Oakwood College
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Oakwood University
Oakwood University of Seventh-day Adventists
Moran Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus
Motto:	Education. Excellence. Eternity.
Established:	1896
Type:	Private, HBCU
Religious affiliation:	Seventh-day Adventist Church
President:	Delbert Baker
Students:	1,824
Location:	Huntsville, Alabama, United States
Campus:	Suburban, 1,185 acres (5 km2)
Former names:	Oakwood Industrial School Oakwood Manual Training School Oakwood Junior College Oakwood College
Sports:	basketball intramural sports
Colors:	Blue and Gold
Nickname:	Ambassadors
Athletics:	Division I
Affiliations:	United States Collegiate Athletic Association
Website:	www.oakwood.edu

Oakwood University of Seventh-day Adventists, commonly referred to as Oakwood University, is a historically black university located in Huntsville, Alabama. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A group of College constituents made the decision on December 2, 2007 to change the school's name from Oakwood College to Oakwood University, effective January 1, 2008.

Oakwood is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Department of Education of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to award the associate and baccalaureate degrees. The university was approved by SACS in June 2007 to offer its first master's degree, the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS). The first graduate students will receive their degrees in May 2009. Oakwood University has been a member institution of the United Negro College Fund since 1964.

Oakwood has performed well in external rankings, having listed on a regular basis among the top 15-20 institutions of higher learning that provide African-Americans to medical schools. Oakwood is also listed among the Best Colleges in the Southern Region and #22 on the list of Best Black Colleges by the U.S. News & World Report. ¹

History

Oakwood University was founded in 1896 as Oakwood Industrial School. The school was located on land that had previously been a plantation. Legend has it that the school was named for a stand of oak trees found on the campus.

The school first opened in 1896 with 16 students. Classes were offered in various trades and skills. In 1904, the name was changed to Oakwood Manual Training School, and it was chartered to grant degrees in 1907. In 1917, the school offered its first instruction at the postsecondary level, and in that same year it changed its name to Oakwood Junior College. In 1944, the name Oakwood College was adopted. The first bachelor’s degrees were awarded in 1945. Oakwood College received its initial accreditation from SACS in 1958, and in 2007, the college received approval to award graduate degrees. In response to this higher accreditation, the school's Board of Trustees and constituents voted to change the name of the institution again to Oakwood University of Seventh-day Adventists.

Campus

McKee Business and Technology Center

Oakwood University owns 1,185 acres (5 km²) in Huntsville, Alabama. The main campus consists of 23 buildings spread across 105 acres (0.4 km²). Another 500 acres (2 km²) under cultivation. Building developments are continuing. The J. L. Moran Hall, completed in 1944 and named after the first black president of Oakwood, stands with more recently erected buildings such as the McKee Business & Technology Complex, completed in 2002.

The institution also houses a branch office of the Ellen G. White Estate.

Bradford Cleveland Brooks Leadership Center

The Bradford-Cleveland-Brooks (BCB) Leadership Center which opened in October 2007 houses a training center for evangelists and ministers as well as provide additional classroom space for the Department of Religion and Theology. This building is also home to the classes for the first master's degree program for the university (Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies). The newly completed Holland Hall will accommodate about 300 males, primarily freshmen, and will house its first students in the 2008-2009 school year.

Student housing

Students at Oakwood, or "Oakwoodites" as they are sometimes called, either live on campus in any of the five residence halls/areas, rent an apartment from the school's own West Oaks Apartment Complex, or live in the Huntsville/Madison area or beyond. Freshmen males live in the Holland Hall dormitory, which is a new residence hall for freshmen males and selected upperclass males. while freshmen women live in Carter Hall. There are two more residential complexes for women: Wade Hall and the Annex are for senior female students. Edwards Hall is the dormitory for senior male students.

Student activities

Religious services

The majority of the student body are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Weekly church services are held at the campus church. Friday evening vespers services (AYS) are held weekly as are Religion & Theology Forums.

Athletics

Basketball and football are the major sports on campus, with intramural basketball activities taking place during the spring semesters. The school's basketball teams are the Oakwood Ambassadors and Lady Ambassadors. The Ambassadors male basketball team won the 2008 National Championship for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in March. This school year was also the team's first year as part of the league.

Musical groups

The Aeolians, the school's touring choir, was founded in 1946 by former professor, Dr. Eva B. Dykes.^{citation needed} Other musical ensembles on campus include gospel choirs Dynamic Praise, Voices of Triumph, and Conquerors In Christ.

Academic competitions

At the 2008 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament in Orlando, FL, Oakwood University team members brought home the trophy. This competition featured 64 teams from historically black colleges and universities around the nation. In addition to winning the championship, Oakwood University received a grant of $50,000 from the American Honda Motor Company. Both the quiz bowl and basketball teams adjusted their playing schedules to not play on Saturday, the day observed as the Sabbath (Oakwood University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution), and both teams still emerged as champions.

Additional reading

Two books have been written about the history of Oakwood: Oakwood! A Vision Splendid and A Place Called Oakwood:

Oakwood! A Vision Splendid

Written by Dr. Mervyn A. Warren in 1996 to celebrate Oakwood's century of existence. The book is 280 pages long and contains information and photographs not previously published about Oakwood. Dr. Warren is currently the Provost and Senior Vice President at Oakwood.

A Place Called Oakwood

A 180-page history of the first 20 years of Oakwood and its founders' key statements on the school. It was edited by Benjamin J. Baker, an alumnus of Oakwood and educator and author.

Notable alumni

Oakwood Bibliography

• Baker, B.J. 2007. A Place Called Oakwood. Huntsville, AL: Oakwood University Press.
• Baker, B.J. 2005. Crucial Moments. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Baker, D.W. 1996. Telling the Story. Loma Linda, CA: Loma Linda University Printing Services.
• Brown, W.J., comp. 1972. Chronology of Seventh-day Adventist Education. Washington: Department of Education, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
• Cadwallader, E.M. 1958. A History of Seventh-day Adventist Education. Lincoln, NE: Union College Press.
• Dudley, C.E. 1997. Thou Who Hast Brought Us. Brushton, NY: Teach Services, Inc.
• Dudley, C.E. 2000. Thou Who Hast Brought Us Thus Far on Our Way. Mansfield, OH: Bookmasters.
• Fordham, W.W. 1990. Righteous Rebel. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Graybill, R.D. 1970. E.G. White and Church Race Relations. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Graybill, R.D. 1971. Mission to Black America. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Greenleaf, F. 2005. In Passion for the World. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association.
• Hale, Jr., Frank W. 1996. Angels Watching Over Me. Nashville, TN: James C. Winston Publishing Company.
• Hale, Jr., Frank W. ed. 2006. How Black Colleges Empower Black Students. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• Hilde, R. 1980. Showdown: Can SDA Education Pass the Test? Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Hodgen, M. 1978. School Bells and Gospel Trumpets: A Documentary History of Seventh-day Adventist Education in North America. Loma Linda, CA: Adventist Heritage Publications, Loma Linda University Press.
• Knight, G.R. 1999. A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Justiss, J. 1975. Angels in Ebony. Toledo, OH: Jet Printing Services.
• Land, G. 1998. Adventism in America. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.
• Land, G. 2005. Dictionary of Seventh-day Adventists. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
• Malcolm, Roy, ed. 1999. The Aeolians: Directors Recall Precious Memories. Huntsville, AL: Oakwood College Press.
• Marshall, N., and S. Norman III, eds. 1989. A Star Gives Light. Decatur, GA: Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
• Olsen, M.E. 1925. Origin and Progress of Seventh-day Adventists. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Reynolds, L.B. 1984. We Have Tomorrow. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Rock, C.B. 1994. Go On! Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Rock, C.B. ed. 1996. Perspectives. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Schwarz, R.W. 2000. Light Bearers. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press.
• Sepulveda, C., ed. 1997. Ellen White on the Color Line. Huntsville, AL: Biblos Press.
• Sepulveda, C., ed. 2003. The Ladies of Oakwood. Huntsville, AL: Oakwood College Press.
• Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia. 1976. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Spalding, A.W. 1961. Origin and history of Seventh-day Adventists, 4 vols. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.
• Spalding, A.W. Lights and Shades in the Black Belt. (unpublished book manuscript) Washington, DC. Ellen G. White Estate File: DF3471-1.
• Warren, M.A. 1996. Oakwood! A Vision Splendid. Collegedale, TN: College Press.
• White, A.L. 1981-1986. Ellen G. White, vols. 4-6. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

References

See also

• List of Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities

External links

• www.oakwood.edu - Official web site
• www.oakwoodite.com - alumni networking site