University of Mobile dedicates new $3.3 million residence hall

Yetta and Mary Samford were honored during a dedication ceremony for the University of Mobile’s (UM) new residence hall, the $3.3 million, three-story 101-bed Samford Hall. 
   
Yetta Samford, an Opelika attorney, is a member of the founding board of trustees, has served as chairman of the board, was named life trustee in 1992 and was awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2001. 
   
During the ceremony, UM President Mark Foley expressed appreciation to the couple for their many years of dedication and support to the university. Several Mobile-area students told the Samfords how the new residence hall impacted their decision to live on campus, and the university’s Voices of Mobile ensemble performed. The students also planted several types of 101 plants symbolizing the 101 beds in the facility. 
   
As the ceremony progressed, so did construction work on another residence hall. The new four-story 148-bed facility is expected to cost approximately $5.6 million, with completion anticipated by January 2006. 
   
The day after the dedication service, UM trustees took the first step in the university-wide process of developing a three-year strategic plan for the school during the group’s semi-annual board meeting April 26.
   
The majority of the meeting was devoted to envisioning the future of the university, according to Foley. A short list of action items included approval of a $19.3 million budget for 2005–06 and awarding of tenure to Cynthia Biegler, professor of education.
   
“The real work of this meeting involved asking our trustees and their spouses to look to the future of this university and envision what can be,” Foley said. “At the end of the day, there was a very clear sense among our trustees that the University of Mobile is moving in the right direction.”
   
“Today the board affirmed in very strong terms my desire to aggressively press this university forward in terms of enrollment growth, facilities to support that growth, and development of academic and campus life programs undergirded by a Christian worldview. In their envisioning process, the board gave particular attention to the role the university should play in impacting society in the arenas of public policy and public service through graduates with a Christian worldview. We are interested in attracting men and women as students who are leaders and have the capability of learning to lead even more effectively and who will use their influence to have a real impact in the world,” Foley said.
   
He said the next step will be to form committees comprised of faculty, staff and students who will work during the summer and early fall to develop details of a three-year strategic plan designed to move the university toward making the vision a reality.
   
“The real nuts-and-bolts work will involve all levels of the university community,” Foley said. “The strategic planning process provides us a great opportunity to dream big and work together to make our dreams happen.”
   
Foley said his goal is to present a final strategic plan to the board of trustees for approval at the group’s next meeting in October. He said the leadership of the trustees is a key component in developing the strategic plan.
   
“Our trustees are men and women from a variety of professions who have great leadership ability and vision,” Foley said. “I am excited about the confidence they have shown in my leadership and their desire to be even more aggressive in growing this university both in size and in influence.” (UM)