Published on October 4, 2019 by Sean Flynt  
Leslie Armstrong and Annie DeVries
Leslie Armstrong and Annie DeVries

Howard College of Arts and Sciences academic adviser Leslie Armstrong, and history professor Annie DeVries were among 11 Samford University employees honored with 2019-20 Mann Center Fellowships in Community-Based Learning this fall. The fellowships, presented by Samford’s Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership, are designed to engage and accelerate the work of Samford employees who demonstrate a commitment to exemplary approaches in community-based learning.

In addition to five professional development seminars on the pedagogy of community-based learning, Mann Center Fellows will have opportunities to build connections with community partners, receive support and counsel from the Mann Center, and will be exposed to regional and national academic service-learning networks. They also receive a $1,500 community engagement enhancement grant and one-on-one assistance in identifying discipline-specific resources and higher education program models in community-based learning.

DeVries will use the Fellowship to revise her Digital History course. “My hope is to build lasting community partnerships that allow Samford faculty and students to use digital tools to make the histories of underserved communities more visible and accessible,” she said.

Armstrong said her project is still in the development stage, but will involve Birmingham-area schools.

All the Fellows will submit written reflections on their fellowship at the end of the year and describe plans to implement what they have learned.

 
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 6,101 students from 45 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.