Education Commons^™

Recognizing Paralanguage In Teaching, Allison Delmonico

The Downtown Review

Paralanguage is used every day to communicate and is related to one’s culture. It is often unconscious, however, when teaching a conscious effort should be made so one understands how they are perceived by others and what signals they give off. Teachers must take into consideration their own culture, the culture of the community they teach in, and the culture of students and their families. Teachers use paralanguage when communicating with their colleagues and need to understand how best to collaborate with each other. When communicating with parents, teachers need to make sure they feel welcome in the classroom and …

Naturi Harris And Marcus Mcgahee Receive Ouachita's Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University students Naturi Harris and Marcus McGahee have been named the recipients of the 2023 Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award for Black student leaders. They both will receive $2,500.

Established in 2020, the scholarship honors the legacy of civil rights activist and Arkadelphia native Annie Abrams of Little Rock, Ark., and recognizes students who have demonstrated leadership and service within Ouachita’s Multicultural Organization Reaching Equality (MORE), living out the university’s mission to live lives of meaningful work.

Volunteers Recognized For Service Through Ouachita's Elrod Center, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Volunteers who serve through the Ben M. Elrod Center for Family & Community at Ouachita Baptist University were recognized Tuesday, April 18, during the center’s annual University Community Service Awards banquet in Walker Conference Center on the Ouachita campus.

“The University Community Service Awards Celebration is a once-a-year gathering to honor Ouachita volunteers who have excelled in service to our community. Through the Elrod Center, these volunteers touch lives at many intersections serving children, teens, families, senior adults, individuals with disabilities, nonprofits, schools, churches and our campus,” said Judy Duvall, Elrod Center director. “This is a joyful night of celebration …

Ouachita Student Media Honored Among The Best Locally, Nationally, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University student media have earned 82 awards for excellence, including seven national and 38 state awards for the Ouachitonian yearbook and 37 state awards for the Signal newspaper, Ouachita Sports Digital Network, online media, and television coverage.

The 2022 Ouachitonian was honored with a Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press. Announced in March during the ACP National College Media Conference in San Francisco, the Pacemaker is one of the oldest nationwide awards for college journalism. Additionally, the Ouachitonian was awarded the All-American distinction in the ACP’s annual critique service of student publications. Marks of Distinction were earned …

Ouachita Senior Joshua Spiva Publishes Research Paper In "Polymers", Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Joshua Spiva, a senior biomedical sciences and chemistry double major from Magnet Cove, Ark., published a research paper in the scientific journal, “Polymers.”

The paper, titled “Electrospinning Drug-Loaded Alginate-Based Nanofibers towards Developing a Drug Release Rate Catalog,” details the results of Spiva’s research on creating a catalog to help biomedical scientists understand how drugs release from certain materials. He worked for more than 2 ½ years on the project with Dr. Sharon Hamilton, associate professor of chemistry at Ouachita, to complete research that Hamilton began with students at Delta State University, where she was an assistant professor of chemistry before …

Ouachita Students Earn Top Honors In Governor's Cup Competition, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Students from Ouachita Baptist University’s Hickingbotham School of Business placed first and second in the small business division and first in the elevator pitch competition during the 23rd annual Arkansas Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition on April 7 in Fayetteville, Ark.

Jillian Woodruff, a senior business administration/management major from Hope, Ark., placed first overall in the Winrock Automotive Small Business Division and won a $10,000 cash prize with Waderbuddy, a product designed to help users remove duck hunting waders quickly and safely. She was advised by Dr. Chris Brune, professor of finance and George Young Chair of Business at …

Ouachita To Hold Commencement Exercises May 13, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University will host its 136^th Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 13, at 9:30 a.m. on the front lawn of Cone-Bottoms Hall. The ceremony will honor more than 400 graduates, including awarding the university’s first Master of Science in Education degrees in curriculum & instruction.

Others recognized include those who have earned Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, as well as Master of Science degrees and post-baccalaureate certificates for Dietetic Internship. Graduates recognized will include students who completed their degree …

Lane Dunman Named Winner Of Second Annual David Glaze Music Competition, Kaelin Clay, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Lane Dunman, a sophomore instrumental music education major from Cash, Ark., won the Second Annual David Glaze Music Competition at Ouachita Baptist University. Held on Thursday, April 27, in McBeth Recital Hall, the competition featured performances from five finalists representing various music disciplines in Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts.

“Of the several performances I’ve been involved in at Ouachita, this is my favorite program of music I’ve prepared,” Dunman said. “I feel that it gave me an opportunity to relax and focus more on musicality and quality of sound – what I think are my two biggest strengths as a …

Madison Melcher Wins $5,000 In Annual Ouachita Business Plan Competition, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Hickingbotham School of Business hosted its 13th annual Business Plan Competition in December. Madison Melcher, a senior business administration major from Rockwall, Texas, placed first in the competition with her business plan, Covered by Grace, and received a $5,000 cash prize. Melcher was advised by Johan Eriksson, visiting instructor of business administration and director of entrepreneurship programs.

Megan Foshee Selected For National League For Nursing Leadership Program, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Megan Foshee, assistant professor and coordinator of the nursing simulation lab in Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Nursing, has been selected for the National League for Nursing’s 2023 Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators. The year-long initiative is part of the NLN Leadership Institute.

The simulation leadership development initiative is designed for experienced nurse educators in the simulation field who want to have a leadership role in simulation.

Foshee is one of 15 education simulationists chosen to participate this year in the program, which cultivates leadership skills in nurse educators who have already gained experience at work in the field. …

Executing Vision: Operationalizing The Vision Statement Of Logos Preparatory Academy In Sugar Land, Texas, Jason Henderson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This thesis addresses the problem of finding a way to operationalize the vision statement of Logos Preparatory Academy. Logos Preparatory Academy (Logos Prep) is a school of around six hundred students located in Sugar Land, Texas. After interviewing some of the school founders and student leadership and examining documents from the founding of the school, it became evident Logos Prep is a school in need of a more efficient and effective way to execute the vision statement of “Families and students making an impact for Christ” through the goals set forth in their Portrait of a Graduate. Using the works …

Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2023: Called To Communicate, Cedarville University

Cedarville Magazine

No abstract provided.

Ouachita Department Of Theatre Arts To Host One Act Play Festival May 4-5, Kaelin Clay, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

The Ouachita Baptist University Department of Theatre Arts will present its Student Directed One Act Play Festival on May 4-5 at 7:30 p.m. in Verser Theatre. The performances are free and open to the public, and they are based on students’ work in a play directing course taught by Dr. Dawn Schluetz, visiting associate professor of theatre arts.

Transforming Black Students’ Higher Education Experiences And Lives: A Proposal For The Csu, Don Lundy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

For decades, a racial “achievement gap” has persisted in U.S. higher education. Specifically, White students have outperformed Black students on a number of indicators, including college admissions, standardized test scores, and graduation rates. This graduate project considers several explanations for this persistent inequity. The root of the problem, it argues, is U.S. higher education’s history of racism and exclusion and the oversaturation of whiteness in these institutions. In other words, U.S. higher education was built for and continues to serve White students at the expense of Black students. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) show us that when whiteness is …

Ouachita's Office Of Communications & Marketing Earns National Recognitions, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Office of Communications & Marketing earned eight national recognitions as part of Baptist Communicators Association’s 59^th annual Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition; those honors included four first place awards for branding and recruitment materials. The awards were announced April 19 at the organization’s annual meeting at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, N.C.

“I’m so proud of the team we have in the Office of Communications & Marketing. It’s rare to be able to execute creative elements of this caliber in-house,” said Brooke Zimny, chief marketing officer. “I’m grateful for the skill and dedication our team displays, …

Ouachita's Division Of Music Presents Annual Prism Concert May 1, Kelsey Bester

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music presents its annual PRISM concert on Monday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. Free and open to the public, the concert will include performances from Ouachita’s instrumental ensembles.

“The Ouachita PRISM Concert is one of my favorite concerts of the year,” said Dr. Craig Hamilton, Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music and director of bands at Ouachita. “It features many of our instrumental ensembles in a unique setting. I am very proud of the music our students and faculty create and look forward to sharing their achievements with our audience.”

Sherry Kuhn Named Ouachita's Support Staff Member Of The Year, Addie Woods, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Sherry Kuhn, senior cash manager and grant specialist in the Office of Business Services at Ouachita Baptist University, has been named the university’s 2022-23 Support Staff Member of the Year. Kuhn was recognized in April by the university’s staff development committee and Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president.

She was selected from a group of nominees who demonstrated outstanding performance in their work responsibilities, in supporting the mission of the university and in relating positively to students, coworkers and members of the public.

Dr. Caroline Taylor Named Dean Of Ouachita's School Of Fine Arts, Felley Lawson, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Dr. Caroline B. Taylor, professor of music and interim chair of the Division of Music at Ouachita Baptist University, has been named dean of Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts. She will provide leadership starting June 2023 to the school’s divisions of and Applied Arts in pursuing their goal of producing artists and scholars who integrate their intellect and faith with their art, and their art with their worldview.

“I am thrilled to be appointed the next School of Fine Arts dean and excited to be in a position to continue the long-held tradition of excellence the arts have always held …

Julia Letcher To Perform Senior Vocal Recital April 28, Addie Woods, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

The Division of Music in Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will host Julia Letcher for her senior vocal recital Friday, April 28, at 11 a.m. in McBeth Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Letcher is a musical theatre major from Plano, Texas. She has been named to the President’s and Dean’s lists at Ouachita, where she is a Friend of the Arts Scholar, a member of Tri Chi women’s social club, serves as president of Alpha Psi Omega national theatre honor society and performed the role of Miss Andrew in the Department of …

Ouachita Students Honored For Their Work Published In "Assayers 31", Kaitlyn Stoddard, Kaelin Clay, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

The Department of Language & Literature in Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Humanities honored nine students for their academic and creative writing featured in “Assayers 31,” the department’s annual academic journal used for instruction in all Composition I classes. The students were recognized during a fall awards ceremony at the Elrod Center for Family & Community.

Ouachita Baptist University's Elrod Center Hosts 52nd Tiger Serve Day, Coleman Callan, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

The Ben M. Elrod Center for Family & Community at Ouachita Baptist University held its 52^nd Tiger Serve Day on Saturday, April 1. More than 600 Ouachita students, faculty and staff divided into 87 teams to complete 89 service projects at homes, non-profit organizations and churches in the Arkadelphia area.

“Tiger Serve Day is a particularly humbling experience for those who serve. It is a huge part of the Ouachita tradition, and I am so glad to be a part of the team that puts the day together,” said Allie Graves, a junior community and family services major from …

Reflections On The X Factor (Ouachita Fosters Deep Bonds, Complex Community), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

When Ouachita turned 100, the marketing around the 1986 centennial celebration promised that the university offers The Best of Life – an audacious claim, if you think about it. As a student, though, I wouldn’t have pushed back on it. Life on campus was the best I could imagine right then, or ever.

The singular experience of attending Ouachita shaped me at my core. It afforded me an outstanding liberal arts education provided by accomplished, accessible professors who were preternaturally genius at striking the delicate balance between nurturing and challenging their students. They cared if I showed up, helped me …

Sara (Wheeler) Mcdaniel '98 (Renovation Takes Root), Jon Merryman

Press Releases

If you’ve ever wondered why Minden, La., is called “the friendliest city in the South,” one visit with Sara McDaniel ’98 explains it all. She is genuine, friendly, humble and kind – much like others you’ll meet in this sweet, Southern town.

After teaching elementary students in Texas for 10 years, McDaniel shifted to a career that supported teachers through educational sales and consulting. During this time, she went through a difficult divorce, struggling with what was next.

After feeling the Lord leading her to return home to Louisiana in 2014, McDaniel set her sights on restoring a cottage built …

Why We Engage, Ben Sells

Press Releases

Contemporary higher education narratives can be negative, often deservedly so. Alternatively, Ouachita’s story is positive – in large part because of our determination to engage.

We engage students. I tell prospective students, “If you don’t want us to know your name, don’t come to Ouachita.” We intend to be a campus where students are known, cultivating a tightly-knit community, believing the personal investment of our lives in students’ lives matters. This ethos helps explain why our four-year graduation rate is almost double the state’s average. Similarly, it explains why our career outcomes rate – the percentage of our grads …

Ann (Owen) Chami '83 (Caring Builds Connection), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

It’s often been said that you can’t kid a kidder. Ann Chami ’83 would say that you can’t kid a kid.

“Children have the unique ability to discern how adults feel about them,” said Chami, a veteran educator who serves as head of lower school at Little Rock Christian Academy. “If they know you genuinely care for them and love them, they will do anything for you.”

Chami earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in early childhood education from Ouachita in 1983 and spent the next 20 years teaching first, second or third grade before becoming an …

Chris Babb '99 (Instructor Of Communications And Director Of Sports Media Productions), Anna Roussel, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

As a senior communications major at Ouachita, Chris Babb ’99 sat across the desk from his advisor, Dr. Bill Downs, and told him he might want to teach. He was not sure what was pulling him in that direction but knew his future job also would involve sports.

“Dr. Downs told me, ‘Don’t do that. Go out in the world and get some experience, and then in 20 years if something comes available, you’ll have experience and you can teach,’” Babb said. “That was in the spring of 1999. In the spring of 2019, exactly 20 years later, was when …

Courage To Engage, Brooke Zimny, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita prides itself in its personal approach to higher education, from the thoughtful attention prospective students receive during their college search, to the ways faculty and staff invest in students’ lives, to our commitment to tight-knit Christian community, which is built in dozens of ways for students whether they live on campus or attend classes online. During the pandemic, this level of engagement was challenged. Physical distance separated us; events, classes and residence life took new approaches.

While life over the last year slowly began to look more like the pre-pandemic world, things came into focus on campus even more …

Honoring Firsts (Green-Blevins Rotunda Dedication To Ouachita's First African American Graduates), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Carolyn Jean Green and the late Gustine Blevins, who in 1966 became the first African American graduates in Ouachita’s history, were celebrated Nov. 12 when the Green-Blevins Rotunda was dedicated in their honor.

The community-wide service and reception brought a standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty, staff and visitors to the refurbished rotunda in McClellan Hall at 10 a.m. for a program featuring guest speakers Green and Dr. LaJuan Martin, Blevins’ son.

“I have felt like I’m truly coming home,” said Green, the first Black student to live in a Ouachita dorm and pledge a social club, options she didn’t have …

Quantel Williams (Director Of Residence Life), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Hang out in Evans Student Center awhile with Quantel Williams, and it soon becomes obvious why this is his favorite place on campus.

Williams was named Ouachita’s director of residence life in June; he’s also a member of the campus police force, an adjunct professor in Christian studies and a bi-vocational pastor. Engaging with students is an important part of his work.

Before becoming Res Life director, Williams served as resident director at Tollett Hall and then O.C. Bailey Hall. He’s a student favorite among Ouachita staff. Even in a frenetic lunchtime crowd in “the stu,” they seek him out …

Building Before: Community Resiliency As Emergency Management, Alexandria Rinne

Honors Theses

This project seeks to address gaps in emergency preparedness education related to tornado response. Through an examination of current research about best practices for tornado emergency management response and an examination of the needs of FEMA Regions 7 and 8, the author has identified key strategies and stakeholders to increase positive outcome through building community engagement and resiliency. Three presentations were created for delivery to key community stakeholders—local government officials; non-governmental organizations, social networks, and associations; and individual private citizens. The project offers an overview of background research and provides presentation slide decks, scripts, and discussion guides, all created with …