Commencement 2016 - By the Numbers

This past weekend, Oakwood University hosted its 2016 Commencement Exercises. Listed below are some of the statistics shared by President Leslie N. Pollard about the Class of 2016:

Numbers of graduates - 414

Oldest graduate - 63 years old

Youngest graduate - 19 years old

Highest student GPA in the traditional educational program: 4.00 - Kristoff V.R. Foster

Highest student GPA in the LEAP (adult and continuing education) program: 4.00 (Chanc Hart Saari and Michael Lee Yohe)

Specialty Degrees:

Masters - 7

Adult & Continuing Education (LEAP) - 55

Dietetic Interns - 28

Major with highest number of graduates:

Organizational Management - 29
Biology - 24

Graduate Honors:

Summa Cum Laude: 9

Magna Cum Laude: 20

Cum Laude: 46

Honorable Mention: 79

Note: An additional 14 "guests" marched with the Class of 2016. The guests were defined as those who chose not to march at their respective institutions because of Sabbath observance and other scheduling concerns.

If you missed the graduation activities, you may watch all the archived services:

Friday, May 6 - Consecration
Saturday, May 7 - Baccalaureate

Saturday, May 7 - Aeolians Mini-Concert

Saturday, May 7 - Commencement

Congratulations to all of our graduates!

We Did It Again! - Winners of Retool Your School

Oakwood University won a Tier II grant of $20,000 in The Home Depot's Retool Your School competition. The funds will be used to enhance our soccer field with appropriate seating for home games. Thanks to everyone who voted for Oakwood University.

U Need 2 Know! Online Town Hall Scheduled for May 12

Join us for this online "town hall" meeting on Thursday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. (CST) which will allow prospective students (and parents) to ask questions about Oakwood concerning the areas of financial aid, student accounts, registration, and enrollment processes. For more information, please call (256) 726-7356.

Employee Notes

Jason Max Ferdinand, D.M.A., '99, director of the Oakwood University Aeolians, was recently invited by the St. Louis Symphony organization and the In Unison director in particular, Kevin McBeth, to be guest conductor. "The hospitality and warmth were amazing," said Dr. Ferdinand. "I made so many new friends and reunited with old ones. I was humbled to have met Marie-Helene Bernard, president and CEO of the symphony."

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, preceded only by the New York Philharmonic.

Alumni News

On May 4, Leon Brown, Sr., '84, accepted the call to serve as the president of the Nevada-Utah Conference. Brown has served as the Northern California Conference's African American ministries coordinator, urban ministries director, men's ministries coordinator, and prison ministries coordinator since March 5, 2014.

"We are really going to miss Leon, his talents, and his commitment to ministry in the Northern California Conference," said President Jim Pedersen. "However, we know that he will do a wonderful job as president in Nevada-Utah, and we wish him all the best as he starts this next chapter in ministry."

A firm believer in higher education, he graduated with a double major in theology and business from Oakwood University, and then went on to earn a Master of Divinity and a Master of Business Administration at Andrews University. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Brown has been married for 28 years to Julie Albritton, and they have two adult sons-Leon, II, a graduate of Oakwood University, and Lawrence, who will soon begin his third year of medical school at Meharry Medical College in Tennessee. In his spare time, Brown enjoys various forms of physical exercise and listening to music.

Giving scholarships is one of the three main giving initiatives of the Oakwood University Alumni Association. Because of the generosity from donors across the country, the Alumni Association, and its area chapters combined, they have given over $57,000 to more than 50 graduating seniors this year. As a result of this initiative, since 2013 they have given nearly $150,000 in scholarships.

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.