Ouachita Stories

Addressing a variety of issues related to the priorities of advancing, resourcing and supporting the university mission, Ouachita Baptist University’s Board of Trustees met Sept. 8 on the university’s Arkadelphia campus for their quarterly board meeting.

Focusing on the university’s future growth and impact, Ouachita President Ben Sells led trustees in addressing their initial input in the university’s strategic planning process by discussing what should not change and what should change about Ouachita. University officials are inviting all alumni, students, faculty, staff and other constituents to share their voices by completing a brief survey at www.obu.edu/largerdream.

Trustees addressed several other issues focused on the future, including renaming the Annual Fund as the Ouachita Cornerstone Fund to reflect a change in emphasis and new strategy for engaging donors as well as establishing a new President’s Innovation Fund for fundraising efforts to support new campus programs and initiatives.

In other action, trustees approved creating a new President’s Advisory Council that will involve a group of volunteer professional leaders who will meet with the president to discuss strategic initiatives related to Ouachita and its support.

Board members also heard an update on a proposed Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, refinancing long-term debt to take advantage of lower interest rates and accepted a “clean audit” for the 2015-16 academic year by the university’s auditors.

Trustees received an update on the design, costs and fundraising efforts for the renovation of Berry Bible Building and the addition of the Horne Center for Biblical Preaching. The total cost is projected to be $1.75 million. Trustees are expected to consider a final design and overall project budget at their December meeting.

Board members approved 2017-18 tuition, fees, room and board rates totaling $16,750 per semester, an increase of 3.65 percent over the current year, slightly below the average of recent increases. To help make Ouachita more affordable to more families, the university reorganized its student financial aid program by increasing its academic merit scholarships. For more information about the new scholarship levels, visit www.obu.edu/finaid/obu.

Ouachita’s fall 2016 enrollment remains about the same level as the previous year with a combined total of 1,517 students enrolled. That total includes 1,439 residential students as well as students in the off-campus Ouachita at New Life Church program, Ouachita Online and high school students enrolled in concurrent credit courses.

Among personnel-related issues, trustees approved a recommendation naming Dr. Scott Jackson as the first holder of the endowed Dr. O.L. and Frances Bayless Chair of Christian Communication. Dr. Jackson, associate professor of Christian ministries, is a 1985 Ouachita graduate. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Ministry degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. Previously serving as pastor of churches in Arkansas and Texas, he currently is senior pastor of Fellowship Church of Arkadelphia.

The endowed chair is named in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Bayless. He was pastor of Second Baptist Church of Hot Springs in the 1940s and ’50s and later was editor of the Rocky Mountain Baptist newspaper until his retirement in 1977. The endowed chair was established through a generous estate gift from Dr. and Mrs. Bayless to Ouachita.

Trustees also approved the recent hiring of nine university staff members:

• Angelo Goshen, head athletic trainer. Goshen previously was the athletic trainer for Hope High School. A licensed athletic trainer, he holds his master’s degree from Henderson State University and is pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arkansas.


• Destiny Graves, Upward Bound academic advisor. A former Ouachita student, she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She previously was a program assistant in OBU’s Upward Bound program.


• Jack Hunley, admissions counselor. He is a 2016 Ouachita graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.


• Jake Kornegay, resident director of Flippen-Perrin Hall and assistant director of recreational life. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has worked in IT support, outdoor leadership and on archaeological digs.


• Alisha Reid, athletic trainer. She previously was a clinician and instructor in Henderson State University’s athletic training education program. A licensed athletic trainer, she holds a master’s degree in exercise science from the University of West Florida.


• Tyler Rosenthal, digital content coordinator. He is a 2015 Ouachita graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. He previously worked at a marketing firm in Little Rock.


• Rebekah Taylor, admissions counselor. She is a 2014 Ouachita graduate with majors in secondary education and history.


• Jeff White, assistant athletic trainer. A licensed athletic trainer, he previously served at Ouachita as a graduate assistant. He is a 2015 graduate of Henderson State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree.


• Karen Wray, admissions counselor. A 2015 graduate of Ouachita, she will be working with students from Northeast Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee.

 

By Trennis Henderson, OBU vice president for communications