Recognizing Faculty and Student Achievement

This spring, Samford University students and faculty were recognized for their pursuit of excellence and commitment to service. Additionally, honors were bestowed on academic schools and programs.

Sydney Bottcher, a senior who is a double-major in chemistry and biochemistry, received the Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honors. Bottcher is one of 410 students in the United States and one of only seven in Alabama named to the latest class of students who show exceptional promise for becoming research leaders in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Each Goldwater Scholar receives an annual scholarship of up to $7,500.

Madison Hartley, a second-year Doctor of Pharmacy student in Samford’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy, was named an Albert Schweitzer Fellow. She is one of 14 graduate students who will spend the next year immersed in community public health projects. Hartley plans to address diabetes management in north Birmingham by establishing a health navigator program at the Foundry Ministries’ Changed Lives Christian Center mobile clinic.

Valerie Prince, Pharm.D.,

BCPS, FAPHA, professor in Samford’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy, was selected president-elect of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) for 2022-2023. APhA is the largest and oldest pharmacy association in the United States.

Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing had a 95.8% firsttime pass rate on the NCLEX for its December 2020 graduates, with all graduates passing the licensure exam by the spring to become a registered nurse (RN).

Haven Voorhees ’21, who graduated with a B.S.B.A. in economics, was selected for the Hayek Fellowship at New York University (NYU). Through the fellowship, awarded annually to only two economics students in the United States, Voorhees will receive coverage for full tuition and fees while studying in NYU’s Master of Economics program.

Sam Katulich ’21, who was a Brock Scholar, University Fellow and graduated with a B.S.B.A. in economics and finance, was accepted to the Scalia Scholars Program at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. Through the program, he will receive full coverage of his law school tuition and fees and will have the opportunity to choose from the school’s 17 concentrations and eight legal tracks.

Stephanie Wynn, professor in Samford’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing and assistant dean for scholarly activity, was named a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), the highest professional designation for a nurse practitioner. Cumberland School of Law maintained its top 10 ranking for trial advocacy by U.S. News & World Report. The school ranked eighth in the nation out of the 186 law schools included.

Throughout the last year, students of Cumberland School of Law's consistently top-ranked program successfully adapted to the challenges of virtual competitions, including sweeping Region 8 of the National Trial Competition in February and the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Regional Trial Advocacy Competition.

The school also implemented expanded curricular offerings including Advanced Civil Trial Advocacy, Advanced Criminal Advocacy, a Mass Torts Advocacy course, Depositions and Technology, and Jury Selection.

Camille Womack, a senior communication and media student, earned the American Advertising Federation's Mosaic Award for the organization's District 7, representing 19 affiliate advertising clubs and federations in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Mosaic Awards recognize companies, agencies and individuals whose commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident through their creative work and organization-wide initiatives.

Students in Samford's School of the Arts won eight Addy Awards from the Birmingham chapter of the American Advertising Federation. In addition, students in Howard College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Communication and Media won a Gold Addy Award for an Integrated Advertising Campaign. Samford’s debate program earned the rare honor of fielding two teams at the National Debate Tournament in March. Program leaders said that has occurred only about 10 times since Samford joined the National Debate Tournament in the 1950s.

Douglas A. Sweeney, dean of Beeson Divinity School, co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Jonathan Edwards, with Jan Stievermann, published by Oxford University Press in 2021. This volume offers a state-of-the-art summary of scholarship on American theologian Jonathan Edwards with articles by scholars on every major continent.