2008 Woodie Awards
Professors honored for excellence
Lydia Hignite
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: News
Dr. Charlie Sands
Named 2007 Health Care Hero by “Birmingham Business Journal”
Chair of Samford’s Department of Pharmacy Practice
Q: What’s one part of Samford’s pharmacy school that sets it apart?
A: Our mission is to collaborate with the people of Perry County, the Perry County Health Department and Sowing Seeds of Hope (a non-profit, faith-based organization) to improve access to high quality, culturally and linguistically competent, pharmacist-enabled primary and preventive care for the underserved, uninsured and underinsured and others of Perry County.
A primary objective of this work is to minimize health disparities for minority populations, the economically disadvantaged, and women.
Q: How has the Samford community been supportive of your pursuits?
A: Samford has been most supportive of my work in the McWhorter School of Pharmacy, not only in rural Perry County but also in the work I do in Asia. For example, I have received several Samford In Mission (SIM) grants that have provided medical equipment, educational materials and money to create a “lunch and learn” program for the health care workers of Perry County.
Dr. Rod Davis
Recipient of the Samford 2008 George Macon Award for Teaching
Samford English Department professor. Retired Dean of Samford’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences
Q: Why do you think you were given this award?
A: There are many really excellent professors on this campus who ought to have won. So I don’t know what the committee was smoking.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were being awarded?
A: Surprise and embarrassment. But that has morphed into humbling gratitude after all the generous comments I’ve gotten since.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: Turning students on to stories and ideas that may help them better deal with what they may encounter in years to come, watching them become more expert at sorting out for themselves what is true and good from the false and mean, opening their eyes to new possibilities and seeing them stretch themselves to accommodate some new insight or challenge and hearing from them years later about what they still remember.
Harold Hunt
Recipient of the Birmingham Theatre Alliance’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award
Retired Chair of the Samford Theatre Department. Directed more than 100 plays from 1963-1997 at Samford
Q: Why do you think you were given this award?
A: I don’t think the award was given to me so much as to the program and as the one who had the privilege of leading the program. It was on behalf of all the students, faculty and staff of the department.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were being awarded?
A: I was certainly surprised. It was a very nice surprise, and I was very pleased.
Q: How has the Samford community been supportive of your pursuits?
A: I think the campus has always been very supportive of faculty, students and the administration. I’ve had e-mails and people congratulating me, and it’s very nice. It really is.
Q: What advice would you give to students who hope to one day excel in their fields?
A: I think the most important thing is to find a field you love, and then you will excel in it. Then it’s not a job you have to get up and go to everyday, but it’s something you love.
Dr. Larry Davenport
Recipient of the 2007 Alabama Professor of the Year and Educator of the Year Award
Samford Biology professor. Director of the Vulcan Materials Center for Environmental Stewardship and Education
Q: What is the purpose of this award and why do you feel like you received it?
A: The award recognizes the Vulcan Materials Center’s efforts to bring together the scientific and faith communities in support of environmental conservation and stewardship. It stems from our April 2007 Alabama Environmental Education Consortium conference in the Wright Center, which featured noted biologist Edward O. Wilson (from Harvard) and two speakers from the faith community.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were being awarded?
A: This is a great honor and totally unexpected.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about your job?
A: I most enjoy the networking that’s involved and bringing together people of all faiths to support a common goal.
Q: What advice would you give to students who hope to one day excel in their fields?
A: Stay in school!
Named 2007 Health Care Hero by “Birmingham Business Journal”
Chair of Samford’s Department of Pharmacy Practice
Q: What’s one part of Samford’s pharmacy school that sets it apart?
A: Our mission is to collaborate with the people of Perry County, the Perry County Health Department and Sowing Seeds of Hope (a non-profit, faith-based organization) to improve access to high quality, culturally and linguistically competent, pharmacist-enabled primary and preventive care for the underserved, uninsured and underinsured and others of Perry County.
A primary objective of this work is to minimize health disparities for minority populations, the economically disadvantaged, and women.
Q: How has the Samford community been supportive of your pursuits?
A: Samford has been most supportive of my work in the McWhorter School of Pharmacy, not only in rural Perry County but also in the work I do in Asia. For example, I have received several Samford In Mission (SIM) grants that have provided medical equipment, educational materials and money to create a “lunch and learn” program for the health care workers of Perry County.
Dr. Rod Davis
Recipient of the Samford 2008 George Macon Award for Teaching
Samford English Department professor. Retired Dean of Samford’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences
Q: Why do you think you were given this award?
A: There are many really excellent professors on this campus who ought to have won. So I don’t know what the committee was smoking.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were being awarded?
A: Surprise and embarrassment. But that has morphed into humbling gratitude after all the generous comments I’ve gotten since.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: Turning students on to stories and ideas that may help them better deal with what they may encounter in years to come, watching them become more expert at sorting out for themselves what is true and good from the false and mean, opening their eyes to new possibilities and seeing them stretch themselves to accommodate some new insight or challenge and hearing from them years later about what they still remember.
Harold Hunt
Recipient of the Birmingham Theatre Alliance’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award
Retired Chair of the Samford Theatre Department. Directed more than 100 plays from 1963-1997 at Samford
Q: Why do you think you were given this award?
A: I don’t think the award was given to me so much as to the program and as the one who had the privilege of leading the program. It was on behalf of all the students, faculty and staff of the department.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were being awarded?
A: I was certainly surprised. It was a very nice surprise, and I was very pleased.
Q: How has the Samford community been supportive of your pursuits?
A: I think the campus has always been very supportive of faculty, students and the administration. I’ve had e-mails and people congratulating me, and it’s very nice. It really is.
Q: What advice would you give to students who hope to one day excel in their fields?
A: I think the most important thing is to find a field you love, and then you will excel in it. Then it’s not a job you have to get up and go to everyday, but it’s something you love.
Dr. Larry Davenport
Recipient of the 2007 Alabama Professor of the Year and Educator of the Year Award
Samford Biology professor. Director of the Vulcan Materials Center for Environmental Stewardship and Education
Q: What is the purpose of this award and why do you feel like you received it?
A: The award recognizes the Vulcan Materials Center’s efforts to bring together the scientific and faith communities in support of environmental conservation and stewardship. It stems from our April 2007 Alabama Environmental Education Consortium conference in the Wright Center, which featured noted biologist Edward O. Wilson (from Harvard) and two speakers from the faith community.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were being awarded?
A: This is a great honor and totally unexpected.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about your job?
A: I most enjoy the networking that’s involved and bringing together people of all faiths to support a common goal.
Q: What advice would you give to students who hope to one day excel in their fields?
A: Stay in school!