Samford University President Beck Taylor Addresses Rotary Club of Birmingham

RCB President Brenda Hackney and Past President Betsy Holloway with Rotarian Beck Taylor following his presentation.

RCB President Brenda Hackney, Past President Betsy Holloway and Rotarians Karon Bowdre, Jim Griffo, Randy Pittman, Beck Taylor and Bob Terry gathered with Samford University faculty and staff members on January 26th.

Rotarian Dr. Beck A. Taylor, who became Samford University’s 19th President in 2021, recently addressed the Rotary Club of Birmingham. Taylor, who served as dean and professor of economics for Samford’s Brock School of Business from 2005-2010, articulated his excitement to return to Birmingham following an 11-year tenure as president of Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. He commended the leadership of his predecessor, Dr. Westmoreland, which enabled the university to maintain a healthy position going through the challenges of the pandemic.

Taylor discussed the university’s consistent recognition for excellence, including a number one ranking in the nation for student engagement and the top ranked university in Alabama by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. He highlighted Samford’s record-setting enrollment for the thirteenth year in a row and the importance of the institution’s Christian foundation. Taylor called attention to the university’s outstanding Cumberland School of Law and Beeson Divinity School, 17 NCAA Division 1 sports teams and the high success rates of its graduates. He shared that six months after graduation, 97% of Samford’s 2021 graduates reported being either employed, continuing their education in graduate school or working in a post-graduate internship.

“Our alumni include 60 members of the U.S. Congress, eight state governors, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, one U.S. Secretary of State, four Rhodes Scholars, multiple Emmy and Grammy Award-winning artists, two national championship football coaches, and recipients of both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Peace Prize,” Taylor said. “We have a long and distinguished history of turning out wonderful citizens at Samford.”

Taylor highlighted the beauty of Samford’s campus with its Georgian-Colonial architecture and panoramic views of Shades Mountain. He described the progress being made in accordance with the university’s 20-year master plan that seeks to refresh every inch of the campus to meet the needs of students, as well as the development of a strategic initiative to create a sustainable future for generations to come. Taylor shared Samford’s role as a regional importer of talent and detailed the university’s $424.8 million estimated annual economic impact on the state of Alabama.

“I’m absolutely convinced that Samford’s future is inexorably tied to the future of Birmingham and this region,” Taylor said. “If Samford University isn’t serving you, if Samford University isn’t serving your organization, then we are, in part, failing our mission. And so, this year, we have this great opportunity to dream about the future and we want to include as many community members in that process as possible.”