Alumni Homecoming & Graduation - Oakwood University

M A G A Z I N E

WINTER 2020 OAKWOODMAGAZINE.COMWINTER 2020 OAKWOODMAGAZINE.COM

What's Good About an

Alumni Homecoming & Graduation

2019

MPH?Check out Oakwood’s

new Master of Public

Health Program

3 Simple Tips for Healthy Eating in 2020

5 A Message from the PresidentMy Gratitude List

6 What's Good About an MPH Dr. Sherine Brown-Fraser's Public Health journey

10 Alumni Homecoming Remembering Homecoming 2019

12 The Look of LegacyA picture gallery of Oakwood Legacy Families

16 Oakwood Commencement 2019 Experience the highlights of graduation, again

43 To Shine By Night Joel Kibble reminds us that it’s our job to reflect

Jesus’ light

44 Presidents & Precedents of Oakwood University Dr. Mervyn Warren refects on the leaders of

Oakwood

47 Endnotes All I Have To Give

ON THE COVER: Graduates Queanna Osborne and Kwame Amponsah share in the excitement of graduation.

P H O T O B Y T E Y M I T O W N S E N D

WIN

TER

2020

W I N T E R 2020 [ Oakwood Magazine ] 3

12

EDITORIAL STAFF

Publisher: Oakwood University

Editor: Cheri Wilson

Associate Editor: Maquisha Mullins

Managing Editor: Debbe Millet

Art Director: Ron J. Pride

Photographer: Teymi Townsend

Circulation Manager: Dianne Cheddar

Videography: Oakwood University Broadcasting

Network (OUBN)

............................................................................................................................

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY OFFICERS

Leslie N. PollardPRESIDENT

Colwick M. WilsonPROVOST

Sabrina R. CottonVICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION

David A. KnightVICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT SERVICES

Prudence L. PollardVICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH & FACULTY

DEVELOPMENT

David RichardsonVICE PRESIDENT FOR MISSION, ENROLLMENT SERVICES

& RETENTION

............................................................................................................................

OAKWOOD MAGAZINE, the official journal of Oakwood

University, is published by the Office of Integrated Marketing

& Public Relations, Oakwood University.

Email: [email protected]

Address editorial correspondence and/or questions to us at

the Office of Integrated Marketing & Public Relations

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18 Academic Administration

2nd Annual Social Work Day at the

United Nations

OU Literary Guild and its Affiliates

Join the Literary Conversation

Allied Health Students Visit

Andrews University

Oakwood University Hosts the

Adventist English Association

Conference

“An Army, Rightly Trained” and On

the Move

The Literacy Factory

32 Mission, Enrollment Services &

Retention

Oakwoodites Serve in Mission

Field: Guatemala

34 Advancement & Development

A Special Thanks for Giving

Beyond The Oaks

Alumni News

16

Dr. Sherine Brown-Fraser leads Oakwood’s new Master of Public Health Program

P H O T O B Y T E Y M I T O W N S E N D

D I V I S I O N U P D A T E S

2 [ Oakwood Magazine ] W I N T E R 2020

M A G A Z I N E

Contents

Available anywhere you go!

Keep up with Oakwood Mag

online at:

Share Your Good News with the Oakwood FamilyAll Oakwood Alumni are invited to share your special milestones—that have occurred within the last 12 months—with the Oakwood family, including: child births, graduations, new

positions/promotions/certifications, article/book publications, memorials, etc. If possible, please include a high-resolution digital photo suitable for publication (.jpg, .png, or .gif format;

under 2MB in size; 300 dpi or the largest size possible for print). Submissions may be edited, and placement is at the discretion of the editorial team. Send by email to [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]


Every day something exciting happens at Oakwood University! Every page of this issue shares just a little

of the story of accomplishments and events that

have advanced the institution over the past few

months. God’s blessings are too numerous to tell,

so where should we begin?

It was a joy to speak to the inaugural International

Summit of Colleges, Universities, and Ministers of

Education at the United Nations in September. The

purpose of the summit was to create partnerships

between institutions committed to “advancing

quality education for all persons of African descent.”

We shared with them regarding the Consortium

of African Adventist Universities and Partners

(CAAUP), which has 16 member institutions. Oakwood

University founded this organization in 2012 and

it has been a blessing to our faculty who have

participated in the faculty exchange within the

Diaspora.

Oakwood University cannot succeed without

the support of our faithful and generous community

to help us reach our goal of a $20 million dollar

endowment by 2020. Maybe you made your gift

on Giving Tuesday, when we exceeded our $25,000

goal—and $31,780 was raised in one day! Or perhaps

our alumni and friends who are Federal employ-

ees and retirees contributed to support Oakwood

through the recent Combined Federal Campaign

(#96964). Whatever you have done, we continue to

thank you for your support of Oakwood University.

MY GRATITUDE LIST

If you “google” the word gratitude, you see an

avalanche of positive research showing the health

benefits of living with gratefulness (e.g. greater

resilience, healthy optimism, less stress, higher

endorphin levels, better relationships, etc). My

personal list has over 100 things I’m grateful for,

so I’ll share just a few.

In 2019 Oakwood University was ranked among

the top 10 HBCUs in

the United States. We

remain grateful that

Oakwood stands out

in multiple publics

as an outstanding

institution of higher

education. Praise God!

Our Oakwood

Farms Market and farm-to-table Bistro will move

from vision to reality when it opens during the first

quarter of 2020. I am grateful for this addition to

our industry recovery strategy.

We will break ground on our 9000 sq. ft. state-

of-the-art Community Health Action Clinic, on our

East Campus, in 2020. Huntsville Hospital has

partnered with us to develop the clinic on the

west wing of the facility, and the service learning

operations will be housed on the east wing of the

building. I am grateful to the donors who will enable

us to bring the vision of this facility to reality.

On a personal note, God has allowed Prudence

and me, who met as students at Oakwood University,

to celebrate our 40th year of a wonderful marriage.

We are grateful every day for the family He has

given us. I am grateful that God set a new direc-

tion in our histories and is blessing the next

generation.

Finally, I am grateful for the spirit of min-

istry, service, and sacrifice that is embodied in

the dedicated and hard-working administrators,

faculty, and staff of Oakwood University. I am

also deeply grateful for the students, alumni,

friends, ministers and members of the Huntsville

faith community, and all who work with us in

varying capacities in support of the mission of “a

place called Oakwood.” In the words of the apostle

Paul, “I thank God always when I remember you”

(Philippians 1:3).

My Gratitude List

from the PresidentLeslie N. Pollard, Ph.D., D.Min., MBA

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MPH?

6 [ Oakwood Magazine ] W I N T E R 2020 W I N T E R 2020 [ Oakwood Magazine ] 7

New Start in Public Healthby Garry Graham, Sr.

While growing up in Brooklyn, New

York at the Bethel Seventh-day

Adventist Church (SDA), every year

a gentleman would come to visit during the

Adventist youth society hour (back then, it

was referred to as Missionary Volunteers)

and talk about the dangers of smoking. His

presentation was different than all the other

programs. He brought a mannequin that

smoked, appropriately named Smoking Sam.

This annual presentation influenced me in two specific ways. The

first, I was convinced to never touch a cigarette. The second, is that he

was able to use visual aids to teach about the dangers of smoking. I

always wondered, how do you teach like that?

Years later, I attended Oakwood University where I was exposed

to a class by Howard Shaw in my first semester. He spoke about diet,

exercise, and the daily lifestyle. I embraced the lectures and was

convicted as it left a lasting impression on me.

As a life long Seventh-day Adventist I absorbed the lexicon

of health and temperance, highlighted with the famous acronym

"NEWSTART" (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air,

Rest, Trust in God). Research shows that Adventists live seven years

longer than the average American, and I am thrilled to learn that

Loma Linda University is in a certified “blue zone.“

The health message has always been “the right hand of the

gospel” and a strong catalyst for evangelism.

Temperance and health are now being married to Public Health,

giving us the boost needed to take the gospel through the world. One

of the most popular graduate degrees achieved by Oakwood Alumni

is the Masters of Public Health (MPH). Unfortunately, most of us had

to go to another institution and make our mark in the Public Health

arena. The MPH has allowed our alumni to become CEOs, research

scientists, authors, consultants, television and radio personalities.

My interest in Public Health came from being an SDA, while

navigating the hip hop hustle of NYC, by doing health presentations

and mobile outreach, and grew with my academic pursuit in the

SUNY Downstate School of Public Health. When I started my Public

Health career, my mentor thought it was a natural progression as a

result of my exposure and execution I already had with the health

message.

As a public health practitioner, I have seen campaigns against

smoking, the push for seat belts–along with airbags, the strategy to

decrease HIV transmission, countless health fairs, and presentations.

This generation brings new health challenges with the opioid crisis,

legalization of marijuana, vaping, and distracted driving (texting and

driving).

There is something special happening at Oakwood University,

the birth of a Masters of Public Health program that has a dynamic

new online platform. This program will provide the training for a new

wave of practitioners to tackle today's health challenges.

by Dr. Sherine Brown-Fraser

What exactly is the practice of

Public Health? I'm so glad you

asked. Public Health is the

beautiful combination of sci-

ence, research and compassion; using ‘big data’

to address ‘big health issues.’ Public Health

is also the powerful intersection of science,

health, research and policy with a clear goal

to improve populations using quantitative and

qualitative data. It’s local, global, measurable

and most importantly, meaningful. In essence,

Public Health is the science of prevention.

Public Health Defined

“Public Health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. This work is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious dis-eases.”

—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, 2019

“Public Health for the NIH who invests nearly $39.2 billion annually in medical research for the American people, is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”

—The National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2019

“Public Health investigates the ecology of health and battles against deadly contagious diseases, minimizes the consequences of cat-astrophic events, and provide the basics of sanitation, safe food, and water.”

—thisisbpublichealth.org, 2015

The field of Public Health is vast, weav-ing together the foundation of five core dis-ciplines: 1) Biostatistics, 2) Epidemiology, 3) Environmental Health Sciences, 4) Health Policy and Management, 5) Social and Behavior Sciences. Plant-based nutrition coupled with lifestyle intervention is one of the many valu-able tools within the arsenal of Public Health. I like to think of public health as the hand of Christ helping make humanity whole. The American Public Health Association (APHA) says it well, the heart of Public Health “saves money, improves our quality of life, helps chil-dren thrive and reduces human suffering. While a doctor treats people who are sick, those of us working in Public Health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. We also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.”

WHEN DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN

PUBLIC HEALTH?

Born in Manhattan while growing up in the suburbs of Long Island, New York, my family commuted weekly to Harlem to worship at the Ephesus SDA Church for over 40 years. During my weekly commute, I saw first-hand the pain-ful disparities in health front and center. At the time, I didn't realize that God was preparing me for a career in Public Heath as an academic, researcher and scholar-servant.

MY PUBLIC HEALTH JOURNEY: A

SNAPSHOT

Public Health is both populational and per-sonal. Some of my richest and rewarding public health experiences through the years are inter-connected with cross-cutting disciplines result-ing in significant impact promoting health and mitigating disease. Whether my experience was… …reducing heart disease risk as a doctoral stu-

dent at the Harvard School of Public Health investigating the effects of the APOA1-CIII-AIV gene cluster on acute and long-term cholesterol responses to high saturated fat diets.

…or studying the effects of plant-based proteins on hypertension while training as a post-doc in the development and execution of the OMNIHeart® Study, a multi-center clin-ical trial at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

…or developing science policies, scientific evaluations, regulations, and enforce-ment strategies to promote the nation’s health as a Science Fellow with the Federal Government within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NIH and the Office of the United States Surgeon General.

…or establishing Morgan State University’s first Community Organic Vegetable Garden, in a 7000 sq. ft. urban plot that is now a thriving community garden and a successful cam-pus–community project that strengthens service learning and community engage-

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT ANWhy I Made a Choice to Make a Lasting Impact

Garry Graham, Sr., is a doctoral candidate in Community Health Sciences at SUNY Downstae School of Public Health. He is also the father of Garry Graham, Jr., a sophomore biochemistry major at Oakwood University.

�


comes locally, nationally and globally. Data driv-en—health in action!

Ellen White has two great quotes that I believe speak to the heart of Public Health:

“The work of health reform is the Lord’s means for lessening suffering in our world…. Teach the people that they can act as God’s helping hand by cooperating with the Master Worker in restoring physical and spiritual health.” Testimonies, Vol.9, p. 112-113.

“When properly conducted, the health work is an entering wedge, making a way for other truths to reach the heart.…” Counsels on Evangelism, p. 72.2.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you? But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8, NKJV. Want to make a positive and lasting impact on the world, your life and your career? Get an MPH at Oakwood University.

_________Sherine Brown-Fraser, PhD., RD, CPT, is a Professor & Chair in the Department

of Nutrition & Dietetics; Dietetic Internship Program; and the Master of Public Health

Program at Oakwood University.

BGo Green: Collards are a delicious side dish all year

long. Try mixing them with Kale! Both greens are good source of Calcium (bone health & muscle contraction), Potassium (regulates blood pressure & cell integrity), Beta-carotene/Vitamin A (vision & cell division), and Folate (helps produce red blood cells and DNA).

CKeep Greens Bright: Try to keep your greens bright in

color and not to overcook them. If over cooked, most of the nutrients with be found in the liquid. So if you must cook your greens to that dark rich color, PLEASE PLEASE, don't toss the liquid. Add that delicious "pot liquor" liquid to soups, stews and/or gravies.

DGo Green with Mac: Add a fun, nutrient dense spin to

traditional Macaroni & Cheese! Add greens like spinach, kale, collards or mustard greens to your mac and cheese. Season the greens well, then add them to your mac & cheese before baking. Consider Vegan Mac & Cheese recipes as well.

And remember, having positive, uplifting conversations around the dinner table bodes well for fel-

lowship and digestion. Try to stay away from conversations like “what's in the food” at the dinner

table. Instead, consider replacing that topic with “let’s thank those who prepared the meal!”

ment for improved health, nutrition, and the environment.

…or working in the field of Nutritional Neuroscience, Behavior Health, Food Deserts and Violence Prevention as faculty/Chair at Andrews University in a partnership with colleagues at the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT), NIH, and Lakeland Hospital.

These experiences are all Public Health. WHY SHOULD SOMEONE CHOOSE A CAREER

IN PUBLIC HEALTH?

The employment outlook in Public Health is strong. The job market for Public Health researchers, practitioners, educators, and com-munity workers is projected to grow 21 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities are expect-ed to grow by 37% from 2010-2020, faster than the average for all occupations (14%). This pre-diction translates into about 23,200 new jobs for Public Health Professions/Health Educators over a 10-year span.

College is my alma mater. Receiving my PhD. from Harvard University within the Schools of Public Health, Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate School has pre-pared me for such a time as this. Collaborative-Leadership has been the pre-vailing theme as I have worked closely with great colleagues at Oakwood such as Dr. Earl Henry (Interim MPH Program Director), Dr. Joycelyn Peterson, Dr. John Anderson, Dr. Joyce Johnson, Dr. Karen Benn-Marshall, Dr. Colwick Wilson and Dr. Prudence Pollard in developing the vision, direction and management of the MPH program. Having an excellent office manag-er, Mrs. Janelle Flint, has been a blessing. Oakwood University is perfectly positioned to meet the public health need with our new Master of Public Health degree program in Nutrition & Wellness. This past fall semester 2019, we celebrated the start of our first MPH student cohort. TELL US ABOUT HOW AN OU MPH

PREPARES STUDENTS

Oakwood University’s Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Wellness is the next step for students who have completed undergradu-ate health-related degrees and want to continue their studies at the next level. With a focus on advocating plant-based diets, students will learn how to assess the health needs of diverse com-munity groups. They will use their findings to create personalized health plans, programs and policies. In 22 to 24 months, the MPH degree also prepares graduates to meet the new stan-dards passed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration for entry-level registered dietitians.

MPH Program goals are:1. Knowledge: Prepare graduate health pro-

fessionals who are able to provide innova-tive evidence-based nutrition education to diverse communities.

2. Cultural Competence: Prepare students to develop, implement, and assess programs to promote the health of a diverse popu-lation of individuals, groups and commu-nities.

3. Application: Facilitate sustainable collab-orations between faculty, students, and faith-based and non-profit organizations in service to communities.

The MPH is key to effective, research-based, health promotion and disease prevention out-

The MPH degree has the potential to increase employment opportunities! The demand for Public Health Professions in the workforce continues to increase across the United States. Growth will be driven by efforts to improve health outcomes and to reduce health-care costs by teaching people about healthy habits and behaviors, and utilization of available health care services. Popular areas of Public Health Employment: Health Care Agencies, Biotechnology, Hospitals, Government (local, regional, national), Relief Organizations (i.e., ADRA, Red Cross), Research Institutes, Colleges/Universities, Consulting, Corporate Wellness, NGOs & Nonprofits, United Nations, Think Tanks, Religious/Church Organizations, Professional Associations, Foundations, or the Public Sector. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR NEW

ROLE AT OU?

As the new Department Chair and Professor of Oakwood University’s Nutrition and Dietetics Department—home to the new MPH Program—it's an awesome opportunity to be serving this capacity. It’s “full circle” for me since Oakwood

WHY CHOOSE OAKWOOD FOR YOUR

MPH?

→ UNIQUE: Online MPH program in Nutrition and Wellness with a unique

emphasis combining health disparities, vegetarian nutrition & health

promotion.

→ CONVENIENT: 100% Online Program. Great for working professionals.

→ GREAT VALUE: Tuition competitive with other online programs

→ STRONG PUBLIC HEALTH CORE: Public health core competencies provided:

Intro to Public Health. Epidemiology. Biostatistics. Health Behavior. Health

Policy Administration. Environmental Health.

→ QUALITY EDUCATION: Program will train you to evaluate and quantify

health needs of a population group, while simultaneously providing the

knowledge and skills to create and implement research-based community

programs in preventive health and wellness.

→ EASY: One course at a time. Each course = 8-week sessions.

New cohort every August.

Learn more at: graduate.oakwood.edu

3 Simple Tips for Healthy Eating in 2020 by Dr. Sherine Brown-Fraser

�

By all accounts, the Alumni 360 events during Alumni Weekend 2019 were a

success! Over 12 professions and depart-ments were represented, at 12 venues across the campus. Over 300 Oakwood alums and students participated. Alumni 360 is one of the Big 4 initia-tives from the Office of Alumni Relations launched this year, where Oakwood alum-

ni circle back on campus to network for their career and profession, and also help our current students by providing mentoring, internships or shadowing experiences. The goal is to ensure every student who attends and/or graduates from Oakwood will have had at least one internship or shadowing experience before leaving Oakwood. If you would like to participate in our Alumni 360 during Homecoming next year—April 4-12, 2020—join our mentoring program, or if you can provide an internship or shad-owing experience for our students, please contact either the Office of

Alumni Relations: 256-726-7039, or Career Connections: 256-726-8495, today!

Oakwood University’s Alumni Homecoming 2019 has been described as “simply amazing!” It was felt that the Holy Spirit overflowed in every service, and that God continues to bless the efforts of

His soldiers in this Oakwood family of believers. We encourage everyone to get engaged and ignited to share the good news about what’s happening at yOUr University. Blessings to all attended in person, braving the unseasonably cool temperatures outside, as well as those who viewed the services online.

Some of the weekend's highlights included the

· Pre-Alumni Kick-off, with author and CNN commentator Angela Rye

· 41st Annual UNCF Gala, with Grammy-winning recording artist Lalah Hathaway

· honoring the 40 years of broadcast ministry of Praise 90.1 FM WJOU

· honoring the 30 years of music ministry of Dynamic Praise

· the musical ministry of Pastor Donnie McClurkin and the Aeolians

· Alumni 360 events, Oakwood Legacy photo booth, and the Alumni Village

AlumniH O M E C O M I N G


P H O T O S B Y T E Y M I T O W N S E N D Lalah Hathaway

Pastor Wintley Phipps

Dr. Pollard with the current and former

directors of Dynamic Praise.

Dynamic Praise was honored for 30 continuous years of phenomenal music ministry.

Donnie McClukin, Stevie Mackey, and Duawne Starling

lead a moment of true "Dynamic Praise."

Pastor Donnie Mclurkin

An Alumni Impact Award was given to Toson Knight (right of podium), '13, for his work with young men in Detroit, Michigan. Through Knight's leadership and influence, several

of these young men are enrolled at Oakwood University.

Drs. Pollard with Tommy Battle, Mayor of Huntsville, AL, and Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF President & CEO.

Emile Parker (left), Director of Alumni

Relations with Dr. Angela Rye (center),

and the Pre-Alumni Council.

Cast members of the play, “Fences” produced by the Department of English & Foreign Languages.

President Pollard congratulates the current and former leadership and staff of Praise 90.1 FM WJOU (left to right) Don McPhaull, Jody Jones, Audree Johnson, Victoria Joiner, Linda Anderson, Nichole Rowlett Dorsey, Ivy Starks, Dammeon Malone, and Don Roden.

The OU campus was filled with

laughter, greeting and activity

on Sunday afternoon.

W I N T E R 2020 [ Oakwood Magazine ] 1312 [ Oakwood Magazine ] W I N T E R 2020 P H O T O S B Y 5 T H G E A R P R O D U C T I O N & P H O T O G R A P H Y

The Look of Legacy Pictured here are many of our Legacy

Families—those families where several

generations have attended Oakwood

through the decades—siblings, parents,

and/or grandparents. The Office of Alumni

Relations celebrates with you the handing

down of the “Oakwood Experience” to

succeeding generations.


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P H O T O S B Y T E Y M I T O W N S E N D & E M M I T T S L O C U M B

G R A D U AT I O N 2 0 1 9

G R A D U A T I O N B Y T H E N U M B E R S

328 GRADUATES

Male graduates135

Female graduates193

&

13 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

TOP 5 STATES REPRESENTED

69 years old

OLDEST grad

20 years old

YOUNGEST grad

Highest GPAJeffrey Otieno 10

52

MastersDegrees

Adult & Continuing Education (LEAP)

Summa Cum Laude Magna Cum Laude

Cum Laude Honorable Mention

9

50 50

18

4.0

Oakwood University hosted its 2019 Commencement Exercises, May 9-11, for 328 of the

brightest students in the world who entered to learn, and have now departed to serve. The

Commencement speaker was the Honorable Greg Mathis. Honorary doctoral degrees (Doctor

of Humane Letters) were awarded to Mrs. Lois Peters and Elder Ed Zinke. An additional four

“guest” graduates participated in the Commencement ceremony on Saturday night.

Guest graduates are defined as those who chose not to march at their respective institutions

because of Sabbath observance and other scheduling concerns.


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flickr.com/OakwoodUniversity

ACADEMIC OPERATIONSColwick Wilson, Ph.D., Provost & Senior Vice President

W I N T E R 2020 [ Oakwood Magazine ] 1918 [ Oakwood Magazine ] W I N T E R 2020

Tristan Johnson, Senior/Social Work major - Worchester, Massachusetts: This trip to

Manhattan was like a business trip and a

short vacation com-bined into one! I learned so much from just a couple

of hours attending the different sessions.

The United Nations not only stands for addressing global social problems, but is also extreme-ly active in policy development; passionate about getting various resources for certain countries; helps end discrimination against and oppression of certain groups; and plays a significant role in trying

tencies, the organization provides a path for all of us to follow. Again, I am very grateful for the opportunity to experience a life-changing event such as this. Thank you.

Bruce Lindsey, Senior/Social Work ma jor - Ba l t imore , Maryland: Our trip to New York was truly an eye opener. The most humbling experience was being at the UN Headquarters. Seeing and meeting some great people along the way made the trip even bet-ter. When we attended the conference on Sunday, I’ll never

2nd Annual Social Work Day at the United Nations, New York City by Tristan Johnson, Bruce Lindsey,

Sian Mccollum, and Kennedy Blye

forget the exceptional panel speak-ers. They were all very different, but their passion for changing the world was shining through. By far the best part of the whole trip was when the panelists opened the floor for ques-tions. Everyone who wanted to ask a question was heard, and given a detailed answer in return. Moments like these are rare and I was glad to be a part of it.

Sian McCollum, Senior/Social

Work major – Buford, Georgia:

It was such a blessing to attend Social Work Day at the United Nations for the second year in a row. I’m so grateful to be a part of a department that creates opportunities that will forever impact our lives as social workers. What stood out to me the most was the student forum that took place before

the Social Work Day at the UN. I appre-ciated that they created a program specifically for

students to net-work with each other,

and present their research on various topics. Sitting in on the discussions that at the U.N. Headquarters, I was able to see the different perspectives of other social workers from around the world.

Kennedy Blye, Graduated 2019/

Social Work major - Beltsville,

Maryland: The United Nations trip was overall a great experience, espe-cially in the sense that we got to network with people from all around the world to discuss the needs of chil-dren and how we as social workers

can utilize our skills. I really enjoyed hearing the different panel discus-sions. One story that stood out to me was a lady sharing her experience during the Genocide. Her family was killed and she talked about how she overcame the trauma. It was also good to be able to bond with the group that was there. Overall, I had awe-some time! I would definitely go back to the U.N. and I am thankful for this experience. _________

Submitted by Shalunda Sherrod, DSW, LICSW, PIP,

an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at

Oakwood University.

to end the practice of sex trafficking, and the list doesn’t stop there. The United Nations is one of the most prestigious organizations I have ever witnessed. Before this trip, I saw social work as one of the only professions that actively focuses on helping those who need help. However, social work is so much bigger than just helping the average person. The profession is a principle for how people must treat one another. We should uplift our neighbors when they’re down—uplift them and help them find the resources they need to better them-selves. With this attitude in mind, the world can and will become a better place. United Nations models this. Through its exemplary compe-

Oakwoodites pause for a photo opportunity outside of the United Nations.(l-r) Sian McCollum, UNICEF Club Sponsor: Dr. Shalunda Sherrod, Tristan Johnson, Kennedy Blye, and Bruce Lindsey.

Trust Services & Planned Giving

Have you

remembered

to include

Oakwood

University

in your will or trust?

Call Us: 256-726-7586

W W W . O A K W O O D . E D U

Lewis JonesAssistant Director of Development/

Planned Giving Officer

[email protected]

D I V I S I O N U P D AT E


OU Literary Guild and its Affiliates Join the Literary Conversation by Dr. Cecily Daly

larger international com-munity. The challenge of teaching Developmental Reading classes of unmo-tivated, underprepared college students was the stimulation which created an academic club within the English Department, which was established in 1986. This was strengthened with help from the Center for Academic Support so that our activities were student-centered and geared toward literary excellence and academic

enhancement. In 2000, we celebrated a nation-al membership as the first and only American Christian Writers’ Association chapter in the State of Alabama. Now we still remain the 27th chapter of this now-expanded nation-al organization. Through God’s help, and the help of dedicated sponsors and marketing expert advisor, Mr.

Michael Sales, we’ve kept afloat until now. Since the early days of our existence, with Mrs. Minneola Dixon as our first supporter, Dr. Ramona Hyman, first sponsor, Ms. Sonia Paul,

longest serving sponsor, Dr. Dorothy Patterson, effervescent membership card supplier, and Ms. Karen Tucker, encouraging quality control sponsor, we have had many successful writing harvests. Our 500+ authors have writ-ten in various publications, includ-ing five Insight magazines featuring Oakwood, four collegiate Sabbath School Quarterlies, seven completed books, one documentary video, and one “Caring & Sharing” video, the springboard for our textbook schol-arship funds. We have now established COULA (a Consortium of Oakwood University Literary Affiliates), experienced a global push, and expanded the Guild to a total of 11 Literary Affiliates who keep the goal of maintaining “the Right to Write” with excellence. For more information check our website, under the Eva B. Dykes Library page.

LITERARY AFFILIATES: WHO

ARE THEY?

This is the name given to acad-emies who have applied to the uni-versity home chapter for membership and want to know how to successfully establish and maintain like clubs of literary excellence in their local areas.

MEET SOME AFFILIATES AND

CELEBRATE THEIR SUCCESS!

1. North Dallas Adventist Academy, Richardson, Texas: for their first book – Millennial Voices – written by a class and submitted by their teacher – Catherine Jackson.

2. Oakwood Adventist Academy, Huntsville, Alabama: for their first journal which they named, Depthinition, written by their affiliate club and submitted by their teacher – Gwen Woods.

3. West Indies College Group of

Schools, Mandeville, Jamaica, West Indies: for their literary project on Writing with Color, submitted by the principal, Basil Tabannor.

4. Kamagambo High School, Kenya, Africa: a new national champion joins the literary conversation. They tell of the successful results of their students at local, regional and national levels of a recent Drama Festival. Thus, they’ve earned our congratulations by setting a good example for all Affiliates.

Cheers, Affiliates, keep up the good work!

Since the inception of our most prized possession in 1985, this God-given literary treasure holds a mission of

assisting young people in discover-ing talents they never knew they possessed. The Guild also assists members and friends to integrate faith and learning as they employ our three age-old rights: “The right to know, the right to read, and the right to write.” Everyone connected with the Guild has, to a greater or lesser extent, been encouraged and enabled to “Write the Vision, Make it Plain” and share the Oakwood experience as we uphold the mission of the library as well as the standards of our institution. The scope and sequence of our existence over the last 30 years has been a love affair with our pens. Thus, we guard the Guild as a sacred trust, doing all we can to keep the flame burning, now that we are part and parcel of the

FROM THE OU

LITERARY GUILD

HOME CHAPTER

The picture is still exciting! “In My Father’s Suitcase ,” seeded by member Ezra Okuro, is a series of values- clarifi-cation books designed for 3rd and 4th graders. Three of these books will help the children to clarify and hold onto the values they have been taught (e.g., kindness, cheerfulness, love, caring, safety, etc). The fourth book of the set offers activities for the children about those values. These books are written in English and in Swahili, the national language of Kenya.

Members of the Home Chapter have worked hard with the production. Thanks to Drs. Gilbert Ojwang and Onesimus Otieno for tirelessly working on this proj-ect. Also, thanks to Mr. Joel Arama for con-

necting with Kamagambo for a verbal report of that Affiliate. Although many years have slipped by, OULG still remains grounded on the a foundational “Right to Write” yet continues to encourage all mem-bers to “Write the vision and make it plain…” Hab. 2:2 _________

Cecily Daly, Ed.D., is the sponsor of the OU Literaty Guild.

BOOK 1

In My

Father’s

Suitcase

Compiled and Edited by Cecily Daly

ACADEMIC OPERATIONS

Allied Health Students Visit Andrews University

by Dr. Earl Henry

Dr. Earl Henry, chair of the Allied Health Department, and Professor Mishael

Williams, sponsors of the Allied Health club, took a group of Allied Health students to Andrews University November 8-11, 2019, for the University’s Graduate Preview. The visit gave the students an opportunity to visit the Allied Health-related gradu-ate programs offered at Andrews. The weekend included a ‘meet and greet’ with faculty and current students, and dedicated ses-sions in departments and programs of interest. Those planning to pursue Physical Therapy were hosted to a session in the cadaver lab manned by the first year DPT students. Those interested in other graduate programs were hosted in the respec-tive departments. Our students were able to make valuable networking connections and new friends. In addition to the academic information received, we were treated to pizza and ice cream when we visit-ed Silver Beach. The visit was a very informative and rewarding one for our students, many of whom are considering Andrews University for graduate school.

Currently, Oakwood University has two affiliation agreements with Andrews University, for the Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology (3+1), and the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (3+3). _________

Earl Henry, DrPH, is the chair of Allied Health at Oakwood University.



percent of the attendees were first-time visitors to the campus. Jenny Nogales from Adventista de Bolivia said that “It is warm here, we were treated very kind.” The conference location rotates through the Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities around the world and convenes only once every three years. This year’s AEA was

For the first time since the organization was establ ished in 1968, the Adventist English Association (AEA) met on

the campus of Oakwood University on June 21, 2019. The Department of English and Foreign Languages welcomed the international mem-bers of the AEA. Approximately 70

Oakwood University Hosts the Adventist English Association Conference by Dr. Maquisha Mullins


unique because it was hosted jointly on both the campuses of Oakwood University and Southern Adventist University. Monique Pittman, professor of English at Andrews University, a first-time visitor to Oakwood, com-mented, “I feel so welcomed and am eager to learn more about the history of the university.” She went on to mention how interested she was in the powerful role OU has, “…in taking the pain of the past and using it for inspiration.” The morning began in the Moseley Chapel where President Pollard offered opening words that emphasized and celebrated the com-plexities of the English language. Dr. Ramona Hyman, chair of Oakwood's Department of English & Foreign Languages, initiated the celebration of the spoken word by sharing her work and encouraging OU profes-sors and other attendees to share their favorite, or original poetry. The day also included a walking tour around campus, a visit to the Clara Peterson-Rock Museum in the Eva B. Dykes Library, lunch and afternoon sessions in the Bradford Cleveland Brooks Leadership Center. The con-cluding moments on Oakwood's cam-pus, before departing for Southern Adventist University, were spent in reflection at the historic slave cemetery. Conference goers enjoyed the time spent on the sunshine-soaked campus of Oakwood University and look forward to another opportunity to return. The next AEA conference is scheduled for June 2022, and will be held in Peru. _________

Maquisha Mullins, Ph.D., is the interim director of

Integrated Marketing & Public Relations.

President Leslie Pollard (center) poses with visitors from Peru and Bolivia during the AEA Conference: Pictured, left to right, are Josue Quispe (Universidad Peruana Union), Jenny Nogales (Universidad Adventista de Bolivia), Melysa Cari Mamani (UPeU), Jasmin Alejo Evagelista (UPeU), Angela Rosales, and Nataly Saez Zevallos (UPeU).

AEA members gather for a photo on the steps of Moran Hall during their tour of the Oakwood campus.

P H O T O S B Y T E Y M I T O W N S E N D

ACADEMIC OPERATIONS D I V I S I O N U P D AT E

Step Up toGraduateEducation

Explore Oakwood University Online Graduate Degree

Programs

Master of Business

Administration:

Leadership

Master of Public Health:

Nutrition & Wellness

Master of Arts:

Urban Ministry & Community

Development

Master of Arts:

Pastoral Studies

For more information, please contact

the Office of Graduate Education at:

[email protected] or call: 256.726.8091

GRADUATE.OAKWOOD.EDU


The Oakwood University

Annual Fund Campaign

supports the basics for our

students. From student aid

to academic department

support, your gift makes

a difference for the future

of Oakwood. Don’t delay—

make your gift today!

Make a secure gift online

at: give.oakwood.edu, or

call us at: 256-726-7201,

to speak to a development

associate.

A N N U A L F U N D

Inspiration to live by.

Motivation to give by.

Pictured from left to right: Nathanael Honore (Graduated 2018), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand,

Moriah Combs (Graduated 2018).


now includes a greater variety of classes, and concentrations in Civil Rights History and Religious History have been added. Our students have been chartering new territory in the areas of legal advocacy, local government, policy research and public service, at the local and national levels On April 21, 2019, t h e D e p a r t m e n t held its Centennial Fundraiser Brunch, attended by cur-rent students and faculty, and alum-ni from around the world. During the occasion, Dr. Nigel

What began in 1 9 1 9 , k n o w n then as simply “ t h e H i s t o r y Department,”

under the leadership of Dr. O.B. Edwards, the Department of History and Political Science celebrat-ed its 100th anniversary in 2019. Subsequent leaders have been Dr. Clarence Barnes, Dr. Emmanuel Saunders, and Dr. Ciro Sepulveda. The current chair is Dr. Samuel London. The department has grown from having only History majors to now having four degree programs: History, International Studies, Pre-Law, and Public Policy (formerly ‘Political Science’). The major in history has been re-vamped and

“An Army, Rightly Trained” and On the Move by Marcya Burden, Preston Foster and Amanda Ringer

Barham (faculty mem-ber for over 50 years), Dr. Ciro Sepulveda (former Department Chair), and alumnus Wayne Caines were honored as dis-tinguished faculty and alumni. The Public Policy p r o g r a m p r e p a r e s students to enter the arena of policy, law, and advocacy as both effective practitioners and productive intellec-tuals. Students receive a framework for ana-lyzing history and cur-rent events, exercising adaptive leadership, and interpreting the Adventist prophet-ic narrative. Through immersion in intern-ships and engagement with Oakwood alumni presently in the arena,

our students enter leading law and policy professional schools, and the workforce, prepared to compete at the highest level. More importantly, they are prepared to protect freedom of conscience and communicate the

Pictured in front of The Brookings Institution are (l-r): Phillip Wesley, Doeg Rivorold, Camilla Amhed, Josiah Taylor, Karyn Clayton, Nia Freeman, Kayenda Twesigye, Professor Preston Foster, Anton Dormer, Jr., Sidney Watkins, Justin Thornton, Clifford Fields, Jr., Alaysia Bookal, Marvin Bernard, DaNia Henry, Gwinelly Botá, Ross Parkinson, Josaiah Bonwell, and Brionna Crawford

ACADEMIC OPERATIONS

importance of the 3 angels’ messages in the halls of Congress and state-houses. “We are training an army to defend our liberty of conscience and to advance our prophetic belief in the separation of church and state in the places where policy is made and interpreted,” says Preston Foster, Assistant Professor and Public Policy Program Director. “At each stop during a trip to Washington, D.C., we were met by Oakwood graduates who are currently in the law and policy arena, building a pipeline for other Oakwood graduates. We believe that, in contrast to other faith-based schools that advocate for the inte-gration of church and state and put the rights of religious minorities (i.e., SDAs) at-risk, Oakwood-trained attorneys, public servants, and his-tory scholars must make the case for freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.”

ON THE MOVE

Oakwood students attend the annual National HBCU Pre-Law Summit, which fosters mentorship between current legal practitioners and future law students from histor-ically black colleges and universities. Legal practitioners help Pre-Law students navigate through “unique issues, concerns and challenges” related to admission into, and matric-ulation through, law school, and

professional life after law school. Students sit in a mock law class, net-work with students from other schools, and receive one-on-one admissions and preparation counseling. T h e a n n u a l L aw S c h o o l Admissions Council (LSAC) forum is designed to help students success-fully navigate through the law school admissions process. Students attend workshops, meet one-on-one with law school schools of their choice, receive advice on financing a law school education, and answers to their questions about the application process. Out of the thou-sands in attendance at the 2019 LSAC Forum, graduating senior Courtney Garrett, Alabama native, veteran of the United States Army, and Pre-Law major at Oakwood, received on-the-spot admission to the University of Richmond School of Law. The admissions officers were highly impressed, and amazed at his pro-fessional disposition, knowledge of the law, and respectfulness. During trips to Washington, D.C., Oakwood students visit with senior researchers at The Brookings Institution – the country’s pre-em-

inent public policy think tank; meet with OU alumni at Georgetown Law School and Howard Law School ; and attend arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. Students have attended private briefings with sever-al influencers, includ-ing: Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA);

Oakwood alumnus M i c h a e l Re e d , C h i e f o f S t a f f to Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA); mentors at the American University School of Public Affairs and the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon; and Attorney Avis Buchanan, the first African American SDA graduate of Harvard Law School and Director of the Public Defender’s Office in Washington D.C. Oakwood alumna Kamilah Giscombe Smith offered career opportunities at Deloitte Human Capital Partners.

NOT JUST "TRIPPIN"

Our students reap tangible ben-efits from these trips to the nation’s capital. Oakwood alumna Kamilah Giscombe Smith offered career oppor-tunities at Deloitte Human Capital Partners. Congressman Swalwell offered a Congressional Internship to Anton Dormer, Jr., ’18, who is attend-ing George Washington University School of Law. The Brookings Institution created a separate chan-nel for summer internships for up to five Oakwood students. Dr. Marcya Burden, Assistant Professor and Pre-Law Program Director, expanded the OU pipelines to Howard, American University, and Georgetown Law Schools. Finally, Deloitte offered internships to qualified students. “These trips would not be pos-sible without the commitment of Provost Colwick Wilson and Assistant Provost Karen Benn-


History Department Centennial Brunch, Dr. Nigel Barham was recognized as a faculty member of distinction. He is pictured here (seated, center) with several of his former students from 1990-2018.

Also at the Centennial Brunch, (back row) Attorney Charles Eaton (‘13), Dr. Marcya Burden (‘14), Attorney Andell Brown ('02), and Attorney Kyndall Rodriquez ('14), pause for a photo op with Dr. and Mrs. Ciro Sepulveda.

Courtney Garrett


Go to: store.oakwood.edu For more info, call: 256-726-7202

or email: [email protected]

A Great Gift

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ACADEMIC OPERATIONS

Marshall. Their investment in our students will pay dividends, immedi-ately, and for decades,” said depart-ment chair Dr. Samuel London. The Oakwood army is embedded in the nation’s capital and the halls of power and influence, for the glory of God, and we look forward to the many blessings God has in store for our program and our students. Our students are gaining hands-on experience before graduation. Six Oakwoodites traveled to Montgomery for the Alabama State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) meet-ing in November 2019. The SDEC is run by the Democratic National Convention. Members of the SDEC play a vital role in Alabama poli-tics, such as writing and approving bylaws, endorsing senate candidates, etc. As of November 1, Oakwoodites occupy six of the 210 member seats of the SDEC. After submitting their Candidacy for Office forms, each student spoke to the current members of the SDEC Youth Caucus, sharing their contri-butions to the community and their policy priorities. At the conclusion of several hours of speeches from approximately 80 other competi-tors, Oakwood's six candidates, each members of the OU-founded United Collegiate Black Scholars (UCBS)

organization, were voted into office. “This is a prime example of our stu-dents going beyond academics and directly into practice—at a very high level—while undergraduate students. Not only do they repre-sent the interests of the Oakwood and larger com-munities, they also have distinguished themselves as leaders of their genera-tion. They are in the arena,” said Foster, UCBS sponsor.

CLOSE TO HOME

On the local level, Mayor Paul Finley, of nearby Madison, Alabama, recently met with over 60 of Oakwood’s students, and explained the plans for the future of Madison, projecting that in a couple of years, the population of Huntsville will be over 600,000 people. He and Huntsville’s Mayor Tommy Battle are working together to enhance the educational systems of North Alabama. The Pre-Law Program’s “Legal Practitioners of Huntsville” Mixer welcomes legal practitioners, pol-iticians, non-profit administrators, and community leaders to Oakwood’s campus to foster relationships and to thank them for their service to the Huntsville and Madison County

area. _________

Dr. Marcya Burden is the pre-law

program coordinator, and assistant

professor, Department of History &

Political Science. Preston Foster is an

Assistant Professor of Political Science

and the Public Policy Program Director

at Oakwood University. Amanda

Ringer is Assistant Professor/History

Coordinator.

Oakwood’s student members of the Alabama SDEC: (l-r) Joseph Dye (junior), Gwinnelly Botá (senior), Olivia McDonald (sophomore), Camilla Ahmed (alumna), Bryanne Garner (sophomore), and Ayo Lewis (senior). Ahmed and Lewis were also elected to the Executive Board of the Committee.

Members of the Oakwood University student Think Tank UCBS (United Collegiate Black Scholars) and Professor Foster during a field trip to Montgomery, Alabama.

Political Science major Ayo Lewis greets Mayor Paul Finley of Madison, Alabama.



Jan. 19 • 7:45 a.m., 10:00 a.m.

The Bethel Church

215 Bethel Baptist St. • Jacksonville, FL 32202

Jan. 26 • 4:00 p.m.

Snead Community College

220 N Walnut St. • Boaz, AL 35957

Jan. 31 • 7:00 p.m.

Calvin University

3201 Burton St SE. • Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Feb. 8 • 11:00 a.m.

Southern Adventist University

4881 Taylor Cir. • Collegedale,TN 37315

Feb. 9 • 5:00 p.m.

Alys Stephens Center

1200 10th Ave S. • Birmingham, AL 35294

Mar. 1 • 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.

St. Paul's Baptist

700 E Belt Blvd. • Richmond, VA 23224

Mar. 2 • 7:00 p.m.

Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist

3703 Tryon Rd. • Raleigh, NC 27606

Mar. 3 • 7:30 p.m.

1st Presbyterian Church-Durham

305 E Main St. • Durham, NC 27701

Mar. 4 • TBD

University of Virginia

400 Emmet Street S. • Charlottesville, VA 22903

Mar. 14 • 2:00 p.m.

Music For All

5625 W 30th St. • Indianapolis, IN 46222

Apr. 11 • 5:00 p.m.

Oakwood University Church

(Alumni Weekend)

7000 Adventist Blvd. • Huntsville, AL 35806

2020Tour Schedule

The Literacy Factory Annual Womens Conference provides high quality hands-on collaborative experiences to educate, edify, and awaken women to make an eternal difference. In 2018, over 250 attendees participated in

workshops ranging from women’s health, emotional intelligence, and how to support learners with special needs. The Literacy Factory aims to support the literacy needs of the community by providing intentional experiences that make an eternal difference. The concept of the Literacy Factory was birthed from my childhood experience grow-ing up in central Harlem in the ‘80s. I saw that many families needed individualized, intentional literacy support for their chil-dren, but were unable to pay a tutor or local educational afterschool support services. Simply embedding the basic tenets of true education makes the eternal difference

of the Literacy Factory. We do this with absolutely no funding or financial support. Our resources are trained teacher candidates, retired teachers and volunteers. This program is a cooper-atively managed to allow literacy program manage-ment experience. Student leaders can be creative in developing the program. Evidence based instruc-tion is applied through skills they have learned in their reading courses. _________

Dana Wilchcombe, Ph.D., is a literacy professional who founded the Literacy Factory, who

enjoys creating individualized literacy learning plans. She is an assistant professor in the

Department of Education at Oakwood University.

One of the activities at Oakwood University that is supported by the CFC is the Literacy Factory, a free 10-week afterschool lit-eracy program for deserving students in

the Huntsville community. Since its inception in the Spring of 2015, free individualized instruction has been provided for over 100 students in grades K-12. Our mission is to increase a student’s reading and literacy achievement by at least two grade levels through 10 consecutive highly effective literacy experiences. In 2018 we added a math literacy component with the same mission. Junior and senior teacher candidates work directly with students. Teacher candidates also provide parent workshops that train parents to embed effective teach-ing strategies using real life applications outside of the classroom. The Literacy Factory is attached as a case study component for ED 342 Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Difficulties. Data is evaluated and used to inform instruction for continuous improvement.

of oakwood university

give.oakwood.edu/cfc-campaign/

Oakwood University CFC Code: #96964#96964

The Literacy Factory

ACADEMIC OPERATIONS D I V I S I O N U P D AT E

by Dr. Dana Wilchcombe

EASTER SPECIAL

Watch on ABC

Special Musical Guests:

Watch on ABC on April 12, 2020

Pastor Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, and the Jeremy Winston Chorale of Ohio

For a list of stations and times,

call 256.929.6460 or visit breathoflife.tv

Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, Speaker

“The Awakening” includes a special Easter message from

Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, Speaker/Director of the Breath of Life Television

Ministry, and Special Musical Guests: Pastor Donnie McClurkin,

Yolanda Adams, and the Jeremy Winston Chorale of Ohio.


A

team of 13

courageous

Oakwoodites

departed from Huntsville

this past May to serve

during a 10-day mission

trip to Guatemala. Led by

Chaplain Andrew Pileggi

and Dr. Eva Wheeler, the

team included seven OU

students and four pro-

fessionals from local

Huntsville churches. The

primary focus of this trip

was to provide free med-

ical and dental services

to residents of rural areas

in the region of Petén,

Guatemala. Dr. Marcus

Moss, ’08, worked alongside our stu-

dents providing free tooth extractions.

Three of Oakwood’s pre-dental students

performed their first tooth extractions

assisted by Dr. Moss.

Other students conducted intake

screenings, recorded blood pressure

measurements, and filled prescriptions.

Dr. Elden Lopez, director of God’s Helping

Hands, was assisted by Dr. Diaz, who

also works with God’s Helping Hands. At

the registration table, Chaplain Pileggi

and Dr. Wheeler counted an average of

90 patients seen

per day. The days

were hot, and the

lines were long,

and the team was

amazed by the

patience of those

they served. The

residents never

complained about

how long they had

to wait, they never

raised their voices, and were more than

understanding when the team had to

leave at the end of the day,

even though it meant

some would not be

able to see one of

the doctors or the

dentist.

In addition to

providing medical

and dental care, the

team also visited an

orphanage, a senior

citizens’ home and a local

elementary school. At each loca-

tion they interacted

with the residents

by singing, leading

art/crafts activi-

ties, and sharing

short devotional

thoughts. One of

the more impactful

and life-changing

activities was giv-

ing food out to the

homeless.

The team traveled to an actual

landfill, where families lived in make-

shift tents and would scour

the trash every day looking

for items that could be

sold, or food that was

still edible. It was a

sobering scene: women

holding infants, a pun-

gent stench filling the

air, mosquitos swarm-

ing around each person,

trash burning, and entire

families scouring piles of trash.

The team distributed 50 meals to the

families. Some of the team members

were so impacted that they decided to

return with more food, clothing and

toys for the children.

The entire team loved the expe-

rience and many vowed to return the

following year. It was a mission trip

that included various opportunities for

ministry, service learning, an excursion

to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, and plenty

of good food and fellowship.

_________

Andrew Pileggi is the Senior Chaplain at Oakwood University.

by Andrew Pileggi

Mission, Enrollment Services & RetentionDavid Richardson, Jr., Ed.D., Vice President


H

IS

H A N D S I

NM

IS S I O

N

OA

KW

OOD UNIVERSIT

Y

From left to right. Andrew Pileggi, Calvin Lokko, '17, Idelka Moss, Dr. Marcus Moss, '08, Karina Feliz-Gohanna, Victor Matos, Epi Hernandez, Khayla Chapman, Dr. Eva Wheeler, Desiree Brown, Nina Bucknor, Dayani Williams, Aerrin O'Quinn, Dr. Lopez and Dr. Diaz of God's Helping Hands.

Nina Bucknor experienced the joy of mission service.

Oakwoodites Serve in Mission Field: Guatemala


ADVANCEMENT Cheri Wilson, M.A., CFRE, Executive Director


A One Accounting & Tax ServiceAARPAbena-Yolanda H. BaskinAbigail N. LloydAdana M. WilsonAdele BrumfieldAdlere M. EtienneAdrian L. NilesAdrienne D. KingAdrienne MatthewsAdrienne McClainAdventHealthAgena R. Davenport-NicholsonAgniel SamsonAkinniran OladehinAlabama A & M Foundation Inc.Alabama A&M UniversityAlabama MentorA labama State Black Chamber of

CommerceAlbert J. OseiAlbert L. DudleyAlberta JeffersonAleta S. MillsAlex JohnsonAlfonzo GreeneAlfred T. MushongaAlgetha YoungAlice M. HawksAlicia D. ShellyAlicia P. McLarenAlicia SawyersAllayna M. O'QuinnAllie ValentineAlma M. NicholasAlonzo BetheaAlpha SDA ChurchAlphaeus AllickAlternative Pain Management Clinic

Charles GibsonCharles J. EmbryCharles OlsonCharlesetta ScottCharlotte E. JonesCharlotte SchmitzCharmaine WoodeChelsea E. CobbCheri I. HodnettCheri WilsonCherise D. PrimmCherryl A. GalleyCheryl A. Simons-SherardCheryl D. SullivanCheryl HowellCheryl J. WilliamsCheryl R. StewartCheryl Y. DavisCheryol C. JohnsonChikina A. WilliamsChildress & Associates Business Consultants,Inc.Chris M. DewittChristina HillardChristina L. SanfordChristine InceChristine MoiseChristopher M. FisherChristopher M. SimmondsChristopher WildesChyrial PennCiro H. SepulvedaClara CobbClara WhiteClarence HillClarissa K. ClincyClaude M. SimonClaudette D. MandersClaudia JohnsonCleo F. BrezzellClifton & Venita JessupClyent W. MyrieCoisha G. GrahamColin & Carla SandyColwick M. WilsonCommittee of 100Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison CountyConstance E. CartwrightCornelius & Crystal ThomasCornelius BlakeCourtney FitzhughCourtney L. McGauleyCourtni A. SedlacekCraig DossmanCraig R. JacksonCraig RobertsonCredit 1 USA LLCCristina CasasCrystal E. ThompkinsCrystal WilliamsCurline N. OlusolaCurrine HarrisCynde Small

Alton C. ConwellAlva JohnsonAlvin BlackmonAlvin ClyAlyce A. HendricksAlyssa C. PaulasAmanda A. HendricksAmazonSmile FoundationAmber C. CoopwoodAmerican Endowment FoundationAmerican Online Giving Found-Benevity Community Impact FundAmerica's CharitiesAndre B. HitchcockAndrea N. GillespieAndrea SimpsonAndrea Y. McculloughAndrew A. HolnessAndrew B. ChungAndrew B. YoungAndrew C. PileggiAndrew J. LeeAndrew O. CarringtonAndrew RandallAngela A. SmithAngela DentAngela HenryAngela J. LawsonAngela JonesAngela L. MobleyAngela M. BrownAngela M. McHenryAngela M. MilesAngela P. StringerAngela R. ParkerAngela RawlsAngelia DanielsAngelique N. KaneAnissa Youngblood

Cynthia AdamsCynthia GreenCynthia Jacobs-PennCynthia L. Timpson BrameCynthia M. UnderwoodCynthia MatthewsCynthia S. StreamsD McDonaldDalaina HortonDale A. WilliamsDamarys Lozada-IbarraDammeon L. MaloneDan KennedyDana D. LightbourneDana E. WilliamsDaniel B. DanielsDaniel F. UpchurchDaniel HonoreDaniel L. BedneyDaniel R. ChandlerDaniel S. MagistreDanielle D. McFadzeanDanielle M. LewisDanny & Reta ChandlerDanny SheltonDaphanie Z. NisbethDaphne HartleyDarayas N. PatelDarius L. WoodsDarlene L. BelgraveDarlene StewartDarnell J. McConnellDarnell M. McCurdyDarrell H. GastonDarryl A. HowardDaryus S. EnglishDavid A. ClarkeDavid A. KnightDavid A. LongDavid BlockDavid C. ChunnDavid ChildsDavid CowlesDavid CukeDavid D. GibsonDavid DoggetteDavid EmeryDavid J. DugginsDavid L. BartholomewDavid L. StewartDavid LiddellDavid PersonDavid PetersonDavid R. Arko-MensahDavid RichardsonDavid RoperDavid W. CanestrariDavid W. ConkeriteDavidPersonMedia, LLCDawn BookhardtDawn M. TurnerDawn QuintonDawna S. BakerDean Lashington

Anita E. CollinsAnita RayAnita WhartonAnn J. NurseAnna BlairAnne BriganceAnnetta D. PhillipAnnette HallAnnette M. HudsonAnnette M. MartinezAnnie R. FullerAnnie W. CallowayAnnie WinfreyAnthony A. WalkerAnthony C. Steele, IIAnthony F. WilliamsAnthony J. McClendonAnthony M. DanielsAnthony PrimusAnthonye E. PerkinsAntionette L. ReidAntony TylerApplewhite Movers LLCArdella VanceArdis GriggsAreisa S. PetersAretha Y. CollinsArleen HallArlene L. JohnsonArnett JohnsonArnold GutierrezArnold JonesArthur D. WebbArverna RawlsAshley A. GeorgeAshley J. HumphreyAshli M. GrantAubraelle D. PorterAubrey T. Baker

Deandra S. DanielDeanna L. MatthewsDeAnna LambertDebbie BernhardtDeborah A. HooksDeborah A. TaylorDeborah A. TurnerDeborah ClabornDeborah E. DudleyDeborah E. FelderDeborah L. YoungDeborah McLeaDeborah WalkerDeborah WorksDebra KingDebra L. MilletDebrah StaffordDecatur SDA ChurchDedrick L. BlueDeidre M. HendersonDelanrus SharpeDeleise S. WilsonDeloris GatsonDelphia H. LargeDelta Theta Lambda Edu FoundationDeMeisha EdwardsDenise A. YoungDenise J. ShaverDenise J. TownsendDenise R. JohnsonDenoi A. BlackDenrick RichardsonDenyse McIntoshDenzle A. HarrisonDerek B. ReidDerek C. BoweDerod J. MoodyDerrick C. HillDeseree' HillDe'Sha M. WhiteheadDesiree BryantDesiree E. DavisDesiree J. Gunn-PriceDesiree K. BrownDesmond K. ParamoreDe'Vesco R. PierreDewayne KelleyDeWitt GoulbourneDexter M. FrederickDiane CiesinskiDiane E. KingDiane M. SmithDiane SalimDiane SpencerDianne A. ArohDianne CheddarDiedra FreemanDiedra L. Willis McLaurinDietrich & Dietrich Attorneys-at-LawDion D. FarrellDisa R. WalkerDollene E. Trott-SmithDolores R. GodleyDomaz Wellington

Audra L. RobyAudretta R. JohnsonAveril M. EdwardsAvery L. BlockmonAvill JamesAvonelle DorantAyanna A. PrinceA-Z Office Resources IncBabies Etc. OB GYN PCBaldwyn EnglishBancorpSouthBarbara A. ColemanBarbara L. NewtonBarbara P. LoveBarbara StovallBarbara WhiteBB&T- Branch Banking andTrustCo.Bedelia Wilson-AllenBelschatsar BonzilBeltha P. HintonBelvia MatthewsBen BloombergBenjamin A. RobinsonBenjamin E. BrooksBenjamin F. ReavesBenjamin H. JacksonBenjamin K. MiddletonBenjamin R. HarrellBennie WestBenson PriggBerean SDA ChurchBernard & Luberta TaylorBeryl N. McWilliamsBessie BreedloveBetty DanielsBetty GastonBetty RayfordBettye J. MillsBettye Parker SmithBettye RichBeverley D. RossBianca A. NorrisBillie RayfordBilly & Lucy HawkinsBilly BridgeforthBobbi ClavonBobbi DavisBobby WilkinsonBoyd A. HillBrandon E. GambleBrandon K. RoseBrandon PerryBranita Griffin HensonBreanda L. MulzacBreath of Life TV MinistriesBrenda GloverBrenda J. PageBrenda WilsonBrenton D. HarrisonBrenton HendersonBrian NealBrian WiseBridget D. CooperBridgette Small

Dominique Johnson LindsayDonald L. DanielDonald L. McPhaullDonald R. BollenbacherDonald WoodDonna CameronDonna L. HarrisonDonna L. PhippsDonna R. WalkerDonnell L. JonesDonnisia R. TibbsDorcas N. LubegaDoreen C. ThompsonDoriees WillisDoris G. MendesDoris K. JacksonDoris Manning-CollieDorothy HollowayDorothy HustonDorothy JacksonDorothy L. CorleyDorothy L. KennedyDouglas C. BatsonDov C. JohnsonDuane E. HamiltonDuane E. Harrison

Duawne F. StarlingDuhmad E. SmithDwayne StarlingDwyane A. CheddarEarl L. JonesEarl S. HenryEarl V. CampbellEarla LockhartEbony G. MarksEbony R. Hicks WrightE CHO- Employees Charity of Northrop

GrummanEdith E. PruittEdmund F. HodgeEdris LiburdEdrita J. DawkinsEduardo BrownEdward T. CarrEdwin F. BrownEdy ExalusEfibernet, Inc.Eileen J. WhittingtonEileen K. WhiteEileen W. LesterElaine A. VanterpoolElaine IsaacElbert L. TaylorEldridge EdgecombeEleanor P. HazelEliza J. FrancisElizabeth CrutcherElizabeth Ong'eraElizabeth R. HallElizabeth SartiEllengold GoodridgeEloise M. AndersonElton J. LesterElyse Lambeth

Bronwynn CrutchfieldBryan O. PaschalBusiness Interiors IncByron DulanC BellCaelyn J. BoydCalhoun Community CollegeCalvin B. RockCalvin LokkoCamille C. FarmerCamille CalcanoCamille D. MaughanCamille G. ScalesCamille M. KiblerCandace HessCapitol City SDA ChurchCaribbean Assoc. of Nort. Alabama, Inc.Carissa PaluCarl LokkoCarl OserCarla BraxtonCarla D. OrtizCarldin N. ArthurCarleton PyfromCarline NugentCarlos D. ColeCarmelita TroyCarmen DuncanCarmen M. WrightCarol A. WilliamsCarol J. WallingtonCarol L. SmithCarol P. KearneyCarol PerezCarol RandallCarolyn GriggsCarolyn MaughanCarolyn MonkCarolyn SellowCarolynne D. AttaudCarrie GambleCarrie L. WalkerCarvason GriffithCassandra NashCatherine Arthur-JohnsonCathy Mayfield-RockerCecelia M. SaundersCecil SpenceCecily R. DalyCeleste R. McKayCellanda DumayChaka M. SamuelChandra R. LacountChandra T. MountainChands PerryChantre MiddletonCharita HowardCharitable Adult Rides & Services, Inc.Charlene ClarkCharles & Vivian JosephCharles A. MillerCharles AndersonCharles BruceCharles E. Creech

Emaline R. WilliamsEMeka OkerekeEmile D. ParkerEmily BoltzEmily CecilEmily MoserEmma J. MackeyEmmanuel J. KeyEmmanuel Temple SDA ChurchEnkose N. PlummerEphesus SDA ChurchEpifanio HernandezEpsilon Gamma Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.Eric C. JohnsonEric S. AdamsErica L. PolesErika M. Giles-HairstonErika McPhersonErnest RogersErnestine AfolabiErrol J. ReidErvin L. KinseyErytheia Lambert-JonesEstate of Frank and Dorothy JonesEstate of Jewell Harris AlstonEstate of Myrna McClainEstate of Shirley RossEstella GreeneEsther GutierrezEsther J. Phillips-RossEtete L. Agbabune-TorresEthan R. SeverinEthel L. AndersonEthel L. BradfordEunice M. MalloryEunice PaigeEvelyn GreenEvelyn GuyEvelyn M. GordonEvelyn R. ThomasEverett E. BrooksEverett K. RoperEverton McIntoshFabian HollandFaith BrillFamous L. MurrayFelicia BeamenFelicia I. LewisFernanda E. SmithFidelity CharitableFinbar S. BenjaminFirst Missionary Baptist ChurchFirst SDA Church Springfield, TNFirst SDA Church Huntsville, ALFletcher McNeilFlora JamesFlorence NwagwuFlorine EstradaFlouriche RogersFloyd O. MartinFoster Ballard FosterFrances E. ClemonsFrances J. Love

O

n behalf of President Leslie N. Pollard, administration, faculty,

staff and students—"thank you." Thank you for investing in

Oakwood University and our students by supporting the 2018-

2019 Annual Giving Campaign. The Annual Giving Campaign includes all gifts

received in the Advancement Office between July 1st and June 30th of a given

fiscal year. Because of your sacrificial philanthropy, you gave over $1.3 million

dollars this past fiscal year. When a gift is made to the Annual Giving Campaign,

it impacts the lives of students by supporting programs, scholarships, capital

projects, and other opportunities for a quality education now and for future

generations.

Oakwood University gratefully acknowledges the following alumni, parents,

students, employees, partners and friends for your generous contributions. Your

gifts at all levels are valued and deeply appreciated and make a difference in

the advancement of Oakwood University and the future of our students. May

God continue to bless you, your family and your service for others.

A Special Thanks for Giving


Frank C. ArohFrank KennedyFranklin GordonFreda A. JamesFreddie L. HarrisFreddie L. MartinFrederic FurmanFrederick J. ParkerFrederick V. GreeneFreille R. St AngeFurman F. FordhamG. Dwayne RoseG. Paul FosterGail EtienneGail O. YatesGail Y. CaldwellGairy P. MeikleGalen P. DarroughGarry A. GrahamGary DavisGary ThurberGeneral Conference World HeadquartersGeneva DavisGeneva G. MosbyGeneva N. McculloughGenia M. BurkleyGeoconda A. RamirezGeoffrey O. OtienoGeorge C. ValentineGeorge R. SeayGeorgia Power FoundationGerald EstelGerald W. ThomasGeraldine B. PullinsGigi AndersonGilbert E. AndersonGiles M. McGillGlenda HornGlenn RawlsGlenward BryantGloria C. BrooksGloria D. MassenburgGloria J. BellGloria J. SingletonGloria SepulvedaGloria V. SmikleGloria Walters-LewisGod's Helping Hands, Inc.G ood Samaritan Hospice of Madison

Inc.Gordon BaileyGrace A. ArnoldGrace B. DykesGrace Episcopal ChurchGrace UbiGregory GreenGuillermina BrownGussie H. Duncan GreeneGuy HarrisGwen McLeanGwendolyn R. ParkerGwendolyn Y. BrownGwyndolyn B. Collins-SauerHabtalem KeneaHarold & Maceon Grayson

Harold MasseyHarolyn AcklinHarvest SDA ChurchHarvey StaplefooteHavovi D. PatelHaycin C. NurseHazel MosesHealth UnlimitedHeaven MitchellHector M. MouzonHelen SimmonsHilma WatsonHome Care AssistanceHoward I. BullardHoward ShawHoward WeemsHugh BeckfordHuntsville HospitalHuntsville Police DepartmentHuntsville Rehabilitation FoundationHusbert NicholsonHyacinth L. BurtonIcylin McCallaIdabeth O. JacobIfeoma I. KwesiI glesia Adventista Hispana de Fort Payne

Ingrid S. JonesInline Electric Supply Co. IncIrvin L. RaphaelIsa A. StensonIsaac IbarraIsaac NwadikeIsaac PalmerJ. Phillip WilliamsJabari W. WashingtonJacci ChristopherJack & Helen HartleyJackie BrooksJackie PascalJacob CollierJacob StensbergJacqueline B. BattleJacqueline BurneyJacqueline GallowayJacqueline GaskinsJacqueline M. WalwynJacqueline NozeaJacquelyn G. ShipeJacquelyn LindsayJacques HouseJada J. FrazierJada M. HammondJade A. Walters-NashJailyn M. NicholsonJaime L. Caban JrJames & Audrey McGriffJames & Jayne JohnsonJames A. ThomasJames B. KellyJames B. MbyirukiraJames D. ParkerJames E. DykesJames JacksonJames L. CaldwellJames M. Vines

James SandersJamie ChuiJanani KrishnaswamiJaneen E. WilliamsonJanelle M. AntoineJanelle M. SegarraJanet R. PolesJanice DorringtonJanice M. SmileyJanice MorrisJanice WatsonJanis TaylorJannine A. VidalJanva WhiteJapheth MooreJasmin E. AyivorJason & Linda EdgecombeJason McCrackenJaycee RobinsonJayde E. BealeJayde K. FrederickJea H. JosephJeanette LambJeannette Decou-HughesJeffrey & Clo AndrewsJeffrey J. SimmonsJeffrey L. HollandJelisa M. WellsJen DavisJennifer A. WoodsJennifer M. StoneJeremy B. RoseJeremy D. SmithJeremy K. LimerickJeremy S. JordanJermella MatthewsJerome ScruggsJesse D. MitchellJesse WilsonJillian S. WillsJimmy WareJoan A. BurrowsJoan G. BrittinghamJoan M. WeekesJoann ClarkeJo-Anne Williams-CarrylJocelyn RichardsonJoe Still Building Company IncJoel R. NuthalapatiJohanne C. BastienJohn &. WilliamsJohn C. HarrisJohn D. SimonsJohn E. AndersonJohn L. MatthewsJohn L. RobinsonJohn LoflinJohn P. RuffinJohn ShirleyJohn StoddartJohn T. HillJohn T. KingJohn WillisJolene E. WallaceJordan GuytonJorge H. Bartholomew

Joseph L. SmittickJoseph P. WilliamsJoseph St. VictorJoseph T. HareJoshua P. WilliamsJoy B. JohnsonJoy BelleJoy D. GaugerJoy E. ChapmanJoyce E. BoneJoyce S. ShoemakerJoycelyn PetersonJuanita AustionJuanita P. McClendonJuanita W. GrierJudith E. JonesJudith PowellJudy AlexanderJulie M. FosterJuliet Bailey-PenrodJuliet E. KnightJulius SmallJustin BellJustin L. DavisJyremy L. ReidKai GaryKalinda WoodsKanique M. NugentKareitha A. OsborneKaren A. WhiteKaren B. Benn MarshallKaren BixbyKaren CornettKaren DementKaren ForrestKaren Jones SmithKaren M. SimpsonKaren PeayKaren S. G. MooreKaren TuckerKarin E. SmithKarina FelizKarina P. SebastianKarla BrownKarone R. JacksonKarren MinorKashae A. WhyteKashiri G. FavorsKatherine DavisKathryn MosimanKatie L. WigginsKaylah A. JosephKaylyn BullockKeith E. LindseyKelley J. ParisKelly HigginsKelly PearsallKelly WilliamsKem E. RoperKemba & Dwain EsmondKenesha MalcolmKenesha R. BennettKenisha PhillipsKennee J. MooreKenneth HerbertKenneth L. Manders

Kenneth Lai HingKenneth MercuryKenneth WilliamsKenrunne L. DixonKeri R. WakefieldKerry S. JosephKerryon Johnson Impact FoundationKerwin JonesKettering Adventist HealthcareKevin A. MooreKevin B. GeorgesKevin LampeKevin OlusolaKevin S. GastonKiesha N. Fraser-DohKim A. Thomas-PhillipsKim J. Logan-NowlinKimberly C. MannKimberly Flint FearnKimberly MorganKimberly Y. ColemanKims Solid Gold Inc.Kiwanis Club of HuntsvilleKristelle J. BeecherKristen BlairKristen SoudersKristin L. HallKrystle B. SicardKyna D. Griffith-HenryKyna D. HinsonLajaune' A. SeverinLaJeanne Shepherd-JosephLakisha CriglerLana CordnerLandon J. DoweLareatha MitchellLarry GopherLatisha D. SpenceLatisha KenonLatonya FitzgeraldLatosha BoldenLatoya M. TittleLaudz Cheriel-BurkeLauldi A. NeddLaunice A. MelbourneLaura C. DavisLauren NewmanLaurence Learning CenterLauri FlynnLauris R. NicholsonLavar S. HickersonLavern M. CreechLawrence B. HundleyLe Shan S. WallaceLeatanya DavisLeatrice TomlinsonLee L. LambLenhope JohnsonLennox BelleLenny MooreLenroy D. JamesLeroy & Genoice HamptonLeroy & Lois PetersLesa WattsLeslie M. FelderLeslie N. Pollard

Lester PrimusLeticia RussellLettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Inc.Lewis JonesLiana C. Nelson SmithLillie M. WitherspoonLinaCel CaddenLinda AmmonsLinda D. Daniel-SealLinda D. PhippsLinda G. NicholsLinda K. BryeLinda M. PoliteLinda M. Tigner-WeekesLinda R. AndersonLinda SandersLinda T. BurleyLinwood C. StoneLisa M. JamesLloyda WilliamsonLoi G. GreenLois J. FurmanLois M. StepneyLola LandryLonda SchmidtLorenzo ShepherdLoretta P. SpencerLori NordLorna M. EnglishLorne SmittickLorraine B. FryeLorraine M. MullinLottie M. HarrisLouis A. CleareLove Thy Vegan, LLCLovey SimmsLucille CarterLucy L. ParlorLudlow BrownLuther BryantLynda D. Ward-StevensonLynda M. BartholomewLyndell VanzantLyndon CarrigerLynette BecklesLynette I. WoodLynn HenryLynn M. DavisLyscelle ReyesM. Kim MannMadeline E. HerefordMadelyn HallMadison Mission SDA ChurchMagelene S. JamesMaKayla A. BrownMalia R. Ewen

Manuel MojicaMaple AveryMaple SmithMaquisha D. Ford MullinsMarc RaphaelMarcia E. LucombeMarcia E. McCulloughMarcia L. SackieMarcia Mierez-BernardMarcia Nugent

Marcus & Idelka MossMarecha V. JacksonMargaret L. MercerMargaret L. NixonMargaret LandryMargareth D. WebbMargarita VelasquezMargie G. GreenleeMaria A. JamesMaria LettsMarie G. MorganMarie K. ChampagneMarilyn L. LangMark A. StephensMark R. WashingtonMarlene A. McCrawMarlon O. RhemMarsha HenryMartha A. HoldenMartha E. MillerMartha RawlsMarv L. SmithMarva G. KellyMarva M. MortleyMarvin MiddletonMary A. ChapmanMary A. JohnsonMary C. ScottMary G. ThomasMary GalbreathMary HollowayMary L. ParkerMary L. SmallsMary M. CofieldMary M. PruittMary PearsonMary V. McDonaldMattaniah A. BowensMatthew A. NicholsonMatthew WoodMattie CriderMaurice A. StaplesMaurice ByrdMaurice H. GordonMaurice L. CunninghamMaurice L. TheriotMax FantMcKenzie & Thomas FinancialMcKenzie YoungMckinley N. CrockettMedethics Compliance, Auditing & Management Consultants, LLCMegan J. SmithMeghann A. FriendMelba BlandMelissa J. DavisMelissa WilliamsMelodie B. ParsonsMelvin D. JonesMelvin PrestonMelvin T. HardyMelvyn D. MonkMervetta ListerMervyn A. WarrenMichael B. ScottMichael C. Mickens

Michael D. FisherMichael J. BrownMichael J. VanceMichael L. DuncanMichael L. WindhamMichael LaBordeMichael M. MeltonMichael McPhersonMichael S. FraserMichard L. GoburnMichele A. OyorteyMichele HechtMichelle A. RameyMichelle L. BandyMichelle V. O'ReillyMichelle Y. SpencerMike BankertMilan K. ScottMildredth EasterMillicent JaneyMilton BlackmonMiriam BattlesMishael A. WilliamsMizpah Chapter No.37 OESMonica M. GrahamMonica Y. DulanMontana BlumMontoia HooperMount Calvary SDA ChurchMount Sinai SDA ChurchMt. Rubidoux SDA ChurchMukesha E. MbugujeMykah L. YoungMykel I. Robinson-CollinsMyra Franklin-SmithNaeem A. NewmanNaeemah S. PhillipNancy E. DudleyNancy M. RohrNandi BrooksNannie B. JoinerNaomi DufraineNaomi R. MonroeNatalie M. JohnsonNathanael HonoreNathanael J. DeCanalNathaniel G. HiggsNehemiah J. MabryNelda H. SalterNelms Memorial Funeral HomeNeona MartinNerissa C. TuckerNeshonne K. McDonaldNetwork for GoodNeville A. & Dorothy ParkinsonNewarc Business Services Inc.Nia D. IngramNicceta DavisNicholas ArcherNicole Anderson DBA N2A Min. LLCNicole KuzmicicNicole M. HaughtonNicolette JonesNina R. BucknorNirvana J. WaltonNorma Goudy

North Alabama FutsalNurseen DavisO MortonOakwood University ChurchOdalys MirandaOffice for Regional ConferenceMinistryOlaide AjayiOlatokunbo M. Ayoola-ArchieOlive B. SeaseOlivette W. SmithOlivia D. BeverlyOluwakemisola H. AdesobaOnesimus L. OtienoOnetia HallOpal C. WilliamsOra L. NewtonOrville & Marcia CampbellOscar R. PolkOssie RandlePablo Martinez RodriguezPacific Union Conference of SDAPain to Wellness Healthcare CorporationPamela E. PhillipsPamela HopePamela LindseyPamela R. HolidayParris L. BolesPat ThompsonPatricia A. AdamsPatricia A. CraigPatricia BaptistePatricia CorbittPatricia D. PearsonPatricia JacksonPatricia L. FisherPatricia M. JeffreysPatricia MoorePatricia Woods-ChildsPatrick LouissaintPatrick M. CarterPatrick M. DouglasPattie R. LandyPaula C. BarnesPaula C. McAlpinPaula DatePaula Jacob-FoxPaula M. HowardPaulette CoglePaulette JohnsonPaulette RisherPauline GriffithPaypal Charitable Giving FundPearlie M. RichardsonPeggy BallardPenelope WrightPetra-Gae ShakesPhiladelphia SDA ChurchPhilip A. WilliamsPhilip G. PalmerPhilis HollinisPhoebe Y. SteelePhyllis DugginsPhyllis W. DyerPierre SmithPine Grove M. B. Church

Portia M. DavidsonPrincess PagePrincess Y. Roane BronsonPriscilla B. MorrisProject XYZPrudence L. PollardPulaski SDA ChurchPurette MillsQeauna A. JohnsonQuamille R. MosesQuentin L. HenryR. Timothy McDonaldR.C. NicholsRachel Roy-HarrisRachel WebbRacquel HenryRamona AllenRamona L. HymanRandi M. WhittakerRayfield FosterRaymond S. KingRaynon A. AndrewsRaynon AndrewsRebecca MyrickRecovery Health Solutions, PCRedstone Federal Credit UnionRegina C. WarrenRegina WarrenReginald CoopwoodReginald M. SmithReginald V. MattisonRegions BankReita Valentine-BandyRemelus D. BowdenRemika GarrettRenada A. TysonRenaldo and Nadine MoodieRenata J. DrakeRenee BarnesRenee BillingsleyRenee F. RobinsonRenee M. KeyRenee S. JonesReta C. ChandlerRhentelia MillsRhoenna P. ArmsterRhonda BryantRhonda LaurentRicardo C. MajorRichard M. HodnettRichard PearmanRichard PittsRicky HobbsRio Ferrand-RodgersRita M. HollandRita MitchellRita MorrisRiverside Chapel SDA ChurchRobert A. BlakeRobert A. GrissomRobert AgerRobert C. SkellyRobert J. JacksonRobert L. EngramRobert M. ClarkRobert R. Kerstein

ADVANCEMENT D I V I S I O N U P D AT E


Robert V. SighRobin A. ArnoldRobyn T. LangRochelle DawesRoddley Point-Du-JourRodney C. CartwrightRodney JohnsonSusie M. HillRoland J. HillRon McKeeRonald G. TunisRonald J. PrideRonald LangRonay I. HannahRonnie & Katrese DarringtonRosalyn B. WarrenRosalyn SaundersRose BurtonRose M. YatesRosemary RobinsonRosenia D. BaileyRosiland HarrisRousseau's Sporting GoodsRovenia TullRoxanne WilliamsRoy E. GaiterRoy ParhamRoy RuglessRuby Vidato-ButtsRudy CastilloRuss DaileyRussell BatesRyan A. WashingtonRyan D. LangRyan J. ChandlerRyan O. CephasRyan O. ManningSabrina R. CottonSafawo GulloSafiya M. HudsonSamantha A. GregorySamantha ChampagneSamantha L. HanleySamlyne GeorgesSamuel & Margo BagleySamuel G. LondonSandra K. PattersonSandra P. ThompsonSandra R. BrownSandra YoungSangernetta BurnsSanitha M. DouglasSara PaulSarah BangSarah FariaSaundra C. RollinsSaylene C. Albert-HitchcockSchwab CharitableSelene S. GrossettSelita HarpeSelwyn CarringtonSeth T. BarduShannan C. MaloneShannon HardyShanon TaylorSharelle T. Rolle

Shari R. TaylorSharon D. KostenckiSharon DavilaSharrel Y. ReevesShaun C. PalmerShawn & Heather Hervey-JumperSheereen A. BurtonSheila D. McneilSheila K. JohnsonSheila Y. FigginsShelia H. JacksonShelleen RoseboroughShelley L. VaughnSheryl L. TownsendShirley ClarkShirley M. StillShon BufordShushannah M. SmithSimone CasonSimone V. TheodoreSinead M. MitchellSokoni K. ScottSonnet S. DavisSonya SlighSonya T. AndersonS otheby's International Realty

(Amanda Howard )Southern Union Conf of SDASouthland Total HealthcareSpendy Pierre-LouisSt. John AME ChurchSt. Luke Christian ChurchStacy L. DennisStanley A. McCallaStanton C. DulanStanton ReedState Line SDA ChurchStella WilsonStephania AbellStephanie DingomeStephanie L. MatthewsStephanie McMillanStephanie PullmanStephanie SterlinStephen H. GrayStephen M. MurphySteven JonesSteven K. LaiHingSteven R. HuttonSung-Jun KimSusan SprouseSusan StricklinSuzanne HolmSybil LoganSylvia A. GermanySylvia JamesSylvia O. CooperSylvia-Jean WoodsonSymone A. StewartSynovusT. Marshall KellyTahisha CattouseTahlia K. KirklandTalladega CollegeTamara A. HalsellTamara Young

Tamari L. JenkinsTammy B. HoneycuttTanisha BushTanya R. HayeTara L. YoungTasmisha DavisTeresa BenfordTerry ShawTeymi-Elise D. HerringThaddious & Diane PrivetteThe CornerStone InitiativeThe Image of Eve Restored, Inc.The late Lavelle Holmes The Maynard Cooper & Gale PCThelma BernardThelma StenbarTheodore ThorpeTheresa DrummondTheresa MilesTheresa TelfareThomas & Linda CollierThomas Electric Inc.Thomas L. MoonThompson Hospitality ServiceTia D. JefferyTiffany A. BellTiffany MotenTim WheelerTimothy MartinTimothy SouthwardTina HarrisTishona Y. ElliottTom Joyner FoundationTommie BattsToni EllisToni-Ann E. WrightTonyia D. WilliamsTorch Technologies INCToussaint & Lakeisha WilliamsToya N. CharlesTracey L. BradenTracey WallaceTraci D. Preston

Traci L. AndersonTracie Oliver-BelcherTracy B. MooreTracy M. ThompsonTransitions, LLCTravis & Gianna TramelTraycee R. ChapmanTrell CorpTrevor H. FraserTricia Pearse-WilliamsTroy L. HoskinsTurning Point Group IncTya R. Mathis-ColemanTyana E. BurkeTy-Ron M. DouglasTyrone A. BoydUBS Financial ServicesU'Rainnah L. BroussardValeria Newton-LambValerie JohnsonVanessa SmithVasken DilsizianVenet RobertsVenita KnightVenroy L. WintVera W. GraceVern E. GohannaVerneice R. WrightVernon ParrishVeronica B. LuckettVeronica E. LiburdVickie J. KanionVickie StrongVictoria Jean-JulienVictoria L. CoxVictoria L. JoinerVictoria McConnellVilma O. VeraVincent A. TurnerVirgil ChildsVirginia A. HodgesVirginia O. EldridgeVirginia R. Daigle

Vivian M. BennettVivianne W. JonesVSI Unlimited Inc.Vusumuzi P. NgwaziniW. Sherman RogersWalter O. SimmonsWalter W. FordhamWaltie V. GetfieldWana D. DavisWanda D. MisoriWanda HarrisWarren WoodsWatts Chapel Baptist ChurchWayne A. BucknorWayne A. FrederickWayne E. MooreWayne HenryWellesley & Wilma JohnsonWells Fargo BankWendy SimsWendy SmittickWilliam BrownWilliam CoxWilliam F. MartinWilliam H. SkinnerWilliam HamptonWilliam JohnsonWilliam M. MitchellWilliam WinstonWillie WesleyWillma ChapmanWilma G. JohnsonWinsley B. HectorWoodrow VaughnWoody Anderson FordYolanda CottonYoung-Powell JudithYourCause, LLCYvonne DowdyYvonne EdwardsZainab OtikiZavon & Jacqueline KanionZeola G. Allston

Because of You...

ADVANCEMENT D I V I S I O N U P D AT E

Walking near his office in Bermuda earlier this year,

Stanley James, M.D., ’91, felt the Lord asking him:

“Why are you paying money to keep the grass

down, when you can pay that

money to bring food up?”

James was shown that the plot of

grass would become a platform for shar-

ing the message of healing. “When we

look at those who are sick in Bermuda,

most of that population don’t have the

finances to get food that is fresh and

nutrient-dense,” he said.

In September, he employed JaVaughn Dill of Dill Pickle

Farming to chop up the grass, fertilize the ground, and plant

a garden of kale, bok choy, onions, beets, carrots, tomatoes,

collard greens and other vegetables.

“It wasn’t me,” says James in response to the buzz

around the garden at his practice, Premier Health and

Wellness Centre, and the initiative of giving free organic

vegetables to his senior patients. “The idea was literally

God-inspired.”

Food is our first medicine, and nutrition is the foun-

dation of healing. ‘Show and tell’ was Christ’s method of

teaching and so James is following the Master Physician.

He takes his patients outside and walks them through the

garden. They tell him stories of when

they used to garden, and how, maybe,

they can garden again.

James says his patients “have been

very grateful. Our core philosophy is not

prescriptions and pills and, hopefully, we

can give people lifestyle practices that

can maintain or reverse diseases.

“It was incredibly satisfying to see

the smile on the face of a senior today when I handed her

some vegetables,” James said. “When I told her it was free,

she looked at me twice and shook her head. She could not

believe it.”

We believe that Dr. James’ serving fresh vegetables

to his patients exemplifies the spirit of Beyond the Oaks,

an Office of Alumni Relations Engagement Initiative that

encourages all Oakwood alumni and friends to serve, as

our motto states “Enter to Learn; Depart to Serve.”

Dr. Stanley James

ALUMNI RELATIONS

Share Your Good News with the Oakwood FamilyAll Oakwood Alumni are invited to share your special milestones—that have occurred within the last 12 months—with the Oakwood

family, including: child births, graduations, new positions/promotions/certifications, article/book publications, memorials, etc. If possible,

please include a high-resolution digital photo suitable for publication (.jpg, .png, or .gif format; under 2MB in size; 300 dpi or the largest size

possible for print). Submissions may be edited, and placement is at the discretion of the editorial team. Send by email to [email protected].

D I V I S I O N U P D AT EALUMNI RELATIONS

In 2019, Attorney Imani Cherry, '14 , passed the Bar Exam

in the State of Maryland. She earned the J.D. at the American

University College of Law in Washington, D.C., and currently prac-

tices general corporate law and finance in Baltimore, Maryland.

I N M E M O R I A M

Jermaine Blackmon (left) attended

Oakwood University 2004-2006. He

passed away on September 15, 2015

due to complications with sickle cell

disease. Jabari Blackmon (right) attend-

ed Oakwood University 2005-2007. He

passed away on December 16, 2017

due to complications with sickle cell

disease. Their parents Dr. Milton and

Mrs. Juliet Blackmon, both in the class

of 1981, are looking forward to seeing

their sons again when Jesus returns.

Brandon Broome, ’10, joined the Wolves staff in the Athletics

Department at Walla Walla University after previously teach-

ing physical education and coaching for the past 10 years.

A 2010 graduate from Oakwood

University with a bachelor's in

Physical Education, Broome has

always pursued excellence.

During his time in education, he

established weight training pro-

grams and as a coach, he worked as

a personal trainer developing skills

and fitness for the sports programs

he oversaw. Broome has extensive

experience working with different

sports camps, working five summers with the Miami Suns

Boys Basketball organization.

Brenton Harrison, ’09, was

recently named one of Nashville's

Power Leaders in Finance by the

Nashville Business Journal. To

assemble the list, the publica-

tion accepts nominations from

the public. Harrison serves as a

financial advisor at Henderson

Financial Group, Inc.

Christine Jobson, DMA,’09, made

her debut at the Metropolitan

Opera in New York this fall.

Jobson, who was Miss Oakwood

in 2009, earned a masters in Vocal

Performance from the University

of Kentucky in 2011, and a doc-

torate in Vocal Pedagogy and

Performance from the University

of Miami in 2019. In addition to

the temporary engagement sing-

ing soprano in the chorus of the Met’s production Porgy

and Bess, she is also a lecturer and teaches voice on a

part-time basis at the Music Department at Western

Connecticut State University. Oher Oakwood alumni are

at the Met as well: Markel Reed, baritone; and Makeda

Hampton, soprano, who taught at Oakwood for a number

of years. Also in the production is Dr. Latoya Lain, mezzo

soprano, former teacher of diction at Oakwood.

Keshia M. Sanders, ’11,

successfully defended her

dissertation at the School of

Behavioral Health, Department

of Psychology at Loma Linda

University, for the Ph.D. Her

topic was “An Examination of

the Mediating Factors Between

High Schizotypy and Distress.”


With the start of the

2019-2020 academic

year, Stanton Reed, '83,

business and account-

ing professor at Valencia

College in Orlando, Florida,

has assumed the role

of Collegewide Faculty

Association president at

Valencia.

Dr. Lloyd Benjamin Mallory, '89, is

the new choral director and assistant

professor of music at Kentucky State

University, in Frankfort, Kentucky.

He most recently served as direc-

tor of choral activities and asso-

ciate professor at Delaware State

University. Mallory has also held positions in music at Lincoln

University, Pine Forge Academy, Oakwood University, Howard

University, Sligo Church, Duke Ellington School for the Arts and

Clark Atlanta University. Mallory earned a doctor of musical arts at

the University of California at Los Angeles, pursued post-graduate

studies at Morgan State University, Marywood University and

Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, earned a master’s in music at

Morgan State University and a bachelor’s at Oakwood University.

Connie Hall, '94, first grade teacher at Lloyd Diedrichsen Elementary School in Sparks, Nevada,

was named the Washoe County School District Certified Employee of the Year. Hall, who has

taught in the Washoe Valley for nine years, believes her prayer life has impacted her success

as a teacher. "Every day I pray in the parking lot before walking in the school, asking God to

use me for His glory that day however He sees fit," she said. "He always gives me wisdom and

renewed strength when needed."

Allen Perkins, '01, made history this past November, when he was sworn

in as the first African-American superintendent of Madison County schools

in Alabama. Perkins said that Madison County Schools have been on the

up and up in recent years and he wants to make sure it keeps going in

that positive direction. "It's not a job for me, it's an opportunity of service,

it's a mission for me and I enjoy it," he said. He's no stranger to Madison

County Schools; he was hired as an elementary teacher 17 years ago and

eventually rose to the ranks of supervisor of instruction over the district.

Perkins will hold the position of superintendent until at least 2022.

Andell Brown, Esq., '02, founded a boutique law firm in Miami, specializing in defend-

ing freedom, restoring the injured, and protecting our rights. He began his career as an

assistant public defender in 2005. After more than a decade of handling complex and

high-profile criminal and civil cases, he has distinguished himself as a top trial lawyer.

Brown has provided legal analysis in numerous televised appearances, and has been

called on as a voice of reason to speak on events that have sent shockwaves through the

world, from Ferguson and Baltimore, to Australia. He currently serves as a Trial Analyst

for the internationally-distributed Law Crime Network. Brown was recently recognized

during Black History Month 2019 as one of 100 Famous African-Americans and Seventh-

day Adventists in Spectrum Magazine.

With all of the notable and distinguished achievements that Attorney Brown has

achieved, he's most proud of being a devoted husband to his wife, Lotoya K. Brown, Esq.,

and a father to their two children, Aria and Andell II.

Alumni News


by Ashley Carter, WAAY 31/ABC (Photo courtesy of Madison County Schools)

Pre-need and

At-need cemetery

services available

for burial plots,

columbarium niches,

and mausoleum

services

Serving Your Family With Compassion

and Dignity

256-726-8278 OUMemorialGardens.com

For more information, contact

Miriam Battles: 256.726.7508

Carvell Goodlow was part of the

Caught Up Mentoring Program

established by Toson Knight, ‘13, of

Detroit, Michigan. Carvell enrolled

at Oakwood University as a freshmen in 2017, but tragically lost his

life on September 16, 2018. Carvell’s words shared at the memorial

service held at Oakwood University so touched a donor’s heart that

she decided to establish a scholarship in his name, to commemorate

his life and continue his legacy. This scholarship will be awarded to

Caught Up Alumni, who matriculate through Oakwood University.

It is the donor’s desire to assist the 17 remaining male students,

and future Caught Up Alumni who choose to attend Oakwood, to

complete their college degree.

We invite you to make a difference in the lives of these 17 young men.

To finish this semester strong, $77,000 is needed. Invest in this scholarship fund by making a

donation today at give.oakwood.edu (select the Carvell Goodlow Caught Up Memorial Scholarship

from the dropdown menu).

by Joel Kibble

he other evening, I walked out onto my balcony into the cold of night. I looked up into the crystal-clear sky and took in the beautiful scene. The stars glittered like diamonds against

the backdrop of space, and there in the midst of the sky was the brightest object—the moon. While I gazed, I began to realize that this celestial night-light has often been credited with lighting up the darkness of the evening. In all truth, the moon emits no light of its own. It does not have the power or the resource to generate that type of energy. Quite simply, the moon is a mass of craters and rock covered with dust. Man has touched down on the moon and kicked up the dust that covers the whole landscape. The light we attribute to the moon actually comes from the sun. The sun is that celestial body of solar energy that is responsi-ble for radiating light and heat. There is nothing about the moon that is worthy of any glory. One of the primary purposes of the moon is its ability to reflect. The light of the moon that is visible to us is directly proportionate to how much of it is exposed to the sun. If the moon is directly exposed to the sun’s light, it shines fully and brightly. If something cuts off any part of that light, only part of the moon is visible. You can witness the effects of this principle during a lunar eclipse. The Earth moves into the path between the sun and the moon, the sun’s light is interrupted and the moon has nothing to reflect. Without exposure to the sun, the moon loses one of its primary functions. It began to dawn on me that one of our best qualities as humans is our ability to reflect. There is no glory in anything we are or feel we are able to do. The Bible says that all of our righteousness is equivalent to a stack of soiled rags (Isaiah 64:6). The best we feel we can offer is about as worthless as the dust on the moon’s sur-

face. Most importantly, the extent of our effec-tiveness on this earth is proportionate to our exposure to the charac-ter of God in our lives. The more of God’s light we expose ourselves to, the brighter our lives shine in this dark world. Consequently, when we allow some body, some object or some circum-stance to eclipse the divine light that shines on us, our true purpose is veiled in the resulting darkness. As long as the Light is interrupted, our purpose remains in the shadows. In fact, when we are fully exposed to God, His glory illuminates our experiences so brightly, that people can mistakenly attribute His light to us. It is the job of the Son of God to shine. It is our job to reflect His light. When we do what we are called to do, we transfer the greatest glory to the darkest of situations. The moon does its best job at night. It was created for dark situa-tions. You and I were created to shine in dark situations. We were created to reflect that light in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. So, understand that the circumstance itself doesn’t matter so much as what we are to be in that circumstance…a light; but, your responsibility is not even to generate light. You cannot. That is not in your nature. That is God’s responsibility. All you need is full exposure, so you can reflect.

Go Deeper: Isaiah 60:19, II Corinthians 4:3-6 _________

From: Out of the Desert Flow, Rivers by Joel Kibble, ’06. Reprinted with permis-

sion. Courtesy of: Healing Rivers Publishing



What do you do while taking a breath-er from teaching and administra-

tive assignments? This past fall semester of 2019-20, I found myself “taking it easy” for the first time in several decades, and set my sail for bon voyage over quiet waters. Dreams of sailing the seven seas did not materialize, but I did do a bit of mental deep-sea diving and reflection about my Oakwood experience and “what hath God wrought!” On the one hand, the joy of classroom teaching and student interaction occupied my thoughts. On the other hand, my reflec-tion took more the path of past Oakwood administrative responsi-bilities and my rare privilege of per-sonal and official connection with the last nine successive presidents of Oakwood—Frank L. Peterson to Leslie N. Pollard. I re-lived our association together and recap-tured their precedents (personali-ties and patterns, procedures and programs) displayed through their

era.) If I had pursued that path, the animal-leaders would be non-se-quential and shuffled about in order to conceal their true identity, thus leaving to the reader to guess “who’s who”—all in fun. However, I was unable to convince myself that this parade of animals would be accepted for the innocent lambent narrative it intended to be. Instead I wrote a book entitled: Sprucing the Tree (Saga of Oakwood University Presidents: 1896 – 2010), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2015. Maybe you have seen it.

LEADERSHIP PERSONALITY

Leadership theory claims that institutions take on the personality of their leaders. To whatever degree this is true or not, one thing for sure: the trend of how a president performs duties does paint a portrait of his/her style and maybe even his/her character while also shaping the culture of the institution. On a deeper level, the experience of presiding over an institution can serve the will of God for salvific purposes in the per-sonal life of the lead administrator if he/she perceives challenges as instruments of character devel-opment. Check out the section on “Leadership” in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 494, where Ellen White counsels leaders that “All the difficulties, the backsets, the hardships, and the disappointments which God’s servants will meet in active labor will only strengthen them in the formation of correct characters. By putting their own energies of mind to use, the obstacles they meet will prove to them positive blessings. They will gain mental and spiritual muscle to be used upon important occasions with the very best results.” While we gladly appreciate variety as a beautiful hallmark of God’s grand creation, science teaches us that exact duplicates do not exist among His originals (no two blades of grass or flakes

valiant leadership. Rerunning the tape or downloading images of my moments, days, and years spent with these renaissance men gave me the distinct sense of having fer-tilized a bit of each of them within my soul.

INSPIRING LEADERS

I was an inspired student of B Frank L. Peterson in the 1950s, and graduated under C Garland J. Millet, who later invited me back to teach in the Religion Department immediately following Seminary graduation in the early 1960s. I continued teaching during the D Addison V. Pinkney years before taking leave for doctoral studies in the mid-1960s. I returned to teach religion the second time when invited by E Frank W. Hale, Jr., after my three-year leave for PhD studies and church pastoring which included ordination to min-istry. He also appointed me chair of the Religion Department. I was called into the ranks of adminis-tration in the 1970s by F Calvin B. Rock as General VP (subsuming Academic Affairs and Student Affairs), VP Academic Affairs, and Assistant to the President; contin-ued as Assistant to the President during the interim Presidency of G Emerson A. Cooper; and remained for a period as Assistant to the President for H Benjamin F. Reaves

of snow are exactly alike, not even so-called identical twins). That same principle of unique identity mirrors a truth among Oakwood presidents. Each one embodies a special personality all his own while similarities among them as lead-administrators occasionally appear. What would happen, how-ever, if we could bundle, capsulize, or melt these nine (or ten) personal-ities into one entity that represents their individual specialized prece-dents, patterns, and profiles? Like the United States’ national motto (e pluribus unum—out of many, one), the distinctive standout leadership quality from each of the stated ten Oakwood presidents contributes to one perceived “prototype” if not idealized picture of what a univer-sity leader looks like. Through my lenses, I see a stream of Christian education lead

before returning to teach religion in 1985 for the third time and chair the department for the second time. I was called by the Board of Trustees to the new position of Provost and Senior Vice President (2002-2010) during the administra-tion of I Delbert W. Baker. While serving in the position of Interim President between Baker and J Leslie N. Pollard, I was dispatched by the Board of Trustees (as board secretary) to deliver its invitation to Pollard to accept the Oakwood presidency. As the Interim President, I assisted in officially welcoming the Pollards to the cam-pus, introduced him to the faculty, staff, students, and the President’s Council, and spent a period of pres-idential orientation time, acquaint-ing him with matters of institution-al organization, personnel, budget, mission, student enrollment, and the general state of the ship. Because of extensive and diverse learning from Oakwood presidents, I once thought of writ-ing a playful caricature book about my presidential associates entitled “The Animal Planet.” Obviously, this lighthearted spoof of each president, unidentified, would sim-ply suggest the particular animal most nearly reflect his leadership style. (Viz., wise owl, tricky fox, chest thumping gorilla, sly serpent, roaring lion, frugal squirrel, et cet-

administrators whom I respectfully characterize accordingly: Peterson the Inspirer; Millet the Energizer; Pinkney the Conciliator; Hale the Administrator; Rock the Leaders’ Leader; Cooper the Educator; Reaves the Articulator; Baker the Initiator; Warren the Mediator; and Pollard the Facilitator. Men and women of destiny (including leaders to come), listen to the wisdom of Divine inspiration: “Press in the right direction, . . . solidly, intelligently. Then circum-stances will be your helpers and not your hindrances. Make a begin-ning. The oak is in the acorn.” (Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 6, p. 145) _________ Mervyn A. Warren, M.Div., Ph.D., D.Min., is enjoying his

retirement, after having served Oakwood University as Teacher;

Dean of Religion; and five administration positions including

Provost and Interim President.

& of Oakwood University

by Dr. Mervyn A. Warren

END NOTESMaquisha Mullins, Ph.D / Interim Director, Integrated Marketing & Public Relations

E D I T O R I A L


I c a m e t o O a k w o o d

University with high hopes

and great expectations for

my college experience. I knew I could go anywhere and do anything

with the education afforded me. But in my

freshwomen year I found myself getting slight-

ly off task during study hours or sleeping in

when I had an 8 am class (not uncommon for

first year students, but not advised).

Upon my return home

for holiday break my grades

were there to greet me. It

was a sobering moment.

What I read did not truly

reflect who I was. However,

it was a true reflection of

my efforts. I hadn’t given it

my all. I hadn’t even given

half of what I was capable of, but I then decid-

ed that the rest of my journey would be very

different. I significantly increased my level

of engagement in curricular and co-curric-

ular activities and I never reverted to my

old ways (by God’s grace). Upon graduation

I was accepted to the country's #1 school of

communications for graduate studies.

From that experience I learned my story

will only reflect my true contributions. I am

now privileged to work at the great Oakwood

University. I take great joy in my role of shar-

ing great stories with the Oakwood commu-

nity of alumni and friends. I’m convinced

the world should know about

the achievements of OU stu-

dents, employees and my fel-

low alums. I celebrate each

victorious moment when a

business is started, awards

are won, scholarly articles

are published, every grad-

uate school graduation and

the birth of a child. Let’s stop

sleeping in! We are a com-

munity of high achievers, go

getters and innovators. There is

a community of Oakwoodites

anticipating a great report from

us. Whatever it is, I encourage

you to lay it all out there; knowl-

edge, time, influence, money...

dedicate it to God and it will

be great. Your contributions

inspire and empower others to

experience their own personal, academic, or

professional victories.

I pray my actions are in-line with God’s

will and that each day, in some small way, are

moving the university forward and encour-

aging others. Every evening I exit campus

headed home proud I gave all I had to give.

Share with @oakwoodu how you

give your all using #OUgiveall.

I learned my story will only reflect my true contributions.

All I Have to Give

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OAKWOOD COLLEGE… THEN

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Spring 2012

Meet the

2,000 th

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1970’s Couples Share Secrets to

Lasting Love

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april 4-12, 2020

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