Ouachita Stories

For the second year in a row, Ouachita Baptist University has earned a national Top 10 finish in Forbes’ #MyTopCollege social media campaign.

With students, alumni, faculty and staff posting comments and photos about why Ouachita is #MyTopCollege, Ouachita finished this year’s competition ranked No. 1 in the seven-state Southeast region and No. 5 nationally, moving up three spots from last year’s No. 8 finish.

A series of outdoor scenes by Sarah Waymire, a 2012 Ouachita graduate, was featured on forbes.com among Forbes’ favorite #MyTopCollege photos. Waymire’s tweet noted that “@Ouachita is #MyTopCollege because it’s surrounded by Arkansas’ beautiful outdoors.”

Forbes.com also highlighted a photo posted by Casey Knight, a 2013 Ouachita graduate, of Tigers football head coach Todd Knight and his players celebrating their 2014 Battle of the Ravine victory and undefeated regular season. “@Ouachita is #MyTopCollege bc I love rooting on @OBUFootball #GACchamps #BOTRchamps #TigersRuleTheTown,” Casey Knight tweeted.

A tweet by Dr. Keldon Henley, vice president for institutional development, also was featured on the Forbes website. It highlighted Ouachita’s new Loan Affordability Pledge which “provides incoming students a safety net for student debt.”

Citing an outpouring of “enthusiasm, school spirit and passion,” Forbes noted that “community was an undeniable component of the #MyTopCollege campaign this year.”

A sampling of other posts by Ouachita students and alumni include:

--“Spiritual growth & encouragement, unforgettable experiences & forever friends are a few of many reasons why @Ouachita is #MyTopCollege.”

--“#MyTopCollege is @Ouachita because it allowed me to study what I love and get a dream job!”

--“@Ouachita is #MyTopCollege because the professors saw me as a real person rather than just a desk in a room.”

--“@Ouachita is #MyTopCollege because it's always been my dream to be a tiger and now I'm living out the dream.”

--“@Ouachita is #MyTopCollege because of more reasons than can fit in this tweet.”

--“@Ouachita is #MyTopCollege because no matter how long it's been or how far away I am, it is always home.”

Ouachita Baptist University, a leading liberal arts university, is ranked nationally among America’s top universities by Forbes and U.S. News & World Report. Founded in Arkadelphia, Ark., in 1886, Ouachita seeks to foster a love of God and a love of learning in a Christ-centered learning community. To learn more, visit www.obu.edu or download Ouachita’s mobile app.

By Trennis Henderson, OBU vice president for communications