Beeson Podcast, Episode #560 Dr. Beck Taylor Aug. 3, 2021 >>Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson podcast, coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Now your hosts, Doug Sweeney and Kristen Padilla. >>Doug Sweeney: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast. I am your host, Doug Sweeney. I am here with my co-host, Kristen Padilla. And I must say, it is good to be back. It’s good to be back with all of you after our brief summertime hiatus. And it’s good to be back here in the building, in our podcast studio. Ever since the COVID epidemic began over a year ago we’ve been recording these episodes by Zoom. So, we’re delighted to be back in the building, in the podcast studio, and we’re marking this big day in the life of Beeson Divinity School with a very special guest, our new President, Dr. Beck Taylor. Dr. Taylor is no stranger to Samford or to Beeson or to Birmingham. Many years ago he was the Dean of the Brock School of Business here at Samford. But this month he succeeds Dr. Westmoreland as our 19th President. So, welcome, Dr. Taylor. >>Dr. Taylor: Thank you, Dean Sweeney. It’s good to be with you. Especially on this day when we can return to in-person podcast. I feel privileged. >>Doug Sweeney: It’s wonderful. Welcome back to the building, my dear colleague, Kristen Padilla. >>Kristen Padilla: Thank you. >>Doug Sweeney: Would you introduce our President for us and get this conversation going? >>Kristen Padilla: Sure. As you’ve already said, we have Samford’s 19th President with us today. And we’re really honored and privileged that you would be our first guest for this new season. Previously, Dr. Taylor served as President at Whitworth University. And then as my co-host, Doug, already said he served at Samford before that as the Dean of our Business School here at Samford. Dr. Taylor is a graduate of Purdue University and Baylor University. Go Bears! >>Dr. Taylor: I was going to say, not in that order, necessarily. >>Kristen Padilla: (laughter) Baylor then Purdue. And then he’s married to Julie and they have three children. So, I want to extend also my just warm gratitude and welcome to you, to the Beeson Podcast. >>Dr. Taylor: Thank you, Kristen. It’s great to be here. >>Kristen Padilla: Well, we always like to begin learning more just about you, your roots, your story. Where did you come from? Where did you grow up? And how did you come to know the Lord? >>Dr. Taylor: Yeah. That question of where are you from is sometimes a trick question for me. My father was in business and so my family moved around quite a bit as I was growing up. So, I’m never quite sure where to start that story. But let me start here. I was born in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Both of my parents were graduates of Ouachita Baptist University, which by the way is also where Dr. Westmoreland served as President before he came to Samford. I am the only son of a beauty queen and a Baptist preacher. In case you were wondering, that is the genetic material that it takes to create a Samford President. (Laughter) >>Doug Sweeney: And we can tell just by looking at you. >>Dr. Taylor: Well ... So, I grew up some in Arkansas, but my father went to Southern Seminary in Louisville, and so we quickly moved to Louisville. I lived in Louisville for the first nine years of my life. And certainly those were formative years. Sadly, my parents were divorced when I was three. So, I lived with my mom exclusively until she was re-married when I was nine. At that point we moved to Texas. It was really in Texas where I feel like I grew up and were the most formative years of my life, where I became a Christian and I’ll say more about that in just a moment. And then from some odd set of circumstances we ended up moving to Naples, Florida where I went to high school. So, I have some experience in the southeast. So, I kind of grew up everywhere. And I like to say that kind of helped me to become more interculturally competent as I as a child moved from school to school and from home to home and had to make new friends and things like that. Julie has a very similar story as well. So, we’re just used to moving around and I think that’s helped us in higher education. I always grew up in a home that loved the Lord. And so I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know the Lord, didn’t feel God’s presence in my life. Certainly where I didn’t feel that the people around me not only loved me, but also loved God and loved Jesus. But it wasn’t until I was almost a junior highschooler when living in Houston, attended a beach retreat at South Padre Island. We were members then of Second Baptist Church there in Houston. And it was then when the Lord really spoke to my heart, where I accepted God’s grace and the Lord Jesus. And really, since then have just grown in my faith, have had the privilege of working in faithful institutions my entire life, for the most part. And so that’s a little bit about my background. Again, just growing up around people, been with people who really encouraged me in my faith. >>Doug Sweeney: Probably only a few of our listeners will know your academic background is in economics, business administration. How did you get into those fields? And how has your teaching in those fields shaped you as a president? >>Dr. Taylor: Yeah, so I went to college not quite knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up. My step father was a businessman, as I mentioned. So, I thought, “Well, I’ll just start in the business school and see where this leads me.” Really fell in love with economics because it was a discipline that I was good at. I connected very quickly with my professors at Baylor. And they kept telling me that I was one of the few who was good at it. So, I took that as a sign and pursued that discipline. It was really the relationships I think that I had with my undergraduate faculty members that led me down that path. And I enjoyed college life so much and I enjoyed the academy so much I really asked them, “What do I need to do in order to stay here?” And they said, “Well, you need to go and get a PhD and join a faculty.” And so went to graduate school at Purdue University. I fell even more deeply in love with my discipline of economics. Really more the social science side of economics than the business side of economics. And then had the great privilege of returning to Baylor in my first faculty appointment. But yeah, just really enjoy studying human behavior from the economics lens. And I count myself as much a sociologist and a psychologist and a social scientist as I do a business leader. >>Doug Sweeney: A lot of us on faculty think it’s pretty cool when a new president is somebody who used to be one of us sort of come up the ranks as an academic and a teacher. Do you feel like even though you’ve been a president for so long, is there a part of you deep down that’s still a prof? >>Dr. Taylor: Absolutely. When president’s daydream, when I daydream, I daydream about going back to the faculty. And so one of these days, hopefully after a long and successful career as Samford’s president I will promote myself back to the faculty. I do count myself as an academician. I grew up on the academic side of the house, if you will. The president’s days are filled with lots of interesting things. I get to worry about facilities and I get to worry about athletics, and co-curricular life, and community relations, and fundraising and the like, but at its core Samford University is an educational institution. We are about equipping women and men to live lives of vocation – meaning in service through higher education. And so I think my time as a faculty member in the classroom, teaching, doing research, earning tenure – those kinds of things, I think have served me well as president. I think I have a real heart for faculty members because I know how difficult it is to try to juggle all of the things that we ask of our faculty. >>Kristen Padilla: I mentioned that previously to this position you were at Whitworth University as president. Can you tell our listeners just a little bit about that institution? We may have some who are unfamiliar with Whitworth. Then if you could sum up your presidency and some of the things you’re most proud of from your time at Whitworth, we would love to hear about that as well. >>Dr. Taylor: Sure. Whitworth is like Samford, a comprehensive Christian university. About half the size of Samford. And not nearly as comprehensive. We don’t have a pharmacy school, for example. We don’t have a divinity school at Whitworth. But highly rigorous, deeply faithful, academic community. One that I love and appreciate and enjoyed serving as president. So, we’re coming from a great place and I’ve told folks that only a place like Samford could have pulled us away from a place that we love so deeply, like Whitworth. In 11 years as president a lot of things come to mind when you start trying to characterize your legacy or your body of work. I worked with incredible people there. Together I’m proud to say and blessed to say that we kept Whitworth University centered on its Christ-centered mission. Even as we elevated and embraced our culture of rigorous academics. I think that’s important to say, especially in today’s world when colleges and universities, particularly faith-based ones are being pulled in so many different directions. Working, again, with faculty and staff at Whitworth, we were able to keep the institution centered on Jesus Christ. And I think that’s vitally important. Other initiatives and things that I was involved in that I think I’ll take with me certainly are our emphasis on widening the front door of the institution to students who historically have not had access to private higher education. When I arrived at Whitworth under 20% of our students, less than 20% of our students, hailed from traditionally underrepresented ethnic racial populations, socio-economically diverse populations, first generation college students, international students, the like. When I left Whitworth more than 50% of our incoming classes were counted in those categories. And again, that was an intentional effort. One that we worked hard on. And it was more than simply changing the composition of the institution. It was surrounding and supporting those students with all of the supports and things that they need to be successful at a place like Whitworth. So, certainly I was very appreciative of those achievements. Another one that perhaps would be interesting to the Beeson listeners is we worked very hard on church engagement and church relations. As a Christian university, Samford, Whitworth, we should see as part of our mission to serve the Church, the Body. We should support pastoral leaders, ordained leaders, lay leaders in the church, congregations who are interested in growing. And so at Whitworth we spent quite a bit of our time supporting those kinds of initiatives. We received quite a bit of money from the Lily Endowment and others to do that kind of work. And I’m really excited to partner with you all to extend the important work that Beeson and Samford are already doing in that area. >>Doug Sweeney: That’s exciting. And as you’ve transitioned from the presidency of Whitworth to the presidency of Samford a lot of the speeches you’ve been giving talk about both continuity and change and a lot of our listeners here are probably wishing I’ll ask. So, what does Dr. Taylor have in mind for Samford moving forward? Any priorities for the first year or so? >>Dr. Taylor: Well, I think I emphasize continuity and change because, firstly I think we need to recognize Samford is in a really good position due to the work and effort of so many and certainly the leadership of Dr. Westmoreland. I’m inheriting a healthy organization that I think is headed in the right direction. And so in some ways I want to tread lightly. Somebody asked me the other day, “What are you praying for right now?” And I halfway jokingly said, “I’m praying, ‘Lord, don’t let me screw it up.’ This place is just really doing well.” And so I want to celebrate that and I want Samford to continue that trajectory of success. That’s what I mean by continuity. Certainly also what I mean by continuity is that Samford is a Christ-centered institution. We organize ourselves, we animate our work around the person and work of Jesus Christ. And that needs to stay constant and stable. Even as the institution grows and changes. I like to make the point that we’re preparing women and men to go into a world that’s changing very quickly. And that means that as a university sometimes we need to think about changing quickly. How are our programs, our coursework, our initiatives – how are they serving our students and our communities in relevant ways? And if that requires us to change from time to time, we need to embrace that change. So, embracing both that continuity, that inertia, if you will at a place that is 180 years old benefits from, but also not being afraid to tinker at the margins and to be entrepreneurial and innovative as we’re led to do that. In my first year, I want to listen well to this community. You mentioned in the introduction that I’m no stranger to Samford. I spent five wonderful years of my professional career here at Samford in the business school. But it would be a mistake to assume that Samford is the place I left 11 years ago. Just like I hope it would be a mistake to assume I’m the same person I am or that I was 11 years ago. So, I want to listen well to the community. I want to talk with our campus leaders, our faculty/staff/students, our parents, our benefactors, those that benefit from the work of the institution here in Birmingham and beyond. And I want to listen to their Samford stories. I want to understand why they are optimistic about this place. And also candidly where those edges of growth and change are. And I hope that over the course of the year I’ll begin to develop my own narratives of change that perhaps together then with the full Samford community we can embark on a new strategic plan and vision that I’ll help to lead and that we’ll work on together. >>Kristen Padilla: That’s great. You’ve mentioned already Christian mission. I’ve heard that come up. And Doug and I know that you are supportive of the work that we’re doing here at Beeson Divinity School. We’re very grateful. I know that when you were Dean you took a class here at Beeson. So, I would just love to know your perspective of how Beeson fits in the mission of the university and if you have any hopes or vision for us as a divinity school, as it relates to your work here at Samford. >>Dr. Taylor: I started a Beeson degree when I was here. I only got one course into it, because I was called away to Whitworth. But my one course ... If I had to pick one course I’m glad I picked Norfleete Day’s course in Spiritual Formation. What a wonderful course that was that continues to benefit me to this day. I’m so grateful that a place like Samford University has a school like Beeson. An interdenominational, evangelical school that prepares leaders in the church in ministry. That is central to the mission of Samford University. So, first, I’m just so grateful that we have a place like Beeson. And I want to work with you, the faculty/staff/students of Beeson, to continue to think about how Beeson can be relevant and important in the life of those who want to come and get an education and go and serve Christ’s church in meaningful ways. And not just the conferring of credentials and degrees but also how we as a Samford and Beeson community can extend the considerable resources that we have here to the Church, to continue to equip those who are called to work and enable the church and the Church itself. So, I’m excited to roll up my sleeves. I know the Dean has an ambitious plan for the school. And I really can’t wait to partner with you to see so much of that come to fruition. But as you know Samford has ten colleges and schools. For its size it’s an incredibly comprehensive institution, but I’m so grateful for the work of Beeson Divinity School. And looking forward to working alongside both of you and others. >>Doug Sweeney: Our listeners will enjoy getting to know your family. I’ve gotten to know a couple of members of your family already. They are delightful people. Could you tell us just a little bit about them? Maybe especially about Julie and what she’s hoping to do? >>Dr. Taylor: Sure. Julie and I have been married for 28 years. We met at Baylor University. We were married shortly after graduation. And we are truly partners in our work. There are perhaps few people who get to see their spouse as truly a professional partner. But we get to do that. We work together. Her office in Samford Hall is right down the hall from mine. And we’re called to this work together. First and foremost, she loves students. We love students. We want to be in an among those that Samford is educating. And so what a wonderful gift it is to be able to do that together. She works primarily in constituent engagement. So, she’ll be working on the fundraising alumni relations side of things. She’s the Executive Director of the Samford Legacy League and working with that organization to raise important scholarship dollars for our students. But she’s just as thrilled to be at Samford as I am. I think our constituency will get to know her very quickly because she won’t be too far away from me in any one moment. So, really blessed to have Julie by my side in this work. We have three children. Our oldest, Zack, is a Belmont grad and lives in Nashville, Tennessee and is pursuing a music recording career. Somewhat successfully right now. I’m glad to say. Our oldest daughter, Lauren, graduated from Whitworth University two years ago and is starting medical school this fall at the University of Washington. And our youngest, Chloe, is in tow. She is actually our Alabamian. She was born here in Birmingham. So, she’s our passport back to Samford and to Alabama. She’s 14 and will be starting high school at Vestavia Hills High School this fall. She’s interested in dance and being with friends and church life and other things. So, we live a busy, full life. We’re still grateful to have Chloe at home with us. >>Kristen Padilla: We’ll be praying for Chloe. I know that’s a big transition. You mentioned church and just recently you re-joined Dawson Memorial Baptist Church. And I say “re-joined” because that is where you were a member before when you were here at Samford. And now we have a Beeson alum serving as pastor, Dr. David Eldridge. So, I’d love to hear just about Dawson and what that church means to you and your family. >>Dr. Taylor: Yeah. So, I have to back up just a bit. You’ve already mentioned that we were members at Dawson for the time we were here. And of course Dawson and Samford and Beeson have so many connections that we could talk about. But it was about January of this year when Julie and I began to sense that the Lord might be calling us back to Samford and to Birmingham. And so we decided at that point in Zoom and COVID you can do this now. We started worshipping, if you will, at Dawson back in January. David Eldridge, as you mentioned, is a Beeson alum and really kind of the face of Beeson if you don’t look too far on the billboards and advertisements and other things. Dr. Eldridge was preaching on Exodus at the time. And I thought, “Wow, how appropriate,” you know? The Lord may be preparing us for an exodus of sorts from Spokane. Of course, we were called to Samford in March and we didn’t hesitate at all to let people know right away that we would be re-joining the Dawson family of faith. Julie and I were very plugged in at Dawson, as were our children. We taught a newly married Sunday School class for five years. And look forward to being involved in that congregation again. We’re very excited about that. >>Doug Sweeney: Dr. Taylor, we always like to end these conversations with guests by asking them what the Lord is teaching them these days that might be an encouragement to listeners. And as I thought about asking this question of you, it occurred to me, “My goodness, this has been such a big year for you. Surely the Lord has been teaching you things, but I’m not sure you’ve had time to process it.” But with all that said, what do you think? Anything that he’s been doing in your life, showing you these days that could be encouraging to us? >>Dr. Taylor: Absolutely. The Lord has been so faithful, so true, so gracious to our family this past year. It’s been a year of change. And not just moving a family from Spokane to Birmingham. It’s been a difficult year for all of us, especially those of us involved in ministry and churches and universities. And so it’s been a challenging year and the Lord has just been so gracious and faithful to us as a family. That has manifested in so many ways. Not least of which an important church back home in Spokane that surrounded us with love and prayer and discernment even as we were contemplating a move. But also the ways in which the Spirit has just spoken to our hearts in the midst of this transition. To affirm us in this. You know, in as much as we can discern the will of God we have felt that God is indeed calling us back here to Samford and to Birmingham. But the Spirit has been incredible gracious to affirm that in really tangible ways through relationship, through words of encouragement, through prayer, through certain things just falling in place for us, it’s just been marvelous to see and watch and witness. It’s also hard to assume a role like the president of Samford University to follow my dear friend, Dr. Andy Westmoreland, Gina Westmoreland. To enter into this space, a place with so much history and profound meaning in the lives of so many. It’s hard to do any of that and not walk away with a real sense of humility. These are big shoes to fill. And so we have been relying on the Lord’s grace and provision each and every morning as we wake up. First of all, to meet us with joy, to encourage us, to open doors that reveal the ways God wants us to work and move and serve in this community. And even in just the first 11 days of being president at Samford. I can count numerous ways that that has happened. I think the last thing I would say is having been a university president for 11 years, I can say with some degree of confidence that I’ve been around the block a few times. I understand this job for the most part. I understand what it takes to lead a complex organization, certainly a place like Samford. But there’s a big difference between knowing how to do a job and putting your heart and soul into a job. And each and every morning I’ve been praying that God would give me a new love for this place, a new calling, if you will. Even on a daily basis to love and serve this place with all of my heart and all of my soul. Not just simply to go through the motions of being president, but really to serve this place with all of myself, all of my being, all of my spirit, my love, my passion. And my God has met me there in so many wonderful ways. And so I hope that’s an encouragement. It’s been an encouragement to us. >>Doug Sweeney: It’s an encouragement to me, for sure. Our listeners, you have been listening to our new president, Dr. Beck Taylor. He will serve as the successor to Dr. Westmoreland, as the 19th president of Samford. As you can tell by the way he concluded this interview, he’s a man of faith, a man of God. Can’t tell you how excited I am personally and we are at Beeson to welcome him as our president and to serve alongside with him to the glory of God. Thanks for being with us. Goodbye for now. >>Kristen Padilla: You’ve been listening to the Beeson podcast. Our theme music is written and performed by Advent Birmingham of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. Our engineer is Rob Willis. Our announcer is Mike Pasquarello. Our co-hosts are Doug Sweeney and, myself, Kristen Padilla. Please subscribe to the Beeson podcast at www.BeesonDivinity.com/podcast or on iTunes.