Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host its 15th annual campus-wide Scholars Day on Wednesday, April 22. The event will highlight academic achievements completed throughout the academic year by OBU students from various disciplines. It is sponsored by the Carl Goodson Honors Program’s student organization, Alpha Tau.

“It’s our day to celebrate academics in all disciplines at OBU,” said Dr. Barbara Pemberton, professor of Christian missions and director of Ouachita’s Carl Goodson Honors Program. “This day allows dietetics students to hear work from Christian studies majors or science majors to watch a theatre performance, allowing them all to appreciate scholarship in every field.”

Pemberton said she anticipates at least 100 presentations throughout the day, often in groups, with participants ranging from freshmen to seniors. “Scholars Day is for the Ouachita community and local community to support each other in academics,” she added.

Among the numerous presentations, 27 will be senior honors theses. Pemberton noted, “The seniors’ hard work is published each year, and we try to make it a special day for all of them.”

Dustin Walter, a senior biology and chemistry major, serves as treasurer for the honors program and has been a member since his freshmen year. “My senior thesis is like my final ‘hoorah,’ allowing others to look at what I have been doing these past four years,” Walter explained.

“So many people have these great specialties that you don’t realize until you see them present all their research and the knowledge that they have gained,” said Madeline Hargis, a senior biology major. Hargis is the social co-chair of the honors program and is a three-year member.

Both Walter and Hargis will present their theses at Scholars Day.

Sodexo will provide lunch on the campus lawn, followed by the induction ceremony for Ouachita’s chapter of Alpha Chi national honor society. Research presentations will follow at various locations around campus. A detailed schedule of presentations and locations is available on the “Ouachita Baptist University” mobile app, and printed programs will be available the day of the event. In the app, the schedule is found under “Traditions” in the general Ouachita guide.

Prospective honors students also will be on campus to experience the event. They will be paired with an Alpha Tau member to learn about Ouachita academics and what it’s like to be an honors student at Ouachita.

For more information, contact Dr. Barbara Pemberton at [email protected] or (870) 245-5541.

 

By Lauren Snow // Photo by Kristen (Barnard) Young