Late June of 1904 is the first recorded visit of Ellen White to Oakwood in Huntsville, Alabama. Thanks in no small part to the counsel and efforts of Ellen White, by the time of her visit, Oakwood was off to a solid start. Mrs. White, her son Edson, and a small group of other church workers toured various fledgling Adventist efforts in the South in the trilogy of cities central and crucial to the Adventist work.

Ellen White spoke, shared counsel and admonished at the various sites she visited. Following her deliveries, she often grouped together her counsels for convenience, publication, and future reference.

On such a tour she made an historic visit to Huntsville and spoke for the first time at Oakwood. Two of her talks were transcribed. These speeches, delivered to the student body in the school chapel, are full of positive exhortations and high admonitions.

Place: Huntsville School Chapel, Huntsville, Alabama

June 21, 1904

"I am so pleased to see the colored students who are here today. I wish that there were a hundred of them, as it has been presented to me that there should be. I wish there were many more here in training for service; for there is a large field to be worked among the colored people. To those who are here, I would say, "Seek to understand the Scriptures. God will help you. His eye is upon the colored race, and He will send His angels to open your understanding."

In regard to this school here at Huntsville, I wish to say that for the past two or three years I have been receiving instruction regarding it-what it should be and what those who come here as students are to become. All that is done by those connected with this school, whether they be white or black, is to be done with the realization that this is the Lord's institution, in which the students are to be taught how to cultivate the land, and how to labor for the uplifting of their own people.

"Those connected with the farm are to work with such earnestness and perseverance that it will bear testimony to the world, to angels, and to men, of the fidelity with which the land has been cared for. This is the Lord's land, and it is to bear fruit to his glory. Those who attend this school are to be taught in right lines, on the farm or in the schoolroom. They are to be taught how to live in close connection with God.

'The Lord says, "Work out your own salvation." How are you to do this? By doing the very things He wants you to do, that you may become intelligent in His service. He has given you talents to be improved. He has bestowed on the colored race some of the best and highest talents. He will bless in the work of transforming mind and character.

Students, there is something for every one of you to do in God's service. The Lord wants you to be His helping hand in reaching souls in many places. He wants you to have an intelligence so sharp and clear that you can grasp the most precious truths, and in the simplicity of Christ present these truths to those who have never heard them. There is great need for colored workers to labor for their own people. You can labor in many places where others cannot. White workers can labor for the colored people in some places. This is why we have established our printing office in Nashville. In and near Nashville there are large institutions for the education of the colored people. The men who established these institutions have opened the way for the light of the gospel to go to the colored people.

"We want every one who comes to this school, to try to get some other one to come. There should be one hundred students in attendance at the next session of the school. Will you not try in every way possible to swell the number to one hundred? And when the school year is over, these students should not be sent out to go where they please. They are to be trained and educated till they are able to go out into the field to work successfully for the Master."

From A Place Called Oakwood,  pp. 3-5.

Enterprising senior Alanna Hunter (right) applied and secured a summer internship at Black Enterprise Magazine from June to August, 2013. 

Hunter's print journalism classes at Oakwood gave her a good foundation for the experience. During her internship, she interviewed experts for multiple stories that appeared in the online edition of Black Enterprise, such as, "Google Helps Prepare Consumers for Digital Afterlife" and "6 Great House-Hunting Websites." 

Hunter and the other intern researched Black Enterprise's exclusive list of Black board members of America's top corporations, which appeared in the July/August issue of the magazine. Her story, "Choosing the Right Student Bank Account,"  appeared in the September issue of the magazine. "Altogether I completed five stories along with several other small projects."

Hunter's goal after graduation in May 2014 is to get a paid internship or job at a news organization as a reporter, or at a magazine as a contributor. We are confident that her four years at Oakwood will serve her well as she proceeds to graduate school to earn a masters in public communication.

Strategic Plan Overview, 2013-2017

Installment 1

As you recall from OU? Oh, Yes!'s October 25 issue, the OU Board of Trustees has approved Oakwood's direction for the next five years, called "The Strategic Plan Overview."  For the next several issues, OU? Oh, Yes! will present in installments the Organizational Priorities for each division.

You are also welcome to view the document in its entirety on the Oakwood website. 

Howard Weems, Ph.D. Special Assistant to the President and Senior Chaplain

Oakwood University's Office of Spiritual Life will produce students who model the mission of Oakwood University and promote the historic culture of faith and life-long service that defines our institution.

Goals across the next 5 years include:

1. Develop and implement the Spiritual Master Plan;
2. Facilitate and support high-quality worship programs;
3. Deliver spiritual care to off-campus students;
4. Provide cross-cultural exposure and global education through participation in local, national and international mission activities;
5. Provide faculty and staff with discipleship training designed to deliver ministry to students;
6. Facilitate the integration of faith and learning across the academic schools, departments, and co-curricular activities to cultivate moral, spiritual and biblical decision-making and critical thinking; and
7. Provide needs-based spiritual counseling to individuals and groups.