Published on June 22, 2015  

The Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society (ABBHS) has established a new scholarship in Samford's Department of History for 2010-2011.

The scholarship is intended to support a Samford history student who has demonstrated a high level of academic achievement and who plans on attending law school after graduation.

To qualify for the scholarship, students must plan to attend a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and have at least a 3.6 GPA. In selecting the recipient, the Department of History also will consider class performance, inclusion on the dean's list, evidence of high ethical standing, membership in honorary societies, leadership in campus organizations and contributions to community service.

Through research, service, and learning, the scholarship recipient will further the goals of Alabama Bench and Bar Historical Society, which is devoted to preserving the history of the state’s judicial and legal system and making the citizens of the state more knowledgeable about the state’s courts and their place in Alabama and United States history.

“This scholarship will provide our students opportunities to acquire and master the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in law school and endure the rigors of legal study," said department chair Jonathan Bass. "We are honored that this prestigious organization has invested in Samford students and their futures.”

Tim Lewis, director of the ABBHS and Director and State Law Librarian for the Alabama Supreme Court & State Law Library, praised the department's success in preparing students for law school, and singled-out Bass for his research and writing on legal history. "Dr. Bass's work in the field of legal history, particularly Alabama legal history, is not only superb, but ground-breaking," Lewis said. "His and his students contributions support the Society’s mission of preserving the history of the state's judicial and legal system, making the citizens of the state more knowledgeable about the state's courts, and encouraging scholarly research on Alabama’s legal history."

In recent years, graduates from the Department of History have been accepted in some of the nation’s top law schools, including Cumberland, Chicago, Virginia, Yale, Vanderbilt, Georgia and William & Mary, among others.

 
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.