African American Healers Conference:

Women Working in the Vineyard

The Oakwood University Church, Oakwood University, and African American Healers, Inc., are collaborating to present the African American Healers Conference: Women Working in the Vineyard, February 18-20, at the Oakwood University Church.

The purpose of the African American Healers Conference is to examine, highlight, and share the myriad of positive contributions the women of the African diaspora have made to American and the world while, at the same time, navigating the sometimes "stormy waters" of being the most disenfranchised group on these American shores.

The celebratory conference begins tomorrow, February 18, with a lecture presentation during the 9:50 a.m. Chapel service by Lakeischa Webb McMillan, MD, '96. Her topic will be "Your Personalized Rx for Working in the Vineyard."

On Sabbath, February 20, the Divine Worship experience will feature the ministry of Ifeoma Kwesi, D.Min., as the guest speaker, and the music ministry of the Central State University Choir under the direction of Jeremy Winston, '01. In the afternoon, Kenny Anderson, '83, will moderate a panel discussion with the women who regularly participate in discussion on Anderson's 2nd Chance Radio Show: Janette Smith, Rev. Sheri Clayborn, Michelda Johnson, Dr. Ramona Hyman, and Kelli Dulan, '96. The evening will conclude with a concert by Janice Johnson Browne, Ph.D., '73, and the youth choirs from three local Seventh-day Adventist Churches.

All activities will take place in the Oakwood University Church. The public is cordially invited.

Oakwood Hosts Festival of Spirituals IX

The ninth biannual Festival of Spirituals is scheduled for Sunday, February 21, at 3:00 p.m., at the Oakwood University Church. The Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Oakwood University J.L. Moran Alumni Chapter are sponsoring the free concert, and a collection will be taken during the program. A DVD of the program will also be available for a donation of $25.

The program has become a tradition in the Huntsville community. Appearing this year will be choral ensembles from Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, and Oakwood University. Dramatic presentations and a mass choir under the baton of Jason Max Ferdinand, DMA, '99, will also be featured.

The Festival of Spirituals program is designed to deliver a powerful history lesson, through music that marks the suffering blacks endured under slavery, but that also provides hope for a better world. The music "is a spiritual thing that goes back to the Negro experience. We're not celebrating the pain, but experiencing what we've gotten from the freedom. We focus on the blessings that the freedom has brought us," said George Johnson, director of integrated marketing and public relations at Oakwood University.

The Festival concept began in the 1970s under the leadership of Dr. Richard Arrington of the Alabama Center for Higher Education, an organization that supported Alabama's HCBUs. The choirs from those schools would perform at the Center's annual Black History Month program. After Arrington became mayor of Birmingham, the yearly musical gathering ended. Dr. Roy Malcolm, now retired professor from Oakwood, resurrected the idea as one of the events to celebrate Oakwood's 100th anniversary in 1996. After another six-year hiatus, Malcolm again led the effort to bring back the festival in 2002. Since then, the festival has taken place in February, every other year, as a part of Oakwood University's Black History Month celebration.

Oakwood Professors Mentor High School Students

by Naomi Coggs, student writer

Oakwood University Chemistry professors Kevin Anderson, Ph.D., and Kenneth LaiHing, Ph.D., serve as research mentors for the Launching Aspiring Biotechnology Scientists (L.A.B.S.) program, which is a collaboration between the North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

The program pairs several professors from universities in the area with a local high school student to work on a research project. The aim of the project is to equip

students with the skills and knowledge essential to the future science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

Dr. Anderson (top photo) serves as a mentor for Anthony Parker, a sophomore at J.O. Johnson High School, who is also part of the Upward Bounds Math & Science Program. Dr. Anderson and Parker will be working on a project titled: "Inhibition of Botrytis Cinerea with Essential Oils."

Dr. LaiHing (bottom photo) serves as a mentor to Ishmael Hannah, a senior at Columbia High School who plans to attend Auburn University, and is part of the Educational Talent Search Program. Dr. LaiHing and Hannah will be working on a project titled: "Preparation and Characterization of Nanofibers and Composite Nanofibers."

Click here for more information about the L.A.B.S. program.

LifeCore Survey is Back

by Naomi Coggs, student writer

The LifeCore© Survey is back and better than ever as it aims to use student feedback to continue to improve campus ministries.

At the beginning of the spring semester, the LifeCore© survey was reintroduced to the student body in an effort to enhance their engagement with spiritual programming on campus. Since 2011, Oakwood's administration has "engaged in an unprecedented study of Oakwood students' spiritual commitments and beliefs."

This year, the LifeCore© Research Center and the Office of Spiritual life has been working tirelessly to get feedback from students about their spiritual growth on campus. Because Oakwood is a campus that puts "God first," it is imperative that students feel development in their spiritual lives.

Student LifeCore© leader, Camille Bell shared, "The LifeCore© survey gets students right where they are. It gets them to tell where they want to be in their spiritual life, and how we can get them there. Then the LifeCore team will analyze the data and get it out to the ministries so that this is not just another survey that has come and gone."

Faculty members have been encouraged to remind students to take the survey, and to allow students time in the class period for participation. Names of the students who have completed the survey are put into a weekly drawing for prizes such as a Fitbit, iPad mini or an Apple watch.

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 Sabbath, 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 at 7:30 p.m., the Aeolians will be in concert at the York College Performing Arts Center, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11451. Tickets can be purchased online, or at the Adventist Book Centers of the Northeastern Conference and the Greater New York Conference.

On March 5, Oakwood will participate 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 Adventist 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.

Get Your Tickets Today - for the 38th Annual UNCF Gala

Tickets are now available for the 38th Annual UNCF (United Negro College Fund) Gala on Thursday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Hall of Huntsville's Von Braun Center. This elegant fundraising occasion is an annual event that hundreds of Oakwood alumni look forward to each year.

Proceeds from the Gala support the five UNCF member institutions in Alabama (Miles College, Oakwood University, Stillman College, Talladega College and Tuskegee University) and the thousands of students they serve. The outcome of our corporate, academic and community partnerships is enhanced resources to prepare young people with the education and professional skills required to compete in today's global marketplace. This is especially critical as Huntsville continues to grow and prosper.

The UNCF 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 approximately 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, 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.

Alumni Notes

Oakwoodite actor, comedian and live event host Jonathan B. Slocumb is set to receive his first Stellar Awards Honor during a taped broadcast later this month. Slocumb's clean, wholesome comedy has landed him on many stages from hosting the Essence Music Festival for eight years, serving as MC for the UNCF Gala in Huntsville, to most recently touring with Aretha Franklin. His easy-going attitude, exceptional work ethic and sharp style have help solidify a solid reputation as the go-to class act for corporations and celebrities alike.

"The Stellar Awards Executive Committee unanimously agreed to bestow 'Stellar Honors' to Jonathan Slocumb. The honor exemplifies his remarkable achievements as a faith-based comedy pioneer and dedicated supporter of our Stellar Awards," noted Don Jackson, Stellar Awards Founder, Chairman and Executive Producer.

"I'm honored to join the elite list of Stellar Honors recipients. The Stellar Awards, as well as Bobby Jones Gospel, helped launch my career and ultimately brought to the forefront the genre of comedy that I initiated called 'gospel comedy.' It is significant to receive this honor from the institution that birthed it all," said Slocumb.

The 2016 Stellar Awards will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 20, and will air in broadcast syndication on 150 stations in over 125 markets around the country from April 5-10, 2016, on the TV One network, and May 12th and 16th on Bounce TV.

In the February issue of the Southern Tidings, Mervyn Warren, Ph.D., D.Min., '57, describes his experience with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Oakwood's connection to the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. In the publication's "Black History Feature," Warren describes the circumstances that led to Dr. King's addressing the Huntsville community in Oakwood's Ashby Auditorium in 1962. Click here to read the article.

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.