Calling for the Samford community to “remain spiritually awake” by engaging in fully attentive prayer, President Beck A. Taylor delivered his convocation address to open the university’s 185th academic year.
Students, faculty and staff filled the Wright Center to capacity as Taylor extolled the benefits of cultivating gratitude “when circumstances tempt us toward complaint.” Beginning his sixth year as president, he cited a necessity for purposeful, intimate prayer during joyful moments as well as times when hearts are burdened.
“We live in an age of distraction, don’t we? Notifications on our phones and watches compete for our attention. Endless streams of information occupy and overwhelm our minds,” Taylor said. “We can spend hours glued to our screens monitoring markets, sports scores, social media, and headlines while devoting only a few moments, if any, to our Creator.”
This year’s thematic verse is Colossians 4:2, as written by the Apostle Paul: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Taylor said prayer requires alertness and clarity, embracing God’s desire to spend time with His children.
“Perhaps we pray, but we pray sporadically,” Taylor said. “We pray when we are frightened, when we are ill, when our children are in trouble, or when we wish we had studied just a bit longer for that exam. But Paul calls us to something deeper: a devotion.
“Devotion means praying when we feel God's presence and when we do not. It means praying when our hearts are joyful and when they are burdened. It means praying when answers come quickly and when heaven seems silent.”
Taylor recounted a harrowing 2008 episode in which his daughter sustained a serious head injury while visiting summer camp. He and wife Julie fell to their knees in prayer before beginning the 500-mile drive to attend her surgery.
“We begged God to save the life of our precious child. We sought the Lord’s peace and comfort in that terrifying experience. We asked God to be God,” Taylor said, noting that their daughter recovered and was inspired to become an ICU doctor.
“Some of you have had occasion, like Julie and me, to crumble to the ground as you sought the Lord’s comfort, desperately begging God to intervene. I’m also keenly aware that some of your stories don’t end as happily as ours did.”
Closing his address, Taylor prayed:
“For the God who hears our prayers is the God who never sleeps, never tires, and never ceases to pour out his grace upon his people. And perhaps the greatest miracle of prayer is not that it changes our circumstances, though sometimes it does, but that through prayer God changes us—teaching us to see more clearly, to love more deeply, and to trust more faithfully.”
Staff Awards
Bill Nunnelley Award: Michael D. Morgan, assistant to the president, received the Nunnelly Award. First awarded in 2008, this recognizes staff members who support the mission, strive for vocational success, serve with university and civic engagement, seek equality and justice, and show personal responsibility and stewardship throughout their daily activities.
“If you have attended Samford’s commencement, rung your class bell, experienced the beauty and Hanging of the Green, or gathered for this opening convocation, you have been touched by the work of this year’s recipient, Dr. Michael Morgan,” said Colin Coyne, the university’s vice president for finance and business affairs. “Over 23 years, he has answered the call whenever called upon to serve Samford, whether as vice president for advancement, chief of staff or assistant to the president.”
Morgan guided the presidential searches that led to the hirings of Andrew Westmoreland in 2006 and Taylor in 2021. He also played a key role in the university’s “Promise for All Generations” campaign that raised $53 million.
“Dr. Morgan has enriched all who call Samford home,” Coyne said. “Yet his enduring contribution isn't found in any title, achievement, or responsibility. It's found in the example that Dr. Morgan sets each day through his unwavering faith. … In a world too often marked by division and cynicism, Dr. Morgan chooses kindness. Through his servant leadership, he impacts generations of students, alumni, faculty and staff.”
Previous Nunnelly Award recipients
John H. Buchannan Award: Clara Gerhardt, Distinguished Beeson Professor and Character Scholar in Residence within Orlean Beeson School of Education, received the Buchannan Award, which honors excellence in teaching among undergraduate faculty.
“Although she has received numerous awards, honors, and recognitions at the state, national, and international level, she is an unpresuming professional who prioritizes teaching and making personal connections with her students and colleagues,” said Dean Anna McEwan.
Thomas W. Woolley Scholarly Achievement Award: William G. Ross, the Albert P. Brewer Professor of Law and Ethics within Cumberland School of Law, was honored with the Woolley Award. This annually recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies the highest level of scholarly achievement and dedication in honor of Woolley’s remarkable career and significant contributions to Samford University and the broader academic community.
This year's recipient's over 40-year record of publication and national recognition as a scholar set him apart for this award. His work has been cited 1000s of times in the nation's most respected publications, demonstrating the reach and rigor that Sanford's vision calls for when it speaks of being known and acknowledged worldwide. He has authored seven books, numerous journal articles, and has also made significant contributions to textbooks and reference encyclopedias.
“His scholarship explores the Constitution, legal history, ethics, and how the personal faith and religious backgrounds of Supreme Court justices may inform their interpretation of the law,” said Dave Cimbora, Samford’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “At a time when public understanding of constitutional history and judicial ethics is critically needed, his work reflects Sanford’s call to social and civic responsibility. His scholarship does what Samford's mission calls us to build—bridges between the academy and society.”
Previous Buchannan and Woolley Award recipients
