Strategy and Planning | Samford University

Learn how strategy and planning assists the university and individual departments in planning their strategies, defining appropriate metrics and reporting, implementing their strategies, measuring success.

Strategy & Planning

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. —Psalm 127:1a

View Our Strategic Plan Innovation Fund Awards

What We Do

Strategy and Planning oversees the creation of university strategy; serves as a resource to all academic and administrative units to facilitate the creation of individual unit strategy; defines and develops appropriate metrics, feedback and reporting mechanisms; oversees strategic implementation; and reviews, anticipates and reports on external trends effecting higher education and Samford University.

Town Hall Meetings & Campus Interviews

City Visits & Two Virtual Sessions

Survey Responses

“Samford aspires to be the school of choice among national comprehensive Christ-centered universities, particularly among those that place extraordinary emphasis on residential undergraduate education as the foundation for its full complement of academic programs.”

—Beck A. Taylor, President

Samford’s Strategic Plan

The planning process was engineered to result in a plan that:

Is missional. We start and end with Samford’s mission foremost.
Reinforces Samford’s distinctive role as a Christ-centered institution.
Highlights an aspirational community and seeks a better version of ourselves.
Promotes informed “reach” goals. We will set aspirational goals and then reach further.
Is comprehensive and representative.
Is phased and informs our institutional priorities.
Is grounded in research and facts and is data informed.
Explicitly connects goals and aspirations with needed human and financial resources.
Is inclusive, transparent, measurable, and accountable.
Emphasizes clarity and transparency.
Is flexible and adaptable.

Fidelitas: Faith and Future

Hover over each theme for details.

Academic Distinction

Samford distinguishes itself as a growing, comprehensive, Christ-centered university with rigorous and relevant undergraduate, graduate, and continuing studies programs that are innovative, led by faculty committed to excellent teaching, scholarship, creativity, and service, and designed to equip graduates for meaningful lives of vocation, service, and ministry.

Goal: Cultivate a Christ-centered, student-focused culture that emphasizes academic excellence.
Goal: Promote quality teaching and scholarship through opportunities for professional development and growth as scholars and leaders in the disciplines.
Goal: Equip faculty and students to integrate faith and learning.
Goal: Create new, expanded, and revised academic programs that enhance existing offerings and attract new student populations.

Student Engagement

Samford provides meaningful and creative opportunities for students to actively shape the university and their own experiences through leadership, service, social, spiritual, and wellness activities.

Goal: Cultivate a community engaged in servant leadership.
Goal: Foster a community committed to overall wellness and success.
Goal: Create opportunities for all students to connect with and contribute to formative co- curricular activities.
Goal: Emphasize awareness and deeper integration of institutional mission and values throughout co-curricular programming

Faith Formation

Samford encourages students and employees to grow in their Christian faith while extending the love of Christ to all and applying biblically- and theologically-informed reasoning to contemporary issues.

Goal: Offer the love of Christ to all by inviting people to become Christ’s disciples through faith and spiritual growth.
Goal: Recruit and retain faithful faculty and staff who support Samford’s community of Christian faith and learning.
Goal: Host events that encourage the Samford community to consider contemporary issues through the lens of faith and scripture.
Goal: Provide spaces and activities that cultivate Samford’s gospel-focused and ecumenically orthodox character.

Athletic Success

Samford attains athletic excellence through competitive success, academic achievement, community participation, and spiritual formation.

Goal: Emphasize degree completion, Christian character, mental and physical health, and life-long learning among student-athletes.
Goal: Maintain a culture that embodies mutual trust, sportsmanship, compliance, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Goal: Compete for SoCon championships and NCAA post-season championships.
Goal: Engage and expand the community of individuals, businesses, and groups that support Samford athletics.

Global Influence

Samford positively influences the world through education, outreach, and service by preparing students to engage others through athletic, cultural, economic, intellectual, language, political, religious, and social exchanges.

Goal: Invest in institutional infrastructure to maintain and grow international offerings.
Goal: Develop and promote more international opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders.
Goal: Grow formal educational opportunities at Samford for individuals from other nations.
Goal: Host programs and events that promote cross-cultural education and outcomes.

Financial Stewardship & Strength

Samford stewards and grows its financial, physical, and technological resources to sustain excellence across the university in service to its mission and vision.

Goal: Ensure resources are available and prioritized to realize the university’s strategic goals.
Goal: Sustain a culture that emphasizes stewardship of university resources across all stakeholders.
Goal: Promote access to and acumen around the financial strategies and outcomes of the university.
Goal: Adopt a proactive and anticipatory posture toward planning and maintaining campus infrastructure including people, places, technology, and finances.

Community Celebration

Samford celebrates the different experiences and perspectives students, employees, and alumni bring to the campus community while cultivating unity and spirit around common aspirations for Christ-centered community life.

Goal: Integrate initiatives from the Diversity Action Plan into university culture, policies, and procedures.
Goal: Provide unifying educational opportunities for our campus community to respect different experiences and perspectives.
Goal: Engage Homewood, Birmingham, and our broader communities in partnership, service, and cultural understanding.
Goal: Promote Samford spirit, pride, and engagement among all stakeholders.

Employee Elevation

Samford elevates the professional, economic, and spiritual growth and overall wellness of its employees as essential to reaching the university’s full potential.

Goal: Enhance sense of calling and vocation in the work environment.
Goal: Offer competitive compensation and benefits in order to hire and retain a quality workforce.
Goal: Provide positive and rewarding work experiences for employees.
Goal: Ensure consistent, inclusive, and transparent employee communication and processes across the institution.

Innovation Fund Awards

Our second cohort of Samford Innovation Fund recipients has been named. Last spring we received four times as many applications than in our inaugural year and we are pleased announce this year’s recipients. This year’s awards range from $45,000 to $140,000. You may recall that awards may be granted for one or two years. Therefore, in addition to seven new awards, we have two carry-over recipients.

2024 Innovation Fund Recipients

SWELL: A Samford Wellness Initiative for Staff

April Robinson

"…explore, expand and engage the campus resources to promote the personal and professional well-being of staff."

Creation of an RN to BSN Program

Lora Shelton, Cindy Berry

"Creation of an RN to BSN program from licensed registered nurses whose entry into practice degree is the associate degree."

Kaplan All Access Plan: Pathways

Kristin Newberry

"Secure the Pathways Kaplan All Access Plan, which provides currently enrolled students access to prep courses for various post-baccalaureate entrance exams and licensures…"

Office of Research Expansion

Linnea Minnema

"…the next steps to accelerate the growth of external research funding, a potentially significant revenue stream, through a strategic investment into a two-phased expansion of the Office of Research."

Associate Director of Land Use & Natural Resource Law Center

Blake Hudson

"…build out Land Use and Natural Resource Law Center ("LUNR") programming, oversee clinics, develop new tuition streams through international and online academic programs, and develop stronger ties with related Samford University programs."

English for Academic Purposes

PJ Hughes, Lauren Doss

“A program designed to provide English language support services to all Samford students…international and other students from non-native English environments.”

Center for Sports Analytics Strategic Storytelling Space

Darin White, Chad Carson (One-time Award)

“… development of…storytelling space…which utilizes innovative technology and purposeful audience journey methodology to foster (1) graduate enrollment growth, (2) undergraduate enrollment growth, and (3) fund raising growth."

2023 Innovation Fund Recipients

Continuing Studies Programs

Marci Johns

Our new Office of Continuing Studies, a collaboration of Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management, launched new programs and continues to grow.

Entrepreneurship Center

Chad Carson

"…a shared resource hosted by the Brock School of Business to create an environment supporting innovation, creative thought and collaboration."

Masters of Accountancy Semester Abroad

Cam Pierce

A pilot program promoting a semester abroad to Masters of Accountancy students attracted more students to our already successful MAcc program as they experienced our remarkable Daniel House in London.