Samford business school named, kicks off $100M endowment pus

Samford University’s school of business got a monumental boost and a new name Dec. 4 when the board of trustees announced a campaign to reach a $100 million endowment.

At a press conference, Samford trustee and former Compass Bank chairman and CEO Harry B. Brock Jr. promised a “substantial” gift to the endowment of the Brock School of Business, named in his honor.

“Samford has always been an inspirational part of my life, and this is my opportunity to give back to the school and help influence the lives of young people,” said Brock, who became a member of the board in 1962 and served as its chair from 1985 until 1989.

“My desire and vision for the school of business is to be a little different and to find a niche that will help these young people fulfill their dreams.”

Once reached, the $100 million endowment could place the Brock School of Business in the top 25 accredited business schools in the United States in terms of total market value of endowment, according to business school Dean Beck A. Taylor.

And Samford would be in the top five among faith-based universities with endowed business schools, he added, based on current information from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

“If we want Samford to remain strong and to offer quality programs to students, regardless of family financial status, we must be focused as never before on building a substantial endowment,” said Samford President Andrew Westmoreland.

“The efforts underway in the Brock School of Business will set a new standard for Samford and will help to ensure that all of our schools will be stronger in the years ahead. I am grateful to God for placing in our path people such as Harry Brock.”

The endowment will expand research, scholarship and internship opportunities for business school faculty and students and place extra emphasis on students interested in starting their own businesses.

For instance, the school will add three full-time faculty positions to support the entrepreneurship program.
“[T]he Brock School of Business will immediately become a recognized leader among business schools with an explicitly Christian mission,” Taylor said. (TAB)