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Over 300 Prepare to "Depart to Serve"
As this issue of insideOakwood goes to "press," more than 300 members of the Class of 2014 are anxiously and proudly waiting to pick up "marching cards" for Commencement activities, scheduled for May 8-10, 2014.
Events begin with the Education Teacher Dedication Ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, May 8, at 10:00 a.m., in the C.T. Richards Chapel/Moseley Complex, with speaker Clifton R. Jessup, Jr., '76. After graduation rehearsal at the University Church, the Senior Class and President and Mrs. Pollard will continue the Tree Planting Ceremony tradition near the Unity Pond, to add to the beauty of our campus.
Also on Thursday, the Nursing Department's Nurses Pinning Ceremony begins at 4:00 p.m. in the C.T. Richards Chapel/Moseley Complex. The speaker will be Calvin S. Mann, '13, chief Clinical Registered Nurse Anesthetist for Alabama Anesthesia of Huntsville.
At 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9, the Social Work Department will conduct the Social Work Pinning Ceremony, in the C.T. Richards Chapel/Moseley Complex. The speaker will be Tonita K. Phipps, director of the Madison County (Ala.) Department of Human Resources.
Seniors and their parents/guardians will be hosted by President Pollard at 1:00 p.m. at the annual Senior Reception, held in the Millet Activity Center. This social occasion, filled with laughter, food and fellowship, gives the class and their families one last opportunity to corporately create good memories that will last a lifetime.
At 8:00 p.m. on Friday, the Class of 2014 will be addressed by Pastor Andrea Trusty King, '00, for Consecration at the Oakwood University Church Sanctuary. King currently serves as the Senior Pastor of the 16th Street Seventh-day Adventist Church in San Bernardino, Calif.
Following Sabbath School on Saturday, May 10, at 10:45 a.m., the Baccalaureate ceremony will take place in the Von Braun Center's Propst Arena, with Dr. Ron C. Smith, '79, president of the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as the speaker.
The Aeolians and University Choir will present a mini-concert, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Von Braun Center Propst Arena. Promptly at 8:00 p.m., Commencement will begin, with friends, family and well-wishers looking on. The speaker will be Dr. Michael L. Lomax, CEO of the United Negro College Fund.
The Consecration, Baccalaureate and Commencement services will be streamed on Oakwood's website; click on "Watch Live."
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Graduating Senior Testifies: "Nothing But God"
 Senior Marcya Burden, '14, has been accepted into 10 prestigious law schools around the country. Perhaps even more amazing than her having maintained a 3.9 GPA with a full schedule is that Marcya has no student loans to repay after graduation! Marcya always did well in science and math, and decided to major in something different when she enrolled at Oakwood, choosing political science. She worked as a resident assistant all four years, and laughed when we asked about her spare time, possibly because with extracurricular activities (Dynamic Praise, the Pre-Law Society, yearbook staff, USM office, etc.),"spare time" was almost non-existent. Although she is still exploring her options, right now Valparasio University (Indiana), which has offered her a scholarship, is looking good. After law school, on her way to achieving her goal of becoming a Supreme Court Justice, this Atlanta native wants to work in criminal law, which seems the most interesting right now. A political office may even be in her future. Marcya feels like she has had a "village" of supporters at Oakwood. "Several people have done so many kind things for me," she said. "I could probably pick someone from each department in this school. Mr. (Preston) Foster has been like a father to me," she continued. "The fact Marcya has been accepted by 10 prestigious law schools is no surprise to me," said Foster. "When she was a sophomore, I graded Marcya's first writing assignment in my class as a 'B.' She immediately asked for a meeting, not to contest the grade, but to understand how to achieve excellence. That told me a lot about her. She is determined to make her mark. I have no doubt that she will." The depth of Marcya's experience has been "Nothing but God. He was with me every step of the way; God was my sanity. I wouldn't trade my experience here for anything. Three tornadoes? Nothing has happened to West Oaks, Huntsville Place, not even a branch or tree knocked down. This is truly God's school. It has been a priceless experience. Thank you God, thank you Oakwood family," she said.
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Oakwood University Wins $25,000 Campus Pride Grant
 Oakwood University is one of three HBCUs that won a $25,000 grant in The Home Depot's 2014 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Grant Program. Results were announced this past Monday morning on the nationally-syndicated radio program "The Tom Joyner Morning Show."
Oakwood's win in this year's competition will allow the University to re-seed the softball and soccer fields behind the Ashby Gymnasium, as well as install sprinkler systems.
According to the competition rules, Oakwood was selected because of a combination of the 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, was awarded with the Campus Pride Grants.
"We thank everyone who voted, tweeted and posted images on Facebook that allowed us to win this grant," said George Johnson Jr., integrated marketing & public relations director at Oakwood University. "Truly the network that Oakwood has developed helped us to win. We wouldn't have been able to do this alone with just the amount of people we have here on our campus," he said.
In addition to the three campus pride grants, Home Depot also awarded one $50,000 grant and 13 $10,000 grants in this year's competition, totaling $250,000 to HBCUs for campus and facility improvements.
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Join the Oakwood Family - Employment Opportunities
Oakwood continues to build the quality of personnel that will serve our students and constituents in the best possible way. You can help us by recommending names of potential candidates to fill the following positions at the University:
Faculty positions:
Religion (1)
English (2)
History (1)
Music (1)
Education (1)
Nursing (1)
Math (Department chair)
Biology (Department chair)
Dean (School of Arts & Sciences)
Dean (School of Religion)
Chemistry
Psychology (Neuropsychology)
Staff positions:
LEAP, Director
LEAP, Academic Advisor
Interested candidates to should submit their names and contact information to Garland Dulan, vice president of Academic Administration, at gdulan@oakwood.edu.
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Faculty and Staff News
 Cecily Daly, Ed.D., professor of English, and members of the OU Literary Guild contributed to the current collegiate quarterly (CQ), having written Lesson Eight (May 17-23). Click here to read the lesson.
The CQ (Collegiate Quarterly) is a devotional Bible-study guide for young adults, ages 18-35, published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church®. The topics for each quarter are based on the same topics as the Adult Bible Study Guide published by the Church.
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Alumni Notes
 Dr. Antoinette Davis, '04, successfully defended her dissertation on April 17. Her topic was "Measuring Student Satisfaction in Online Mathematics Courses at the University of Kentucky." On May 10, she will graduate with the Doctor of Education Degree in Instruction/Administration with a specialization in Mathematics Education. After graduation, she will begin a position as an Online Mathematics Lecturer, teaching traditional and online math courses. Davis also holds a Master of Arts Degree in Applied Mathematics from Wayne State University, and is the author of Lessons on Church Folk Volumes 1 & 2 and Life Lessons for Everyday People.
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Pollard's Places
On Friday, May 2, I enjoyed the privilege of representing Oakwood University by speaking at the Annual Alabama A&M Founder's Day Celebration. Alabama A&M was founded in 1873 in Normal, Ala., by Dr. William Hooper Councill, a former slave, and member of the AME Church. Oakwood University and Alabama A&M University share a fascinating history, which is documented in Dr. Mervyn Warren's masterpiece entitled Oakwood: A Vision Splendid. While speaking to the enthusiastic audience I shared a story of how Alabama A&M founder Dr. William Hooper Councill appeared before the 1902 OU Board of Trustees to appeal for mercy toward an Oakwood student who fell into trouble. The audience was amused and intrigued by the story of Dr. Councill's pleading for the OU student. Over all, this was an unforgettable moment in the history of two historic institutions.
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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
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
12-15 - Faculty/Staff
Think Tanks
14 - Biblical Foundation
Conference
20-23 - Faculty/Staff
Think Tanks
JUNE
12-21 South Central
Conference
Camp Meeting
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Yearbooks serve to 
