Oakwood University

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Oakwood University of Seventh-day Adventists, commonly referred to as Oakwood University, is a historically black university located in Huntsville, Alabama. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A group of College constituents made the decision on December 2, 2007 to change the school's name from Oakwood College to Oakwood University, effective January 1, 2008.

Oakwood is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Department of Education of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to award the associate and baccalaureate degrees. The university was approved by SACS in June 2007 to offer its first master's degree, the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS). The first graduate students will receive their degrees in May 2009. The University aims to offer a liberal arts curriculum in a Christ-centered atmosphere.

Oakwood has performed well in external rankings, having listed on a regular basis among the top 15-20 institutions of higher learning that provide African-Americans to medical schools. ^[1] Oakwood is also listed among the Best Colleges in the Southern Region and #22 on the list of Best Black Colleges by the U.S. News & World Report. ^[2]

[edit] History

Oakwood University was founded in 1896 as Oakwood Industrial School. The school was located on land that had previously been a plantation. Legend has it that the school was named for a stand of oak trees found on the campus.

The school first opened in 1896 with 16 students. Classes were offered in various trades and skills. In 1904, the name was changed to Oakwood Manual Training School, and it was chartered to grant degrees in 1907. In 1917, the school offered its first instruction at the postsecondary level, and in that same year it changed its name to Oakwood Junior College. In 1944, the name Oakwood College was adopted. The first bachelor’s degrees were awarded in 1945. Oakwood College received its initial accreditation from SACS in 1958, and in 2007, the College received approval to award graduate degrees. In response to this higher accreditation, the school's Board of Trustees and constituents voted to change the name of the institution again to Oakwood University of Seventh-day Adventists.

Oakwood University has been a member institution of the United Negro College Fund since 1964.

[edit] Campus

Moran Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus

Oakwood University owns 1,185 acres (5 km²) in Huntsville, Alabama. The main campus consists of 23 buildings spread across 105 acres (0.4 km²). Another 500 acres (2 km²) under cultivation. Building developments are continuing. The J. L. Moran Hall, completed in 1944 and named after the first Black president of Oakwood, stands with more recently erected buildings such as the McKee Business & Technology Complex, completed in 2002.

The institution also houses a branch office of the Ellen G. White Estate.

The newest building on campus is the Bradford-Cleveland-Brooks (BCB) Leadership Center, which opened in October 2007. This building houses a training center for evangelists and ministers as well as provide additional classroom space for the Department of Religion and Theology. This building is also home to the classes for the first master's degree program for the university (Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies). Still under construction is Holland Hall, a new male residence hall complex which will house approximately 300 students. This complex will be completed in spring 2008 and will house its first students in the 2008-2009 school year.

[edit] Student life

Students at Oakwood, or "Oakwoodites" as they are sometimes called, either live on campus in any of the five residence halls/areas, rent an apartment from the school's own West Oaks Apartment Complex, or live in the Huntsville/Madison area or beyond. Freshmen males live in the Peterson Hall dormitory while freshmen women live in Carter Hall. There are two more residential complexes for women: Wade Hall and the Annex are for senior female students. Edwards Hall is the dormitory for senior male students. A new male residence hall to be named Holland Hall is now under construction and will open in the spring of 2008.

The majority of the student body are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Weekly church services are held at the campus church. Friday evening vespers services (AYS) are held weekly as are Religion & Theology Forums.

Basketball and football are the major sports on campus, with intramural basketball activities taking place during the spring semesters. The school's basketball teams are the Oakwood Ambassadors and Lady Ambassadors.

The school is noted for its touring choir, the Aeolians^{[citation needed]}. The Aeolians was founded in 1946 by former professor, Dr. Eva B. Dykes^{[citation needed]}. Other musical ensembles on campus include gospel choirs Dynamic Praise, Conquerors In Christ, and Voices of Triumph.

[edit] Oakwood University Champions

There was much excitement on the campus of Oakwood University during the 2007-2008 school year as teams from the University won both athletic and academic competitions. The Ambassadors male basketball team won the 2008 National Championship for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in March. This school year was also the team's first year as part of the league. That same month at the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament in Orlando, FL, Oakwood University team members brought home the trophy. This competition featured 64 teams from historically black colleges and universities around the nation. In addition to winning the championship, Oakwood University received a grant of $50,000 from the American Honda Motor Company. Both teams adjusted their playing schedules to not play on Saturday, the day observed as the Sabbath (Oakwood University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution), and both teams still emerged as champions.

[edit] "University" Name Change

As graduate degrees at Oakwood College were being researched in the mid-1990s, speculation arose as to whether the school would change its name when these degrees became available. Popular suggestions for the school's new name included Oakwood Adventist University, Oakwood College University, and Oakwood University. When the College received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer master's degrees in the summer of 2007, more discussion was given to the issue. At the Board of Trustees meeting held in October 2007, the Board members voted in support of a name change for the school to reflect its new graduate offering. In a specially called constituency meeting on December 2, 2007, representatives from various Seventh-day Adventist Church groups and alumni met to decide on a new name for Oakwood College. The group gave overwhelming support to change the name of the school to Oakwood University. This change occurred on January 1, 2008.

[edit] Oakwood University Histories

Two books have been written about the history of Oakwood: Oakwood! A Vision Splendid and A Place Called Oakwood.

Oakwood! A Vision Splendid

Oakwood! A Vision Splendid was written by Dr. Mervyn A. Warren in 1996 to celebrate Oakwood's century of existence. The book is 280 pages long and contains information and photographs not previously published about Oakwood. Dr. Warren is currently the Provost and Senior Vice President at Oakwood.

A Place Called Oakwood

A Place Called Oakwood is a 180-page history of the first 20 years of Oakwood. It was edited by Benjamin J. Baker, an alumnus of Oakwood and educator and author.

[edit] Notable Alumni

• T.R.M. Howard - Civil Rights Leader, Surgeon, Entrepreneur
• Alvin Chea - Member of the gospel group Take 6
• Little Richard (Penniman) - Rock and Roll pioneer
• Walter Wraggs Fordham - Author, president of several SDA regional conferences
• Claude McKnight - Member of the gospel group Take 6
• Joel "Joey" Kibble - Member of the gospel group Take 6
• Mark Kibble - Member of the gospel group Take 6
• Mervyn Warren - Member of the gospel group Take 6
• Ebony Holland (Trotter) - Member of the gospel group Virtue
• Heather Martin (Trotter) - Member of the gospel group Virtue
• Brian McKnight - R&B Singer/musician, and also brother of alumnus Claude McKnight
• John F. Street - Mayor of Philadelphia
• Barry Black- Chaplain of the U.S. Senate
• Clifton Davis- Actor, Songwriter
• Angela Brown- Soprano Opera Singer
• Dr. Earl Moore- Pastor, Civil Rights Activist
• Brenda Blackmon Wood- News Anchor, WXIA-TV
• E. E. Cleveland- Renowned Evangelist, Author, Civil Rights Activist
• C. D. Brooks - Renowned Evangelist
• Shari Loveday- Playwright from Christian Fellowship Halla
• Wintley Phipps- Pastor, Founder and President of U.S. Dream Academy
• Frank Hale- Famed administrator of Ohio State University
• Dr. Delbert Baker- Administrator, educator, author and president of Oakwood University (currently serves on the White House Board for HBCUs)
• Henry M. Wright- Renowned Evangelist
• Hallerin Hilton Hill - radio talk show host, WNOX Knoxville, Tennessee

[edit] See also

• List of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities

[edit] Trivia

The famous slave Dred Scott once lived and worked on a plantation that eventually became part of Oakwood's campus.

Famous people who have visited: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Julius Erving (Dr. J), Muhammad Ali, Debbye Turner (Miss America 1990), Marla Gibbs, Peabo Bryson, Florence Griffith Joyner, Kirk Franklin, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Willie Gary, Gen. Colin Powell, Hon. Johnnie Cochran, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Dr. Benjamin Carson

[edit] Oakwood Bibliography

Baker, B.J. 2007. A Place Called Oakwood. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Baker, B.J. 2005. Crucial Moments. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Baker, D.W. 1996. Telling the Story. Loma Linda, CA: Loma Linda University Printing Services.

Brown, W.J., comp. 1972. Chronology of Seventh-day Adventist Education. Washington, DC: Department of Education, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Cadwallader, E.M. 1958. A History of Seventh-day Adventist Education. Lincoln, NE: Union College Press.

Dudley, C.E. 1997. Thou Who Hast Brought Us. Brushton, NY: Teach Services, Inc.

Dudley, C.E. 2000. Thou Who Hast Brought Us Thus Far on Our Way. Mansfield, OH: Bookmasters Inc.

Fordham, W.W. 1990. Righteous Rebel. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Graybill, R.D. 1970. E.G. White and Church Race Relations. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Graybill, R.D. 1971. Mission to Black America. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Greenleaf, F. 2005. In Passion for the World. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association.

Hale, Jr., Frank W. 1996. Angels Watching Over Me. Nashville, TN: James C. Winston Publishing Company.

Hale, Jr., Frank W. ed. 2006. How Black Colleges Empower Black Students. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Hilde, R. 1980. Showdown: Can SDA Education Pass the Test? Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Hodgen, M. 1978. School Bells and Gospel Trumpets: A Documentary History of Seventh-day Adventist Education in North America. Loma Linda, CA: Adventist Heritage Publications, Loma Linda University Press.

Knight, G.R. 1999. A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Justiss, J. 1975. Angels in Ebony. Toledo, OH: Jet Printing Services.

Land, G. 1998. Adventism in America. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.

Land, G. 2005. Dictionary of Seventh-day Adventists. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.

Malcolm, Roy, ed. 1999. The Aeolians: Directors Recall Precious Memories. Huntsville, AL: Oakwood College Press.

Marshall, N., and S. Norman III, eds. 1989. A Star Gives Light. Decatur, GA: Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Olsen, M.E. 1925. Origin and Progress of Seventh-day Adventists. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Reynolds, L.B. 1984. We Have Tomorrow. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Rock, C.B. 1994. Go On! Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Rock, C.B. ed. 1996. Perspectives. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Schwarz, R.W. 2000. Light Bearers. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press.

Sepulveda, C., ed. 1997. Ellen White on the Color Line. Huntsville, AL: Biblos Press.

Sepulveda, C., ed. 2003. The Ladies of Oakwood. Huntsville, AL: Oakwood College Press.

Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia. 1976. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Spalding, A.W. 1961. Origin and history of Seventh-day Adventists, 4 vols. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Spalding, A.W. Lights and Shades in the Black Belt. (unpublished book manuscript) Washington, DC. Ellen G. White Estate File: DF3471-1.

Warren, M.A. 1996. Oakwood! A Vision Splendid. Collegedale, TN: College Press.

White, A.L. 1981-1986. Ellen G. White, vols. 4-6. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2008: Oakwood College: At a glance