A Summer of Missions

Through the years, Oakwood has helped to nurture "servant leadership" in its students. 4HIM, an initiative coordinated through the Office of Spiritual Life, invites students (and faculty/staff) to participate in mission trips in the United States and abroad.

This summer, 4HIM is hosting two trips: Kenya and Madagascar. The Kenya trip (students) is June 10-July 3, while the Madagascar trip (faculty/staff) is June 21-July 7.

Chaplain Ronald Pollard, missions and campus ministries director, coordinates the 4HIM mission trips, and guides students through what he calls "a once in a lifetime opportunity." For many of the students going abroad, it will be the first time they will fly on a plane. Chaplain Pollard emphasizes the change in perspective a lot of students experience after returning home. "They come back understanding that they are privileged. They learn that it's [their lifestyle here at home] not an entitlement, it really is a privilege," he said.

George Johnson Jr., director of integrated marketing and public relations, is traveling with the group going to Kenya. He will be sending stories back as it relates to the group's experiences while in Mombasa, Kenya. Stay tuned to next week's insideOakwood for more information.

Oakwood University Launches Brick Campaign

The "Legacy Walkway" will connect Ford Hall and the Peters Media Center.

The Oakwood University Brick Campaign provides an opportunity to leave a legacy and support campus improvement at the same time. The "Legacy Walkway" features names of donors, loved ones, special remembrances, and favorite sayings. Bricks are a great opportunity to congratulate a recent graduate, celebrate a degree or accomplishment, or honor your loved ones. Don't miss out on this opportunity to leave more than a memory at Oakwood University. You can leave your own legacy as we continue the Building on the Past Campaign (brick by brick).

Please visit Brick Pathway website www.bricksrus.com/order/oakwood to create your personalized brick.

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

Tara (Best) Taylor, '89, was recently honored by Running USA for her work with the We Run This City Youth Marathon program in Cleveland, Ohio. Her initiative won the Youth Running Program of the Year Award. Taylor is the senior program director at the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.

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

Pollard's Places

This week I am attending the Theology of Ordination Study Commission in Linthicum, Md. This is the final meeting of the four gatherings. More than 100 administrators, evangelists, and theologians (both male and female) are studying the scriptures in the effort to clearly articulate the position for the Church. In this picture, we are carefully reviewing a position statement which will be forwarded to the Executive Committee of the General Conference, of which I am a member. Your prayers are solicited for this important process. - Dr. Leslie Pollard

OU Picture of the Week

Renovation Update: Carter Hall, women's residence hall

"Carter Hall will be one of the premier living facilities on campus. This new facility will not just be a place where students sleep, but a place where minds are transformed and lives are changed," said Ryan Smith, assistant vice president of student services and director of residential life. Pictured here is Aaron Sultan, junior business management major, who is one of three Oakwood University students interning with Joe Still Building Company, the construction company renovating Carter Hall. The residence hall is scheduled to be completed later this fall. (Photo by Kisha Norris)

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.