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Oakwood's Best and Brightest Students Prepare to Compete as Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Celebrates its 25th Anniversary
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(L-R) Greg Edouard, Kenesha Bennett, Antoine Southern, Coach Dr. Rennae Elliott, Jennifer Miller, and alternate team member Parris Boles.
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Brainpower from America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be on display at the 25th annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament.
Hundreds of HBCU students have spent the past year diligently preparing to compete in the final round of this unique academic tournament, April 12-16, on the campus of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., in Torrance, Calif.
This year's road to the championship began in the Fall of 2013, with 76 HBCUs vying for the final 48 slots. Through countless hours of study, drills and practice, elite teams emerged, knowledgeable and ready to take on the competition. Their goal is to beat Morgan State University, the reigning national champions with two consecutive titles, while Morgan State will be seeking a "threepeat."
The competitors will be split into eight divisions and will compete in a modified round-robin format. The top two teams from each division will advance to the "Sweet 16" and will compete in a single elimination playoff. The final two teams that emerge from the playoffs will compete for the title of National Champions and the grand prize of $50,000. The grand prize, along with the other institutional grants, will support academic activities at the participating HBCUs. Divisions are being announced on YouTube.
According to Dr. Leslie Pollard, president of Oakwood University, "The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge inspires and invigorates our Campus community. It's like the SuperBowl of our HBCU community. Teams train, scrimmage, and final play for reputation of their schools. And it's a lot of fun and camaraderie. Our special thanks to Honda for sponsoring this event."
Kenesha Renee Bennett of Huntsville, Ala., Greg F. Edouard of Brooklyn, NY, Jennifer Christine Miller of Huntsville, Ala., and Antoine Armand Southern of Missouri City, Tex., will represent Oakwood University, in the James Weldon Johnson Division. Dr. Rennae Elliott, chair of Oakwood's communication department, will coach the team.
Oakwood is a 2-time National Champion, having earned the title, back-to-back, in 2008 and 2009. Returning player Southern was a top-scoring All-Star at the 2013 competition.
Celebrating 25 years of HBCU excellence, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is one of Honda's largest and longest running philanthropic initiatives in the United States.
The finals will be live streamed on Monday, April 14, starting at 12:00 noon EDT on HCASC.com.
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Oakwood Establishes Chapter of NOBECChE
by Jyremy Reid, student writer/photographer
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Jordaan Houston, USM Religious Vice President 2014-15, leads the OU Chapter of NOBECChE in prayer during the induction ceremony.
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On March 30, the OU Chemistry Department hosted the NOBECChE Chapter Induction Ceremony, in the Cooper Complex Auditorium.
NOBECChE is the acronym for the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.The primary goal of this organization is to launch and support local, regional, national, and global programs that help African Americans in understanding their potential in the chemistry field and related academics. They also inspire college students to pursue graduate degrees in the science and mathematics fields.
Talitha Hampton-Mayo, '03, executive vice president of NOBECChE, was the main speaker for the ceremony. She said that each person is responsible for promoting his or her own personal brand when working in the corporate world. "By having a special brand in one's back pocket, the competition will become nervous," she explained. Hampton-Mayo also mentioned the importance of first impressions and how they can enhance your personal brand. "It's not about what you know, it's who you know," she said. This is a statement that all upcoming students should remember; especially in today's workplace, as the competition can be quite gruesome. Nevertheless, Hampton-Mayo reassured the students that if they take all their concerns to the Lord in prayer, everything will work out.
Mayo told insideOakwood that "As Vice-President of NOBCChE, I am truly proud to make this a reality because Oakwood is my alma mater. I treasure my experience that I had in the Oakwood Chemistry Department and I believe that NOBCChE can help to increase opportunities and broaden experiences of the students involved."
Chapter officers are very pleased that an NOBCChE Executive Team member attended their student chapter induction.
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OUPD Designated as a "Weather Ready Nation Ambassador
 The Oakwood University Police Department (OUPD) has received notification from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that it has been designated as a "Weather Ready Nation Ambassador" based upon its efforts to improve the "nation's readiness against extreme weather, water, and climate events."
Oakwood University has been active in severe weather preparedness for several years. It was the first institution of higher education in the State of Alabama to earn the National Weather Service (NWS) "Storm Ready Supporter" designation in 2007. The OUPD has to continue to partner with local government agencies and entities to build a resilient campus community through planning and mitigation efforts in order to maintain the ambassador designation.
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Let's Harness the Power of the Oakwood Network!
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Your votes can help Oakwood win the 2014
campus pride grant to re-seed the campus
baseball and soccer fields behind the Ashby
Gymnasium.
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From now until April 14, we need you to vote for Oakwood University's campus improvement project in the Home Depot Retool Your School Campaign. "We need everyone's support to help Oakwood win again," said Kisha Norris, executive director for advancement and development." Oakwood is only Seventh-day Adventist university in the competition," she added. The winning school of the Campus Pride Grant will be selected by a combination of the applicant's social media activity and voting score. The three applicants with the highest votes and most social media activity, as determined by the sponsor during the voting period, will be awarded with the Campus Pride Grants. Last year around this time, Oakwood had 206,401 votes. Currently we have less than 20,000 votes. There is still time to make a huge impact. Visit www.retoolyourschool.com/vote-now to vote now from all of your devices! And don't forget to share our unique hashtag - #OakwoodTHDRYS - via all social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Vine, and Twitter). VOTE NOW and be sure to tell your family and friends to do the same.
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Students Can Apply Now to Study Abroad Next Year by Zawadi Nicholas, student writer In partnership with the Adventist Colleges Abroad Consortium (ACA), Oakwood University students can participate in various study abroad programs in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Ukraine. The ACA offers semester-long, year-long and summer programs for students wishing to earn college credits while exploring different cultures. In addition to core classes, students develop proficiency in the language of their host country while touring and enjoying many cultural experiences. Students of all majors are encouraged to participate. http://www.aca-noborders.com. Seven Oakwood students are currently finishing a year of studying abroad through ACA: Jenna Ruff Pierre Demesmin Kimberly Kelly Lauren Crystal Eaton Argentina: Universidad Adventista del Plata Vashon Joshua Williams Austria: Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen Amber Rei Buchanan Reanna Hazelwood Spain: Escuela Superior de Espaņol de Sagunto
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Faculty and Staff News
The Oakwood University Police Department (OUPD) was pleased to host a recent luncheon meeting of area campus police chiefs at a downtown Huntsville restaurant. The event was underwritten by Allied Barton Security Services.
Chief Lewis Eakins described it as "a great success in that provided a venue for networking and sharing of best practices germane to campus law enforcement." He also said that "it was interesting to learn that we are often dealing with the same individuals who go from institution to institution."
The OUPD is trying to revive the monthly luncheons that were sponsored on a rotating basis by each institution in the past. This luncheon was different, because department supervisors were invited. Chief Eakins stated the rationale: "Captains and sergeants need to have more direct contact with each other since they are more operations-focused than their department heads."
In addition to Oakwood University, law enforcement personnel from the University of Alabama - Huntsville, Athens State University, Calhoun Community College, and J.F. Drake State Technical College were represented.
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Alumni Notes
 Jeremy Anderson, '04, recently visited Bermuda, offering his dynamic point of view on the many issues facing young men and women today through a series of talks at the Southampton Seventh-day Adventist Church. MORE
Isaiah J. Ashe, '72, was recently elected to a third term as Madison County Team Captain of the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation (ACCRF), This grassroots, non-partisan, non-profit, and volunteer organization of laity and professionals aims to rewrite Alabama's 1901 Constitution through a citizen's convention.
Note: If you are an OU alum and would like to share news about yourself, please send them to us.
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Pollard's Places
On Sabbath, March 29, Prudence and I celebrated with the Southern Union Conference the grand opening of their brand new office building. Shown here at cutting the ribbon are President Ronald C. Smith, '79 (third from right), other members of the Executive Committee, and representatives from the building's architectural firm and construction company.
While the 60,000 sq. ft. office building is beautiful in its design and construction, the Southern Union Officers repeatedly emphasized that the office building is a space dedicated to the resourcing of our conferences, churches, and institutions in the Southern Union. The Southern Union is, and has consistently been, a very strong supporter of Oakwood University, and we are grateful for their financial support. The Union consists of 272,630 members from eight conferences across the eight southern states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. As president, I represent Oakwood University on the Southern Union Executive Committee. - Dr. Leslie N. Pollard
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OU Picture of the Week
This week, George Johnson, director of integrated marketing and public relations, Jazzmin Pride, sophomore elementary education major, and Ron Pollard, senior associate chaplain, recorded a segment on "Impact with Kenny Anderson," a television program airing on WOW 42 and Comcast 3 (Huntsville listings). They discussed the missions program at Oakwood University, and the meaning of Oakwood's motto, "Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve." (Photo courtesy of ETV)
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About Oakwood
Oakwood University, a historically black, Seventh-day Adventist institution in Huntsville, Alabama, has as its mission to transform students through biblically-based education for service to God and humanity.
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Calendar of Events
April
10 - Honors Convocation
14 - 12:00 noon EDT
Honda Campus All
Star Challenge - live
streams at
HCASC.com
14 - Retool Your School
Voting Period ends
15 - OU Authors Book
Signing & Reception
16 - Youth Mentoring Task Force
17 - UNCF Gala
17-20 Alumni Homecoming Weekend
19 - Dynamic Praise 25 Year Celebration Concert
19 - Aeolians Concert with Angela Brown and Richard Smallwood
22 - Faculty Research Symposium
May
8 - Education Teacher Dedication Ceremony
Tree Planting Ceremony
Nursing Pinning Ceremony
9 - Social Work Pinning Ceremony
President's Senior Reception
Consecration
10 - Baccalaureate Aeolians/University Choir Mini-Concert
Commencement
14 - Biblical Foundation Conference |
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