Oakwood University Receives

Re-Accreditation

by George Ashley, Ph.D., assistant vice president for academic administration

Oakwood University has received notice that it has been fully re-accredited through 2018 by the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (AAA). Five years is the maximum term of accreditation awarded by AAA. The AAA visit is a comprehensive external review of the universities ability to implement its mission using pre-determined operational standards as well as its adherence to the philosophical believes of Adventist education.

The site visitors consisted of a diverse team of Adventist higher education administrators and faculty who were tasked to investigate Oakwood's performance in its execution of a variety of internal and external mission focused areas. Some of the areas examined included Oakwood's current and future academic programs, spirituality, financial solvency, personnel, and facilities.

The committee's report provided a number of commendations on the quality of Oakwood's academic programs. A few notable commendations were:

1. The administration and faculty's thoughtfulness and deliberate approach in providing a quality curriculum that seeks to develop for service and Heaven

2. The incorporation of a sound, critical-thinking curriculum into the freshmen courses that will enable students to build their competencies in their entry-level courses and prepare them for greater critical thinking responsibilities as the advance to higher-level courses. The committee also commended the design of the critical thinking curriculum, which supports the Adventist philosophy of Christian education, and prepares students to incorporate these skills as aspiring Christian professionals.

3. The faculty and staff's commitment to service learning as one of the core element of its curriculum

The next official AAA site visit is scheduled for 2018.

Still Time to be Part of the "Blue & Gold Challenge"

Join us in the Blue and Gold End-of-the-Year Challenge by making a gift to the Oakwood Annual Fund by midnight, June 30, 2014. Our goal is to increase the annual giving participation rate of our alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends.

Your participation at any level is valued, appreciated, and counted! Annual Fund donors will be listed on the OU Donor Roll in the Oakwood Magazine as a sign of our appreciation. The challenge has begun!

For your convenience, you may give online at www.ougiving.com, or you may send a check, payable to Oakwood University (Annual Fund), and mail it to the Office of Advancement and Development by midnight, June 30, 2014.

Your commitment, demonstrated through your tax deductible charitable gift, is important to our students, faculty and staff, and the advancement of "our dear Oakwood."

Together, we can make a difference! Thank you for your generosity!

Join the Oakwood University Family

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 position at the University:

Store Manager*

We're looking for people with premium-brand retail store experience who are ready to take it up a notch. The Store Manager is the store's leader, responsible for meeting or exceeding the store's sales goals, identifying business opportunities and motivating booksellers. This includes financial results, operations, merchandising, staffing, customer service and campus relations. It is also the Store Manager's job to create the finest and most profitable bookstore for the school campus community we serve. By driving your staff to create customer experiences that enhance bookstore loyalty, you deliver measurable results for the store and for your school. And best of all, you'll be part of a company that is consistently rated as a great place to work - and where employees love what they do.

Applicants may apply at bncollegejobs.com

*This position (on the campus of Oakwood University) is posted by Barnes & Noble, an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer committed to diversity in the workplace.

Alumni Notes

Justin McFarland, '04, is heading back to Huntsville, Ala., where his broadcasting career began. McFarland is the new morning and midday anchor for WAAY channel 31, an ABC affiliate. His new post begins June 9.

Note: Would you like to share Alumni news with us? Please send to pr@oakwood.edu.

OU Picture of the Week

At the conclusion of last week's Faculty and Staff Think Tanks, some of the Administrators along with personnel of the Grounds Department participated in the official ribbon cutting/dedication service of the "Home Depot" pavilion. (Photo by Anthony Chornes, II)

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.