Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ouachita Honors 309 Graduates During 133rd Commencement, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University celebrated 309 graduates from the classes of 2019 and 2020 during its 133nd commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 5. The ceremony, which was rescheduled from its original date in May due to COVID-19, was held outdoors at Cliff Harris Stadium on Ouachita’s campus and followed Arkansas Department of Health protocols for guest and graduate safety.

University officials conferred Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president, presided over the commencement exercises.

Cross Brandon Named Winner Of Ouachita's 2020 Mcbeth Concerto Competition, Rachel Gaddis

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Cross Brandon was named the winner of the 2020 W. Francis and Mary McBeth Wind and Percussion Concerto Competition on Nov. 20. Because the event was limited to the Ouachita community due to COVID-19, the event can be viewed at livestream.com/obu.

Brandon is a junior music industry major from Little Rock, Ark. He received a $500 award for his saxophone performance of “Rhapsody for Baritone Saxophone and Piano” by M. Watters. He also has been invited to perform with the Ouachita Wind Ensemble in Spring 2020.

Ouachita Faculty, Staff Honored For Combined 780 Years Of Service, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University recently recognized 36 faculty and staff members in celebration of their milestone anniversaries working for the university. Together they have served a total of 780 years at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, with six faculty and staff members celebrating 35 years or more.

This year’s longest-serving honorees are Janice Ford and Kevin Sullivan. Ford, professor and government documents librarian, celebrated 45 years of service and Sullivan, facilities management, was recognized for 40 years.

Memorial Gift Honors Ouachita Student Charlee Morrison, Invests In Cancer Research At Ouachita, Rachel Moreno, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University has received a gift from Russell and Patti Morrison in memory of their daughter, Charlee Morrison, a former Ouachita student who passed away in 2000 during her senior year at Ouachita. The gift will be used to enhance Ouachita’s first undergraduate research laboratory dedicated to cancer cell biology.

Last month marked the 20^th anniversary of Morrison’s passing. Originally from Benton, Ark., she battled cancer from the young age of 13 and passed away due to complications on Oct. 30, 2000, in Little Rock. Morrison was a sociology major, a member of Tri Chi women’s social club …

Hamilton Awarded $297,000 Arkansas Idea Networks Of Biomedical Research Excellence Grant, Mandy Halbert, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Dr. Sharon Hamilton, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded $297,431 in funding over the next two and a half years by the Arkansas IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) to support her research of incorporating proteins into novel modern wound dressings. Hamilton, who joined the Ouachita faculty in 2018, is working in collaboration with Dr. Suresh Thallapuranam, chair of bioinformatics research and professor at the University of Arkansas.

Hamilton’s research with Thallapuranam aims to accelerate the wound healing process by exploring the cellular responses to fiber mats and its release of larger molecules that aid …

Ouachita Crowns Holly Shipp As 2020 Homecoming Queen, Madison Cresswell, Ouachita News Bureau

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Holly Shipp, a senior Christian studies/Biblical studies, Christian missions and Christian ministries triple major from Arlington, Texas, was crowned Ouachita Baptist University’s 2020 Homecoming Queen on Thursday morning in Evans Student Center surrounded by her peers. Shipp represented the Pruet Sisterhood. She is a member of Tri Chi women’s social club and involved in Campus Ministries.

Ouachita To Present One Act Play Festival For On-Campus Audiences Nov. 19-20, Meagan A. Woodard, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Theatre Arts will present its biannual, student directed One Act Play Festival on Thursday, Nov. 19, and Friday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Verser Theatre. Due to health guidelines, limited seating is available only to Ouachita students, faculty and staff. Tickets are free and available at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

The One Act Play Festival features a variety of plays entirely produced by students for their end-of-semester project in Ouachita’s senior directing class. The performances highlight what students have learned in the course and in their years at Ouachita.

Ouachita To Host "Unseen Imprints" Exhibit By Guest Artist Trinity Kai Through Dec. 11, Jessica Daniell, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Rosemary Adams Department of Visual Arts will host “Unseen Imprints,” an exhibit by guest artist Trinity Kai, beginning Monday, Nov. 2. The exhibit will be displayed in the Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery on the first floor of Moses-Provine Hall through December 11 and is free and open to the public.

According to Kai’s show statement, “Unseen Imprints” is “a collection of works that examine the emotional impact that humans leave on one another.” The exhibit includes self-portraiture, written language and materiality to express the personal experiences that have shaped the artist, particularly her experiences as a person …

Ouachita To Host Guest Percussionist Caitlin Jones In Recital Featuring World Premiere Oct. 28, Madison Cresswell, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host percussionist Caitlin Jones in a solo guest artist recital on Wed., Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. in Ouachita’s McBeth Recital Hall in Mabee Fine Arts Center. Seating in the hall is limited to current students, faculty and staff due to COVID-19, but the performance also will be available at www.livestream.com/obu.

Ouachita Department Of Theatre Arts To Present "Hay Fever" Nov. 4-8, Madeline Martin, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Theatre Arts will present its fall production, “Hay Fever,” beginning Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Verser Theatre. Performances will continue Nov. 5-7 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19, seating is limited to Ouachita students, faculty and staff, but a ticketed livestreaming option will be available at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

Written by Noel Coward, “Hay Fever” is a three-act comedy set in 1920s London. The plot focuses on the self-centered Bliss family, whose eccentricity becomes apparent when each member invites a guest for the …

Ouachita Surprises Students By Canceling Classes On Oct. 16, Declaring Student Catch-Up Day, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University surprised its students today, Oct. 16, by declaring it Student Catch-up Day and canceling classes in an effort to encourage self-care. The unplanned break was largely in response to a survey of students conducted last weekend to check in on their academic and personal well-being in the midst of an unprecedented semester. While students reported doing well overall, their comments reflected a sense of weariness and desire for a break.

Ouachita's Fall Concerts And Theatre Productions Available Online, Jessica Daniell, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts has made adjustments to its fall concert and theatre season to both allow students to continue their performance education and allow viewers to experience their art safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With reduced seating available to allow for physical distancing, in-person attendance for many events will be limited to Ouachita students, faculty and staff only. However, streaming options will be available for most events for off-campus patrons or those who prefer the virtual option. Some events will be streamed live for free via Ouachita’s typical Livestream channel: www.livestream.com/obu. Others will require paid …

Dixon, Salmon, Steward To Present Senior Graphic Design Exhibits Through Oct. 23, Mandy Halbert, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will host the senior exhibits of Samantha Dixon, Josh Salmon and Mackenzie Stewart beginning Monday, Oct. 12, through Friday, Oct. 23, in the Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery on the second floor of Moses-Provine Hall. While the artists will forgo receptions and gallery talks due to COVID-19, the exhibits are free and open to the public for viewing.

Jones Wins First Place In Ouachita's Student Juried Art Show, Mallory Morris, Ouachita News Bureau

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At the start of September, Ouachita Baptist University’s Rosemary Adams Department of Visual Arts announced Sollie Jones, a 2020 communications & media/film studies graduate from Livingston, Texas, as the winner of its annual Student Juried Art Show. The exhibit featured an array of art pieces created by students across campus.

Jones received first place for her charcoal sketch “Comfy Travels;” Dr. Jennifer Fayard, associate professor of psychology, received second place for her ceramic piece “Recovery;” and Sabaoot Esho, a sophomore graphic design major from Erbil, Iraq, received third place for her colored pencil drawing “Lenses.”

Ouachita's Riley-Hickingbotham Library Receives Copy Of Arkansas' Porter Fund Literary Prize Collection, Mandy Halbert, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Riley-Hickingbotham Library is among five Arkansas universities, as well as only one of two private libraries, chosen to receive a copy of the Porter Fund Collection, a curation of works by award-winning Arkansas writers. The collection will be available for Ouachita students, faculty and staff to read virtually, and an exhibition is to be held in the spring of 2021.

The Porter Fund Collection is the curation of works by Arkansas writers who have received the Porter Fund Literary Prize, an award presented annually to a native writer or poet who has accomplished a substantial and impressive …

Ouachita's Fall 2020 Tiger Serve Day Sees Strong Turnout Despite Pandemic, Julie Shands, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Elrod Center for Family and Community held its Fall 2020 Tiger Serve Day event on Saturday, Sep. 26, with 116 teams and 850 total volunteers participating. A total of 112 projects also were completed around the Arkadelphia community, despite physical distancing and other changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Ouachita students, faculty and staff reflected this year’s theme, “Back to the Streets.”

Ouachita Awarded $37,000 Netvue Development Grant To Encourage Discovery Through Reflective Writing, Madison Cresswell, Ouachita News Bureau

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Earlier this year, Ouachita Baptist University was awarded a $37,000 program development grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) for its proposal “Discerning Vocation Through Writing.” The two-year grant is intended to equip faculty to better assist students in discerning their vocation through reflective writing exercises.

Ouachita Ranked "#2 Regional College In The South" And More By "U.S. News And World Report, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University has been named “#2 Best Regional College in the South” for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The university landed high honors in other categories in the region, as well, including #4 rankings for “Most Innovative” and “Best Undergraduate Teaching” and #5 for “Best Value.”

The U.S. News rankings come as Ouachita has its highest fall enrollment in 20 years and the highest four-year graduation rate on record for the institution.

Ouachita's Elrod Center Receives Celebrate Literacy Award By Arkansas Literacy Association, Mandy Halbert, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Elrod Center for Family and Community received the Arkansas Literacy Association’s (ALA) Celebrate Literacy Award this summer for its America Reads/America Counts, Peake Partnership and Homeschool/After-School tutoring programs in Arkadelphia. Leigh Anne McKinney, assistant director of the Elrod Center, attended a virtual ceremony in July hosted by the ALA Council Leadership Institute to accept the award.

Ouachita's Fall 2020 Enrollment Grows Amid Pandemic, Highest Since 2000, Brooke Zimny, Ouachita News Bureau

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Even amid the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ouachita Baptist University’s fall 2020 enrollment has grown to 1,704, a 4% increase from fall 2019 and the highest headcount the university has seen since 2000. Newly released data also reflect a strong academic profile for incoming Ouachita freshmen as well as standout retention and graduation rates.

“As a Christian university, we genuinely believe every good gift comes from the Lord,” said Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president. “We’re thankful for our students and for the support of their families. In the midst of a pandemic, our already incredibly committed faculty and staff …

Thirty-Two Ouachita Students Named To Who's Who, Ashly Stracener, Madison Cresswell, Ouachita News Bureau, Justin Trostle

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Thirty-two students from Ouachita Baptist University will be included in the latest edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. The students were chosen by Ouachita’s faculty, staff and the 2020 senior class based on their academic performance, leadership in extracurricular activities, community service and potential for success.

Ouachita Student Foundation To Host Tiger Tunes Rewind Livestream Event Oct. 3, Rachel Moreno, Ouachita News Bureau

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The Ouachita Student Foundation has announced that it will livestream Tiger Tunes, its annual fundraising event for student scholarships, with the theme “Tunes REWIND” on Saturday, Oct. 3. The decision to move the event to a virtual format comes in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are focusing on doing everything possible to protect the health and safety of our students and any guests who come to campus,” said Jon Merryman, director of alumni relations and the Ouachita Student Foundation.

“Tiger Tunes is such an important part of the Ouachita culture,” said Brady Barton, a senior political science and …

Ouachita Hires Shepherd In Full-Time Role To Support Students, Faculty And Staff Of Color, Brooke Zimny, Ouachita News Bureau

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Dr. Ben Sells, president of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, announced today that Dr. Lewis Shepherd, Jr., will join the school’s executive leadership team as special assistant to the president.

Ouachita's Virtual Ar-Cure Synthetic Biology Workshop Equips Faculty Around The Country, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Biological Sciences virtually hosted 45 faculty members from 38 colleges and universities last month in its fourth annual AR-CURE Synthetic Biology Workshop, an academic initiative to train institutions to incorporate semester-long research in undergraduate classrooms. The Arkansas-Course Embedded Undergraduate Research Experience (AR-CURE) teaches faculty participants the importance of course-based research and shares how to conduct Ouachita’s Synthetic Biology project at their institutions or to use it as a model to create their own.

Ouachita Faculty Team Selected For National Disability Inclusion Grant, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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A team of Ouachita Baptist University faculty members has been selected as a recipient of the Accelerating Disability Inclusion Community-Based Micro-Grant by the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability’s (NCHPAD) Inclusion: Community Micro-Grant Program. Ouachita is one of seven community-based organizations from around the country to be awarded the micro-grant.

According to the NCHPAD website, recipients of the program’s Accelerating Disability Inclusion Community-Based Micro-Grant are charged with creating or advancing disability inclusion efforts – in programs, policy, systems or environments – through an innovative, community-based project.

Ouachita's Myra Houser Authors "Bureaucrats Of Liberation" Book On Apartheid-Era Civil Rights Leaders, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Dr. Myra Ann Houser, assistant professor of history, has authored “Bureaucrats of Liberation: Southern African and American Lawyers and Clients During the Apartheid Era,” to be released in September 2020. The book is published by Leiden University Press as well as University of Chicago Press.

Ouachita Announces Students Named To Spring 2020 President's List, Rachel Moreno, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University has named more than 450 students to its Spring 2020 President’s List.

To be named to the President’s List, a student must compile a 4.0 grade point average and be classified as a full-time student, with a minimum of 12 academic hours and have no incomplete or failing grade for the semester.

Ouachita Baptist University, a private liberal arts university in Arkadelphia, Ark., is entering its 134th year as a Christ-centered learning community. It is ranked the No. 1 “Best Value” college in Arkansas by Niche.com and the No. 2 “Regional College in the South” by U.S. …

Ouachita Announces Students Named To Spring 2020 Dean's List, Rachel Moreno, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University has named more than 400 students to its Spring 2020 Dean’s List.

To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must compile at least a 3.5 grade point average and be classified as a full-time student, with a minimum of 12 academic hours and have no incomplete or failing grade for the semester.

Ouachita Baptist University, a private liberal arts university in Arkadelphia, Ark., is entering its 134^th year as a Christ-centered learning community. It is ranked the No. 1 “Best Value” college in Arkansas by Niche.com and the No. 2 “Regional College in the …

Ouachita Recognizes 296 Graduates In Class Of 2020, Displays Ceremonial Banners On Original Commencement Date, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

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Ouachita Baptist University has recognized 296 students in its 133^rd graduating class, which earned Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.

Ouachita’s May 2020, December 2019 and August 2019 graduates, whose May 9 commencement ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as forthcoming August 2020 graduates, have been invited to return to campus for a commencement ceremony on Oct. 10, 2020. Ouachita honored graduates on the original commencement date by hanging its purple, ceremonial banners on the front of Cone-Bottoms Hall.

This year’s graduating …

Ouachita Establishes Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award For Black Students, Tyrese Allen And Dayja James Named First Recipients, Rachel Gaddis

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Ouachita Baptist University has established the Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award, a new scholarship to recognize black students. Tyrese Allen of Savannah, Ga., and Dayja James of McGehee, Ark., have been selected as the scholarship’s first recipients and each will receive $2,500. A matching gift is in place to endow the scholarship, allowing it to be awarded annually for years to come.