Vol. 3, No. 39                                                              October 11, 2013 
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 Action (now)! Cameras (soon)! Groundbreaking for $4M Media Center, home of OU Broadcasting Network, creating "our own voice"  

Before the dedicatory prayer, OU Church senior pastor and Breath of Life Speaker/Director Dr. Carton Byrd indicated that while several other Adventist media ministries must now look for production facilities, the Breath of Life broadcast will utilize Oakwood's new Media Center facility once completed. Then Byrd prayed for Oakwood Administrators (l-r) Garland Dulan, David Knight, Sabrina Cotton, Prudence Pollard, Leslie Pollard, Tim McDonald, Kisha Norris and Howard Weems, as well as for the projected nine-month building project.
Artist's sketches for the 11,700 sq. ft. Media Center, to be constructed between Ford and Cunningham Halls.
To demonstrate the $9.3M capital campaign theme, "Building on the Past," Kisha Norris indicated that the Media Center will be built on the site of one of Oakwood's first brick buildings, the old Music Hall.

 

 

(L-R) Dwyane Cheddar, Sabrina Cotton, Anthonye Perkins, student president Christopher Readus, Leslie Pollard, Garland Dulan, Rennae Elliott and Tim McDonald.
Staff members, Administrators and a Trustee take their turn with the shovel. (L-R) Chris McNish, Roengsak Cartwright, Tim McDonald, Anthonye Perkins, Leslie Pollard, Carlton Byrd, Stephen Foster and Amanda Pitt.

 

Read about the groundbreaking event on Oakwood's website.

 

 

Oakwoodite U.S. Senate Chaplain to Congress:

"Save us from the madness" 

 

Photo by Drew Angerer for The New York Times

 

In the first week of the government shutdown the Senate chaplain, Barry C. Black, urged lawmakers to admit their mistakes. He prayed to deliver members of Congress from hypocrisy and 'stubborn pride.'  Read the complete New York Times story here.

 

 

 

Columbus ship replicas viewed by OU Historical Society 

  

The Department of History and Political Science sponsored a fieldtrip of the OU Historical Society to tour full size replicas of two ships (the Ni�a and Pinta) used by Christopher Columbus to cross the Atlantic in 1492. On October 6, 2013, Oakwood's Transportation Department took the students to Ditto Landing (on the far south side of Huntsville) on the Tennessee River where the two ships were anchored.  

 

The Santa Maria (the largest ship used by Columbus to cross the Atlantic) was not replicated because the draught, or draft, would be too great to safely traverse through the relatively shallow river system of the United States.

 

Students were surprised at the actual size of the vessels they had read about in their history books. They were especially surprised to learn that the entire crew, who crossed the Atlantic, slept in the open air on the deck of the ships. Some were expecting larger ships with spacious, onboard accommodations.

 

Built in Brazil, the replicas sailed to the United States where they are now on tour. The replica ships left the Huntsville area on October 8 and continued their journey up the Tennessee River to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

Gramond McPherson, senior History major and President of the OU Historical Society, is to be commended for his effort in helping to organize the field trip, which gave students new insights into the history of the world and the age of discovery. Those who participated are thankful for the continued support given by Dr. London and the Department of History and Political Science.  

 

 

OU Faculty attend 14th annual HBCU & HSI Health Services Research Conference

 

Dr. Maxine Garvey 

Beat Reporter: Maxine Garvey -

Department of Allied Health 

 

The National HBCU Research Network for Health Services and Health Disparities held its 14th Annual HBCU and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Health Services Research Conference at Alabama State University on September 13, 2013. The theme for the conference was "HBCU & HSI Researchers Engaging Communities in Innovative Health Interventions: Protect, Prevent, Live Well." This very informative and insightful event explored research areas in chronic diseases including HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Maternal & Child Health, and Health Access issues.

 

OU faculty members in attendance were: Veronica Leftridge, MSN (Nursing Dept); Christopher Howard, MPH, MBA (Business Dept); and Maxine Garvey, DPT (Allied Health Dept).

 

(L-R) Veronica Leftridge, Clara Cobb, Christopher Howard and Maxine Garvey at the HBCU and HSI Research Conference.

 

OU Alumna Rear Admiral Clara Cobb, Assistant Surgeon General & Regional Health Administrator, opened the conference, recognizing Oakwood University for being the only HBCU in Alabama that has had a smoke/tobacco free campus for over 117 years. She also addressed current minority issues such as the Affordable Care Act, investing in prevention and wellness, and laws to address health inequalities.

 

Other highlights from the conference include:

                                      

Keynote speaker, Thomas LaVeist, PhD, Professor in Health Policy & Director, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions at John Hopkins University, provided insight regarding health equality and the fallacies of which health professionals must be aware in addressing minority health in research and clinical practice.

 

Flora Ukoli, MD, MPH, of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN,  presented her research focusing on the prevention of obesity among African American infants and toddlers.  The purpose of the study was to offer an educational intervention to encourage pregnant women to breastfeed their babies until they are one year old, in order to reduce the chance of obesity.

 

Carolina Rodriguez-Cook, MD, of the University of South Carolina presented her work on the Navigantes para Salud project. This focused on improving health care access and utilization among Hispanic women and children residing in the catchment areas of one rural and two urban areas in the South Carolina Midlands. 

 

 

 

 

 

OU presents renowned pianist Leon Bates - 

Musician/avid body builder to offer master class, recital

 

OU Music Department will present internationally acclaimed pianist Leon Bates on Wednesday and Thursday, October 23 and 24.

 

Bates will offer a master class at the campus' Peters Hall (music building) on Wednesday, October 23, 1:00 p.m., and a recital on Thursday, October 24, 8:00 p.m., at the Oakwood University Church.

 

According to department chairman Dr. Wayne Bucknor, "Bates has performed on five continents and in virtually every state in the United States. Often, he is seen performing with orchestras, and has soloed with the Alabama Symphony as well as Philadelphia, New York, Boston and many other symphonies.

 

"His program at Oakwood will include works by Beethoven, Ravel, R. Nathaniel Dett and George Walker, the latter being the first African-American Pulitzer Prize winner."

 

According to Wikipedia, "Leon Bates likes to spend some of his time in an endeavor quite unusual for a concert pianist: he was an avid body builder. He used a gym for two hours at a time as much as six days a week despite his rigorous and demanding performance schedule. He has performed with numerous orchestras and symphonies.

 

"Bates is considered something of a renaissance man, and enjoys a wide variety of performance arts including dance, theater and music. He also enjoys watching and following sports programs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Bates_(pianist)

 

 

 

  

 

Music Department Chair to release CD

 

Alumnus Wayne Bucknor, chair of Oakwood's Music Department, will host a release party for his CD: "40 Years: God is good" on Saturday night, October 12, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. in Peters Hall.


The CD features Dr. Bucknor's original compositions and arrangements.  Several Oakwoodites perform vocals on the recording, including  Committed, Tamara Bodie, Bryan Cordell, Duawne Starling, and Kevin and Shavonne Sampson.
 

Bucknor gives 'behind the music' stories about each composition.  He describes a song entitled "I Know It's You Lord" as "a praise song that welled up in my spirit one day as I was walking into the music building at Oakwood University.  (...) I realize that all of the good happenings in my life, couldn't have been of my own doing or coincidence.
 

"Why did you ask me, Pastor Doggette, at age 25, to be the minister of music for one of the premiere Adventist churches in the world [Madison Mission SDA]? Why did you ask me, Dr. Lacy, to be the piano instructor at Oakwood University, without a long history of successful piano students? Why did you ask me, Take 6, to substitute for Cedric Dent on an 18-show tour of Japan when singing isn't my specialty? Why did you ask me, Vice President Anderson, to conduct the world-renowned Aeolians in 2007-08 year with no other class obligations, without knowing that I actually needed that extra time because of my deadline to complete my dissertation? Why am I the chair of the music department that I resigned from in 2006-07? I know it's You, Lord."

 

 

 

   

Oakwood University's Office of Contracts

Career Fair for Government Contracting Opportunities

 

Thursday - October 24, 2013

10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

 

4920 University Square, Huntsville, AL 35806 (Auditorium)*

 

Admission and parking are FREE!!!!

 

Looking for:  


Program and Project Managers

Project Managers and Engineers

Systems and Software Engineers

Applications Programmer

Database Analyst/Programmer

Help Desk Support Service Specialist

Web Software Developer

Network Administrator

Documentation Specialist

Training Specialists

General Clerks

Interns

 

Positions available at various locations, including Alabama, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia   

 

*Although this "career fair" is being held in Huntsville, OU? Oh, Yes! readers from everywhere are welcome to apply.

 

For more information, contact Evangeline Rivers-Lang at (256) 726-7495 or [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

WAAY-TV anchorwoman Meredith Wood (right) interviews Miss Kisha Norris, Executive Director of Advancement and Development, as Oakwood's subject matter expert for "Ask the Experts" midmorning news segments.

 

Miss Norris' "The ABCs of Fundraising" will air October 8 and 22, November 5 and 19 on Huntsville's ABC affiliate station.