Oakwood's President Leslie Pollard Elected as President of Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities

On Monday, March 14, 2016, the presidents of the 13 Seventh-day Adventist Colleges and Universities in North America elected Oakwood University's president Leslie Pollard, Ph.D., to serve as President of the Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU) for the 2016-2018 term.

AACU represents the executive leadership of the colleges and universities in North America. In his fifth year as President of Oakwood University, Pollard is the first President from Oakwood to serve as President of AACU.

In this new role, Dr. Pollard will be responsible for convening and chairing the AACU Presidents' meetings and advancing the agenda of higher education in North America. He will also work closely with the North American Division Department of Education to promote the aims of Seventh-day Adventist education at the elementary, high school, collegiate, and university levels.

"I count it an honor to serve my colleagues and the institutions they represent. SDA higher education faces tremendous challenges, but our faith is invincible. And God is greater than our challenges. AACU can and will make tremendous impact for the mission of SDA education," said Pollard. "I especially believe that some elements of what we are doing here at Oakwood, such as coming alongside our Oakwood Elementary and Academy in a seamless K-18 partnership, can be exported to other environments in North America to strengthen our educational communities in the US and Canada. However, we remain open to guidance from God and wisdom from our colleagues."

The election took place as Oakwood University served as host of the 2016 AACU Division-wide meetings March 12-14. More than 60 educational administrators from across North America attended the sessions on the Oakwood campus.

AACU members take a moment to enjoy each other's company during lunch.

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.