Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host its 16th annual Stepping Up for Ouachita luncheon, presented by Citizens Bank, on Friday, Nov. 6, at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. Doors open at 10:45 a.m., with lunch service beginning at 11:30 a.m. Ticket and sponsorship information is available at obu.edu/steppingup.

The event will raise money for scholarships and honor four women: Dr. Kathy (Chapman) Collins of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, being honored posthumously; Julie (Hendrix) Dodge of Conway, Arkansas; Susan (Shambarger) Goss of Bentonville, Arkansas; and Cheryl (Bass) Williams of Roland, Arkansas.

What began in 2010 as a vision to help students has grown into a transformative tradition, with Stepping Up for Ouachita raising over $1.3 million for scholarships at the university since its inception.

“When we launched Stepping Up for Ouachita, I sensed from that very first luncheon honoring Sharon Heflin that it would become something truly special,” Terry Peeples, vice president for development, said. “We have been richly blessed by God with inspiring honorees, loyal sponsors and dedicated steering committee members, all united in celebrating outstanding women and supporting scholarships.”

This year's celebration, chaired by Tamara Baughn, will have a special emphasis on those committed to education.

“It’s an honor to recognize women who are using their education to serve others,” Baughn said. “Each of these honorees is making an impact in her own way, and that really reflects what starts at Ouachita and continues far beyond it.”

Kathy Collins began serving Ouachita as a visiting instructor in 2009. By the time of her passing in 2023, she’d been associate professor of education, chair of the Department of Education, director of student teaching and chair of the University Committee.

Teaching became a part of Kathy’s DNA as she grew up watching her father work as an educator in Bastrop, Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University, a master’s degree from Tarleton State University and a doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Her professional journey took her through classrooms in Penelope, Hillsboro and Bynum, Texas, where she taught and eventually served as a principal. She coached cheerleaders and directed a Waco learning center. But Ouachita is where she found what she called her “ultimate earthly destination.”

Kathy never saw teaching as a job. It was a calling. She sent flowers and cards, cared for sick students and celebrated engagements. She went to athletic events, plays and recitals to see her students, bragging on them in class the next day. For 17 years, Kathy and her husband, Ace, hosted Varsity Diner, a weekly gathering in their home for students through First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia. She wanted students to have a family at school.

“Kathy broke down the wall between herself and her students,” observed Dr. Rachel Pool, colleague and friend. “She wasn’t just a teacher. She was a mentor and anything else they needed.”

Julie Hendrix Dodge cannot recall a time in her life that she didn’t know about Ouachita. As a student, she was active in the Ouachi-Tones, the university’s production of “The Music Man,” a Centennial Singers tour of England and an Opera Workshop tour of Kentucky. Among Dodge’s other favorite memories are Tiger Traks tricycle races, Noonday, her time in Chi Delta and her three years living in O.C. Bailey. In 1981, Dodge won the Miss OBU pageant and represented Ouachita at Miss Arkansas.

After graduation, Dodge completed a graduate degree and studied at the American Institute for Musical Studies in Austria. She was a performer in the Arkansas Opera Theater’s school education tour, an elementary music teacher in the Pulaski County Special School District and an assistant to the minister of music at Little Rock’s Immanuel Baptist Church. She has served on Ouachita’s Board of Trustees since 2007, also spending time as an adjunct voice professor and teaching music appreciation in a partnership program with New Life Church.

Today, Dodge and her husband, Ben, attend Summit Church in Conway. She leads a ministry called “Where Friends Gather” for “seasoned” churchgoers who are new to Summit, sings with the Diamond State Women’s Chorus and stays connected with her Ouachita friends through frequent dinners out, annual girlfriend trips and a weekly Bible study.

“The most meaningful part of my journey is knowing that I have made a difference in the lives of my students, and they have made a difference in mine,” Dodge said.

For Susan Shambarger Goss, Ouachita was like a second home. She grew up in Arkadelphia with both parents as professors — the late Mary Shambarger taught music and the late Dr. Jake Shambarger taught secondary education and coached in athletics. While a Ouachita student, Susan was a member of the Ouachi-Tones, traveling throughout Arkansas, surrounding states and other countries as a Ouachita ambassador. She was also active in Chi Delta and followed in her father’s footsteps as an educator, earning a Bachelor of Science in Education at Ouachita and a master’s degree in elementary administration from the University of Arkansas.

Susan taught in the Pulaski County School District while Steve was in medical school and residency training. In 1987, they moved to Bentonville where Susan served as assistant principal in the Bentonville Public Schools. She has stayed active locally, leading through numerous boards and foundations in the community she and Steve love, and has also served on Ouachita’s Board of Trustees. They attended and served at FBC Bentonville for over 30 years and now attend Fellowship Bentonville.

In 2009, Susan earned a master’s degree in counseling from John Brown University. She is an author, speaker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor, podcaster, business builder, wife, mother, grandmother, encourager and mentor to many. The founder and president of Tangible Truth Ministries and co-founder of The Joshua Center (a faith-based therapy center), she also contributes at Celebrate Arkansas and on KLRC Radio. Her books include “We’re Still in This: 90 Healthy Truths for Happy Relationships,” “Faith, Love & Forgiveness” and “Circle Talk.”

“Ouachita had a profound impact in my spiritual life, teaching me that Christ and who I am in Him should never be separated from what I do,” Goss said.

Cheryl Williams, a former elementary special education and homeschool teacher, spent her time at Ouachita involved in activities such as Student Senate, Baptist Student Union, EEE, Tiger Tunes, Tiger Traks, Kappa Chi (Little Sister), intramurals and more. She loved dorm life, trips to DeGray Lake, ballgames and hanging out in front of Conger and O.C. Bailey residence halls. The first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, Cheryl followed up her Bachelor of Science in Education at Ouachita with a Master of Science in Education from the University of Central Arkansas.

Cheryl has served faithfully at Fellowship Bible Church and Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in many roles: Bible teacher, choir and worship team, committee work, greeter and rocking babies in the nursery. She writes for her Substack page, “This I Know,” and is working on a book about the legacy of faith inherited from past generations of Christ followers.

Through Bethany Christian Services, Williams and her family fostered 16 babies over eight years. She also served on the boards of Bethany Christian Services, Arkansas Festival Ballet, ABCFM Women’s Volunteer Board, Stepping Up for Ouachita and Go Near Ministry. As Board Chair of Go Near Ministry, she made five trips to Nairobi, Kenya, bringing high school and college students to serve among orphans and widows in poverty.

Williams is forever grateful for God’s grace in leading her to Ouachita, blessing her with such positive experiences and precious friends while there and for helping her use the education she received to bring glory to Jesus.

For more information about Stepping Up for Ouachita or how to support Ouachita in its mission to foster Christ-centered learning, contact Carrie Roberson in Ouachita's Office of Development at 870-245-4278 or [email protected]. Full honoree bios, past and present, can be viewed at obu.edu/steppingup.

Lead photo by Alex Blankenship

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