......................................................................................
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RECESSIONAL Cathedral Brass, "Let the Bright Seraphim" by Samson/arr. Ralphson .......................................................................................
DEANS Lance Beaumont, Dean, School of the Arts Dawn McCormack, Dean, Howard College of Arts and Sciences Chad Carson, Dean, Brock School of Business Anna McEwan, Dean, Orlean Beeson School of Education Alan Jung, Dean, School of Health Professions Blake Hudson, Dean, Cumberland School of Law Melondie Carter, Dean, Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing Michael Crouch, Dean, McWhorter School of Pharmacy Melissa Lumpkin, Interim Dean, School of Public Health ....................................................................................... FACULTY MARSHALS Charles Ford, Professor, School of the Arts Morgan Soja, Associate Professor, School of the Arts Angela Ferguson, Assistant Professor, Howard College of Arts and Sciences *The audience will please stand
Michael Janas, Professor, Howard College of Arts and Sciences Bill Belski, Associate Professor, Brock School of Business Steven Jones, Professor, Brock School of Business Clara Gerhardt, Professor, Orlean Beeson School of Education Mandy Hilsmier, Professor, Orlean Beeson School of Education
Heather Hallman, Assistant Professor, School of Health Professions Courtney Benjamin, Assistant Professor, School of Health Professions Matt Woodham, Assistant Professor of Law and Assistant Director of Advocacy Programs, Cumberland School of Law Lynn Hogewood, Assistant Dean of Academic and Bar Success, Cumberland School of Law
Sherri Chatman, Associate Professor, Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing Moniaree Jones, Associate Professor, Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing Rachel Bailey, Associate Professor, School of Public Health Amy Cameron, Instructor, School of Public Health
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School of the Arts CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF ARTS Antoinette M. Gilas
Victor Roy
CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS Emily Elaine Hankinson Emma Kathryn Hopper
Stephanie Marie Leary Anna Ingalls Spencer
Kathryn Leigh Thomas Meredith Avery Warren
CANDIDATE FOR BACHELOR OF MUSIC Samuel David Phillips
CANDIDATE FOR BACHELOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION Bailey Jordan Cornelius
Samuel Wayne Gravlee
Ashleigh Ann Hutcherson
CANDIDATE FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Leland Macrae Smith
Howard College of Arts and Sciences
CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF ARTS Joseph Caleb Abram Laura Nicole Aughtman Anna Lauren Baldwin William Lee Ballenger Barnett Preston Scott Blakeley Madison Ruth Borton Cayman Rae Carpenter Carrie Ruth Christian Alyssa Lorin Conarton
Josiah Emmanuel James Cotton Riley Shea Davis Holland Fennell de Wit Zachary Hayes Gibbs Evan Thomas Hennessey Abby Lynn Highsmith Anna Caroline Jordan Jonathan Riley Kendrick Grey Alexander Kidwell
Mary Grace Lightsey Jacob Craig Lindsey Lucie Sims Lott Catherine Antoaneta McCracken Thomas Casey Neville John William Nickels Lauren Olivia Pace Jeanna Marie Parker Daveon Javaul Rias
Mackenzee Elizabeth Simms Harold Cornelius Stanton Charles Houston Stokes Bentley Reagan Stroud Jensen Chase Sutton Christopher Bryant Todd Brooklyn MaKenzie Ward Anna Haisten Williams Sarah Grace Woods
Sarah Frances Little Sophia-Marie Nelson Lopez Skylar Thornton‡
Lauren N. Winslett
CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Karis Cook Truman D. Douglass Claudia Grace Hale
Lydia Agnes Hubbard Shelby N. Kuck Sarah-Anne Li Chan Lee
CANDIDATE FOR MASTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Adrienne Elizabeth Kicker
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Brock School of Business CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Nicoletta Maria Bario Madeline Claire Barnett Kaimen Hunter Brasher Sweet Destiny Davis Caroline Elizabeth Donovan
Tatum Grace Foreman Peyton Elizabeth Humphrey Fletcher Allen Jennings Katelyn Rose Mattos Michaela M. Mattos
Andrew Kyle Melton Andrew Luke Nolen Gracie Lin Plunk Salem Mackenzie Price Emma Bailey Roemer-Burtch
Michael A. Ross Nikolas Robert Scalzo Skylar Thornton‡
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY Sydney Ann Baird
Madeleine Louise Hamner
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Erika Kristin Baskerville‡ Jay Tyler Boyd Jiacheng Chen Lauren Kelly Deaton Kaden James Henry Dreier
Alexander Jakob Goff Thomas Sumner Hackney Samuel Hastings Hewitt Micayla Ann Isenbart Madison Lee Kamman
Connor Burns Koch Emorie Elizabeth Long Gabriella Marie Milani Penny Sherece Seals Mary Katherine Tedder
Christian Jamal Thompson Robert Reynolds Turnage Janelle Talyssa Woods Bradley Colin Wright
‡Receiving two degrees S A M F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y / 2023 December Commencement
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Orlean Beeson School of Education CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF ARTS Anna Elizabeth Arrington Kathryn Claire Brumfield Bailee Erin Danner
Harmonie N. Hill Jocquet Donarious Jiles Lillian Grace Keene
Emily Grace Krupp Michelle Sharp Little Caroline Ramos
McKenna L. Taylor Peyton G. Ward
CANDIDATE FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATION Emily Maeson Allred*
Anna Crawford Johnston*
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATION DeShawn Aaron Annah Eliz.abeth Alverson* Jennifer M Baker Celeste Hardy Butler Laura Sturgeon Casey Onassis Michelle Coronado*
Bernadette DSouza Weston Thomas Durrwachter* Brandon A. Elrod* Emma Scott Franklin* Shawn Edward Gregory Tracy Elaine Jefferson
Tre M. Johnson Victoria Ryann King* Erika Kay Lindsey* Katherine McMahon Laura Middlebrook* Summer Lee Moon
Amy Murphree Mary Alyssa Rushton Brittany Ann Saxton Bethany Caroline Wright
Tamara G. Bonner-Royster Roadblocks that Impact Implementation of Best Practices in Reading Instruction Among Middle and High School Educators Justin David Burns A Qualitative Study of Alabama Superintendents' Opinion on the Effects of Conditions and Strategies in Local School Tax Initiatives Tanya Lynn Crockett Character Education: An Exporation of Implementation in National Schools of Character Janicya Takia Feggins Exploring the Relationship Between Teachers' Scocial and Emotional Competencies and Stress in Alabama's Small Urban Elementary Public Schools
Shanita Maire Glaspie Environmental Factors Associated with 5th Grade Reading Success for African American Students Stacy Shamlin Junjulas Exploring the Perceived Effectiveness of Mathematics Intervention Strategies in Alabama High Schools Minouche Kaufmann-Perry Gauging School Leaders' Intercultural Sensitivity in Elementary Internationally-focused Public Schools Kecia Ann Mathews Teacher Preparedness Perceptions Related to Optimal Student Financial Literacy Education in Public School Systems Amanda Leigh Mathis Leadership Styles, Years of Teaching Experience, and the Perceived Relationship on Collective Teacher Efficacy in Rural Title I Schools
CANDIDATE FOR EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST Chad Fielding Kennedy
CANDIDATES FOR DOCTOR OF EDUCATION LaRhonda J. Aikerson The Impact of Principal Leadership and Teacher Organizational citizenship Behavior on School Climate and Culture in Urban Schools Georgette R. Alexander Exploring the Relationship Between Teachers' Scocial and Emotional Competencies and Stress in Alabama's Small Urban Elementary Public Schools Michael Jarvis Alford Elementary School Principals' Perspectives of Social-Emotional Learning Brittian Faye Anderson Leadership Styles, Years of Teaching Experience, and the Perceived Relationship on Collective Teacher Efficacy in Rural Title I Schools
Jana Kelbie Armstrong Baker Autonomy, Self-Efficacy, and Their Relationship with Job Satisfaction in Novice and Veteran Teachers: A Mixed Methods Study Chelsea Marie Bayko Secondary Leaders' Legal Knowledge of Special Education Discipline Amanda Caldwell Beason Teacher Retention during a Crisis: Described Experiences of Secondary Teachers with Fledgling Experience and Their Decisions to Remain in the Profession Post- COVID Katherine M. Lyons Bester Enhancing Self-Efficacy and Broadening the Role of School Counselors in Suicide Intervention for Black Teenagers
*Receiving teacher certification.
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Project titles provided by candidates.
Jennifer Lasater McKinney Exploring the Perceived Effectiveness of Mathematics Intervention Strategies in Alabama High Schools John David Powell A Qualitative Study of Alabama Superintendents' Opinion on the Effects of Conditions and Strategies in Local School Tax Initiatives Brian Wesley Sauls Implementation of Effective Character Education Programs by High School Administrators of National Schools of Character Frederick Demetrius Scott Implementation of Effective Character Education Programs by High School Administrators of National Schools of Character
Christopher Blake Shaw Teacher Retention during a Crisis: Described Experiences of Secondary Teachers with Fledgling Experience and Their Decisions to Remain in the Profession Post- COVID Laura Sims Effective Leadership for Change in Alabama Science of Reading Spotlight Schools Mary Fontaine Slaughter Roadblocks that Impact Implementation of Best Practices in Reading Instruction Among Middle and High School Educators
Jacqueline Sommerville The Impact of Principal Leadership and Teacher Organizational citizenship Behavior on School Climate and Culture in Urban Schools Anna Teal Effective Leadership for Change in Alabama Science of Reading Spotlight Schools Elizabeth Arlene Thomas Roadblocks that Impact Implementation of Best Practices in Reading Instruction Among Middle and High School Educators Kristen Madison Westwood Secondary Leaders' Legal Knowledge of Special Education Discipline
Benjamin Kelso White Character Education: An Exporation of Implementation in National Schools of Character
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School of Health Professions CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Layla K. Brown Addison L. Burchfiel Victoria Michelle Cook Gabrielle G. Faulkner Shayla Danae Hamilton Kathryn Elaine Hoppers Lily Grace Jacobson Curtis Wade Jewell
Lacy Katherine Jones Savannah Mansell Kaelyn Renae McCann Carissa Faith Milton Jayme McArthur Motley-Simmons Rebecca Lee Noble Dawson Sean Prewitt Mary Vaughn Raymond
Sydney Erin Reese Jordan Russell Anna Grace Scholten Madelynn J. Sinn Kristin Joy Soderberg Aderes J Staton-Mccray Christopher Robert Stephan Jalen Swanson
Blair Elizabeth Wheeler Chloe Ann White Mary Morgan Williams Mia Fawn Williams Taylor Madison Yount
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES Margaret Elizabeth Allen Amanda Sarah Hinten Anderson Taylor Anne Beckham Lauren Elizabeth Bentley Emily Paige Berryhill Kathleen Elizabeth Billington Elizabeth Spencer Brogden Kathryn Kizziah Carpenter Makayla Grace Chalacoff
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Jessica Do Larkey Ray Dotson Raleigh Elizabeth Duran Virginia Foster Farrar Christian John Fields Alexis Auen Gates Michaela Henderson Gentle Savannah Delaney Hayes Colton R. Heyen
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Cortney Claypoole Ifft Brittney Norjean Kindall Alida Miller Livingston Ragan Lynn Lowe Abigail Parker Mashburn Raven Alise Omar Katherine Grace Poe Sarah Beth Prince Nicole Ann Raicik
Katelyn Nicole Riant Ally Elizabeth Salchert Baylee Leann Salyers Emma Kathleen Scott Kennedy Lauren Sellers Ashley Nicole Yasmine Staton Jesslyn Faye White Anna Lee Zwiebel
Cumberland School of Law CANDIDATE FOR MASTER OF LAWS Paige MacKenzie Miller
CaraBell Cassady Preece
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF STUDIES IN LAW Kristin DeAnna Franklin
Nichole Andrea LaGrow
Melinda Toles Nation
Kelly Marie Young
CANDIDATES FOR JURIS DOCTOR Sierra Nicole Bowens Zachary Ethan Freeman
Chloe Marie Princella Patterson Arin Mary Elizabeth Suggs
Matthew David Whitehurst
‡Receiving two degrees S A M F O R D U N I V E R S I T Y / 2023 December Commencement
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Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING Caroline Elizabeth Black Amelia Claire Brantley Sean Anthony Catania Emma Isalene Clark Bonnie Ashlyn Clement Jessica Ann Connally Gabrielle Hays Conover Sean O'Neal Dickson Abbey Kate Folsom
Sarah Elizabeth Galbreath Kearra Nicole Hahne Lindsey Marcena Haley Anthony Basil Harb Emily Ann Holman Lillian Mae Holt Emma Kathleen King Emma Vera Kitzmiller Regan Marie Lang
Hollis Rose Loveless Chloe Jayne Lovvorn Jared William Mathys Christopher David Messer Emily Louise Paz Brooke Emma Graciela Prudencio Jenna Nicole Reynolds Georgia Shields Scott Kathleen R. Shirley
Corinne Noel Sinisgalli Taylor Miles Tucker Selah Kathleen Tiblier Anna Grace Walker Lajoy T. Watson Lauren Elizabeth Wiggins Karli Madison Williams
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING Kristina Marie Adkins Yamany Araf Victoria Ann Artiaga Serena Grace Borrero Crystal Michelle Bryan
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Coleen O. Cambridge Harley Rogers Cook Nanette Kristin Dykes Kendall Alexander Lewis Estes Shayna Smith Gurley
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Kristen Hood Megan Elizabeth Kuzanek-Hall Farah Philippe Alyssa Spruill Bridgid Thomas
Kelsey Stroud Tomberlin Stephanie Teresin Vincent Laura Beth Watts Amanda Constance Weidman Riley Leann Weldon
School of Public Health CANDIDATES FOR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Catherine Elizabeth Chain
Cassidy Quinn Mason
Naomi C. Mugun
CANDIDATE FOR MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION Erika Kristin Baskerville‡
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH Brianna Nicole Gibson
Mae Elizabeth Lewis‡
Taylor Grace Lunsford
Lillian Grace Miller
Aubrey Marie Sullivan Cornele Elizabeth Thomas
Alyssa Grace White
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF SCIENCE Kdayjah Allison Council Lauren Ashley Parks
Halle Elizabeth Roberto Dayle Ellis Rumley
CANDIDATES FOR MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK Cecilia J. Hailey
Mae Elizabeth Lewis‡
Meghan Marie West
CANDIDATE FOR DOCTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH Fadeke Adewumi Ogunyankin Understanding the Predictors of Breast Cancer Risk and their Association with Breast Cancer Screening
Project title provided by candidate.
‡Receiving two degrees
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