Ouachita Stories

Finding opportunity in unfamiliar places: A first-generation student's journey

I considered myself to be an “average student” in high school. I wasn’t enrolled in gifted and talented courses, and college wasn’t highly spoken of within my immediate family. My mother received her GED and attended cosmetology school. As my brothers and I got older, she would tell us that she knew college wasn’t for everyone, but that she hoped we would go because she wanted us to have the experience that she missed out on for many years.

Ouachita partners with Securities Training Corporation to better prepare finance majors

Ouachita Baptist University has partnered with Securities Training Corporation’s College Program to prepare finance majors for the new Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam.

Finding a college home if you're undecided about your major

Road trip! My best friend and I decided to start our college search journey with a road trip to three different universities. Three days to visit three schools and, potentially, to find our future home for the next four years. Ouachita was the second school we visited on our trip.

Do you want grass or mud?

“Do you want grass or mud?” It was a simple question with an obvious answer. And we knew what we were being asked when Dr. Ben Elrod, president of Ouachita during my time as a student, said, “Do you want grass or mud?” I was sitting in Jones Performing Arts Center.

Ouachita reports 99% placement rate for most recent graduating class

Ouachita Baptist University announced today that 99 percent of the recent graduating class are employed in some capacity or furthering their education. That number exceeds the national average for colleges and universities by 15 percent.

How "small" made a big difference in my academic career

Deciding where you want to go to college by weighing what each school offers can be difficult – especially if you aren’t sure if you would benefit more in your studies by attending a big school or a small school. Going to a school of Ouachita’s size for my education has had some major advantages.

Ouachita Baptist receives $1 million unrestricted gift

For the second consecutive year, Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia has received an unrestricted $1 million gift from an anonymous donor.

New possibilities: Alliance tackles nursing shortage

Arkansas is facing a healthcare crisis. By the year 2020, the Institute of Medicine forecasts a shortage of 15,000 nurses. The impact is real: less accessible healthcare and overworked nurses, especially in rural communities.

Ouachita receives $500,000 National Science Foundation grant for biology education

Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the prestigious National Science Foundation to advance the incorporation of cell culture-based research into undergraduate classes.

Ouachita sets retention record, enrollment increases

Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia begins the fall semester with a record freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 83.4 percent and student enrollment of 1,660, an increase of 7.45 percent from a year ago.