Oklahoma Christian University

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Oklahoma Christian University


Motto:	Transform lives for faith, leadership and service
Established:	1950
Type:	Private
President:	Mike O'Neal
Staff:	153
Undergraduates:	1,800+
Postgraduates:	200+
Location:	Edmond, OK, USA
Campus:	Urban, 200 acres (800,000 m²)
Endowment Address Phone :	US $42 million Oklahoma Christian University P.O. Box 11000 Oklahoma City, OK 73136-1100 +1 800 877 5010 +1 405 425 5000
Mascot:	Eagle
Affiliations:	Church of Christ
Website:	www.oc.edu

Oklahoma Christian University (locally known as OC) is a four-year private comprehensive coeducational Christian university founded in 1950 by members of the churches of Christ. Enrollment for the 2006-2007 Academic Year numbered 2,122, which included 1,876 undergraduate and 246 graduate students. OC is located on a 200-acre (0.81 km²) campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, a northern suburb of Oklahoma City.

1 History
2 Technology
3 Academics
4 Athletics
5 Student Life
6 OC policies
7 School Songs
- 7.1 Alma Mater
- 7.2 Fight Song
8 Cascade College
9 University presidents
10 Notable alumni
11 References
12 External links

[edit] History

Oklahoma Christian University was originally named Central Christian College. It opened as a two-year college in 1950 with 97 students in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on the 152 acre (615,000 m²) former estate of L.V. Foster, a prominent oil businessman. L. R. Wilson was the college's first president, having founded Florida Christian College just four years before. James O. Baird became the school's second president in 1954 and soon after plans were made to move the campus to Oklahoma City. Groundbreaking occurred on 200 acres (0.81 km²) on the far north edge of the city in 1957 and the University was relocated in 1958. It was renamed Oklahoma Christian College in 1959 and began offering the bachelor's degree, with its first Senior Class graduating in 1962. Full accreditation was obtained from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1965. In the 1990s the school restructured its academic departments into separate colleges and the name of the institution was changed initially to Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts before being truncated to "Oklahoma Christian University."

[edit] Technology

In August 2001, OC became the first^{[citation needed]} university in Oklahoma and one of the few nationwide at that time to provide campus-wide wireless Internet service and a personal laptop computer to every full time student. Oklahoma Christian University announced in February 2008 that it will begin providing Apple’s MacBook to students and faculty. Included with each MacBook will be the choice of an iPhone or an iPod touch.

[edit] Academics

Oklahoma Christian University offers degree programs through three colleges: the College of Biblical Studies, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the College of Professional Studies. Degree programs include Accounting, Art, Bible, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Education, Electrical Engineering, English, Finance, Graphic Design, History, Interior Design, Journalism, Management, Marketing, Mass Communication, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Ministry, Music, Nursing, Physical Education, Political Science, Psychology,Public Relations, and Spanish, among others. The University offers three Graduate level degrees: M.B.A., Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Ministry. Through its Office of International Studies, OC offers semester long study programs in Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim.

For 2007, Oklahoma Christian University was ranked No. 7 among comprehensive universities in the 16-state Western region by U.S. News and World Report.^[1] This marked the 12th consecutive year OC earned national recognition in the magazine's rankings and the sixth consecutive year the university was ranked in the top 10. Oklahoma Christian is one of only two members of the 107-school Council for Christian Colleges and Universities with accreditation of two of its engineering programs, and is the only non-research university in Oklahoma with accredited engineering programs. For the years 2002-2006, graduates from OC's School of Business Administration achieved the highest pass rate on the CPA examination of all Oklahoma universities. OC graduates have a 98 percent acceptance rate to medical school and graduate science programs. For nine straight years beginning in 1998, OC's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, was selected as the nation's best chapter in its division.

[edit] Athletics

Oklahoma Christian is a member of the NAIA Division I. The Eagles compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC), fielding varsity teams in Men's & Women's Basketball, Men's & Women's Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Golf, Tennis, Cross-Country and Track & Field. All of OC’s athletic programs have advanced to the NAIA national tournament at least once in the last five years,^[2] with student-athletes honored as NAIA All-Americans and NAIA Scholar-Athletes in a variety of sports on an annual basis.

[edit] Student Life

Oklahoma Christian's students enjoy a wide variety of activities. An active Student Government Association sponsors numerous events for the campus community throughout the year including concerts, guest speakers and movies. Much of the campus activity is centered around OC's local fraternities and sororities known as "Social Service Clubs" (six for men, seven for women). Most participate in intramural sport competitions including the major sports of softball, flag football, and volleyball in the fall, and basketball and soccer in the spring, and various other sports including ping pong, pool, swimming, and cross country. Social Service Clubs engage in service projects to the campus and Oklahoma City communities, and sponsor parties and other social activities, including yearly formal banquets for their members and guests. The clubs also participate in the extremely popular yearly event known as Spring Sing, wherein each club performs parodies of popular songs, accompanied by choreography and costumes, developed around a common theme, to multiple sold-out audiences in the school's 1200-seat Hardeman Auditorium.

OC Students are encouraged to engage in group activities intended to enhance their spiritual life and 'View 63' and 'Refuge' are two of the largest devotional groups on the campus. The university also works with numerous churches to promote missionary activities and community outreach opportunities. The campus and student-led organization 'Outreach' serves as the primary link between Oklahoma Christian and area churches for students. Outreach and the Student Government Association partner together to organize and promote multiple domestic and international mission trips during Spring Break each year.

[edit] OC policies

According to the University's Mission Statement, "Oklahoma Christian University is a higher learning community which transforms lives for Christian faith, leadership, and service." President Mike O'Neal (2002-present) has attempted to make the campus more progressive in its language, its diversity policies, and evangelistic outreach, while retaining the school's commitment to traditional Biblical principles as generally expressed throughout the Churches of Christ. These efforts can be seen in policy changes,^[3] and the appointment of an ethics ombudsman. Full-time, tenure-tracked faculty are still required to be members of a Church of Christ. However, adjunct professors are hired and are not required to be members of a Church of Christ. There is no requirement that students be members of a Church of Christ, but all students are expected to abide by the "OC Covenant"^[4] which emphasizes that the "values and behavior of this Christian community are derived from the Bible."

[edit] School Songs

[edit] Alma Mater

Hail to Oklahoma Christian

Hail to Oklahoma Christian
Hail thy purpose full and free
Life and truth for Alma Mater
May thy glories ever be
Lift your voices, anthems raise
Swell a chorus in her praise
Hail to Oklahoma Christian
Alma Mater, hail to thee

[edit] Fight Song

Stand Up and Cheer

Stand up and cheer for Oklahoma Christian
The home of maroon and gray
Stand up and cheer for Oklahoma Christian
The Eagles are on their way
We've got the spirit; we've got the might
We've got the team; we're gonna FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Stand up and cheer for Oklahoma Chrisitan
The Eagles are here to stay!

[edit] Cascade College

OC has a branch campus in Oregon known as Cascade College. The 12 acre campus is located in Portland, and like OC, the full-time faculty and a majority of the students are members of Churches of Christ. In 1992, the Oklahoma Christian University Board of Trustees agreed to take over operation of the former Columbia Christian College after it had fallen upon serious financial difficulties and had lost accreditation. The North Central Association agreed that the accreditation of Oklahoma Christian in Oklahoma City could extend to that campus if close ties and supervision were maintained. After a year in which no school operated, the new branch campus opened in 1994 under the name Cascade College. Its enrollment has grown to more than 300.

[edit] University presidents

L. R. Wilson - 1950 to 1954
James O. Baird - 1954 to 1974
J. Terry Johnson - 1974 to 1996
Kevin Jacobs - 1996 to 2001
Alfred Branch - Interim President, 2001
Mike O'Neal - Current President, term began in 2002

[edit] Notable alumni

Jim Beaver - Actor, co-star of Deadwood (as Whitney Ellsworth) and Supernatural (as Bobby Singer)
Sherri Coale (1987) - Head Coach, University of Oklahoma women's basketball
Greg Lee - Actor, Host of P.B.S. series Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and voice of Mayor/Principal Bob White on "Doug."