Save the Date - 38th Annual UNCF Gala

Save the date (and purchase your ticket) for the 38th Annual UNCF (United Negro College Fund) Gala on Thursday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. The Gala will be held in the North Hall of Huntsville's Von Braun Center.

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. The 37-member organization provides operating funds for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), scholarships and internships for students at about 900 institutions, and faculty and administrative professional training. For more than 70 years, UNCF has raised more than $3.6 billion to help more than 400,000 students attend college and graduate from college.

For more information about the Gala, sponsorship or to purchase tickets, visit www.ougiving.com, or contact (256) 726-7201, or email uncf@oakwood.edu.

Voter Registration Drive Kicks Off Black History Month

by Naomi Coggs, student writer

As part of Oakwood's Black History Month activities, Oakwood's NAACP Chapter and the Madison County Board of Voter Registration will sponsor a Voter Registration Drive at Blake Center on Thursday from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., in response in response to the unsettling statistics that only 70 percent of Americans who are eligible to vote have registered.

With the 2016 Presidential Election just around the corner, students along with members of the community are encouraged to register to vote. College students have always had an important role to play during election season, and this year is no different. Oakwood students and employees won't have to go far to vote in the upcoming election, because the Oakwood University Church has been a voting site since the early 2000s, experiencing a historic turnout during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

The right to vote is a responsibility of the American people allowing each voice to be heard, and the voter registration drive is a fitting way to continue making changes in the black community. During the Civil Rights Movement, activists fought long and hard for the right to vote.

Now, new voters like Junior Class President Michael Taylor are able to cast their vote this election season. This political science major is excited to be a part of the political process, sharing that "Being able to cast my first vote has always been something I've looked forward to. I've been following politics since I was in the second grade so this is very exciting for me."

Black History Month's First Chapel Celebrates Diversity

For the past few years, Oakwood University has dubbed the first Thursday chapel of Black History Month the "Frank W. Hale Jr., Diversity Chapel." Known for his professional dedication to equity in education and civil rights, Dr. Hale served as the seventh president of Oakwood from 1966 to 1971. Linda L. Ammons, JD, Esquire, will be guest speaker for Thursday's chapel service.

Ammons is dean emeritus at Widener University. She served as counsel to the president of Widener for legal education, after retiring as associate provost and dean of the law school in 2014. She was the first woman and the first African American to lead the two-campus, two-state, Widener University School of Law, and was the senior African American female dean in the nation when she stepped down after serving eight years.

Ammons presentation is titled "Tributes and Testimony: Ten Commands for Success."

Click here for a complete schedule of Oakwood's Black History Month activities.

Oakwood to go "On the Road" - to Both Coasts

Oakwood's president, administrators, students, faculty, and staff will be attending two "Oakwood On the Road" events, on consecutive weekends.

On February 27, President Leslie N. Pollard will be the speaker for the Divine Worship service at the Linden Seventh-day Adventist Church, 228-20 137th Avenue, Springfield Gardens, NY 11413. The world-renowned Aeolians will minister in music during the service. That evening, the Aeolians will be in concert at the York College Performing Arts Center, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11451.

The following weekend, Oakwood will share in the worship experience at the Kansas Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church, 4491 Kansas Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507. The Voices of Triumph will minister in music at the Divine Worship Service, and will be in concert at 7:00 p.m. at the Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Advantist Chrch, 5320 Victoria Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506.

Following the concert, a reception will be held where attendees can hear about the latest developments about Oakwood, enjoy lively fellowship, get a bite to eat, and learn how to get involved and support Oakwood University.

For more details, email alumni@oakwood.edu, or call (256) 726-7201.

Oakwood's Hosts Alpha Male Induction Ceremony

The fourth annual Alpha Male Induction Ceremony, scheduled for February 8, will be the culmination of a series of workshops for the freshmen men. The theme is, "Alpha Male: Destined for Greatness." James Caldwell, residential life coordinator for Holland Hall, indicated that these workshops have been designed to help young men to understand and establish their own identity, achieve manhood, accelerate in academics and in career-related goals.

The speaker for the Induction Ceremony will be Minister Ronnie Vanderhorst, co-founder of Prepare Our Youth, who will challenge the Oakwood men to be men of integrity, faith, and men of God.

February's STANDOUT Focus

The health principle emphasized during the month of February in the 2015-2016 STANDOUT Calendar is being outdoors, which invigorates the body, mind, and spirit. Fresh air is a life-giving gift from God. Studies show that people who walk, bike, or run outdoors have better mental health than those who exercise indoors. One of the best ways to improve your physical and mental well-being is to get outside and do a bit of vigorous physical activity each day. So what are you waiting for? Get some sun! Do something fun! Live!

Legal Notice: Special Meeting of Members

Notice is hereby officially given that the quinquennial meeting of the members of Oakwood University Inc., a Corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Alabama, will be convened in the McKee Business and Technology Building Auditorium, on the Oakwood University campus, 7000 Adventist Blvd. NW, Huntsville, Alabama, 35896, on Sunday, April 17 at 8:00 a.m. (CDT) for the transaction of business that will come before the Corporation. The purpose of the meeting is to receive reports, approve amendments to the Articles and Bylaws of the Corporation and to transact other matters related thereto.

Dan Jackson, Chairman

Leslie N. Pollard, Secretary

Employee News

Jean Beedoe, Ph.D., a contract teacher in the Department of Religion and Theology, has recently published a book entitled Pastoral Care and Counseling in Large/Mega Congregations. Dr. Beedoe is a Commissioned Seventh-day Adventist minister, and is endorsed as a Health Care Chaplain through the North American Division of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries. She currently teaches classes in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Oakwood, as well as a Clinical Pastoral class at Huntsville Hospital for spiritual care-givers and students being prepared for chaplaincy.

Congratulations to Andrew "Benji" Young, Ph.D., '99, associate professor of Health and Physical Education, who successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on January 29, at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. His research is titled "Implementation of the Personalized System of Instruction for the First Time by an Experienced Teacher to One Intact Eighth Grade Class."

Alumni Notes

Malissa Martin, '05, president, Detroit Chapter of the Oakwood University Alumni Association, reports that early this past Christmas morning, members of the Detroit Chapter joined more than 1,500 volunteers to pack thousands of 5,600 hot dinners for homebound senior citizens. The event was organized by the Detroit Area Agency on Aging Holiday Meals on Wheels program, where Barbara Bryant, OUAA Regional Vice President for the Lake Region Conference, works as a support coordinator. The agency also partnered with DTE Electric Company to provide blankets to seniors. Boxes of Christmas dinners and blankets were delivered to local churches and organizations, then distributed to seniors in Detroit, and surrounding areas of Grosse Point, Harper Woods, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. The Detroit Chapter has scheduled several other events for 2016, including a career fair at Peterson-Warren Academy in March, an Oratorical Scholarship Contest in April, a summer picnic in July, and a Christmas holiday event in December.

Karlecia Swan, '99, will make her television debut on TV One's original series "Fatal Attraction," during Episode 16 of Season 4. Along with acting, Karlecia is very involved in her non-profit organization, First Lady Empowerment Foundation, Inc., which promotes the building of self-esteem in girls and women in the community and empowering them to follow their dreams.

Identified as an "emerging leader" for 2016 by the board of directors of Global Ties Alabama, Mariana Stovall, '15, recently attended the 2016 Global Ties U.S. National Meeting in Washington, DC. Each year, this four-day meeting brings together nearly 1,000 participants to gain high-level insights on trends affecting the international exchange field, engage in in-depth professional development opportunities, and build networks. The Emerging Leaders Program is an opportunity for interns and volunteers who exemplify the best in the next generation of globally engaged professionals. Mariana and the other 18 Emerging Leaders in attendance had the opportunity the meet with leaders in the field of public diplomacy.

Correction: Last week, we reported that Pastor John Coaxum was a member of the class of '99. He graduated in 2009. We apologize for the error.

~ Editors

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

About Oakwood

The mission of Oakwood University, a historically black, Seventh-day Adventist institution, is to transform students through biblically-based education for service to God and humanity.