Andrew Westmoreland became Samford
University[apos]s 18th president on June 1,
2006, and he already has created an
exciting atmosphere about Samford[apos]s present
and future.
In his first year as Samford president,
Westmoreland met the challenge of completing
construction projects for athletics and performing
arts, building refurbishing, parking
and infrastructure that were part of the university[apos]s
Promise for All Generations campaign.
He also has led a university-wide strategic
planning process that launched during the
2008-09 academic year and includes the largest fund-raising
campaign in university history.
Previously, Westmoreland served as
president of Ouachita Baptist University in
Arkadelphia, Ark. Before his selection as
Ouachita[apos]s president in 1998, he had served
on the administrative staff for more than 19
years in various capacities.
Westmoreland is no stranger to NCAA
athletics, having been an avid supporter of
athletics at Ouachita and a leader in the
Division II Gulf South Conference. He was
instrumental in leading Samford[apos]s move to the
historic Southern Conference in July 2008.
Westmoreland is a graduate of Ouachita,
having received a bachelor[apos]s degree in political
science in 1979. He earned a master[apos]s degree
in political science from the University of
Arkansas at Fayetteville, and a doctorate in
higher education administration from the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Throughout a career in higher education,
Westmoreland has excelled. He led record-breaking fundraising
campaigns as vice president for development and later
as president at
Ouachita. As president,
he continued to
teach an undergraduate
course in political
science.
Baxter Press
published his book,
Leading by Design, in
2005. Westmoreland is a
member of the
Chairman[apos]s Circle for the Birmingham
Regional Chamber of Commerce and the
Birmingham Downtown Rotary Club. He also
is serving as chairman of the 2009 March of
Dimes WalkAmerica. He has been president
of the International Association of Baptist
Colleges and Universities, and serves as a
consultant-evaluator for the Commission on
Colleges for the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools.
A native of the Batesville, Ark., area,
Westmoreland graduated from Batesville
High School in 1975. He is married to Dr.
Jeanna Westmoreland, who served on the
faculty and as dean of Ouachita[apos]s School of
Education before the family[apos]s move to
Birmingham. The Westmorelands have one
daughter, Riley Elizabeth, a Samford sophomore.
The Westmorelands enjoy entertaining,
and annually host more than 6,000 students,
employees, alumni, donors and other friends
of the university in the president[apos]s home, in
addition to the thousands whom they greet
and host at on-campus events.
