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Collegium: A Newsletter of the Howard College of Arts & Sciences

Collegium is Latin for "persons united by the same office or calling, or living by some common rules, a college, guild, corporation, society, union, company, fraternity." Like many classical terms, it came to have religious overtones in the Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church has, for instance, a "College" of Cardinals. Early colleges were generally formed for religious purposes, but we now use the term to refer to any kind of post-secondary educational experience. Samford University had its origin as Howard College in 1841 and did not change that name until the addition of professional schools led to re-naming the school in 1965 as a university in honor of Frank Samford. The Howard College of Arts and Sciences has retained both the title and the tradition of Samford's long history as a liberal arts college.

Thus, Collegium is a fitting name for the Arts and Sciences newsletter. The idea that those coming to college are "united by the same calling" is as true today as it was in Middle Ages. We are united by a love of knowledge and a desire to understand the mysteries of the universe. We share the calling of Chaucer's Oxford scholar, of whom it was said, "And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche." We are also united at Samford by a desire to live as those seeking the wisdom of God and to serve one who was the Light of the World.

We hope that as you share the insights of our Collegium, you will also feel a common calling and a common bond. Like Chaucer's pilgrims on the way to Canterbury, we often find our journey is shortened and our lives enriched by those who join us on the way to a common destination.