insideOakwood: It's time to Retool OUr School, President's Conversation, UNCF Gala, Science Day, and more

Oakwood University Needs Your Votes for the Home Depot Retool Your School Grant Program

Voting for The Home Depot's Retool Your School grant program continues through April 16, 2017.

With your help, for the past four years, Oakwood University has been blessed to win top prizes and upgrade our campus. Let's make this year #5!!!

Simply vote every day on every device, AND use the hashtag #oakwood_RYS17 on every post on all social media platforms.

The Retool Your School Program was established in 2010 to provide support for campus improvement projects to the nation's HBCUs. Since the program's inception, over one million dollars in grant money has been awarded.

We can do this, but we need your help!

Did you miss the Conversation with the President?

If you missed the Conversation with the President of Oakwood University on February 21, you may view it on Oakwood's Facebook page,

Dr. Leslie Pollard shared updates on Oakwood University with Kenn Dixon, at the OUBN studio.

Topics included Oakwood Farms, revitalizing Oakwood industries, Oakwood Online, how we are preparing students for the future workforce, some of the challenges facing our society and on campus, as well as future projections for Oakwood. Analytics indicate that approximately over 250 people tuned in for the one hour broadcast, and has since reached over 10,000 people.

Watch for announcements about the next broadcast.

Oakwood Announces Reaves Warren Lectureship on Preaching

The inaugural convening of the Reaves Warren Lectureship is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 14, 2017, during Alumni Homecoming Weekend, on the campus of Oakwood University.

The Lectureship is inspired by the lasting influence of Calvin E. Moseley, the first African-American teacher of preaching at Oakwood beginning in 1934, and his immediate successor Clarence T. Richards, in 1951.

Presentations on theory and practice of biblical preaching are in keeping with the objectives of the lectureship under the auspices of the School of Religion. Speakers have been selected who are deemed to be:

academically prepared;
familiar with homiletic theory;
experienced in practical pulpit proclamation; and
reflective of a personal ethos that encourages Christian principles.

The lectureship rallying motto is: "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction..." 2 Timothy 4:2-5 (NIV).

The families of Benjamin F. Reaves and Mervyn A. Warren are founding this preaching lectureship, providing the initial endowment, and inviting all who appreciate the preaching education program at Oakwood University to contribute to its life and growth. Financial contributions may be sent to:

The Reaves-Warren Lectureship

Office of Advancement and Development

Oakwood University

7000 Adventist Blvd., NW

Huntsville, Alabama 35896

DONATE HERE

OU's Chemistry Department Welcomes 300 Guests for Science Day

On February 21, 2017, 300 elementary, middle and high school students from Huntsville area schools, including home schools, participated in a day of scientific discovery during Oakwood University's annual Science Day.

The day consisted of hands-on chemistry experiments in a functioning chemistry laboratory, with lab assistants on hand to help during two-hour segments.

The event took place in the Cooper Science Complex laboratory, and received media coverage from local television stations WHNT Newschannel 19 and Fox 54.

Science Day is free to participants through sponsorship of the Alabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (ALSAMP). The organization was established to increase the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students completing baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This diverse alliance includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), public and private institutions, and research and teaching institutions to boost a new era of cooperation as the alliance seeks to increase the achievement bar for all ALSAMP students.

Science Day is an annual event sponsored by Oakwood University's Chemistry Department, chaired by Dr. Kenneth LaiHing.

Save the Date for "Oakwood on the Road"

On Sabbath, April 8, Oakwood University will present a special edition of "Oakwood on the Road" at the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana.

President Dr. Leslie N. Pollard will deliver the sermon during Divine Worship, and Dynamic Praise will present a concer that evening.

The emphasis of the day will be health and Christian education, as New Orleans is at the end of the 2017 Tour de Youth, a six-day, 533-mile bicycle ride, that will originate in Houston, Texas.

If you would like to join the Tour de Youth as a rider, or to make a contribution, visit www.bedetermined.org.

39th Annual UNCF Gala

Globally-acclaimed musician Jonathan Butler will be the special guest performer at the 39th Annual UNCF (United Negro College Fund) Gala on Thursday, April 13, at 6:30 p.m. The Gala will be held in the North Hall of the Von Braun Center, and will feature an award presentation to radio personality and philanthropist Tom Joyner. .

To purchase individual UNCF Gala tickets or sponsor a table, go to www.ougiving.com. For information about the UNCF North Alabama Campaign, contact Kisha Norris: [email protected] | 256-726-7201.

The youngest of 13 children, Butler grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, ruled by Apartheid and segregation. "I was born poor, but richly blessed with talent and the gift to make music," he says. Butler began his singing career at age 7, and made history by being the first black artist played on white South African radio as he became a teenager.

In concert, Butler remains a captivating and powerful performer, pouring his heart into selections from his immense catalogue, and thrives on interacting with his fans. "I've come to a really good place in my life even if finding my way there was tough. I'm living my dream and it's amazing what God is doing-seeing all these things through tears and pain. Seeing God place me in these extraordinary places and opportunities...if I couldn't see it, I'd really be blind and faithless," summarizes Butler.

He has launched the Jonathan Butler Foundation in his native country to fund music education programs that give children the purpose to overcome a life of drugs and poverty just as he did. The music and arts programs serving South African children ages 4-17 operate with the mission statement, "Purpose kills addiction."

During an extraordinary musical life that has unfolded in the public eye, Butler has seen and endured a lot. His music has purpose, providing comfort and genuine inspiration. When he sings, he testifies to the glory and healing power of love. Jonathan Butler's recording career has carried him far, far beyond his wildest dreams. He's living his dream and that is a blessing for us all.

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. The 37-member, minority education organization provides operating funds for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), scholarships and internships for students at about 900 institutions, and faculty and administrative professional training. For more than 70 years, UNCF has raised more than $3.6 billion to help more than 400,000 students attend college and graduate from college.

As the only North Alabama UNCF member institution, Oakwood University is grateful and proud to contribute to the concerted effort of raising funds for the mission of the UNCF. Each year, Oakwood hosts the UNCF North Alabama Campaign, culminating with the Annual UNCF Gala held on the Thursday evening of its Alumni Weekend.

To purchase individual UNCF Gala tickets or sponsor a table, go to www.ougiving.com. For information about the UNCF North Alabama Campaign, contact Kisha Norris: [email protected] | 256-726-7201.

Advertise in the Oakwood Magazine

With affordable rates, advertising in the Oakwood Magazine is a great solution to market your business and strengthen your brand. While optional, you may elect to place a special offer or coupon in your ad, designed to compel readers to take immediate action, or to highlight certain products.

We offer different-sized ads ranging from a quarter of a page to a full page, to accommodate your advertising budget.

Won't you partner with us? Call Richard Hodnett for pricing and additional details.

Richard M. Hodnett

Assistant Director for Alumni Relations & Marketing

Phone: (256) 726-7663

Email: [email protected]

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.