Adding Strength to Strength in the New Year 
 
Yesterday, we -- Department Directors, Executive Directors, Department Chairs, Assistant Vice-Presidents, and Vice Presidents -- met for our first Oakwood University Leadership Academy session for the new year of 2017.

Each month, the leadership team meets for two hours of mission-focused, skill-based leadership education and development.  Yesterday's session focused on the Strength Finders program, so popular in leadership development circles today.

As one of the presenters, I explored how building work teams will look when we build on the strengths of our team members by extending grace--the same grace God extends to us--to cover their weaknesses.  After all, I argued, Paul was told that God's grace was made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  God's glory overrides our weakness!

At the conclusion of the session, we each discussed how we would take the learning back to our work spaces. I left thinking "What a powerful way to begin the New Year--by focusing the many strengths of our colleagues, by seeing their strengths, by receiving enrichment from their gifts, by not fixating on teammates' weaknesses, and by choosing to view the good in each teammate, by feeding the soul and success of every employee, student, staff and faculty." 

The need to care for each other is illustrated by one of the Peter fables, which goes something like this: There was a man who met Peter at the gate of heaven. He asked Peter permission to see what was going on in hell. Peter said, "Sure you can see hell, but just for a minute." He took the gentleman down and gave him a glimpse of hell. The man saw the most wonderful, glorious banquet table you could ever imagine, complete with a tablecloth, cloth napkins, candles, and every kind of food that you would love to eat.

The man looked around the table at all the good things to eat, then he looked at those seated around the table. Their cheeks were sunken, their eyes were hollow; it looked like they were literally starving to death. The man asked Peter, "What's happening here? All this sumptuous food and these people are starving to death?" Then he noticed each person had a set of three-foot-long chopsticks. When they managed to pick up the food with the chopsticks, they couldn't get it into their mouths.

Immediately he found himself back in heaven, wondering what it would be like. What he saw surprised him. He saw the same scene basically; all the same food, tablecloth, candles, three-foot long chopsticks, everything the same except these people were healthy and happy. He looked at Peter and said, "What's the difference?" And Peter answered, "In heaven we feed each other."

In the New Year, let's feed each other.

Happy New Year!
Leslie N. Pollard, Ph.D., D.Min., MBA
President, Oakwood University
Oakwoodite Among Inaugural UNCF Achievement Capstone Program Awardees

Photo by Sweet Gap Photography
Kristen Sharp, '16, and 36 other recent college graduates have recently been announced as inaugural recipients of the UNCF Achievement Capstone Program, each receiving a $2,500 award to pay an unmet undergraduate balance or finance an advanced degree.
 
The new program, administered by UNCF and underwritten by the National Achievement® Scholarship Program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), honors and grants financial assistance to high-achieving, underrepresented college graduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) in the United States.
 
UNCF Achievement Capstone Scholars were nominated based on outstanding academic performance, character and demonstrated leadership honoring the legacy of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Candidates must be African American, must attend an accredited four-year, degree-granting HBCU or PBI and must have high academic performance leading to their campus' eligibility for earning the designation of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude upon undergraduate graduation. Awardees may use the scholarship to pay off outstanding undergraduate educational costs at their current institutions or to finance additional degrees, professional certifications and continuing education programs.

Click here to view the 2016 UNCF Achievement Capstone Scholars by last name. 
OUPD Officer Graduates Police Academy
By Victoria L. Joiner, Ed.D., Assistant Professor
 
The Oakwood University Police Department congratulates its newest certified Officer Kadarius McBride, '15, who became a fully certified police officer on December 8, 2016, after completing the 13-week/month training at the Alabama Police Academy in Anniston, Alabama.
 
Of special interest about this certification is that Officer McBride worked his way up the ranks from his earliest days as a freshman student worker at OUPD, then graduated from OU in 2015, and now serves his alma mater as a full-time employee.
 
McBride has wanted to work in law enforcement since he was a child. Although he explored other fields, he was always drawn to this career. "While I was in school (at Oakwood), Chief Harris asked if I would consider working for the department after graduation. I had been struggling with deciding on my future career at the time and his suggestion generated a seed that had been planted years earlier. I have a passion for serving others, so this was a perfect fit."
 
McBride described the experience in Police Academy as "intense." Ten members of his class did not complete the rigorous fitness training and the numerous, difficult examinations. One person actually quit on the second day of class! "It was very fast-paced and stressful. It was definitely a Pathfinders upgrade," McBride joked. He feels blessed that he was able to complete all of the requirements and is very grateful for all of the support he received from his co-workers and supervisors who cheered him on throughout the process.

OUPD Chief Melvin Harris said that he "watched this young man mature as he trained with our department over the years. He has been a true asset and I believe he has a bright future in law enforcement.  From Oakwood Adventist Academy to the Police Academy, Officer McBride is one of our own and has made us extremely proud." 
OUPD Staff are pictured here with Office McBride: (front row, l-r): Officer Charolette Brand, Chief Melvin Harrs, Officer Raymond Simons. (Back row, l-r): Officer Desmond Paramore, Officer McBride, Officer Paul Blackmon II, Sergeant  Maurice Staples.
Vote for Miss Oakwood

Miss Oakwood 2016-17 Courtney Buckhanon is asking everyone to vote -- students, alumni, family and friends!
EBONY's 2016-2017 HBCU Campus Queens online competition started today at 12:01 a.m., and ends at midnight on January 15, 2017.

To cast your vote for Miss Oakwood Courtney Buckhanon, visit  http://www.ebony.com . You're allowed to cast three (3) votes in a 24-hour period.

We are asking that you help us spread the word AND keep coming back to vote every day. EVERYONE can share the information on their social media platforms as well.

Each reigning beauty was elected by her peers and/or school officials to represent those standards for her institution of higher learning. Oakwood University commits to the values of respect, compassion, integrity, excellence, service, innovation and collaboration.
 
To cast your vote for Miss Oakwood, visit http://www.ebony.com

EBONYCampusQueens2016 is the official hashtag of the competition and should be used as much as possible on all posts.
120 Most Influential Oakwoodites

As Oakwood's 120th year comes to an end, we are in search of nominations for a list of 120 Most Influential Oakwoodites.

Nominees will be presented during Alumni Homecoming Weekend 2017.

We are looking for names of those Oakwoodites who were either influential here at Oakwood -classroom, church, dormitory, basketball court, etc. -- or an individual who has positively influenced your life, or has transformed lives through his/her service following their time at the Oaks.

We need the following information:

Your name ___________

I nominate  _______ as an Influential Oakwoodite because _____   **

Date(s) nominee attended ________and/or graduated ___________

Please include a high resolution photo (300 dpi or higher).

Email to pr@oakwood.edu -- OR mail to:

Office of Integrated Marketing & Public Relations
Oakwood University
7000 Adventist Boulevard
Huntsville, Alabama 35896

**All submissions subject to editing for space.

Deadline: Midnight, January 31, 2017
Alumni News

Wishing you a prosperous New Year, filled with peace and happiness!
From
Dr. Cynthia Powell-Hicks, OUAA President (seated),
the Powell Hicks Rodriguez White Family, and the
Officers of the O akwood University Alumni Association.
About Oakwood 

 

The mission of Oakwood University, a historically black, Seventh-day Adventist institution, is to transform students through biblically-based education for service to God and humanity.
 

In This Issue - 1/4/17
  
(256) 726-7418
  
  
  

 

1-844-FRUIT OU


STORE #819

5000 Whitesburg Dr. S, #148

Huntsville, AL 35802

(256) 881-7575

 

STORE #759

6290 University Blvd.

Huntsville, AL 35806

(256) 721-7999

 

Share Love, Support Students

 
 Click here to see the Fall 2016 issue of Oakwood Magazine, or visit www.oakwoodmagazine.com
insideOakwood is published by the Office of Integrated Marketing & Public Relations
Managing Editor: Debbe Millet  | Jeffrey Wilder, student writer | Photographer: Anthony Chornes, II
www.oakwood.edu 
| pr@oakwood.edu | (256) 726-7202