Westmoreland describes Samford growth at chamber luncheon

Along with recognizing their newest members, the Homewood Chamber of Commerce celebrated Samford University at its August luncheon Tuesday.

2016 marks the 175th anniversary of the university, and the audience was shown a video, which is reportedly 175 seconds long, that briefly details the school’s journey from Howard College in Marion to its current status.

Luncheon speaker Samford president Andrew Westmoreland told the audience of the many celebrations the school will host over the coming academic year.

While the school’s official birthday is Dec. 29, Westmoreland said the major celebration will take place in early November along with Samford’s homecoming festivities.

Westmoreland also informed chamber members about the growth the university has seen and expects to continue seeing.

He said over 900 first-time full-time students are expected to move in for the coming year, and that the expected enrollment of around 5,400 students will be the 8th consecutive year of record-breaking student numbers.

Westmoreland also announced the official opening of the university’s College of Health Sciences building on the former Southern Progress property, which will welcome students on the first day of the fall semester. The Chamber will host a ribbon cutting for the new portion of campus on Sept. 9.

The president also announced that the university is preparing to embark on a new capital fundraising campaign as part of a multi-year strategy to continue the school’s growth.

Still, Westmoreland said, Samford plans to remember that it is part of the Homewood community, and continue it’s efforts to positively impact the city.

“This is our home,” he said. “We want to be invested here.”