Ambassadors Win USCAA Basketball Championship

by Naomi Coggs, student writer

Spring break at Oakwood University ended on a celebratory note after the 2015-2016 Men's Basketball Team won the USCAA Division I Championship on March 5. This is the third championship the Men's Basketball team has won since joining the USCAA in 2008, making Oakwood University the first college or university in Alabama to win three championships.

During this past basketball season, the Ambassadors fought long and hard, which eventually led them to the week-long tournament in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. After winning against Florida National in the quarterfinal and Rochester College in the semifinal, the Ambassadors won the National Championship game against its Alabama rival, Concordia College. The final score was 80-65.

The win reflects the determination and commitment exhibited by the team. Coach Simon Jacob knew there was something different about this group of players because they genuinely bought into the God First! principle that was emphasized during practice. "They gave up individual issues that they needed to give up in order to truly become a team. Lifestyle changes were made. They committed to discipline and the things they needed to do to win the championship," shared Coach Jacob.

Brandon Daniel (#15) is ending his senior year on a high note after being crowned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. "It feels amazing. [It's] my senior year I was able to win the championship and get MVP... it's amazing and unbelievable," explained Daniel.

Daniel was not the only player recognized throughout the weekend. Juwane Damon (#23) was one of 23 student athletes awarded a place on the National All-Academic team for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Ryan Williams was named the USCAA Slam Dunk Contest winner, and Ronnie Abrams was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The team received a warm welcome home as they were greeted by fellow students when they arrived back on campus this past Sunday night. A rally was held on Monday afternoon and broadcast on Facebook Live showcasing how proud the Oakwood family is of the Ambassadors.

* Click here to see the official story from USCAA.

Oakwoodites Attend Shot@life 2016 Summit

During the 2016 Spring Break, students of the Oakwood University shot@life club (Victoria Ellington-Perrier, Jada Reedus, Elyse Greene, Karis Arnold, Samuel Parkins, Jeffterline Dorvil, Amara Hendricks, Chelese Moore) and their club sponsor, Onesimus Otieno, Ph.D., attended the Shot@life 2016 Summit in Washington D.C.

Shot@life is an organization that advocates for global childhood vaccines. The campaign focuses on four major vaccine-preventable illnesses (measles, pneumonia, rotavirus and polio) by brainstorming on innovative ways to raise awareness, especially among lawmakers and businesses that drive global policy on vaccine development, funding, and access.

In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The US Department of State, The US Agency of International Development (USAID), The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), Shot@life has a direct impact on global access to vaccines especially through the cold-chain, a process ensuring that vaccines are kept at a reliably cool temperature to keep them viable.

During the summit, participants met legislators on Capitol Hill, including Representatives Mo Brooks (AL-5), Bradley Byrne (AL-1), Martha Roby (AL -2), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Bennie Thompson (MS-2) and Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. The OU Shot@life team eloquently discussed global vaccine funding issues, noting that the 1.5 million annual deaths of children under the age of 5 can be prevented. Every dollar spent on vaccination has a 16-fold return in health benefits.

A highlight of the tour was a visit with U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, '70. The OU Shot@life club has represented Oakwood University and ADRA International at the summit for three years now and continues to have on-campus activities through the school year.

Oakwood Vocalists Win at State Competition

On February 19, at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, vocal performance and pedagogy majors (l-r) Marc Simons, tenor; Moriah Berry, soprano; and James Williams, III, bass-baritone (students of Julie Moore Foster and Makeda Hampton), were named winners in the 2016 National Association of Teachers of Singing State Competition in their respective categories.

Each of these winners are eligible to compete in the NATS national competition.

Semi-finalists from Oakwood University were Cole Henry, Naomi Parchment, Davita Parris, and Candace Williams.

Education and English Departments Produce "The Literacy Factory"

Currently in its second year, the mission of The Literacy Factory is to provide intentional literacy instruction for deserving families in the Huntsville community. This free one-day-a-week literacy program provides 10 weeks of instruction for students who are below grade level. In addition, parents are provided with weekly workshops reflective of effective literacy strategies.

As part of their Reading Diagnosis and Remediation class, teacher candidates from Oakwood's Education Department use one instructional day for application of current practices, trends, techniques and materials for diagnosis and remediation of reading difficulties. In addition, Seventh-day Adventist retired teachers also work with deserving students to support learners through this exciting innovative program. Interventionists employ learning styles tests, multiple intelligences test, student interest surveys and informal reading inventories to identify intentional areas of literacy concerns.

In small groups interventionists determine effective strategies to support literacy learning, and create. research-based literacy experiences that support student success.

The Literacy Factory is co-sponsored by the Departments of Education and English and Foreign Languages at Oakwood University.

Help Us Win the Home Depot Competition - Again!

With your help, for the past three years*, Oakwood has won top prizes in Home Depot's Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program. The Retool Your School Program was established in 2010 to provide support for campus improvement projects to the nation's HBCUs. Since the program's inception, over one million dollars in grant money has been awarded.

Participating schools have submitted grants for campus improvement. Schools are judged on the creativity of their grant proposal as well as by the number of online votes and social media activity. Oakwood's three proposals highlight how each project will make a lasting, positive impact on the campus. The three projects are:

$50,000 (Tier 1) - Outdoor bathroom facility by the Unity Pond

$20,000 (Tier 2) - Seating (bleachers) for soccer field

$30,000 (Campus Pride) - Outdoor picnic/study area in between Blake Center and Library

Help support Oakwood now in the Retool Your School by clicking here and voting for Oakwood. You can vote on all of your devices including desktop, laptop, tablet, smart phone - daily. Oakwood will also be judged on social media activity. Help us acquire high votes by also using #Oakwood_RYS16 in all of your social media communication. Online voting will take place until April 24, 2016. The winners will be announced on May 18, 2016, in Atlanta.

Team Oakwood - we did this (and won) for the past three years. Let's show them we can do this again. We thank you for your support!

*FYI - Oakwood's past winnings:

2013 - $50,000 Tier 1 prize

2014 - $25,000 Campus Pride prize

2015 - $50,000 Tier 1 prize

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

This elegant fundraising occasion is an annual event that hundreds of Oakwood alumni look forward to attending 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.

Kisha Norris, M.Ed., CFRE, executive director of Advancement & Development, and chair of the UNCF North Alabama Campaign Gala planning committee, recently announced the names of the individuals, groups, corporations and/or organizations who will be recognized at the Gala:

Category I: Those who have made an outstanding contributions to education institutions:

SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation), a company that provides government services and information technology support. Recipient: Ed Faulkner.
NACEE (North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence), a nonprofit educational support center established to provide pre-college programs for youth and adults. Recipient: Dr. Earnest Davis.
Joe Still Building Company, a construction and management services company that has been servicing Huntsville for more than 30 years. Recipient: Joe Still

Category II: Those who have made outstanding contributions to the UNCF Committee:

Michael Cox, Vice President, Parsons, a leading firm that provides premier technical, engineering, construction, and management support throughout the world to federal, regional, and local government agencies as well as private industries.
Cheri Wilson, CFRE, Area Development Director, UNCF Birmingham
Dr. Timothy McDonald, retired Provost of Oakwood University

Category III: Individuals who are products of UNCF Schools and/or have made significant contributions to the Huntsville community and/or UNCF Schools:

Toni Terrell, Radio Personality, WHRP 94.1 FM
Michelda Johnson, Community Leader

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.

March STANDOUT Focus

The health principle emphasized during the month of March in the 2015-2016 STANDOUT Calendar is Use Physical Activity.

Regular, daily physical activity is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. Physical activity includes everything from relaxing strolls in nature, to heart-pounding aerobic workouts. Want to relax more and sleep better at night? Studies have shown that vigorous physical activity will increase your relaxation, sleep, mood, immune function, and more. Exercise gives new life and strength to every part of the body.

Employee News

Dana Wilchcombe, Ph.D., assistant professor of Education, is pictured here during her recent presentation of her research at the National Association of African American Studies & the Alabama Academy of Sciences on the subject of Differentiated Instruction. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Academy of Sciences. "I find it fascinating to share research with colleagues from diverse backgrounds. There is so much to discover and these experiences help to sculpture and return interest on the gifts given."

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, 2016, 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

Alumni Notes

Antoinette M. Davis, Ed.D., '04, recently presented at the 43rd Dr. Joseph H. McMilan National Conference on the Black Family in America. Her topic was Police Behavior Toward African-American Men and its Effect on the Community #blacklivesmatter. The conference was held in Louisville, KY.

Michael G. Knight, MD, '07, has been selected as one of the National Minority Quality Forum's 40 Under 40 Leaders in Health. In its inaugural year, this award program honors influential young minority leaders making a difference in healthcare. Knight and other award recipients will be recognized at the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust's Award Gala Dinner on April 12, in Washington, D.C. Knight is a physician and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, and currently serves as the founder and president of the Renewing Health Foundation.

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.