Ouachita Stories

One of my favorite things about my work at Ouachita Baptist University is the opportunity to visit with prospective students and their parents. It’s always enjoyable to hear about their experiences and then talk about how those interests could coincide with majors and programs at Ouachita. I talk about the kinds of things that aren’t surprising in this conversation, although I’ll never take them for granted – faculty, curriculum and facilities. But then I also talk about a topic that often prompts a raised eyebrow or two. I talk about our students.

At a time when there seems to be so much pessimism about the future, I have found faith in our future because of the faith in our young people. That doesn’t mean every student will make a perfect score on my next quiz, but it does mean that when I walk into my classroom I feel good about the people around me. When I see the work they produce, I feel even better.

At our recent Scholars Day, during which students from every academic school present their research and projects, I watched presentations from eight students who had studied independent film at the Sundance Film Festival. They met with Christian filmmakers in Utah, but the students also gained a clearer understanding of what it means to be in the world and not of it, as well as how much the secular world needs the love of Christ. The experience strengthened their faith and brought into focus the challenges of a ubiquitous mission field.

The Sundance class is not the only film experience offered in the School of Humanities. Three students from Trennis Henderson’s Christian Communications class interned during the filming of the recent Kendrick brothers’ hit, “War Room.” Check the credits for Nick Burt, Chelsea Byers and McKenzie Cranford.

More recently, the Ouachitonian yearbook won top honors, and 14 students representing the yearbook and The Signal newspaper won a total of 40 awards at the annual meeting of the Arkansas College Media Association. While the communications students piled up state and national awards, the English and Spanish majors down the hall worked together to create a bilingual literary magazine, a beautiful way to practice translation.

Whether it’s English major Shelby Spears presenting a paper at a national Sigma Tau Delta convention or mass communications major Bekah Davis’ eyes lighting up during her first video recording session in Turner Studio, it is always a blessing to see students grow. I’ll take the future, if these people are in it.

 

Dr. Jeff Root, a 1983 Ouachita Baptist University graduate, serves as dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities and interim dean of Ouachita's Huckabee School of Education.

First published in Arkansas Baptist News. Reposted with permission.

 

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