On June 1, 2020, the university announced the installation of a memorial honoring "the sacrifices of many African Americans for the mission and vision of Samford University even in days when their efforts were invisible or barely acknowledged." It specifically named Gaston and an enslaved servant named Harry who died while saving students from the 1854 fire. A public dedication of the memorial was held on February 15, 2022. In 2021, the university announced the creation of a "a four-year cohort experience for leaders among Samford’s multicultural student body" and named it in honor of Ragland. In 2024, the university announced a new residence hall would be named in honor of Gaston.
=== 21st century ===
Andrew Westmoreland was appointed president of the university in 2006. That year, the Jane Hollock Brock Recital Hall was dedicated as part of the university’s fine arts complex. A new soccer and track facility opened in 2011, part of a decade-long expansion of new athletics facilities that included a tennis …
