Greetings from Bison Hill. The spring semester has come and gone and we celebrated another successful class of OBU graduates as they completed their undergraduate education and journeyed into the world.
During the Spring Commencement ceremony, OBU alumnus, pastor Shane Hall, ’93, delivered the address. He challenged the soon-to-be graduates to be ready when life interrupts their plans. He explained that in order to leave a lasting legacy, they must devote their lives to Jesus Christ, even though their dreams may be altered.
As I looked out over the rows of graduates seated near the front of Raley Chapel, I reflected upon this challenge and upon how we as a University prepare our students to meet it. We challenge them with rigorous academic standards to equip them with the knowledge they need in their vocations. We teach them principles of faith and instruct them in God’s Word, merging a biblical understanding of truth with all areas of learning. We encourage them to serve and meet the needs of others, wherever they are in this world, and instill within them a desire to be actively engaged in their sphere of influence. We likewise prepare them to live a life worthy of the plan and purpose for which God has created each of them.
In the pages of this magazine, you will read about two of our graduate degree programs, the Master of Arts in Christian Studies and the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies, and how they are equipping students to engage the world for Christ. You will read about three of our Profile in Excellence recipients, alumni who are making an impact in the areas of manufacturing, education and music. You will likewise read about the support OBU receives from donors and the impact it makes on the lives of our students.
As you turn the pages of this magazine, I trust you will be blessed, as I have been, to see first-hand the impact an OBU education makes, not only on our students while they are here, but most importantly, in their lives beyond Bison Hill.
At Oklahoma Baptist University, our calling is to transform our students’ lives by equipping them to face the challenges that come when life interrupts their plans, so that they in turn may go forth and transform the world. I hope you enjoy the brief “President’s Report 2016” included as part of this edition of the OBU Magazine.
May God bless you as He continues to bless OBU.
David Wesley Whitlock
OBU President