Oakland City University

Not to be confused with Oakland University.

Oakland City University

Motto	Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve
Type	private coeducational
Established	1885 (details)
Affiliation	General Association of General Baptists
Endowment	Unreported
President	Dr. Ray G. Barber
Academic staff	200
Undergraduates	2,350
Location	Oakland City , Indiana , United States 38.3399°N 87.3518°W / 38.3399; -87.3518
Campus	Small town
Athletics	21 NCAA Division II Independent teams
Colors	White and Columbia Blue
Nickname	Mighty Oaks
Website	www.oak.edu

Oakland City University (OCU) is a private university affiliated with the General Baptist Church and located in Oakland City, Indiana. It is the only General Baptist Church-affiliated college or university in the United States. Founded in 1885, it has slowly grown to the present student enrollment of about 1200 on the main campus and, counting all sites, about 2,000 total. OCU's teams, called the Oaks, play in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and NCAA Division II, where they have won many CCNIT national titles over the years.

In addition to the institution's Oakland City Main Campus, the university has satellite campuses in Evansville, Indianapolis, Rockport and Bedford where they hold classes for busy adults. The Bedford branch is housed in the former headquarters of the Indiana Limestone Company. These sites utilize the adult learning model that emphasizes experiential application to objectives and theory. Students from a wide age range attend, learning from three sources: the texts, their instructors (who work in the field they teach), and from each other. Courses are provided in an accelerated pace and condensed format, much like how summer school operates in more traditional programs. Students may take one or two courses at a time and enroll as full-time. They focus on learning business techniques and communication skills which build stronger career skills that can easily be translated to working situations. Another program strength comes from flexibility to transfer credits from prior accredited learning.

History

In June 1885, the Educational Board of General Baptists organized and then gained a charter from the state of Indiana to operate a college at Oakland City. However, because of a lack of funds, the first building, a two-story brick structure housing the administration and classrooms, was not complete until 1891—the same year Oakland City College opened its doors for classes. In those early days, the school was called "the college on the hill."

By the mid-1920s, the school had reached a zenith for the first half of the century. There were several college buildings gracing the grounds, including an expanded administration building, Wheatley Hall, a women's dorm, a field house, Memorial Gym (which housed a library in the basement), Cronbach Hall, a building used for agricultural and industrial arts classes, and a two-story brick building called the president's house. Beside the normal, liberal arts and theological school, the college had added a large industrial and agricultural department to respond to the vocational needs of the rural area it served.

Sports teams of the 1920s, included basketball, baseball, football, and track. Teams regularly played Indiana State University, Evansville College, University of Louisville, and Ball State. By the mid-1920s a legion of clubs could also be found on campus. Among them were the YMCA, Phi Alpha Literary Society, Germanae Literacy Society, Athenian Literacy and debating team, a standard debating team, the ETOSCA club, the Dramatic League, the French Club, the German Club, the Glee Club, the college orchestra, and the college band. Enrollment during these prosperous times often broached 1,000 students a semester.

Sadly, this comfortable world came to a screeching halt in 1930 with the coming of the Great Depression. Grimly, the school held on with faculty and staff often forgoing paychecks to keep the school running. The end of World War II and the GI Bill saw a resurgence in enrollment and, by the mid-1960s, the "college on the hill" experienced an upswing comparable to the 1920s. Several new buildings now crowned the campus including four dormitories, a new library, Brengle Hall, a science building, and Stinson Hall, a classroom building containing an auditorium.

The good times did not last. The winding down of the war in Vietnam wrought a substantial drop in enrollment. By the fall term of 1973, the college found itself with an abundance of empty dorm rooms.

The sponsoring denomination, the General Baptist, rallied around the school by making an intense effort to raise funds to keep the school open. They also made the important decision of hiring a retiring Marine Colonel and General Baptist minister, James Murray, as the college president. Dr. Murray's success was nothing short of miraculous. In the 1990s the college moved to university status under Murray's leadership. Presently the school has an enrollment of 2,000 and has seen the construction of six new buildings in the last few years. Today, the university stands fully accredited and offers five graduate degrees and over 40 undergraduate programs.

Academics

Oakland City University is accredited by the following:

• The Higher Learning Commission
• Higher Learning Commission Mark of Affiliation
• International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (Main Campus Business programs)
• The Association of Theological Schools

OCU has historically been a strong teacher education institution in the state and has provided many of the teachers for schools in the surrounding area. The instructional staff has had many years of experience in the elementary, junior high/middle school and secondary schools — a prime requisite for approval of a teacher education program by the Indiana Department of Education.

Campus

While Oakland City itself does not have many restaurants and stores, it is only a 15-minute drive away from Princeton which has many restaurants and other services. However, the school is close to popular student hangouts such as Monroe Pizza Company, Denny's, and during the summer, Junee Bee's. The student life center also houses Holy Grounds, which serves Starbucks products.

The campus has 4 dorms: 2 female and 2 male. Student Government along with student life host fun activities throughout the school year. Dorm Wars is the biggest ongoing event and many individual events contribute to the dorms' overall points.

Chapel service is every Wednesday at 11 AM, but students are not required to attend. Student led worship occurs every Wednesday evening at 812.

Athletics

Oakland City teams participate as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II. The Mighty Oaks are affiliated with no athletic conference; therefore, they're competing as an NCAA D-II Independent. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, cheerleading, and volleyball. The OCU PepBand performs at basketball games.

Schools and departments

• School of Arts and Sciences
• School of Education
• Chapman Seminary
• School of Business
• School of Adult and Extended Learning
• Chapman School of Religious Study

Notable alumni

• Gary Barrett - Chair of Odum School of Ecology at University of Georgia
• Gil Hodges - 2x World Series Champion player with the Dodgers, 1x World Series Champion manager of the New York Mets
• Lindel Hume - Indiana State Senate
• Wilbur Kitchener Jordan - President (1943–1960) of Radcliffe College, a constituent of Harvard University, and former general editor of the University of Chicago Press
• Melba Phillips - American physicist and educator, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Chicago
• Jerry Reynolds - Head Coach, Broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings; Head Coach, Rockhurst University (MO) and Pittsburg St. (KS)
• Jamie Teachenor - Multi-platinum Country Music singer/songwriter

External links

• Official website