Save the Date: Faith and Culture Summit Coming February 2027
Samford University families are invited to mark their calendars for a new campus event designed to deepen faith and foster meaningful conversation. The inaugural Faith and Culture Summit will take place Feb. 26-27, 2027, offering students, parents and guests a weekend focused on exploring practical apologetics and biblical truth in today’s complex cultural landscape.
Three Questions to Ask Your Student About Academic Success
As midterms approach, the Academic Success Center at Samford University is encouraging families to check in with their students about academic progress. In this Q&A, Bridget Rose, assistant dean of the Academic Success Center, shares three simple but important questions parents can ask this month: Have you checked your midterm grades? How has your attendance been? Have you met with your academic adviser? These conversations can help students identify challenges early, understand course expectations and stay on track for registration and future semesters. Rose also explains what midterm grades mean, why attendance policies matter and how advising appointments support long-term success.
Helping Students Find Their Path: Inside the Career Development Center
As students begin thinking about majors, internships and life after graduation, the Samford University Career Development Center is ready to help at every stage. In this Q&A, Dora Ditchfield, director of the Career Development Center, and Julie Boyd, director of Parent and Family Engagement, discuss when students should first visit the center, how advisors guide those who are unsure about their major, and the many resources available—from resume reviews and mock interviews to internship support and alumni networking. They also share practical ways parents can encourage students to take ownership of their career planning and make the most of Samford’s personalized advising.
A United Front: How Samford Parents and Athletics Work Together to Strengthen the Bulldog Community
Through intentional collaboration, the Samford Parent Association and Athletics are united in supporting student-athletes through encouragement, faith, leadership and community—strengthening the Samford experience in competition and beyond.
Welcome, Allison Combs!
We are excited to welcome Allison Combs as our new development officer for Parent and Family Engagement. Allison has 20 years’ experience in advancement, having served in various roles with the American Heart Association, the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes and the Alabama Baptist Foundation. She brings so much joy and energy to our team!
When the Plan Changes: Helping Your Student Choose (or Change) a Major
Many college students arrive on campus with a clear idea of what they want to study and how they’ll use their degree once they cross the graduation stage a few years later. But whether it happens in the first month, the first semester, or sometime later in their academic journey, every student eventually gets “punched in the mouth” by the reality of figuring out whether their original plan is truly the right one.
Scholarship Renamed in Honor of Penny and Phil Kimrey
On September 9, Dr. Phil Kimrey, Samford’s Vice President for Student Affairs, announced his plans to retire after this academic year. Phil and his wife, Penny, are well known to many of us and to countless students.


