Published on June 3, 2015 by Philip Poole  

Samford University “Big Give,” a 36-hour fundraising blitz, was a success with both dollar giving and participation.

A total of $41,853 was pledged or given by 277 different donors during the two-day effort May 29-30., according to Lauren McCaghren, Samford’s senior director of alumni programs and annual giving. One gift even came from an alumnus now living in Thailand.

“We were extremely pleased with the outcomes of this year’s Big Give campaign,” McCaghren said. “The Samford community came together to show their support and work toward funding 13 meaningful projects across campus.  In 36 hours, the Big Give was a perfect demonstration of why the world is better because of Samford's alumni, parents, employees and friends.”

Seven of the 13 projects featured in the Big Give were fully funded, including $3,000 for the SamfordStrong Leadership Academy for Samford Athletics; $3,800 to support students coming to Samford from Rwanda, a project coordinated by the Brock School of Business and University Fellows program; $1,000 to purchase cameras for departments in the School of Health Professions to use in assessing students as they treat patients; $1,000 to launch an interactive nutrition lab for the School of Public Health.

Also receiving full funding were $5,000 to support archaeological digs in Israel through Howard College of Arts and Sciences; $4,000 for students in McWhorter School of Pharmacy to provide medical care during mission trips to Cambodia; and $2,500 to construct new outdoor gathering spaces near Harwell G. Davis Library, a project of Samford’s facilities department.

Other projects that were partially funded through the Big Give were renovation of the student lounge in Daniel House, Samford’s London center; funding for students in Ida V. Moffett School of nursing to attend a highly-competitive policy summit in Washington, D.C.; a Christian Faith Lecture Series coordinated by the Office of Spiritual Life; upgraded sound equipment in Harry’s Coffeehouse, a project supported by the Office of Student Affairs; and funds for interior architecture students to complete a newly-designed worship facility in Ecuador, a project supported by the School of the Arts.

McCaghren noted that donors also supported several other university initiatives and projects with gifts during the Big Give.

 
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.