Published on October 24, 2011 at 7 p.m. by Philip Poole  

Â鶹¹û¶³’s board of trustees executive committee approved a new academic major and a new professorship in their regular meeting Oct. 25.

The bachelor of science degree in science and religion is an interdisciplinary major that is part of Â鶹¹û¶³’s Center for Science and Religion that was approved last year by trustees. The major builds on existing courses in the sciences, mathematics and religion and includes three new courses specific to the new degree.

Graduates will be prepared to pursue advanced degrees in science and religion or another area of specialization. This will be one of the few, if not the only, undergraduate majors of its kind in the United States and is expected to attract students from all over the country, according to Â鶹¹û¶³ Provost and Executive Vice President J. Bradley Creed.

Trustees also approved the Paul N. Propst Professorship in Natural Sciences. Named for the father of Â鶹¹û¶³ alumnus and benefactor William S. Propst of Huntsville, Ala., the professorship will be awarded on a rotating basis to faculty in the natural sciences departments in Â鶹¹û¶³’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences. Recipients will be chosen on the basis of the highest standards of teaching, service and scholarship.

The next full meeting of the board is Dec. 6.

 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Â鶹¹û¶³ is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Â鶹¹û¶³ enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Â鶹¹û¶³ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.