Home - person, place, or thing?

“When I first stepped foot on Ouachita’s campus, it just felt like home.”

Brett Rogers '90: People are the Priority

Ouachita has been a home away from home for every student who’s lived in campus housing. Every year for Tiger basketball student-athletes, it’s also a home away from home for the holidays.

Master's degree in counseling dovetails with Ouachita's mission

Ouachita’s newest graduate program equips students to become Licensed Professional Counselors with the skill to treat clients professionally and ethically in response to the global mental health crisis. The program gets at the heart of Ouachita’s mission to prepare students for lives of meaningful work.

Finding Home: Following Christ in Cambridge and Cone-Bottoms

It was my first time to attend a Cambridge formal hall, a posh ceremonial dinner for which the world’s oldest universities are renowned. As a fifth-generation Texan and a faithful Baptist since birth, I knew everything about BBQs and potluck fellowships. But I knew next to nothing about formal halls, except that they required black tie and sub fusc (the flowing academic gowns we see on Harry Potter).

Why we engage

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.

Chris Babb '99

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.

Honoring firsts

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.

Reflections on the X factor

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.

Dr. Justin K. Hardin named Ouachita's vice president for academic affairs

Ouachita alumnus Dr. Justin K. Hardin has been named Ouachita’s vice president for academic affairs (VPAA), effective July 2022. He brings a strong background in teaching, scholarship and administration to his new role as the university’s chief academic officer.

Tending the greenhouse

I’ve always had what can fairly be called a black thumb. Even the most resilient houseplants haven’t stood a chance in my care. I went so far as to tell my husband not to buy me flowers or plants of any kind when we were dating. I didn’t want him to read too far into the analogy of a dead love fern.

Karen (Stabley) Matros '92: Director of Student Financial Services

Karen Matros is passionate about a few things – her family, her alma mater and serving others. Matros began working for Ouachita even before she graduated, serving part time in admissions counseling while she finished her degree. She graduated in May of 1992, was married a week later in Berry Chapel to Brant Matros ’93 and began working full time in admissions that summer.

A Home for the Times

When I was six, my family moved into a president’s home as my father took the helm at a Baptist university. Early on, I discovered that he put loose change in his briefcase and didn’t seem to mind that I collected the coins. In time, I started reading his papers, sparking my interest in Christian higher education.

Dan Turner '94: Partnering Through Prosecution

When Dan Turner ’94 was preparing for law school as a political science student at Ouachita, he never would have predicted using campus as a makeshift courthouse – a pivot during the pandemic to accommodate social distancing requirements – or being honored on campus for his work prosecuting one of the most notorious sex offenders in the state.

Julyse Migan-Gandonou Horr: Director of Applied Behavior Analysis Program and Assistant Professor of ABA

With a toddler and a newborn, Dr. Julyse Horr and her husband, Corey, are in that early phase of parenthood when sleep is a rare treat and your most valuable currency can be Cheerios and Goldfish crackers.

Ann (Owen) Chami '83

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

Courage to engage

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.

Quantel Williams

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

Sara (Wheeler) McDaniel '98

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.

Growing pains

What did we learn? Where do we go from here? These two questions have been at the forefront of my mind after attending a professional development conference that was equally challenging and inspiring.

Ouachita introduces Master of Science degree in exercise science

Ouachita will expand its kinesiology program to include a Master of Science degree in exercise science, expected to launch in Fall 2023. Housed in the Huckabee School of Education, the master’s degree pathway will be built around the concept of recognizing exercise as medicine—an emphasis that has been foundational in the way Ouachita’s Department of Kinesiology approaches instruction.