The Oakwood campus is simultaneously mourning the loss, and yet celebrating the life, of Dean Philip Nixon, Assistant Vice President of Student Services.
Philip Byron Nixon was born on January 11, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, the third of five children born to Harry and Julie Nixon. He attended Bethel SDA Elementary School, and Thomas Jefferson High School. He earned his B.A. degree in English and Religion from Oakwood College, and his Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Southern Christian University.
In 1973, Philip met the love of his life, Margaret Lai Hing. They married on June 12, 1977. To this union two sons were born, Marc and Andrew. While a student at Oakwood, Philip and Margaret served as student missionaries in Tokyo, Japan. The following year Philip was asked to continue his work in Japan as the acting director of Japan SDA Schools headquartered in Osaka. Philip and Margaret especially enjoyed working in the mission field, and Philip often expressed his strong desire to return to Japan.
In 1986, Philip began his professional career as an employee of Oakwood College. He served as Resident Hall Dean at Edwards Hall and later became the Assistant Vice President of Student Services, where he worked until he fell asleep in the Lord on August 29, 2012. Philip loved good music and sang with the Oakwood University Church Chorale, Ambience Male chorus, and various other groups around campus. He also volunteered in Prison Ministry by singing in a quartet with his brother, sister and sister-in-law.
Dean Nixon leaves to mourn: his wife, Margaret; their sons, Marc and Andrew; his brothers John (Januwoina) Nixon and Timothy (Sandria) Nixon; his sisters, Marguerite (Alonzo) Pollard and Elise (Frank) Wright; his father-in-law, Cheetoy Lai Hing; his brothers and sisters-in-law, Hollister (Eva) Brewster, Courtney (Bonnie) Lai Hing, Burke (Lorna) Lai Hing, Lennox (Jacquie) Lai Hing, Leslie Lai Hing, Leroy Lai Hing, Jacqueline (Calvin) Lester, Kenneth (Jean) Lai Hing, Gillian Lai Hing, and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members, loved ones, former Oakwood students, coworkers and friends.
"Words cannot begin to express our gratefulness for the love shown to us by your prayers, calls, food, visits, cards, words of comfort, thoughts and deeds during our time of sorrow. Your kind acts of love helped us to bear our grief and comforted us in the loss of our loved one. Our special thanks to Dr. Carlton Byrd, the Pastoral Staff and Mrs. Darleen Simmonds at the Oakwood University Church. May God bless each of you." ~The Nixon Family
The funeral service was held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2012, at the Oakwood University Church. Interment followed immediately at Oakwood Memorial Gardens.
According to the latest world rankings from INTERKULTUR, the Germany-based producer of the World Choir Games, Oakwood University’s Aeolians Choir is world-ranked at #16 (out of 1,000 international choirs), and #1 in the pop/jazz gospel category, http://www.interkultur.com/leftnavi/world-rankings/.
During the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati – the first time this biennial and world’s largest international choral competition was held in North America – the first-time competing Aeolians won three gold medals in their three categories (Music of the Religions, Musica Contemporanea and the Spiritual), as well as captured the World Spiritual Championship.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Professor Zainab Alwani, who teaches Islamic studies at the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C., will deliver the inaugural talk for the ‘Al al-Kitab Lecture Series at Oakwood University, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012.
The series, which uses the Arabic name, “People of the Book,” which is how the Quran refers to Christians and Jews, is sponsored by the Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations, which is headquartered at the university.
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BY ANSEL OLIVER, Adventist News Network
Milton E. Nebblett was a driving force who helped transform local Seventh-day Adventist humanitarian outreach in the early 1980s into a major player on the international development scene.
The former refugee advisor for the U.S. State Department in Vietnam secured the Seventh-day Adventist World Service’s (SAWS) first grant—$10 million from the United States Agency for International Development—based largely on his understanding of government agencies.
The Academy of Management (AOM) recently awarded OU management professor Dr. Theodore Brown Sr. a plaque for "Outstanding Leadership and Service To The Academy," for his contributions as Caucus Program Committee Chair during its 2012 conference in Boston, MA, where its theme was "The Informal Economy.”
According to Brown, the conference registered its largest attendance with over 11,000 scholars from approximately 78 countries. He was also invited to serve as a second-term chair, for the 2013 AOM Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida; its conference theme will be "Capitalism in Question."
Additionally, Dr. Brown was selected to attend the upcoming AOM Africa Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, in January 2013. “The Africa Conference is capped at 450 people, whereas the AOM has over 20,000 members in 103 countries,” he explained.
"The purpose of this conference is to bring Africa's unique capabilities and needs to the attention of the world's organization and management scholars and, at the same time, to provide an opportunity for interested colleagues to collaborate and to work on the many interesting theoretical and practical problems presented in Africa."
Brown is a 1998 cohort and 2005 graduate of Andrews University, with a Ph. D. in Leadership with an emphasis in Financial Management, where he also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – As the trees go bare in the autumn, in many churches, the color scheme changes from green to purple.
The colors used by Christian denominations that incorporate formal liturgical traditions into worship are not just for show: These colors are to augment the worshiper's experience of the religious year.
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Polls closed at 7 p.m. in Alabama on Tuesday, but in some places, voters had to wait a few more hours to vote.
It was an extreme test of patience at Oakwood University Church throughout the day, as people waited in line for more than two hours in the morning and up to three hours in the evening. The line was still very long as the poll closed, and everyone in line was allowed to vote, but it took until 9:20 p.m. to get every voter through.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – It was 60 years ago Friday, May 31, 2013, that James Melancon and Don Blake graduated from Oakwood University.
But walk with them into the chapel in Moran Hall on the Oakwood University campus in Huntsville, Ala., and they remember the heat and humidity -- and joy -- to be found in the post-war, segregated South.
James Hawkins was a tireless champion for the journalism students at Florida A&M University. His generosity seemingly knew no bounds.“He’s known for paying the light bills and buying groceries for kids who didn’t have the money to pay the light bills and buy food,” FAMU professor Yanela Gordon, a student under Hawkins before she became his colleague, said Tuesday.
May 27--Around South Florida, organizations have mobilized to immerse talented college and high school students into the startup life.
Venture Hive, the accelerator/incubator in downtown Miami, held an Intern Open House last week with 19 startup companies and 57 high school and college students, said Susan Amat, Venture Hive's founder. The high school students were part of Miami-Dade Schools' tech-oriented magnet programs, said Amat, who also chairs the Miami-Dade County Schools STEM Board, and university students came from FIU and other schools.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 28, 2013)--The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) mourns the loss of Dr. James Hawkins, the former Dean of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC). He passed away on Monday in Macon, GA after a heart attack. He was 64.
PASADENA - Dr. Eric Walsh, the city's health director, Thursday told attendees the mayor's annual prayer breakfast that the prescription for a healthy Pasadena has little to do with the medical system.
Walsh, president of the California Academy of Preventive Medicine, said it has more to do with reducing inequality in income and education, offering access to housing and safe environments and caring for children and the elderly, he said.
Oakwood University (OU) was named the official First Place, Tier 1 winner of the Home Depot Corporation's 2013 "Retool Your School" competition on Friday, May 3. The $50,000 first place prize will be used to build an outdoor kitchen/pavilion for the students.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – In a stealth campaign that energized Seventh-day Adventists around the world, Oakwood University and its 1,939 students breezed past colleges with more than twice as many students to take first place in the recent Retool Your School campaign from Home Depot.
The No. 1 finish brings with it $50,000 that will be used to construct and equip a 30 by 50-foot outdoor pavilion near the large pond on campus, complete with fireplace, outdoor appliances and grill, and landscaping around the area, university spokespeople said Wednesday, May 8, 2013.
Phase One’s “Building on the Past: Framing the Future” will modernize historic buildings and erect a new space, to include Oakwood University Broadcasting Network
OU President and First Lady Drs. Leslie and Prudence Pollard, leadership development experts and authors of three leadership books, pledged their own $10,000 to start OU’s $9M Capital Campaign’s phase one, entitled “Building on the Past: Framing the Future.“
A totally renovated Carter Hall freshman women’s residence and an expanded Ford Hall facility to include a re-constituted communication department and new media center to initiate the Oakwood University Broadcasting Network, will serve as the first-phase projects.
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
Oakwood University is hoping that a new $9,000,000 capital investment project will mean a renaissance on campus.
Melwyn Asquith Bob Mounter, the senior pastor of the Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church located in Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, will preside over his final worship service on Mar. 9.
The Aeolians have been invited, and will compete in the 7thWorld Choir Games, the world’s largest international choral competition, it was announced by INTERKULTUR, the International Organizing Committee of the World Choir Games, in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 11-13.
The Aeolians will serve as the only Seventh-day Adventist, and the only HBCU and the only Alabama choir to participate in this biennial event, known as the “Olympics of choral music.”
According to Aeolians director Jason Max Ferdinand the Oakwood choristers, the 2010 and 2011 national HBCU choir champions and, more recently, the sole U.S. performers in the seven-day Second International Moscow Christmas Festival of Sacred Music in Russia in January, will compete in three categories: Contemporary Music, Music of Religions and Negro Spirituals.
“This also marks the first time ever the World Choir Games will be held in North America; previous venues were Austria, China, South Korea and Germany.”
The World Choir Games takes place every two years. Approximately 20,000 participants, including 400 choirs from 70 countries, are expected to attend the 2012 Games. There will be competition in 23 musical categories, including Barbershop and Show Choirs, which have been added for the first time because of their popularity in the United States.
For more information on performances and tickets, go to www.2012worldchoirgames.com.
People who eat a vegetarian diet live longer than those who eat meat, according to a study of more than 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists. A study published June 3, 2013 in JAMA Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association, said vegetarians experienced 12 percent fewer deaths over a six-year period of research.
Nationwide (July 17, 2012) -- In its first-ever international choral competition, Oakwood's Aeolians Choir won three gold medals in its three competing categories, at the Cincinnati-hosted 7th World Choir Games, July 4-14.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The first day at a Boys & Girls Club, over at Sparkman Homes where he grew up, Tony McGinnis was in second grade. He was also taller than everybody else.
He was instantly dragged to the middle of the basketball court. He had never played the game in his life.
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Description: The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr will be the focus of a community gathering. This years tribute to the memory and legacy of Dr. King will feature the renowned Aeolians Concert Choir from Oakwood University. The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs in conjunction with the office of Diversity. The event is free of charge and open to the public. For more info call 256-824-2332.
David Cort, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is available to discuss the bipartisan agreement in the Senate to reform the American immigration system and provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
MOBILE, Alabama – Before he left for Washington D.C., Kishawn Knight, 12, said he was excited about seeing “a lot of stuff,” like the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.
While in the nation’s capital with a group from Foley’s John McClure Snook Youth Club, he got to do much more than that. In fact, he was on the right side of Pennsylvania Avenue for Monday’s Inaugural Parade, where he was able to see President Barack Obama up close.
Carlton Byrd always felt that he was born to pastor, born to preach, born to be an evangelist. He grew up in the ministry, grew up wanting to be a pastor, and loves to speak. Now he speaks many times a week and sometimes twice a Sabbath. On this particular night he’s in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, preparing to speak for the NY13 kickoff rally at the North Bronx Seventh-day Adventist Church. And he can hardly wait to preach, to fire up the base and get members here excited about the 2013 major city evangelism campaign set to blanket the city that never sleeps. It’s the first of hundreds being organized by the worldwide Adventist Church, but for Byrd, it’s another opportunity to further Christ’s mission: “I love the Lord, I love people, I want to go to heaven, and I want to take as many people with me as I can,” he states, flashing the signature smile he wears above his signature bow tie. “God called us to take this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone, everywhere, and I’m just glad I get to do it full-time.”
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Huntsville's three colleges classified as Historical Black Colleges and Universities want your vote.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Brenda Martin, who has spent the past five years trying to fulfill Mayor Tommy Battle's "One City, One Vision" campaign pledge, is retiring from the city.
Martin plans to step down from her position as multicultural affairs director on April 27. Kenneth Anderson, currently dean of humanities and social sciences at Calhoun Community College, has been tapped to replace her.
"Servant-leaders know when to pass the torch," Martin, 65, told a packed City Hall news conference Tuesday. "It's my time."
When Lewis Eakins learned about the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2006, he wanted to increase the level of preparedness for his campus safety officers at Oakwood University.
Eakins, the director of Public Safety at the Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama, embarked upon a state procedure that allows a private university to create its own police department. The move, he says, has enhanced training and now allows several of his 15 officers to carry a firearm.
As the only Alabama and/or historically black college or university of the Minority Information Technology Consortium (MITC), ISO:9001-recertified Oakwood University will team with other MITC members on a series of federal contracts with a total estimated value of $48 billion, it was announced today. According to OU Office of Sponsored Programs Director, Dr. Rose M. Yates, “First of all, Oakwood will access task orders from MITC’s five-year Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Systems Administration (SAMHSA) contract, which has an estimated value of $1.5 Billion. Because MITC is a member on both large Business and a small business teams, Oakwood has access to both task order streams. “In short, Oakwood has access to a stream of SAMHSA task orders for the next five years, to 2017.” SAMHSA, an operating division within the DHHS, is charged with reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in America’s communities and has identified eight strategic initiatives to focus its resources on areas of urgency and opportunity: Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness; Trauma and Justice; Military Families; Recovery Support; Health Reform; Health Information Technology; Data Outcomes, and Quality; and Public Awareness and Support. Second, she continued, Oakwood can access task orders under our National Institute on Health (NIH) Chief Information Officer (CIO) – Special Projects 3 (SP3), with an estimated value of $40 Billion. The contract is a 15-year award with a 10-year ordering cycle. MITC is on two large business teams and a small business team. “Fewer than 5% of CIO - SP3 bidders won, so our access to task orders from not one, but three winning bids is, in and of itself, an amazing feat – and Oakwood is a beneficiary of this success, through its membership in MITC. In short, Oakwood has access to a stream of CIO-SP3 task orders (3-4 daily) for the next 10 years, until 2022. “Finally, MITC has access to task orders from a large business contract, ALLIANT, from the General Services Administration (GSA). The estimated value of GSA ALLIANT is $6.5 Billion. “This is also a 15 year contract with a 10-year ordering cycle. The contract was issued in 2011. In short, Oakwood has access to a stream of ALLIANT task orders (3-4 daily) for the next nine years - 2021.” “In spite of these successes, MITC will continue to identify and pursue other federal contracts that will benefit its members, including Oakwood University,” concluded MITC CEO Harith Razaa.
OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR RECEIVES HIGHEST CERTIFICATION FROM HUMAN RESOURCE CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE (HRCI)
Dr. Prudence LaBeach Pollard received certification on January 09, 2013 as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®) from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).
Dr. Pollard who was previously certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR®) is Professor of Management in the School of Business and Assistant Vice President for Faculty Development and Research at Oakwood University. Her areas of scholarship include Leadership, Human Resource Management, Evaluation, and Research Design. Dr. Pollard earned the PhD in Evaluation, Measurement, and Research Design from Western Michigan University and maintains an active research portfolio on executive leadership and on gender issues in compensation.
The HR Certification Institute (HRCI), established in 1976, is an internationally recognized certifying organization for the human resource profession. Today, more than 120,000 HR professionals worldwide proudly maintain the HR Certification Institute’s credentials as a mark of high professional distinction. The HR Certification Institute is a global leader in developing rigorous exams to demonstrate mastery and real-world application of forward-thinking HR practices, policies and principles.
The Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®) certification is the highest certification available to HR professionals. The certification exam can be written by HR professionals with demonstrated professional HR experience who design and plans, rather than implements, HR policy, focus on the “big picture”, has ultimate accountability in the HR department, typically has six to eight years of progressive and increasingly complicated HR experience, has breadth and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines, use judgment gained with time and knowledge application, understand the business beyond the HR function and influences the overall organization.
The 3-hour exam covers six areas of human resource management: Business Management and Strategy, Workforce Planning and Employment, Human Resource Development, Compensation and Benefits, Employee and Labor Relations, and Risk Management.
Dr. Prudence Pollard has authored a number of scholarly papers and recently published “Raising Leaders" which is available in print and eBook format at www.amazon.com, www.adventistbookcenter.com, and through Oakwood University at www.ougiving.com. Pollard is a 1995 & 2012 graduate of Leadership Huntsville and is married to Dr. Leslie N. Pollard, President of Oakwood University.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The world is changing on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, but don’t expect to notice anything right away, says Keisha Tafari, an astrologer who lives in Huntsville.
“The planets indicate that this is a very intense time,” Tafari said.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Committed vocalist Robbie Pressley is looking at a text message containing set list possibilities for the Huntsville a capella sextet's upcoming Christmas show.
"We have 'O Come All Ye Faithful,' 'Hark the Herald,' 'Jingle Bells,' 'Angels We Have Heard' just to name a few," Pressley, 24, says. He's calling from a hotel room in Kentucky.
It's not always a holly, jolly Christmas season, especially for clergy.
“For a lot of people it’s a stressful time of year,” said Don Hawkins, president of Southeastern Bible College. “For people in ministry, the stresses are multiplied. We have so many competing time demands."
Congratulations to Dr. Everett Roper (Business & Information Systems Dept.), whose manuscript will be included as one of six chapters in a new textbook entitled Scriptural Foundations of Business, to be published by The Andrews University Press.
The objective of the project was to produce a book that will provide Adventist business professors and their students with structured support for integrating Christian faith into the classroom experiences in Adventist business schools. Chapters will cover the core courses within the business curriculum and present the Biblical basis for the courses’ philosophical foundations. The intent is to provide the business student a firm grounding in scripture, as understood within Seventh-day Adventist theology, as an introduction to the course material. Subsequent coverage of the course subjects will then be understood within the context of that scriptural foundation.
This will not be just another book on business ethics, or even Christian business ethics. It is, in fact, an attempt to establish a groundbreaking textbook that exposes the student to what the Bible has to say about the course subject. Several Business Schools throughout the SDA higher education system have already agreed to adopt this book, positioning our schools as providing a distinctly different educational experience than can be obtained from other public or private institutions. This project has the potential for offering some exciting materials for students in Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities worldwide and is being translated into other languages as well.
The disproportionate effect that cancer, diabetes, stroke and other diseases have on minority populations and the poor was the topic of the 12th annual Health Disparities Research Symposium that attracted students from across the nation to Loma Linda University on Aug. 1.
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Student singers from the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Oakwood University, located in Huntsville, Alabama, took home three awards from the world’s largest choir competition last week. At the Seventh World Choir Games the Oakwood Aeolians won the Championship Trophy in the “Spiritual” category, besting 15 other choirs for the honor. The 42-member Aeolians also won one of several gold medals in two other categories: “Music of Religions” and “Musica Contemporanea.”
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WAAY)-Tuesday April 16th marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important civil rights documents ever written. Dr. Martin Luther King began writing his famous letter from the Birmingham jail.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Antonio "Tony" McGinnis is one of many high school basketball stars who later enjoyed equally successful college careers after being coached as teenagers by Jack Doss at Huntsville's Butler High School.
An All-State player at Butler in the late 1980s and early '90s, McGinnis became a four-year letterman and three-year starter at Texas A&M University, where he is still remembered for his defensive prowess, his rebounding and his scoring.
Huntsville, Ala. -- When Huntsville-based Oakwood University's on-campus market underwent renovations, it wasn't just the facilities that received an upgrade—the food got a serious health boost, too. Oakwood, responding to student demand for humane meal options, designated the market as 100 percent vegetarian—a move that reportedly makes Oakwood the first historically black university in the U.S. to offer all-vegetarian food. For its health-conscious and cruelty-free decision, Oakwood will receive a Compassionate Campus Award from peta2, PETA's youth division.
"College is all about preparing students for the future, and going vegan is the best thing that students can do to protect their health throughout their lives," says peta2 Associate Director Marta Holmberg. "Vegans also enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that they're helping to protect animals and the planet every time they sit down to eat."
For many years Aubrey Hopkins has worked in professions that help families and children. Now, he is in his third year teaching literacy classes for inmates in the Berrien County jail.
The 54-year-old Berrien Springs resident grew up in Macon, Ga., attended Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., and has a background in social work. He worked in the alternative education program at Coloma schools and in the Benton Harbor school system. In addition to teaching literacy in the jail, Hopkins is an examiner for the General Educational Development program, which allows people to get the equivalent of a high school diploma. The literacy and GED programs have no connection.
Herald-Palladium Staff Writer Scott Aiken recently talked with Hopkins about his work in the jail.
Grace is the gospel. For some, that seems to be a problem. Some accuse those who promote salvation by grace through faith alone, as promoting “cheap grace.” Cheap grace is, at best, an ironic term, as grace is, literally, the most expensive gift ever offered (it cost the life of the only Son of God). Cheap grace is, in fact, a derogatory phrase used to warn grace enthusiasts -- and more important, those who are unsure of the critical path to salvation -- against too close an embrace of grace. More to the point, the term is employed to undercut grace itself, intended to make the notion of grace at once dangerous and inadequate.
With regard to the American principle of separation of church and state and the notion that there should be no religious test for holding public office there is a double standard that has become somewhat evident in this year’s Presidential election season. Last week as the Democrats sought to address the fact that “God,” by name, had been omitted or removed from the party’s platform language, they convened a fiasco. In the campaign for the few undecided voters remaining—in the few swing states which remain in play—this was thought to have left an opening for talking point charges of the Democrats (and by extension their standard bearers) being ‘values-challenged’ compared to their ostensibly more pious Republican opponents. Newly minted Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, has naturally attempted to take political advantage of the opportunity presented by these events by perhaps accurately suggesting that the Republicans would never have been faced with such an embarrassment because they would never think of taking God out of their platform.
Philip B. Nixon, assistant vice president of student services at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, died late last month at the age of 59. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he earned a bachelor’s degreee at Oakwood University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Southern Christian University. After serving as a missionary in Japan, he joined the staff at Oakwood in 1986.
Oakwood University, the historically Black educational institution in Huntsville, Alabama, claims to operate the only vegetarian/vegan cafeteria at any of the nation’s 105 HBCUs. The new cafeteria was opened last month after a major renovation.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- As Oakwood University expands on its record student enrollment of last year, the Seventh-day Adventist Church school is expanding its nontraditional offerings.
Even with more than 2,000 students on campus, Oakwood is focusing on boosting education for adults and even its own employees.
According to its website, the 2013 edition of Best Lawyers in America was compiled based on over 4.3 million confidential evaluations provided by the leading attorneys throughout the country – the most extensive peer-review process developed by any legal referral guide. This survey process included votes from over 43,000 leading attorneys nationwide. Because all listings are based entirely on the evaluations of currently-listed attorneys, listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded within the legal profession as a singular honor. The 2013 edition of Best Lawyers in America also lists two Texas-based attorneys as “Lawyers of the Year.” Only one lawyer in each practice area and city is honored as "Lawyer of the Year," making this a significant accolade for those chosen. (…) The designations are based on particularly high voting averages during the peer-review assessment conducted with thousands of lawyers every year. One of the Greenberg Traurig Texas-based attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers as “Lawyers of the Year” is (OU Board Member) Clifton Jessup, Jr. http://www.gtlaw.com/People/Clifton-R-Jessup-Jr
President Leslie N. Pollard received the following letter from Oakwood alumnus Elder Eddie C. Polite, Senior Pastor of the City Temple SDA Church, in Dallas, Texas:
Dr. Pollard,
I thought you would be proud to know that an alumnus of Oakwood and a member of the OU Board of Trustees, Clifton R. Jessup, Jr., was recently named "Lawyer of the Year" by the peer-determined prestigious publication, 2013 Best Lawyers in America. http://www.gtlaw.com/News-Events/Newsroom/Press-Releases/164532/24-Greenberg-Traurig-Texas-Attorneys-Included-in-2013-Edition-of-Best-Lawyers-in-America
As an alumnus of Oakwood myself, I am always gratified and filled with pride whenever a fellow alumnus earns public recognition and honor for themselves and the institution that laid the formative foundation for their professional development and subsequent success.
Not only does Clifton demonstrate excellence in his professional life, but he also exemplifies commitment and excellence in his personal life as a valued member of the City Temple SDA Church in Dallas, TX, of which I serve as senior pastor. Despite his busy schedule and numerous professional obligations, Clifton faithfully serves our church as an Elder, Pastoral Assistant for Administration, Finance Committee Chairman, Young Adult Ministry Leader, Young Adult Sabbath School Teacher, and Church Board member. He is very involved in the warp and woof of our church life, even being in regular attendance at midweek Prayer Service.
A staunch supporter of Christian education, Clifton and his wife, Venita, have not only matriculated their own two children through Oakwood, but also freely and regularly given of their means to personally ensure that other young people have the opportunity to benefit from "the Oakwood experience."
Because Clifton is of humble demeanor, no one would ever know of his professional or personal accomplishments if they depended upon him to share them. That's why I am taking this opportunity as his proud pastor to inform you that another son of Oakwood has made his alma mater proud.
Be blessed, then be a blessing!Eddie C. Polite, Senior Pastor | City Temple SDA Church, Dallas, TX
Rodney Smith was named as the OBA’s General Election candidate for Southampton West.
He will challenge the ruling party’s Randy Horton, for Constituency 32.
Mr Horton comfortably took the seat at the last election, earning 629 votes to 366 won by the United Bermuda Party’s Charlie Swan.
Mr Smith was yesterday adamant that he was the person to bring home the goods.
Toddlers reciting lines from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’?
It’s a typical production at Seasons Learning Centre.
Theatre, puppetry, script reading and art form a big component of the popular preschool programme, which moved from Rosemont Avenue into larger premises on Dundonald Street last month.
“I feel like the arts and academics go hand in hand and based on a lot of the research I feel that the kids do better academically as a result of the arts,” said owner and director Joelle Williams. “We find a lot of our kids especially our boys are extremely confident and theatre brings that out.”
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama –The Pastors Evangelism and Leadership Conference 2012, to be held at Oakwood University Sunday, Dec. 2 through Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, will offer training and inspiration for some 1,500 Seventh-day Adventist ministers and church workers from around the world
Alabama A&M men's basketball team returns to T.M. Elmore Gymnasium Tuesday night after a week a half away on a two-game road trip.
The Bulldogs (1-2) will host nearby Oakwood University ranked No. 9 in the USCAA (United State Collegiate Athletic Association poll) at 7 p.m.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Three top leaders of the City of Huntsville are now into their new terms as elected officials after taking their oaths of office Monday morning.
It was a cloudy and chilly morning, but still a crowd of dignitaries showed up to see Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Huntsville City Council President Will Culver and Councilman Dr. Richard Showers take their oaths of office.
The Aeolians of Oakwood University also presented an impressive rendition of "From Sea to Shining Sea."
The TJMS talks to Dr. Leslie Pollard, President of Oakwood University. Despite having only 1,939 students, Oakwood won the Home Depot Retool Your School Contest and the $50,000 prize.
by Tim Allston (public relations director for Oakwood University)
In The Home Depot® 2013 “Retool Your School” Campus Improvement Grant Program for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Oakwood University – one of the smallest HBCUs, and lone SDA contestant – is currently besting larger competitors for the $50,000 prize.
As the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, The Home Depot will award $195,000 – one $50,000 Tier I Grant for the school that receives the most votes and social media activity, one $25,000 Campus Pride Grant and twelve $10,000 Tier II Grants.
Since the contest’s February 18 kick-off, it’s been a daily neck-and-neck battle for the #1 spot, between the 1939-student OU and the 4,000-plus University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Princess Anne, Maryland branch of the 13-campus University System of Maryland.
A David vs. Goliath in higher education? For six days each week, at least.
“There is a noticeable drop in social media voting from Oakwood and our supporters – and a tremendous upsurge to #1,for UMES – at Friday-night sunset, but a re-capturing of the top spot for Oakwood following sunset Saturday evening – and we know why!” mused Ms. Kisha Norris, Executive Director for Advancement & Development at Oakwood. “We’re planning to win this contest – not solely for the money and campus improvements, but even more importantly for the witnessing opportunity of Sabbath observance it gives us, not only with The Home Depot, but with all onlookers.”
Oakwood as the 21st century “Hebrew Boys”?It’s not the first time.
“It is our custom at Oakwood to begin formal meetings and informal gatherings with prayer,” Norris added. “However, now with this RYS campaign, campus meetings still begin with prayer but, increasingly, the presiding person will then say, ‘Amen, . . . Now, please pull out your electronic devices (smart-phones, tablets, etc.), . . . go to www.oakwood.edu, . . . click on The Home Depot icon, . . . and now, please vote! Thank you all. The meeting will now come to order,’ . . ."!
Oakwood plans to build an outdoor pavilion, equipped with outdoor kitchen appliances, grills and fireplaces. The Tier II grant funds would cover the costs of re-seed and install sprinkler systems for the softball and football fields.
Vote for Oakwood at www.oakwood.edu, then click on the Home Depot icon, or use hashtag #OakwoodRYS2013.
Student singers from the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Oakwood University, located in Huntsville, Alabama, took home three awards from the world's largest choir completion last week.
At the 7th World Choir Games, the Oakwood Aeolians won the Championship Trophy in the "Spiritual" category, besting 15 other choirs for the honor.
Read more here...
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Pastor Debleaire K. Snell, 35, the senior minister of First Seventh-day Adventist Church, 6300 Stringfield Road N.W., has been named Pastor of the Year for the 35,000-member South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Read more here....
MADISON COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
Some volunteers from Oakwood University and Alabama A&M spent this Martin Luther King Day holiday in a day of service.
They gathered at the ARC of Madison County to repaint some walls for community service.
ARC is a non-profit that helps people with disabilities.
Both college campuses will participate in the Honda Challenge academic competition this year. Part of the criteria to qualify is taking part in a service project.
It just so happens, Monday is also Dr. Martin Luther King's "Day of Service."
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Alabama Symphony's annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a casual affair, where the formalities and taboos of concert etiquette are often relaxed a bit. Gospel, jazz and spirituals, and sometimes a premiere, usually balance out the solemnity of the occasion. This year's “Reflect and Rejoice” event at the Alys Stephens Center fit the pattern, mixing music by UAB music professor Henry Panion III, William Grant Still, Atlanta composer Alvin Singleton and one of Dr. King's favorite composers, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Angela Brown is a force. Whether stunning international opera audiences in roles like "Aida," singing show-stopping art songs in concert, or winning over school children with her inspired program, "Opera from a Sistah's Point of View," Angela Brown is a charming, witty, formidable force.
The American dramatic soprano will soon devote almost a week of her busy year to the Golden Triangle, performing for elementary students in Columbus, conducting a master class at Mississippi University for Women and, the finale, singing in public concert.
FOLEY, Alabama – A group of 14 boys and girls from the John McClure Snook Youth Club in Foley will leave this weekend for Washington D.C. to attend the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.
The youths, ages 9 to 14, are part of an after-school program at the club, a nonprofit organization that was formerly part of the Boys and Girls Club of South Alabama. Director Deborah Ferguson said the organization is relying on donations and proceeds from fundraisers to pay for the trip, which will cost almost $9,000.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The voice on the phone identified himself as Michael Jordan.
Understandably, comedian Jonathan Slocumb was hesitant to believe this and replied, "Yeah, right... Seriously, who is this?"
The caller handed the phone over to another person and then a female voice indicated she was Jordan's assistant. And that the NBA legend enjoyed Slocumb's performance hosting the 1996 NAACP Image Awards a couple nights prior so much he wanted Slocumb to host the launch of his new Nike shoe line, the Jordan Brand. In two days. In Las Vegas.
Devon Franklin honored at Oakwood University Church in Huntsville, Alabama
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Columbia Tristar-Sony Pictures senior vice president and faithful Seventh-day Adventist DeVon Franklin will speak in Huntsville at Oakwood University Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013.
Franklin’s appearance at Oakwood comes as part of the historically black university’s celebration of Black History Month.
In sports, the best players in a given league aren’t criticized for the shortcomings of their teammates or other players in the league. The best players produce the most, get the most credit and blame when things go right or wrong, make the most money, and earn the most attention.
In higher education, specifically in black college culture, the opposite is true. The struggles of weaker institutions brand the culture at large, brings added attention to the flaws of the strongest institutions and minimizes all HBCU successes
The text message read simply, "Whitney's dead," and that's how Mervyn Warren got the news the star singer, who he'd worked with on the six-time-platinum-selling "The Preacher's Wife" soundtrack, was gone.
Warren was just waking up in his Los Angeles home when he received the fateful text.
"A friend of mine who is actually one of my recording engineers and worked with me on Whitney's Christmas album (2003's 'One Wish: The Holiday Album'), he texted me," Warrens says. "I sat up, turned on the TV and there it all was."
HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WAAY)-Singing group and Huntsvilles own Committed was in town spreading some Christmas cheer. Committed performed two Christmas concerts at the Rock Family worship center in Huntsville.
The a capella group met at Oakwood University and in 2010 won a television singing contest. After that they signed a record deal and recorded two albums.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Parades, dogs, human emotion, accidents and weather are among the subjects of our favorite photos of 2012. Huntsville Times photographers Eric Schultz, Bob Gathany and Sarah Cole have each picked their four favorites from the photos they've shot this year, and now we want you to pick your favorite.
NewsFlash: Oakwood University received reaffirmation of its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, reports President Leslie Pollard.
"As an institution founded in faith, the Oakwood University is deeply grateful. Since 1896, we have sought to transform lives for service to God and community. We are honored that SACS has recognized our institution's stewardship by reaffirming SACS' accreditation of Oakwood University."
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Here’s a challenge: Gather six radio DJs and former DJs in an office, then try to get a word in edgewise – especially when they are talking about the station they love, Oakwood University’s WJOU-FM.
“Excuse the enthusiasm,” said Dr. Victoria Joiner Miller, general manager of WJOU, Praise 90.1 FM, at Oakwood University. “But we all talk for a living.”
ORANGEBURG, SC - December 3, 2012 - SC State University Interim President, Dr. Cynthia Warrick has appointed Mr. Michael Hubbard to serve as the Associate Vice President for the Division of Institutional Advancement.
“We are delighted to have Mr. Hubbard join the SC State University family,” states Warrick. “His experience and expertise in the higher education sector will prove to be a valuable asset as we move toward initiating an extensive fundraising and marketing campaign for the University.”
Volunteers of America Chesapeake, Inc. is a faith-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire self-reliance, dignity and hope through health and human services in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1896 in Baltimore, MD, Volunteers of America Chesapeake is one of the first branches of Volunteers of America – one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive human services organizations.
After two days of intense competition among 250 students representing 48 competing teams, Morgan State University claimed its second National Championship title in a row at the 24th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), an annual academic event featuring the best and brightest students from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Enduring a year-long program of study and preparation, the Morgan State Universityteam emerged victorious at the National Championship Tournament held on the Los Angeles-area campus of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and took home $50,000 in grants for their school.
Oakwood University (OU) is hoping to receive the top prize of a $50,000 grant for getting the highest number of votes and the most social media activity for the Home Depot® 2013 “Retool Your School” Campus Improvement Grant Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. OU is the only Adventist institution and one of the smallest in this program but, by the grace of God and with your help, has a great opportunity to win.
THE leadership of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Cayman and Turks and Caicos Islands are mourning the loss of an icon, Pastor Kenneth Granville Vaz.
Vaz, affectionately called KG, passed away at age 93 last Monday, April 1, 2013 after a long and illustrious career as an evangelist. He is also a former president of West Indies College (now NCU).
The Adventist Church’s only historically black university in North America is in the running for a US$50,000 grant from an online contest sponsored by a chain of home improvement stores in the United States. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, Oakwood University is one of the smallest and the only Adventist school participating in Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” contest for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
OUPD reports that Corporal Shawn Byrd has been enrolled in the 157th Session of the Northeast Alabama Regional Law Enforcement Academy. On his first day, he successfully passed the APOSTC Physical Agility test which involves completing an obstacle course in 90 seconds (pushing an occupied patrol car 15 yards, running 50 yards and climbing over a 6 foot wall, running another 50 yards and climbing through a 2’ x 2’ window, running across a 15 yard balance beam, and pulling a dummy weighing 165 lbs for 15 yards). In addition, cadets have to run 1.5 miles in 15:27 minutes, complete 22 push-ups in 1 minute, and complete 25 sit-ups in 1 minute.
The APOSTC Physical Agility test is given on the first day of the academy to weed out individuals who do not meet state fitness standards. It is the most grueling portion of the 480 hour academy that stretches over a three-month period.
With this test behind him, Corporal Byrd is poised to begin his training in defensive tactics, firearms proficiency, Alabama penal code, investigations, crime scene searches, constitutional law, and other aspects of law enforcement.
Please continue to pray for Corporal Byrd as he represents Oakwood University.
http://www.youtube.com/oakwooduniversityhsv
On Saturday evening, May 11, von Braun Center Arena, Oakwood University will confer 343 associate's, bachelor's and Master's degrees at its annual Commencement Weekend exercises.
Commencement Weekend keynote speakers will include:
• Saturday, May 11 (Commencement) - Dr. David Williams, OU Trustee and Public Health/African and African American Studies/Sociology Professor, Harvard University
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
WASHINGTON — When a federal education official started telling NAFEO conference attendees Monday about a proposed competitive grant program for postsecondary institutions to do professional development for teachers in the area of STEM, Oakwood University Senior Vice President Timothy McDonald began to take notes.
“Some of us have been concerned that the Department of Education, under an Obama administration, has been drifting toward emphasis on K-12 to the detriment of higher education,” McDonald said. He later explained why the competitive grant program caught his attention.
According to OU chief academic officer Dr. Garland Dulan, “The purpose of our Faculty/Staff Think Tanks is to utilize the combined knowledge and wisdom of the faculty and staff in addressing the major issues of importance to the future of Oakwood.”
This process started in 2012, he continued, under the direction of President Pollard and works in coordination with the President's Council; one outgrowth of it to date is the OU Leadership Academy, purposed for training faculty and staff how to enhance or build their leadership skills.
PROBLEM AWARENESS: The Sodexo Dining Campus Student Surveys, done once each semester, had plummeted to an abysmal 17% level at the OU student dining hall - known affectionately as “the Café” - in spring 2011 - against a national 45% norm - before Mike Beutel came to Oakwood as general manager for Sodexo, OU’s outsourced dining services company.
PROCESSES’ EXECUTION: First, Beutel’s conducted needs-analysis revealed that the cause of the low satisfaction rate was lack of leadership out on the dining hall floor during peak meal times; overseeing floor operations was key to improving customer satisfaction.
The Aeolians, a 45-voice choir from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., will give a concert at 7:30 p.m. March 2 in the Loma Linda University Church, 11125 Campus St., Loma Linda.
The concert is one of the events of the 81st Alumni Postgraduate Convention of Loma Linda University School of Medicine and is open to the public.
In July 2012 the Aeolians won the championship trophy in the spiritual category of the seventh World Choir Games in Cincinnati and earned gold medals in two other categories, Music of Religions and Musica Contemporanea.
The 2013 budget of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s world headquarters funds mission work and administrative support outside of North America, as well as the operation of the headquarters building. The Adventist Church’s nearly US$174 million world budget this year allocates about $42.4 million in appropriations to the fields outside of North America. An additional $28.5 million in appropriations funds missionaries and employees serving in other divisions.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Before people wandering the Huntsville Museum of Art can find the priceless treasures of Medieval and Renaissance paintings and alabaster carvings, which are in the museum’s climate-controlled rooms, they are likely to be distracted by the profoundly quirky clay sculptures of John Donovan just off the first gallery.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Faculty and staff at Oakwood University circled the lobby of the newly renovated Eugenia Cunningham Hall this morning, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, to dedicate the former dormitory for its new use as a student information center.
The report is from the /Madison County Health Department. They are sorted by score, from low to high. A score of 85 is considered passing.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – In 1787, Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania carefully etched sweat, ink, and hope into the parchment that defines our country today.
The Constitution exists as a portrait of what democracy should look like – its features lovingly crafted by quill.
But even though the ink has long dried – the intellect, the passion behind the words still pump through its lines like blood from a heart.
“This Constitution is such a living document,” comments Dr. Anne Smith-Winbush.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- On Valentine's Day two years ago, acoustic-guitar-and-violin duo Unknown Lyric was playing a gig at Bridge Street Towne Center when a man approached them with a proposition.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A rousing, retro-soul track that appears in one of the most anticipated films of the year, director Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," was recorded in an Athens home studio.
The song is called "Freedom." It's a duet between Grammy-winning singer Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton, a vocalist who attended Huntsville's Oakwood University.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Oakwood University has been recognized for having one of the top science programs among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
In the September issue of Ebony magazine, Oakwood is listed first among HBCUs for its science program.
Read Ebony article here...
The September issue of Ebony, the largest-circulation news magazine published for the African American community in the United States will publish five lists of the top Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country. Oakwood University, the Seventh-day Adventist-affiliated institution in Huntsville, Alabama, ranks number one on the list of top science programs. The other top black educational institutions in the country, according to Ebony, are Alabama State University in the liberal arts and Alcorn State University in the social sciences. Two professional schools at historically black institutions are also included in the listings, the business school at Morehouse College and the law school at Southern University and A&M College. Melody Thuston released this information on behalf of the publisher, Johnson Publishing Company.
Emerson Cooper Funeral Program
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate contributions to the Emerson A. Cooper Scholarship Fund, at Oakwood University, in care of the Office of Advancement and Development.
During his 49-year span of service to Oakwood and higher education, both nationally and internationally, Dr. Cooper held many positions and received many honors, including the naming of Oakwood's Science Complex in his honor in 1993.
In 1949, Dr. Cooper married the former Marjorie Stephens, a 1948 Oakwood graduate. She holds an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Nutrition from Alabama A & M University. In 1993, she retired as an accountant with the Army Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. The Coopers have three children: Mrs. Roslyn C. Fields, a nurse case manager now living in Huntsville; Mr. Stephen N. Cooper, a critical care nurse in Atlanta, Georgia and Mrs. Margo A. Bagley, formerly a chemical engineer for the Procter and Gamble Company and now a Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, VA. They also have been blessed with six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Please keep the Cooper family in your prayers during this time of bereavement.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- One spring evening in his early-teens, Robbie Pressley watched from the Panoply crowd as hit-making '90s R&B vocal group Boyz II Men performed onstage in Big Spring Park.
"I was excited to see them," Pressley, now 25, says. "And the irony of it is we ended up being on a TV show where Shawn Stockman (of Boyz II Men) was a judge and he loved us."
Pell City — Eight members of the Odenville Art Club will have a variety of beautiful art work on exhibit during May in the Leeds Arts Council's gallery. The gallery is in the Leeds Theatre and Arts Center, 8140 Parkway Drive, downtown Leeds. The opening reception is Sunday, May 5 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The public is invited. There if no charge; however, the art work will be available for purchase. The gallery is also open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and during arts council events.
OU Goal: One step higher. Oakwood’s Honda Academic All-Stars seek move from 2012 runners-up to 2013 National Champs
Honda’s Campus All Star Challenge (HCASC) team from Oakwood University – the 2012 national runners-up champions, and 2008 and 2009 national winners from the competing historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – heads for the national championship tournament, to take place at American Honda headquarters in Torrance, California, April 7-9, 2013.
The HCASC is the first-ever academic competition between students at America's HBCUs.
According to coach Dr. Rennae Elliott, communication department chair, OU’s team – captain Antoine Southern, Kenesha Bennett, Nancy Kingoina and James Rodriguez – will be traveling to Los Angeles on Friday, April 5, and will be joined on Monday, April 8, by Oakwood President and First Lady, Drs. Leslie and Prudence Pollard.
“For the second consecutive year, Honda has made arrangements for Oakwood’s team to travel on Friday instead of Saturday, and the Opening Banquet has been re-scheduled for Saturday night instead of Friday night, to honor our biblical observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. Talk about a witness!”
Oakwood has been in the finals four of the last five years, Elliott continued, and has won the national championship twice.
HCASC brings together the whole campus community – students, faculty, administration and alumni. Now in its 24th season, nearly 100,000 HCASC players have demonstrated their incredible intellects and fast recall, and for their efforts, have earned over $7 million in grants from Honda for their institutions. A lively round robin tournament begins on Sunday, April 7. The Final Games held on Monday, April 8th, will be streamed on the Honda web page, http://hcasc.com. The games are scheduled for 8:30 am – 1:00 pm Pacific Time.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Take 6 founding member Claude McKnight has given each of the 10 Grammy Awards he's won with the gospel vocal group to his mom.
"It's kind of a cool thing for her, I suppose, to be able to look at those when she feels like she wants to see what her son has done," McKnight says with a chuckle. He's driving a rented car between Birmingham and Huntsville when he's reached via cellphone. About a year ago, McKnight moved from Nashville to Los Angeles.
Take 6 is embarking on a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of their platinum-selling, self-titled debut album, and the sextet – which also features Joel Kibble, Alvin Chea, Mark Kibble, Dave Thomas and Khristian Dentley - has actually been re-cutting the "Take 6" LP in its entirety for a release later this year.
HUNTSVILLE Ala (WAAY) - Six Oakwood University young composers presented their pieces of music to the public for the first time Saturday.
The Aeolians Choir of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, won three gold medals while competing in the World Choir Olympics in Cincinnati, Ohio. The World Choir Olympics, held every other year, is the largest international choir competition. At this year's event there were more than 360 choirs from 70 countries. In all, there was about 15,000 choir members participating in the event.
Standing before 19 aspiring law students on Thursday, University of Arkansas law professor Cyndi Nance led a discussion about free-speech rights.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Oakwood University's Aeolians "raised the roof" at the World Choir Games 2012, which were held in Cincinnati July 4-14, winning championship honors in The Spirituals song category.
The chorale also won gold medals in Music Contemporanea and Music of the Religions categories.
Some big names came to Oakwood University at the end of April. Clifton Davis is a Hollywood personality best known for the lead role in role in the television series Amen and an Adventist preacher. Yolanda Adams is a Grammy-award winning gospel artist and Billboard magazine's 2009 pick for Number One Gospel Artist of the Decade. A local a capella group also performed, Committed which "wowed the judges" on the premiere of NBC's The Sing-Off.
They were all part of the Spring Revival at the University's Seventh-day Adventist Church. The main speaker for the event was Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, director of the Breath of Life television ministry and senior pastor of the church.
RINGGOLD, Ga. – DeWitt S. Williams, a Laurel, Maryland, resident, recently released a book titled Highly Committed. The book chronicles the life of Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and that of his family.
For more than 100 years, the Wilson family has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church in some capacity, beginning with William Henry Wilson, Ted N. C. Wilson’s great grandfather. The book traces this history and examines the family’s unwavering commitment of service and the rare fact that a father and son, Neal and Ted Wilson, have both held the highest position in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, that of president of the General Conference.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Oakwood University has a new healthy-dining option that is open to the the public.
Zebi's, which is short for "zesty bistro," opened today, and will be open daily. It is located on campus in the Oakwood University Market, which just had a complete facelift. The bistro will be an alternative to the college's existing dining hall.
Oakwood University-A new, remodeled campus market is now open at Oakwood University. The food offerings are dedicated to eating healthy with an all vegetarian and vegan menu.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Lessons for contemporary life can be learned from the lives of the prophets, Professor Zainab Alwani told those attending the premiere Ahl al-Kitab Lecture at Oakwood University.
"The prophet is a role model through submission to God," Alwani said in the lecture that looked at aspects of what the Quran says about Abraham, Moses, Joseph and Solomon.
A resident of La Verne was appointed second-in-command of the Pomona Unified School District this week.
Members of the Pomona Unified's Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to name Stephanie Baker deputy superintendent of instructional services.
"I am humbled and honored, and I stand amazed," Baker said Thursday.
Baker began working with Pomona Unified in 1989 as a substitute teacher.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- On a chilly Sunday afternoon, Sunita Chauhan and about 150 other people formed a human chain in support of ending domestic violence, especially for those in the Indian culture.
AshaKiran human chain 1Sunita Chauhan, a native of India, raises her arms linked with about 150 others who stood against domestic violence Sunday. The event largely involved natives of India, where the culture makes it hard for victims to speak out. (The Huntsville Times/Paul Huggins)
In her native country, there is tremendous, longstanding pressure to not discuss troubling matters outside the family, even when it involves a wife or daughter being assaulted, Chauhan said. And there is a just as much pressure to keep families together, so many women don't say anything that could break the family apart, she added.
Educational and organizational matters topped the agenda of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s 2012 Annual Council on the afternoon of October 15, 2012, with world church leaders voting to reorganize the Chinese Union Mission, headquartered in Hong Kong, and rename the Greater Middle East Union.
The Adventist Review magazine is the flagship journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Founded by James and Ellen White in 1849, the journal is the one of the oldest religious publications in North America. The Review is published weekly and has a paid circulation of nearly 30,000.
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By Debbonnaire Kovacs
[Note: For the first time, a feature article will contain personal pronouns. I normally don’t do this, but this time I’ve included a bit of opinion near the end. I hope my readers will accept this temporary laxity from the rules of reporting. Debbonnaire Kovacs] Several Adventist organizations and individuals have received important awards and grants lately. I thought it would be nice to put out a little round-up of a few that have come to my attention. If you know of any not mentioned here, let me know at atoday@atoday.org, with “for Debbonnaire , more awards” in the subject line. This first section is a short article by Herbert Atienza, Media Relations Specialist for Loma Linda University:
$4.5 Million Grant to Loma Linda University School of Dentistry from First 5 Riverside Will Give Children Access to Dental Care
LOMA LINDA, CA – May 6, 2013 –A $4.5 million grant to Loma Linda University School of Dentistry from First 5 Riverside County Children & Families Commission, also known as First 5 Riverside, will expand access to much-needed dental care for children through five years of age. The First 5 Riverside grant, to be distributed over four years, is expected to allow dental health screenings for about 5,500 children a year, and treatment for about 700 children a year, over the term of the grant. Loma Linda University School of Dentistry’s Riverside County Dental Program will use the grant to offer comprehensive dental screenings and direct treatment for Riverside County’s youngest children. “It’s a huge thing for us to be able to provide these services to children in Riverside County,” says Dr. Carla Lidner Baum, assistant professor at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and the grant’s project director. “Primarily, we want to make sure that children do not suffer from pain and infection from decayed teeth, but we also do try everything possible to avoid having to extract the decayed teeth. We want to restore and maintain the child’s baby teeth, if at all possible, because if a child loses their primary teeth too early because of decay and need for extraction, then it often happens that the permanent teeth will grow into all of the wrong positions in the mouth, and the child will have crooked and misplaced teeth for life,” she says. First 5 Riverside officials say the collaboration with Loma Linda University School of Dentistry helps First 5 Riverside further its goals of providing the growing numbers of families in Riverside County access to oral health care for their children. “Oral health is critical for children’s overall health and their ability to be successful in school. Oral health concerns are a big reason for children’s absence from preschool or kindergarten, and children in pain are not prepared to learn,” says Harry Freedman, executive director of First 5 Riverside. “Loma Linda University School of Dentistry shares our commitment to improving the oral health of the children in our community, and we are very pleased to partner with them.” Dr. Lidner Baum says the grant will allow dental health professionals to perform screenings and perform triage. The program works with local schools, Head Start programs, and child care centers to screen the children, with the most urgent cases being referred to the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry Clinic, as well as regular dental offices throughout Riverside County. First 5 Riverside is a division of Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. Funded by Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenues, it supports health and early childhood education services designed to help children, prenatal through age five, develop a strong foundation for success in school and throughout their lives.
Adventist Television Producer Receives Award
Our next honoree is Joan Warner, who began with a dream that was pretty big from the start: “to take the Three Angels’ Messages to the greater Nashville area and the world through public access television and the internet.” In March of 2012, she and a few friends stepped out in faith and launched a program called HealthHope. They wanted to create a show that would portray the message of both healthy bodies and healthy spirits, in the context of Adventist doctrine. On February 26, 2013, Nashville Education, Community, and Arts Television (NECAT), a public access television network in Nashville which includes 170 producers, presented awards for accomplishments made by the producers of various local programs. One of those awards was received by HealthHope. In just the last nine months of 2012, the small group of faithful volunteers produced 21 shows, each of which took about five hours to tape, which is done at the Public, Educational, and Government Television Studio at Nashville State Community College. Some of the volunteers have to drive long distances after work just to get to the studio andbeginthe five hours! So it makes sense that the award they received was for “Most Shows Produced by a New Producer in 2012.” As Joan Warner is quoted as saying in the May, 2013 Southern Tidings, “[I]t takes a group of people to be a dedicated and talented production company. . . otherwise I can’t be a producer.” HealthHopehas a spin-off, Truth & Wellness, and both have been given more airtime. They are now aired 12 times per week. There are also plans for a third show, Eternity Now, to begin this year, and eventually even a children’s show.
Alabama Elementary Teacher Receives Golden Apple Award
The Golden Apple Awards are apparently highly prestigious and are given to educators in different states and regions by different entities, however it’s hard to find much detail about their history. www.goldenapple.org and says that the foundation was the brainchild of Martin J. Koldyke, “who felt that excellent teachers did not receive adequate recognition for their contributions to building a stronger, better-educated society.” However, this site is only about Illinois education, and it is clear that educators in many states receive Golden Apple Awards as well.
In our story, the Alabama News Network visited Bethany Christian Academy to present the award to 3rdand 4thgrade teacher, Reggenia W. Baskin “for an outstanding job in the classroom.” She was nominated by students, parents, and community leaders, some of whom were interviewed on camera. They expressed gratitude for Baskin’s love of God, creativity, energy, and passion for teaching. Baskin herself said “I was saved to teach and I must teach to save.” According to Southern Tidings, the final question in Baskin’s interview “moved her to tears: ‘What do you want your students to leave you having learned?’ Baskin’s response was heartfelt and emotional. ‘I want them to know the joy of serving others. I want them to truly emulate Jesus. I want them to know that they have not truly lived until they have added to the being or wellbeing of others.’” The May 2013 Southern Tidings reports both the above stories with a wealth of information, available in PDF form at www.southernunion.com.
Oakwood University Wins $50,000 Grand Prize In Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” Competition
Last, but most assuredly not least, is Oakwood University, which has been competing for several months now in a hotly contested social media voting competition for this year’s $50,000 Retool Your School grant, offered by Home Depot to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The schools in the race with Oakwood included larger public, private, and more popular HBCUs. However, on Friday, May3, the Home Depot judges, including Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy on the 1980s Cosby Show, announced the winning results. The total of social media votes cast was over 2.6 million, and not-very-big, not-so-well-known Oakwood University was the grand prize winner. (For a list of other winners, visit www.retoolyourschool.com.) According to Oakwood news sources, “Across the country and especially throughout ‘HBCU-dom,’ the question was asked repeatedly, ‘Who is this Oakwood University? How is this school of just 1939 students getting all these votes, against a number of larger public, private and more popular HBCUs?’” You can hear President Leslie Pollard give his answer to Oakwood’s “secret recipe” by watching the video at this site: http://www.oakwood.edu/news/1946-q-how-did-oakwood-university-win-the-coveted-home-depot-50000-top-prize-on-may-3rd-a-on-april-11th-chef-president-dr-leslie-pollard-revealed-the-secret-recipe However, I can supply at least a partial answer. (Also a hint: in part, it has to do with Sabbath. . .) I am on the media lists of all Adventist colleges and universities, so I receive press releases and news bites on a regular basis. Tim Allston, Public Relations Director at Oakwood, sends me by far the highest number of things to choose from as compared to other colleges and universities—often several per week. For the duration of the Retool Your School voting, he added a tagline to “remember to vote every day” to every email he sent me, and knowing Tim, he probably put constant reminders on every email, personal and business, on Facebook, on Twitter, and no doubt all over the Oakwood campus. I say this only to say that I wonder what would happen if we were this openly excited about other things we want to get across to people, like faith, hope, and the constant love of God. I’m not saying we should drive people nuts—naturally this vote drive was a short-term, intense period. I just think it bears some pondering. Adventist Todaycongratulates all these faithful servants of God and wishes them much success and even more blessing!
Many of the 106 HistoricallyBlack Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are in need of major renovations in order to remain competitive and attract top talent. The Home Depot recognized this need, and responded by providing help through a campus-improvement grant program called Retool Your School.
This program, now in its fourth year, provides aid to help historically black colleges and universities upgrade their campuses and facilities. This year, 14 black colleges and universities received a total of $195,000 in grant money. A total of 67 schools participated.
By Adventist Today News Team
Oakwood University, an Adventist higher education institution in Huntsville, Alabama, won the Retool Your School contest that Home Depot sponsored over recent months. Its 1,939 students came in ahead of larger schools, reported The Huntsville Times yesterday. Fisk University in Nashville, with an enrollment of 842, and Tuskegee University, with an enrollment of 2,684, tied for second place in the contest to see how many supporters and alumni would register online at a Home Depot web site within a limited number of weeks. The contest specifically targeted the historically African American colleges and universities and a total of 67 institutions entered. Oakwood will be awarded a $50,000 grant by Home Depot for campus beautification and the other two schools will each get a $10,000 grant. Oakwood has announced that it will use the grant to construct a pavilion near a pond on campus, complete with an outdoor kitchen.
On Friday afternoon, May 3rd The Home Depot judges – including 1980’s “Cosby Show” child-star Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) – announced the winning results of the more than 2.6 million social media votes cast, with Oakwood University as the $50,000 grand prize winner, http://www.retoolyourschool.com/.
Across the country and especially throughout “HBCU-dom,” the question was asked repeatedly, “Who is this Oakwood University? How is this school of just 1939 students getting all these votes, against a number of larger public, private and more popular HBCUs?”
At its annual Honors Convocation on Thursday, April 11, OU President “Chef” Dr. Leslie N. Pollard shared with assembled faculty, staff and students the university’s “secret recipe,” now revealed for the first time.
Check out the video below and, more specifically 20:20-24:00
Rollingout.com: OU wins The Home Depot contest $50,000 top prize, as HBCU alums Laz Alonso and Keshia Knight Pulliam judge Home Depot’s Retool Your School
HBCU graduates Laz Alonso (Howard University) and Keshia Knight Pulliam (Spelman College) were judges at the Home Depot Retool Your School event. Home Depot started this initiative to give back to Historically Black Colleges and Universities by donating sizable grants. The grants will be used towards improvements for the schools.
The 2013 Retool Your School Grants totaled $195,000 to be awarded as one $50,000 Tier I Grant, one $25,000 Campus Pride Grant for the school that received the most votes and social media activity, and 12 $10,000 Tier II Grants. Schools were required to submit a brief description of their projects by Feb. 11, 2013, for consideration.
Graduation won't be the only occasion to celebrate after The Home Depot announced Oakwood University won the top prize of $50,000 in the RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Program on Friday with over 33,000 votes.
Hundreds voted online daily for the duration of the contest from Feb. 18 - Apr. 15 to help the University secure the grant to cover the costs of building an outdoor pavilion, equipped with outdoor kitchen appliances, grills and fireplaces.
Donald L. Mullett held a number of positions in higher education.
Mullett died on Friday, April 19, 2013. He was 84.
He was born on April 10, 1929 to Festus and Josephine Mullett. He was the youngest of four children. He grew up in New York City where he was a member of Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Family values were important to him. His family said he talked about how lovingly strict his father was and how his mother could stretch a dollar during the Great Depression.
All of this, he said, helped him appreciate the blessings and good fortune he attained in life.
He attended New York City public schools and graduated from Commerce High School in 1947.
The Enactus Oakwood University School of Business team won its regional championship at the Enactus United States Regional Competition April 2, 2013, in Atlanta, Georgia; this event is one of 10 regional competitions held nationwide during March and April.
According to faculty advisor Ms. Shaundra Roach, “Oakwood's Enactus program is one of more than 500 programs in the United States. Participating students use business concepts to develop community outreach projects, transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world.
“As an Enactus U.S. Regional Champion, our Oakwood team will now advance to the 2013 Enactus U.S. National Exposition in Kansas City, Missouri, May 21-23.
Submitted: May 1, 2013
By Debbonnaire Kovacs Almost 50 years ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C. It seems unlikely that many humans, at least in the western hemisphere, have not heard of this speech. What is less known is that a year and a half earlier, on March 19, 1962, King gave a very similar speech at Oakwood College, (now Oakwood University). In a video available at [Oakwood University Website], Tim Reid, of Huntsville’s WAY31 news, says that when King visited Huntsville that spring, Oakwood was the only venue which would allow him to speak. It was a seminal moment in the lives of hundreds who heard him. Dr. Mervyn Warren, Dean of the School of Religion and Theology at Oakwood, remembers the occasion well. “To see him, to hear him in person, was one of the highlights of my life,” Dr. Warren says. He has saved mementoes, including a program signed by King, which he considers “an heirloom, something so historical and so important that it means forever—that the name of Dr. Martin Luther King and Oakwood university would forever be married together.” Dr. Warren owns a vintage recording of the speech, part of which can be heard at the above link. It will immediately be clear how very similar the Oakwood speech was to the Lincoln Memorial speech. Warren even wrote his doctoral dissertation on King and his influence. He calls King “ a national and international figure who was speaking as a conscience to the nation.” Fifty years later, everything has changed. . . and nothing has changed. Or perhaps it would be better to say that everything has changed except human nature. There were millions at the time who were loving and compassionate and millions who were hateful. And millions more were simply “asleep at the wheel,” unaware of either the true feelings and beliefs that controlled their actions or of the facts of life as lived by those just down the road from themselves. Within the denomination of Seventh-day Adventists, this is just as true. There are chilling stories of apathy or outright collusion in various atrocities and genocides, and stories of courage and compassion lived out at the risk of death. Sometimes our individuals and institutions have been part of the problem. Fifty years after “I Have a Dream,” fifty-one years after the same vision was cast in a gymnasium at Oakwood, let’s honor those who are and have been part of the solution instead. Let’s vow that we will walk in those footsteps. Ultimately, let’s walk in the footsteps of Christ, who also has a Dream bigger than we can imagine. Dr. Warren’s book on Dr. King’s life, King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., may be found on Amazon.
Counting Blessings
~by Vanessa Hanna
I realize it now, more than ever, that God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
On March 23, 2012, my baby, Justin Emanuel Hanna, lost his life in a swimming incident. He was just 18.
In an effort to try to make sense out of this tragedy – which then and now seems so surreal – I spoke with the doctor. The results were inconclusive regarding what caused him to collapse and go under the water. She told me it could have been a blood clot or it could have been going from a hot hike to the cool water. It could have been… No matter what, the end result was the same. We don’t know, but God knows it all.
It was all so overwhelming. My mind was racing. “This can’t be. He hasn’t begun his summer internship yet. He hasn’t finished college. He hasn’t gotten married and had children. He hasn’t…”
Through tears and incredible pain, I was eventually allowed to process a little more, with God’s help. I remembered that my prayers and desires for Justin and my oldest son, Donavan, included (and still do) that they be surrounded by Godly influences, to be a blessing to society and, most of all, to be saved into God’s kingdom. I began to review Justin’s life, especially over the last few months.
Approximately two months before he went to sleep, Justin sent me the most beautiful text message that said, “Ma, can we start praying together?” I responded with more joy than he could know in a text message. I said, “Yes! And, can we have a devotional thought, too?“ He said yes! Through tears, I had to thank God for that.
The distance apart did not hinder our close relationship. Like all of us, Justin had spiritual challenges. But, we were excited as he called to share with me the victory he had so far that week. I rejoiced right along with him. He shared again, the same week, with excitement and conviction,
“Ma, guess what? I shut down my Facebook page.” Surprised, I responded, “You did? What made you that?” Justin told me that he just wanted to be more focused. Again, I encouraged and celebrated with him. As I thought about these things, again I had to say, “Thank you, God!” But, the story doesn’t end here.
I have had numerous opportunities to speak with Justin’s many friends and people with whom he only had brief acquaintances. I also received a letter that was sent to me from one of his high school classmates. All of these revealed evidences of Justin’s spiritual journey towards God and how he positively impacted so many people – with his sense of style, with his humor, with his compassion,
with his thirst to be more like Christ and his efforts to encourage family and friends along the same path. As I think about these things and more, again I say, “Thank you God!”
I now proclaim with new and intense meaning, Psalms 34:8: “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” He allows some sweetness amidst the bitter, cold sting of death. Justin and Donavan shared time over lunch on that very day. I spoke with my baby that very day. Our conversation ended with me saying, “I love you, Justin.” He responded, “I love you, too, Mommy.” So many sweet memories. Thank you, God! I’m so happy that our last conversation ended with expressions of love.
Even though he had been away for high school at Mount Pisgah Academy and at College at Oakwood University, the distance did not sever the bond between us. As he hiked and talked with his friend Ephraim on that very day, for a portion of their conversation, they spoke of God and changes they wanted to make in their lives. Thank you, God!
There were dedications and other acts of love and compassion made in Justin’s memory by his high school class and by various organizations at Oakwood University. Donavan and I, along with our entire family, are so thankful for the many prayers that have gone out and continue to be sent up on our behalf over various parts of the world. Thank you God! “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Our children are not perfect, and there are no perfect parents. However, it is so important for parents to do all they can to stay connected with their children. It is so important to rejoice with them over their victories no matter how small they may seem. It is so important to be firm but understanding when they make mistakes. It is so important for them to know that you love them at all times, just the way God continues to love us all even when we fall. It is equally important for children to stay connected with their parents. Parents need to know and be shown that they are loved. Bonds are more tightly sealed with continuous and collaborative cooperation.
I would never have chosen for Justin to be gone so soon. However, when I look through spiritual eyes, I am so happy that God allowed him enough time to absorb and apply the things that I, his father (the late Silvaris Hanna), his brother Donavan, his sister Ariel, his family, his friends, and other godly influences impressed upon him. Thank you God!
Vanessa Hanna is Performance Assurance Coordinator at ACS Technologies in Florence. “God placed me at such a great place to work. They have been very supportive during this extremely challenging period, and I am most appreciative.” In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys golf, tennis, walking, talking and hanging out with friends, singing, and travelling.
It was a red letter day for Oakwood University when Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Isabel Wilkerson, came to speak on her award-winning novel, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. It was a new day of another kind for Oakwood’s Director of Literature Evangelism, Jason McCracken. Because of what he heard, McCracken embarked on a journey that has its own epic proportions for thousands of African Americans—the search for his roots. Isabel Wilkerson, according to her website, “spent most of her career as a national correspondent and bureau chief atThe New York Times,is the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in the history of American journalism and was the first black American to win for individual reporting.” She spent fifteen years researching and writing this book, interviewed more than 1200 people, and dug through archives. It had all started long before, with her own parents’ stories. Like an estimated six million other African Americans, they left their homes, families, and all they knew in the implacably “Jim Crow” south and sought a new life under a sun that was arguably not as warm, in the north. A full Oakwood sanctuary of students, faculty, and community people listened with fascination as Wilkerson told stories and pointed out that the lives of all Americans, not just this six million “refugees within their own country,” were irrevocably changed by this migration, most of which occurred between World War I and the 1970s. “Music as we know it would simply not be what we listen to had there been no Great Migration. So much of what we listen to grew out of the music that has been transplanted to the North from the hearts, the minds, and the memories of people who left,” said Wilkerson. [http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/02/pulitzer_prize_winner_isabel_w.html] She mentioned names such as Toni Morrison, Lorraine Hansberry, John Coltrane, Berry Gordy, and Motown Records itself. She told the story of the Owens family, who gave their youngest son James the middle name of Cleveland, the city they would eventually move to. They called him Jesse, and “he wasn’t fit for the cotton field,” said Wilkerson. “He was fit for track and field!” Today nearly every American of any ethnicity or background has at least heard the name of Jesse Owens, quadruple gold medal running star of the 1936 Olympics. One of her listeners was Jason McCracken, who is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, but now lives and works in Huntsville. He says he was excited that an African American was telling stories no one had heard before. He bought her book and read it on a plane trip out of the country. He had already become interested in the story of his own family, because of a startling event just a few weeks earlier. He had been making a series of presentations concerning Master Guide scouts. After the meeting, “a tall young man in his late 40s called my name and said, ‘I played with you on Chestnut street in Albion, Michigan when you visited your aunt.’ I was shocked!” In the late 70s, McCracken relates, he visited relatives in Michigan and “played in the streets” with this cousin. The cousin later went to Alabama A & M University and never returned to Michigan. McCracken had never had any further contact with him. That evening, they spoke on the phone and re-cemented an old bond. So when McCracken heard Wilkerson speak, he was ripe for the questions of who his family were and where they came from. His grandmother had probably been one of the more desperate seekers of a new life in the north during the Great Migration, leaving Dublin, GA for Albion, MI because her mother was white and her father black. McCracken knows of the stories of this grandmother and her descendants, but nothing of her 11 brothers and sisters. As he talked it over with his brother in Huntsville, they speculated that there might be 4-500 relatives of whom they know nothing. How to begin? Easy—this is not the 20th, but the 21stcentury—you make a Facebook page! McCracken is in the beginning of what may turn out to be a great journey of its own, and it can be traced back, in part, to the stories little Isabel Wilkerson’s mother and father told her. More info: http://www.isabelwilkerson.com And, especially if you are or know a Kurtz or Coates, watch for Jason McCracken’s new page on Facebook. You can find his personal page there now.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) March 8, 2013 -- Chicago, Illinois, March 8, 2013 - The city of Chicago has become synonymous with epic bouts of senseless violent deaths with its youth especially Black-on-Black and gang related crimes. Even President Barack Obama said during a speech last month at an anti-firearms rally in Chicago, "Last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm on the streets of this city, and 65 of those victims were 18 and under. So that's the equivalent of Newtown every four months". Actor/comedian/TV host Jonathan Slocumb is putting his name and resources to change the mindset of young Black men and boys around the country.
A private school in Alexandria could have nearly eight times its current enrollment next year through Louisiana's voucher program.
Alfred Booker Jr. Academy, formerly Smyrna Seventh Day Adventist School, could be approved for 70 student spots in the Louisiana Scholarship Program that uses tax-funded vouchers to pay for students to attend private schools, school officials said.
The program currently is accepting applications for the 2013-14 academic year. The state has released the names of participating schools but has not revealed how many students each school will be allowed to accept under the program.
Students from high schools and universities across the U.S. attended the 12th Annual Health Disparities Research Symposium on Aug. 1 at Loma Linda University, a spokeswoman announced Monday.
The event was sponsored by Loma Linda University's Center For Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine and the National Institute of Health.
Research conducted by more than 60 students, most from minority groups underrepresented in the sciences, was showcased at the symposium, Briana Pastorino of Loma Linda University said in a statement.
Former foster child Dwayne Wescom graduates from Oakwood University after vowing to beat the odds
By Nadia Arandjelovic
When Dwayne Wescom calls himself a "son of the system" he means it in a good way.
The 26-year-old has been in the foster care system since the age of two. He recently beat the odds and graduated with a pastoral degree from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama.
Dr. Elsa I. Mangiarua, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Toxicology at Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, directs the WV-INBRE summer program. She said both programs give participants the opportunity to do meaningful research and much more.
"Over the summer, these students will gain valuable, hands-on experience doing graduate-level research in the labs of some of Marshall's finest scientists," she said. "We also teach them how to share their findings at a scientific meeting and to network, all of which helps them build academic competitiveness for graduate school."
THE Guyana Chronicle today features 17-year-old Ashley Thornhill of Douglasville, Georgia, a U.S. national of Guyanese and Grenadian parentage who has been awarded the prestigious Gates Millennium Foundation Scholarship 2012.
Ashley Thornhill’s life is a living testimony to the efficacy of ‘Faith in Action’ and living in obedience to God. And indeed, her favourite affirmation is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”The stellar student was amongst 80 youths from Georgia, and an overall 1,000 from the United States of America, to have won the scholarship this time around.
In its first-ever international choral competition, Oakwood’s Aeolians Choir won three gold medals in its three competing categories, at the Cincinnati-hosted 7th World Choir Games, July 4-14.
Celebrating his seventh wedding anniversary that weekend, director Jason Max Ferdinand explained, “In The Music of the Religions, Musica Contemporanea and The Spirituals, we won gold in each.
“The last category, which was new this time, we got the CHAMPIONSHIP rank. (As in... the sporting Olympics, no one can win outright per se. (…)
“Tears were flowing, laughter, disbelief, shock etc..... The Aeolians rose to the challenge and on their debut at the World Choir Games, among nearly 400 choirs from all over the world, made a great impact. So proud of these students.” (@CityOfCincy: “The Aeolians of Oakwood University from Huntsville, AL, lifted our souls and the roof at Cincinnati Masonic Center! @WorldChoirGames #2012wcg).
More specifically:
1. Sixteen international choirs competed in the Music of the Religions category, he continued, and the Aeolians won its first gold, singing "John Saw Duh Numbuh," "The Prayer," "The Holy City" and "The Seven-fold Amen," scoring 81.63 out of 100 possible points;
2. The second gold medal came in Musica Contemporanea, where Oakwood’s 42 choristers – including four returning alumni and one entering freshman, Altanta’s Chad Lupoe! – bested 20 competitors singing “Cantate Domino,” “Always Remember,” “Shadrach” and “Great and Marvelous” – scoring an 82.38; and
3. The third and final category, Spiritual, featured 16 choral groups; however and right before its presentations, the Aeolians received a special visitor: “Steal Away” arranger, Ms. Diedre Robinson, journeyed from her Washington, DC, home to join the group’s rapidly-growing cheering section. “Jericho,” “Daniel, Servant of the Lord,” “Steal Away” and “You Must Have That True Religion” not only clinched the third gold medal, but its 93.88 score also won the group the coveted Champions trophy, as well as a trip to the victory platform, where the U.S. flag was hoisted and all joined with the “Gold-olians” in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Oakwood’s pride doubled when The Jeremy Winston Chorale, led by former Aeolian-turned-choral-director at Wiliberforce University, Jeremy Winston, won the Gospel Championship trophy, as well as silver medals in Mixed Chamber Choirs and Spiritual categories.
More than 15,000 choristers in 362 choirs competed in 23 different musical categories.
Ferdinand said it “Was so inspiring watching choirs rehearse in hallways, rehearsal spaces and on stage. The interaction with folk from all around the world was refreshing.”
Ferdinand ended, “Thank you to: Leslie Pollard and the OU Administrators; manager Vilroy McBean for getting it all together; Wayne Bucknor, we did it man!; Riter Dany St Luc, my student worker (who is developing as a leader); (Oakwood Aeolian alum) Desmond Pierre-Louis and Diedre Robinson, for coming up to join us. Diedre, your "Steal Away" did it!
“Summer Choir Games Group Aeolians, WE DID IT!!! Nothing like working hard and then seeing the results. Love you all!!”This biennial event, the world's largest choral competition, will next occur in Riga, Latvia, in 2014.
A small YouTube Video of "John Saw De Numbuh" by Stacey V. Gibbs (song received GOLD MEDAL in the Religions Category)
Huntsville, AL (July 9, 2012) -- The Aeolians Choir of Oakwood University has been invited to, and will compete in the 7th World Choir Games - the world's largest international choral competition. It was announced by INTERKULTUR, the International Organizing Committee of the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 11-13.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Twelve former athletes with ties to the Tennessee Valley, including one of the University of Alabama's most celebrated female gymnasts, have been elected to the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame, according to a release from the Hall's board of directors.
Five student volunteers from Oakwood University are spending today helping escort a group of 14 children from a low-income community in southern Alabama as they observe the inauguration in Washington DC. The children are nine through 14 years of age and live in Foley, Alabama, according to the Huntsville Times.
HUNTSVILLE Ala (WAAY) - Five Oakwood University students have an opportunity to witness history in the making Monday at President Barack Obama's Inauguration.
"Our young people are coming from a different mix of majors and disciplines. They volunteered to go, and we are looking forward to them bringing those experiences back to us," said Oakwood Public Relations Director Tim Allston.
The well-known gospel singer who is pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church near Melbourne, Florida, will be part of a prayer service at the National Cathedral during the inaugural festivities for President Barak Obama’s second term. Pastor Wintley Phipps has performed for United States presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Phipps is also founder and chief executive officer of the Dream Academy, a nonprofit that provides educational assistance for some 18,000 at-risk children in ten cities across the country. It focuses on the children of prisoners with the goal of “breaking the cycle.”
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Historian and Baptist minister Dr. Lewis V. Baldwin will speak during Oakwood University’s celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013.
Baldwin's talk comes two months short of the 50th anniversary of King’s own visit to Oakwood on March 19, 1962.
G. Russell Seay Jr., assistant professor of religion at Oakwood University, will be the featured speaker at Calhoun Community College’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute Jan. 14 in the Kelley Gymnasium.
Calhoun’s Black Student Alliance and Nursing instructor Vickie Hale-Brown will host the 11 a.m. ceremony.
Oakwood-Nation is in it to win Home Depot's Retool Your School contest, which was opened to the public on Feb. 18, for a $50,000 Tier I Grant. Students, alumni, faculty, parents, and friend of Oakwood University are voting daily to bring home the money.
Retool Your School is a campus improvement grant program created by The Home Depot in 2010 to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) improve their campus and facilities.
Broadcasting throughout the Tennessee Valley for 25 years, Praise 90.1 (WJOU FM) is owned and operated by Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. The noncommercial format includes brief educational and spiritually uplifting programs, along with a unique music format called Inspirational Soul.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Carmela Monk-Crawford, 47, moves through the exhibits in the Oakwood University Library’s museum and stops at the pictures and artifacts from “The Morning Star,” a paddlewheel boat that plied the rivers of the American South in the years after the Civil War.
Traveling with that boat was Edson White, son of Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Musical choruses are often seen on Sundays during religious services and bring so much joy to parishioners. On holidays and special occasions, choir members sing songs in unison and harmony adding a magical touch to an important day. Erica Reeves, who directs several choruses, who sang since the age of six, who is an accomplished soloist, loves to create and direct choirs. Reeves has an impressive musical background. When she attended boarding school at Pine Forge Academy in Pennsylvania, she sang and traveled with the Pine Forge Academy Concert Choir. As a college student at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, she sang in the Oakwood’s Concert Choir, The Aeolians.
Read more: http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/newsid=28830.php#ixzz2JyMEfdEn Follow us: @nanowerk on Twitter | nanowerk on Facebook
Have you ever looked back at one of the difficult seasons of your life and seen more positives than negatives? Have you ever said hooray for your troubles? King David did. He said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67, niv). In other words, he found the blessing in his adversity.
WAAY-TV: OU, WAAY-TV partner to kick off Black History Month Celebration
http://www.waaytv.com/news/local/waay-and-oakwood-university-come-together-for-black-history-month/article_550cb7ae-6c79-11e2-86a5-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.waaytv.com/community/black_history/
During intermission of the Aeolians Fall Concert (and World Championship Gold Medals' presentation), Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle proclaimed Saturday, December 1, 2012 as "Oakwood Aeolians Choir Day." Along with an auditorium full of friends, family and music lovers, Mayor and Mrs. Battle enjoyed the entire almost-three hour program.
The special Commemorative program is available online, which the Aeolians signed at an autograph reception immediately following the concert.
NBA.com: Fantasy Insider: Fantasy vs. Reality
Dr. Phil McDonald joins the show to discuss some of the injuries around the league and how long those players should be out for.
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Many highly sought after chefs are especially known for the ingredients they combine to produce their signature sauces. By signature sauce, I’m referring to the unique combination of herbs, spices, and oils that provide unforgettable support to the main entrée of any chef’s signature dish. Here at Oakwood University we have a chef who is the mastermind behind our student and faculty dining experience. I love talking to chef Joseph Vance, because he regularly surprises us with his unique ability to take vegetarian cuisine and elevate it to new heights. Since he came to our 2,020-student campus, student satisfaction with our dining experience has moved from 17 percent to 47 percent in less than a year. (When you’re in town, join us in the Oakwood dining hall for lunch. You’ll be glad you did). One day, when Vance was asked why a certain dish was so tasty he smiled and said, “It’s my secret sauce.”
Pastor Gil F. Webb is the new vice president for administration of the Mid-America Union, elected by the Executive Committee at its regularly scheduled meeting on November 15. He has now accepted the position and will transition from current responsibilities for the Central States Conference as ministerial director and an assistant to the president. He has also been serving, since February 2010, as pastor of Linwood Boulevard SDA Temple in Kansas City, Missouri.
A native of San Francisco, Webb graduated from Golden Gate Academy and went on to Oakwood College (now Oakwood University). After earning a degree in Theology, he entered pastoral ministry in October 1976. The next year he married Patricia Y. Mann, at that time a member of his Linwood Church family. The Webbs are parents of two adult children, Gil Webb II and Chalonda Webb, with one grandson, Gil Webb III.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Right this minute, it's a blank lawn next to the pond and some houses converted to offices at Oakwood University.
But beginning tonight (Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012,) the story of Jesus' birth will come alive there.
Emerson A. Cooper, long-time faculty member and administrator at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, died at his home earlier this month. He was 88 years old.
Dr. Cooper joined the Oakwood University faculty in 1948 as an instructor of chemistry. He served as a full professor of chemistry from 1959 to 1992. He served three terms as chair of the chemistry department.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A Power Point map adding dots for each of the skirmishes of Arab invasions of North Africa, Europe, the Middle East and India over 1400 years illustrated Bill French’s main point: The Islamic faith encodes violence, domination and conquest in its theology.
French of Nashville, who self-publishes his own studies of Islam under the pen name of Bill Warner, spoke Sunday evening to a standing-room-only crowd of about 100 as a guest of the Christian Citizen Task Force, a ministry of Whitesburg Baptist Church.
When Earnest Flowers wakes up in the morning, he is a man with a plan. He has his day and his week all mapped out. His mind is always working, organizing and thinking about new ways to do things. Flowers said it is those skills that he will bring to public office.
Hebrews 9:11-12 says very plainly: “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” Significantly, these texts speak, in the past tense; about Christ in His role as our High Priest (the referenced events in the texts clearly took place before 1844, as they were written more than one thousand seven hundred years before that date). The texts also speak of Christ having performed that role, specifically, in The Most Holy Place in heaven. The texts specify that Christ entered the Most Holy Place -- “once for all” to obtain our redemption, which could only be paid by His blood. Thus, the question: How is the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment explained when juxtaposed with these texts?
Bear with me on this one folks. In The Godfather II, the corrupt Senator Geary alerted Michael Corleone that he was about to speak to Corleone more bluntly than anyone in his position had probably ever spoken to the Don before. This blog, too, will perhaps be somewhat more frank than I have written in the past. Certainly, we all know of or have heard of The Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. Our mini internal controversy is about the testimonies to the Seventh-day Adventist Church that have come from the pen of Ellen G. White, through the inspiration of God. I confess that I hold an unusual view of Ellen White and her writings. While I believe her to have been a full blown prophet, I don’t hold everything she ever wrote or said, under any and all circumstances, to have been universally applicable or even necessarily divinely inspired. (That’s not to say that it wasn’t however. This is just my personal approach.) While I do not consider her writings to be canonical, I do believe what she wrote about God or the Bible or the Christian life to have been divinely inspired; and particularly for end-time believers.
Guidance for Education and Public Outreach Activities Under Sequestration NASA has taken the first steps in addressing the mandatory spending cuts called for in the Budget Control Act of 2011. The law mandates a series of indiscriminate and significant across-the-board spending reductions totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years. As a result, NASA has been forced to implement a number of new cost-saving measures, policies, and reviews in order to minimize impacts to the mission-critical activities of the Agency. Guidance regarding conferences, travel, and training that reflect the new fiscal reality in which the agency must operate has been provided.
Leadership Huntsville/Madison County's premier business executive program, FOCUS, is announcing its 28th Class.
The two-day interactive experience commenced Thursday, April 18, and concluded Friday, April 19. FOCUS provided 39 community executives a quick start for orientation and involvement in Huntsville/Madison County through an introduction to local business and political systems and exposure to the cultural, historical, education and human service aspects of the Tennessee Valley.
If you’re looking for success stories that have come out of the Bermuda Institute of Seventh-Day Adventists, you need not look too far, or wide.
In fact, they are everywhere — sitting in the House of Assembly like Premier Craig Cannonier and Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell, running businesses like Digicel CEO Wayne Caines and educating a new generation of young people like Lou Matthews and Lynette Woods.
This month the school is celebrating it’s 70th Anniversary with special events to honour its alumni, including a music and drama performance, church service and banquet dinner.
WASHINGTON – To win federal grants and contracts, college leaders must gain a realistic sense of their institutional capabilities, hire faculty with a vision to do more than just teach, and be willing to remedy any shortcomings identified in their proposals.
It also pays to “spy” on competitors and research the mission of the agency from which funds are being sought.
Those were among the tips that federal administrators and university leaders offered Wednesday during the final day of HBCU Week at a panel discussion titled “How to Effectively Engage the Federal Sector.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. --Herbert Buchanan, a Washington, D.C. native and veteran health care executive, was named chief executive officer of Howard University Hospital, effective Oct. 1.
Buchanan is leaving his post as chief operating officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and “will direct the day-to-day activities of the hospital, including community relations, financial management, marketing, information technology and clinical and administrative operations,” according to a news release from Howard University Hospital.
Far from the desperate poverty of the Baltimore ghetto he was born into, Chaplain Barry C. Black has amassed an extraordinary list of achievements in his sixty-one years. Currently the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate, Black is also a retired Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction for nearly 30 years, eventually rising to Chief of Navy Chaplains. A dedicated trailblazer, he was the first African-American to be named Chief of Navy Chaplains and the first to preside over the spiritual welfare of the lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – A living history pageant filled the platform of the Oakwood University Seventh-day Adventist Church Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.
The directors and speakers for 38 years of the “Breath of Life” television program sat side-by-side to reminisce about how far the program has come.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – For the first time in the 38-year history of "Breath of Life," the international television broadcast now headquartered at Oakwood University, all four of the men who have been speaker-directors will be together for one broadcast.
Patrice Conwell
Date added:November 1, 2012
Submission Type:Professional Recognition
Current employer:Oakwood University
Current title/position:Assistant Professor- Department of Communication
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), one of Huntsville’s key high-technology companies, is splitting into two companies later this year, but top executives say it will not cause major changes for the company’s approximately 2,500 employees here or its major government customers.
After the split will be a new SAIC, a smaller company retaining the original name and focused on federal government contracting, and Leidos, a new, larger company focused on energy, security and health care markets. For comparison, SAIC will be valued at $4 billion, and Leidos will be a $7 billion company.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Another round of college graduations is on tap for this week when almost 1,000 students will receive degrees.
Drake State Technical College will hold graduation tonight while Calhoun Community College will have graduation on Friday and Oakwood University on Saturday.
Drake State said about 220 students are expected to receive degrees tonight at 6 p.m. in the South Hall of the Von Braun Center. The keynote address will be delivered by T.C. Johnson, retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major and pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church of Huntsville.
Oakwood University will build an outdoor pavilion, equipped with outdoor kitchen appliances, grills and fireplaces.
Oakwood University will use the Tier II grant funds to install sprinkler systems for its softball and football fields and to re-seed those fields.
Accompanied by members of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Oakwood University’s Aeolians Choir will present a live recording concert on Saturday, March 30, 5:30 p.m., OU Seventh-day Adventist Church.
According to director Jason Max Ferdinand the Aeolians – the 2012 World Choir Games Spirituals Champions and three-time gold medalists, currently world-ranked #16 and the reigning 2010 and 2011iSing Challenge Champions of all the 105 historically Black colleges and universities – will entitle this CD project, “Lift Up Your Gates and Sing!!!”
Q: Max, why now? Why this setting?
A: We try to record every two years. I have never quite liked choral singing recorded in a studio. Something about the feel of a church, the room and the interaction of the people makes for a more authentic vibe.
Q: In what ways will this product, “Lift Up Your Gates and Sing!!!,” differ from the last product, "A New Song," recorded in 2009? A: This recording will be live; excited that we will have members of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra with us, . . . so capturing those tunes with that accompaniment is foremost in my mind; and this year represents a whole new crew of Aeolians. They are carrying on the legacy in their own way.
(Note: for more on the Aeolians’ legacy, check out http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/01/many_oakwood_university_aeolia.html)
Q: What has changed since winning the 2012 World Choir Games' three gold medals and World Spirituals championship, and a #1 world ranking in the gospel/pop/jazz category, as well as a #16 world ranking of the 1,000 ranked international choirs?
A: Definitely more calls have come in from major organizations. The Alabama Symphony call, for example, came the week after we won. Also, I think it has taken everything up a notch on many fronts, in regards to our students’ professionalism. Q: Concert admission fee?
A (global tour manager, Vilroy McBean): This is not a fundraiser, but a live recording concert, an historic event. As such, it is costing us over $40,000 to produce this album project. One can support by prayer, always, as well as by donating to help cover the costs, by pledging at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aeolians/aeolians-of-oakwood-university-live-recording-2013.
Ferdinand: All should come as if they were about to attend a fine concert at the concert halls of their various cities, ....it is free, but bring an OFFERing! Q: The product: CD? One- or two-set? DVD, too? How soon to market? Can one pre-order the product? How can one get more info?
A: We will have to see how things turn out after mixing, etc. Yes, pre-order forms will be available.
Q: Finally, Max: how close are you to completing your doctorate? From where, and in what specific area? Why this subject area, and why this person?
A: Will be vanishing this summer to complete it. University of Maryland, College Park - Choral and Orchestra Conducting......"Chariot Jubilee, by R. Nathaniel Dett." A reconstruction and analysis of his early major work. His music is so worthy to be brought back into the standard choral canon.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Free Americans gathered near the walls and razor wire fences of the Madison County, Alabama, Jail at sundown on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, to consider the symbolism of enslavement in Egypt in the centuries of Jewish thought that has shaped modern Haggadahs, the guides for the Passover service.
Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar, rabbi of Temple B'nai Sholom in Huntsville, led readings to begin her congregation's communal celebration of Passover on the second night of the weeklong festival.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s only historically black university is in the running for a US$50,000 grant from an online contest sponsored by a chain of home improvement stores in the United States.
Huntsville, Alabama-based Oakwood University is one of the smallest and the only Adventist school participating in Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” contest for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The principle of “something better,” nestled in verse 40 of our Scripture, is mentioned no less than 11 times in Hebrew’s memorable portrayal of the means whereby Christ reconciles lost humanity. Likewise, history reveals that nestled in the human heart the principle of “something better” is a true and traceable cause of humanity’s most noble and productive energies. We see this concept of “something better” at work in the founding of our nation, whose pilgrims were drawn to these shores in search of religious and political freedom. We see it in the history of our church, whose pioneers assembled from various “post-Reformation groups” in response to new-found truth. And, as this month of African-American history reminds us, we see the hope of “something better” at work in the remarkable climb of the descendants of American slavery to present status. My proposal this morning is that as we consider the role of Black Americans as healers in today’s multicultural society, we also celebrate appropriately the healing they themselves have experienced by the elevating, enervating power of “something better.”
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson was glad to be on "sacred soil" when she visited Oakwood University Church to complete the institution's Black History Month series Thursday.
A full sanctuary of students leaned in fascination toward Wilkerson as she talked about her award-winning novel "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration."
ALABASTER, Ala. — Student missionaries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church could head back to the streets of Alabaster today after a judge said she found that door-to-door proselytizing wasn't commercial.
The city and church agreed to iron out their differences, but the lawsuit filed by the South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists against the city isn't settled. U.S. District Court Judge Karon Bowdre said she would rule on the complaint March 2013. Until then, the city has agreed to allow proselytizing without a permit, according to the Shelby County Reporter.
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A cappella gospel sextet Take 6 took some audience members by surprise in its 2001 concert at the Moody Concert Hall. Despite the fact that only the six men appeared on stage, there seemed to be a lot more sound going on, like horn stabs, bass lines and percussion, guitar and trumpet solos.
It's a little like when Bobby McFerrin creates what sounds like a full band out of his voice and body, best known from his mega-hit "Don't Worry Be Happy." Only there are six guys doing it in Take 6, so it becomes more like an orchestra.
December Southern Tidings 2012
Washington – In order to ensure the future vitality of HBCUs, leaders of the institutions must position their faculty and students inside the corporate world to learn needs of business and how to speak business language.
It also pays to have administrators who know how to navigate the federal contract process and have principal investigators who have the requisite “depth and breadth” of knowledge that it takes to compete for coveted government contracts.
The Brooklyn Couple's Story:
Todd loved bowling so upon hearing that Giselle was a professional bowler he decided to ask for her number. Giselle and Todd bowled many games together and often went to the movies. Until one afternoon Todd asked Giselle to be his girlfriend.
NBA TV medical analyst Dr. Phil McDonald explains the details of Kobe Bryant's achilles injury and the type of rehab process Bryant will undergo.
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Submitted: Apr 10, 2013
By this time every Seventh-day Adventist in North America must have heard that Oakwood University hopes to round up the largest number of votes in the Retool Your School contest being conducted by the Home Depot chain of stores in collaboration with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It involves getting the word out to supporters and convincing them to go to the national company’s web site and click the right button. Of course, it also means that supporters have to be willing to wade through some of the company’s ads.