Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Georgia Hickingbotham Remembered For Generous Investment In Ouachita Students, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Having a residential campus helps give Ouachita Baptist University its uniqueness. And Georgia Hickingbotham was a friend of Ouachita who helped give residence living its heart.

Hickingbotham, who died Dec. 7 at 89, is well known for her successful business career. She was one of the first women in Arkansas elected to serve as an officer in a bank and was a co-founder of TCBY, which became the largest frozen yogurt chain in the world.

At Ouachita, “Mrs. Georgia” is also remembered for her generous personal investment in women students that began in 2013 when her husband of nearly 50 …

Dr. Lei Cai Inducted Into The Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall Of Fame, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Dr. Lei Cai, professor of piano in the Division of Music in Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Performing Arts, has been inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. He was recognized during a ceremony held at the historic Steinway piano factory in New York City in October.

“We were absolutely thrilled, but not the least bit surprised, to hear that Dr. Cai was selected for this incredible honor,” said Dr. Caroline Taylor, professor and dean of the School of Performing Arts. “To have a pianist of his caliber on our faculty is truly a blessing.”

Cai was …

Confidence For Graduation, Tiffany Pickett, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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“Fake it until you make it.” While a common phrase in the leadership/business management advice genre, it’s genuinely how I survived my freshman year as a first-generation college student.

I smiled. I nodded. I tried to exude the confidence that I knew exactly what I was doing, but in reality, to quote Michael Scott from “The Office”: “I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do.” I would quietly ask questions to friends I could trust or pray that another classmate asked the question I wanted to ask in …

Ouachita's Adams Department Of Art & Design To Host "Matter + Spirit" Through December 13, 2023, Georgia Richards, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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The Rosemary Gossett Adams Department of Art & Design at Ouachita Baptist University will host “Matter + Spirit: A Chinese/American Exhibition” through Wednesday, Dec. 13, in Adams Galleries 1 & 2 of Moses-Provine Hall and Hammons Gallery in Mabee Fine Arts Center. Admission is free.

Mentorship Beyond Graduation, Gayla Parker, Bailey Buettner, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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My grandmother could make the best biscuits ever over an open fire. My dad could tune a guitar to perfect pitch without a tuner. Those were just a few of the many skills they taught me. But there was one skill they could not teach me: navigating the world of higher education.

As smart and gifted as they were, high school graduation was not a part of their stories, much less college. When I graduated from high school, they were thrilled. They never imagined there would be multiple graduations to follow.

Ouachita Student Foundation Sets New Tiger Tunes Fundraising Record, Anna Roussel, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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The Ouachita Student Foundation raised more than $205,000 during Tiger Tunes 2023, surpassing its $200,000 goal and securing the most money raised in one year by the event. Held each year in Jones Performing Arts Center during the university’s Homecoming weekend, Tiger Tunes is a song and dance production that parodies popular music as a competition among student organizations.

The Secret To Graduation, Lisa Sells, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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My maternal grandparents grew up in the Depression-era poverty that surrounded the lumber mills around Ashdown, Ark. When World War II ended, and my grandfather came home from the front lines in Europe, there was no work in the Texarkana area. He and his young family moved to northeastern Oklahoma where he found a job at the newly opened BF Goodrich tire factory.

And so it is that my story starts in Commerce, Okla., and not Ashdown, Ark.

Dr. Kathy Collins Remembered For Investing In Students, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Dr. Kathy Collins, associate professor and chair of the Department of Education at Ouachita Baptist University, died Sunday, Nov. 5. She was 69. Known as an educator who regarded teaching as a calling, Collins prioritized experiential learning and invested personally in her students to offer them the best preparation for careers in the classroom.

The Journey To Graduation, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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This year marks my fourth and final year of college. It seems just like yesterday I was walking up the stairs of Frances Crawford Hall, too many bags in hand, to embark on my educational journey.

I grew up knowing I wanted to pursue a higher education to finish what my parents started. I didn’t know where and how to start my journey, but I leaned into my advisor, Dr. Deborah Root, who answered every question, met every need and solved every problem because she wanted to see me succeed.

The Legend Of The Lady In Black: 100 Years Later, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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As Cone-Bottoms Hall celebrates its centennial birthday, stories arise that were passed down from generation to generation surrounding the iconic building on campus. One urban legend follows the story of Jane and her mysterious death.

In the early 1920’s, Jane began dating Joshua, a student at Henderson State University. As their relationship blossomed, Joshua’s friends started to pressure him to break up with her. His friends taunted and teased him because of the longstanding rivalry between the two schools as it was almost unheard of to be seen with someone from the opposing school.

On the eve of Henderson’s Homecoming, …

Ouachita To Begin Construction On Track & Field Complex, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University will begin construction on an NCAA-compliant track & field complex to serve as a home venue for its thriving cross country and track & field teams. Scheduled to be completed by Summer 2024, the complex will occupy land on the north side of campus adjacent to the cross country course and along the Ouachita River.

Ouachita's Elrod Center Hosts 53rd Tiger Serve Day, Rachel Dunnam

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Ben M. Elrod Center for Family & Community held its 53^rd Tiger Serve Day on Saturday, Sept. 23. More than 800 Ouachita students, faculty and staff completed 83 projects at area homes, non-profits, churches and designated trash pickup sites across Arkadelphia and DeGray Lake.

“Tiger Serve Day is a wonderful opportunity for our campus to connect with the community and love them well,” said Duvall. “I am so proud to be part of a university that places such a huge value on service.”

Volunteers gathered at 8:30 a.m. at the Elrod Center to prepare for the …

I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Ben Sells

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With Convocation, we formally bring together new and returning students with faculty and staff to begin the 138th year of Ouachita Baptist University.

Once a week, we pause campus life for Chapel. We come together to sing, to pray, to hear scripture and to be encouraged. Together. I believe this time together helps make Ouachita, Ouachita. I rarely miss Chapel.

Ouachita's Dr. Johnny Wink To Be Honored For 50 Years Of Service, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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The Department of Language & Literature at Ouachita Baptist University will honor Dr. Johnny Wink, Betty Burton Peck Professor of English, during a campus reception on Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 6:30-8 p.m. in McClellan Hall’s Green-Blevins Rotunda. Open to the public, the party will begin with a brief ceremony to be followed by an informal gathering celebrating Wink’s 50 years on the Ouachita faculty.

Ouachita's School Of Performing Arts Presents Worship Concert Sept. 12, Abby Kemmer, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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The Division of Music in Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Performing Arts presents the Ouachita Choirs Worship Concert on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. on the front steps of Evans Student Center. A relatively new event for Ouachita, the performance is a time for music students to lead the student body in contemporary choral worship.

The concert features a variety of contemporary worship music that many students are familiar with. This year’s performance includes “What a Savior, What a Friend,” written by Ouachita grad Leslyn (Ichter) Jacks ’11. Other songs on the program include “This is Our God,” “Endless …

Ouachita's School Of Performing Arts To Host Muses Creative Artistry Project On Sept. 14, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Performing Arts presents the Muses Creative Artistry Project in concert on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The performance is part of Ouachita’s 2023-24 Guest Artist Series and is sponsored in part by the Floyd E. and Dorothy G. Henley Fine Arts Endowment and the Arkadelphia Philharmonic Club.

The Muses Creative Artistry Project is based in Hot Springs and frequently tours throughout the region. For their current tour, “Broken Standards,” they perform a mix of baroque and jazz …

Ouachita's School Of Performing Arts To Host Leland Ko In Concert Sept. 11, Coleman Callan, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music in the School of Performing Arts will host cellist Leland Ko in concert on Monday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall. Ko’s performance is part of Ouachita’s Guest Artist Series and the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist program. The concert is free and open to the public.

Ouachita's Fall 2023 Enrollment Highest In 57 Years, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University has reported its highest enrollment in 57 years, with a Fall 2023 headcount of 1,815.

Since 2016, the university has sustained momentum that’s reflected in a 20% increase in total enrollment and a 14% growth in undergraduate enrollment. Residential undergraduate enrollment now numbers 1,581. There are 81 students enrolled in Ouachita’s six graduate programs this fall, more than doubling the number who enrolled when graduate programs were reintroduced in 2020 through the university’s expanding catalog.

Special Delivery, Saba Esho, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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It was my senior year of high school in Erbil, Iraq, and at this point in my college application journey, I had already decided I was going to go with Ouachita as my school of choice. After all, the staff seemed friendly from our WhatsApp calls, I had a great scholarship and, based on what I could tell from my computer screen, it seemed like a decent school.

What I did not know from my online research was how Ouachita would go above and beyond my expectations and make possible what I believed to be impossible.

What Not To Pack For College, Kaelin Clay, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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“Welcome to Ouachita,” they’ll say. You’ll drive through the parking lot of Francis Crawford Hall or Flippen-Perrin Hall or O.C. Bailey Hall; your car will be loaded down, and perhaps your parents’ cars will be loaded down, too. Or you might be planning to be greeted from the passenger seat of a U-Haul that your family insisted on renting.

But I promise there’s an easier way. I’ll help you make your load a little bit lighter with a list of what not to pack for college:

Ouachita To Host Called To Teach Conference On July 21, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Huckabee School of Education will host its annual Called to Teach Conference on Friday, July 21, in Walker Conference Center, 485 Campus Drive. Called to Teach is open to the public; attendees can receive six hours of professional development credit through the Arkansas Department of Education.

“Building Relationships” is the theme for the 2023 conference, which will feature guest speaker Marilyn Rhames, founder of Teachers Who Pray. Rhames is a Doctoral Academy Fellow in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, where her research is focused on the intersection of religion and race in …

"Stepping Up" Luncheon To Honor Huckabee Women In November, Anna Roussel, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University’s Office of Development has announced its annual Stepping Up for Ouachita luncheon, presented by Simmons Bank, will be held Friday, Nov. 17, at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock, Ark. The event will recognize its first mother-and-daughter honorees, former Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Ticket and sponsorship information is available at obu.edu/steppingup.

Since its inaugural event in November 2010, Stepping Up for Ouachita has raised more than $840,000 toward scholarships for women at Ouachita and is looking toward surpassing $1 million in 2023. Every year the university honors outstanding Ouachita women …

Ouachita Recognizes Graduates During Commencement Exercises May 13, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University honored more than 400 students during its 136^th Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 13, on the front lawn of Cone-Bottoms Hall. Graduates 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, post-baccalaureate certificates for Dietetic Internship and the university’s first Master of Education degrees in curriculum & instruction and Master of Science degrees in nutrition.

Words Of Wisdom: Learners Rather Than Knowers: 2023 Commencement Address, Ben Sells

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Based on what your predecessors report, your Ouachita education and experience have prepared you exceedingly well. Indeed, the investment in you by faculty and staff, the support of your family and classmates, the time and effort you have put forward and the grace of God help you go from this place with an advantage.

You can be confident about that advantage. The more you steward it, the more of an opportunity it will provide.

In preparing for Commencement, I ponder and pray that I might leave you, and each graduating class, with a few words of wisdom on this day …

Ouachita Senior Rebekah Wendt Presents Research At Acs National Meeting, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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During the American Chemical Society national meeting, held March 26-30 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ouachita senior Rebekah Wendt presented findings based on her research using polymers to prepare core-shell nanofibers.

Wendt, a chemistry major from Haworth, Okla., was awarded a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in December 2021 to conduct her research. She also presented her findings at the Southwest Regional Meeting of the ACS in Baton Rouge, La., in November.

Ouachita Finance Students Earn National Award For Management Of Ary Student Investment Fund, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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A team of finance students from Ouachita Baptist University placed second at the annual Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education Forum held March 30-31 in New York City. Ouachita was awarded second place in the undergraduate core portfolio category for 2022 risk-adjusted return on the group’s management of the Ary Student Investment Fund, a $2 million stock portfolio.

Blum Wins First Place In Student Juried Art Show At Ouachita, Kaelin Clay, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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Ouachita Baptist University sophomore Tori Blum, a studio art major from McKinney, Texas, earned first place in the university’s 2023 Student Juried Art Show. Winners were announced during a reception held on April 26 in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s Hammons Art Gallery to open the show. Sponsored by the Ouachita Art Club, the exhibit features the work of 15 students – including Blum – and will be on display in Hammons Gallery through Oct. 6. It is free and open to the public.

Blum created a ceramics piece titled “Balance” for her Ceramics I course in Fall 2022 and entered …

Ouachita's Engineering Program Receives Accreditation From Higher Learning Commission, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

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The Bachelor of Science degree program in engineering at Ouachita Baptist University has been approved by the university’s institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission.

The engineering curriculum was approved by the faculty in Spring 2022. While several new engineering courses were available to students in the 2022-23 academic year, the official program launch is scheduled for Fall 2023. The 4-year residential program builds on the strength of Ouachita’s Bachelor of Science degree program in physics and is housed in the newly formed Department of Physics and Engineering in the J.D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences. Dr. Kevin Cornelius, professor of …

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

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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

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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 …