Published on May 2, 2018 by Sean Flynt  
Professors Donaldson, Davidson and Carey
Professors Donaldson, Davidson and Carey

Samford University’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences honored three of its faculty during a faculty assembly May 1.

Dean Tim Hall presented the college’s teaching and scholarship awards to sociology professor Theresa Davidson and math and computer science professor Steve Donaldson, respectively. Assistant Dean Dana Basinger presented a new Excellence in Advising Award to Clay Carey.

Hall cited Davidson for her focus on student engagement and active learning, and for her reputation as a teacher in a field noted for its challenging topics. He said alumni of her courses recall exemplary mentoring and enduring influence.

Hall said Donaldson “has leveraged his expertise in his own field to extend both broadly and deeply into the intersection of faith and reason, science and religion.” Donaldson, cofounder and co-director of Samford’s Computational Biology Program and a leader of Samford’s Science and Religion program, has published two books in the past three years, has a strong record of articles and scholarly presentations and has earned significant grants to foster scholarly dialogue at Samford.

Basinger and two of the students who nominated Carey for the advising honor– Kathryn Jordan and Katie Roth–praised him not only for his command of advising technology and policies, but also for his real concern for the whole person apart from the technical concerns of guiding students through their course selection. “I refer to Dr. Carey as my personal cheerleader,” one nominating student wrote.

Basinger presented certificates to other faculty who were nominated for the advising honor, including:

Mark Baggett (English)

Jonathan Bass (History)

Charlotte Brammer (Communication Studies)

Betsy Dobbins (Biological and Environmental Sciences)

Marissa Grayson (Political Science)

Emily Hynds (Math and Computer Science)

Greg Kawell (Math and Computer Science)

Andy Milstead (World Languages and Cultures)

Morgan Ponder (Chemistry and Biochemistry)

Fred Shepherd (Political Science)

 
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.