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K-LOVE reports on Apple Campus initiative
Last week, Christian radio station K-LOVE ran a news story covering OC’s new iPhone and Apple Campus initiative. Listen to the report and interview below.
Executive VP Alfred Branch Returning to Private Business
From Oklahoma Christian University President, Mike O’Neal
To the OC Community and Friends,
While every person who has dedicated himself or herself to the noble work of Christian higher education is worthy of honor, there are a handful of individuals who, due to their exceptional service, are worthy of double honor. One of these individuals is our Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Alfred Branch.
Therefore, it is with great regret that I announce that Al will be leaving the full-time employ of Oklahoma Christian.
Since joining the OC community in 1999 Al has been a tireless and dedicated example of servant leadership. Through his efforts, OC has stabilized and improved its operating performance, experienced unprecedented growth marked by record enrollments, new programs, numerous construction projects and campus improvements, without compromising its financial future. It has been suggested by many that OC has never been in a better place financially, spiritually and academically than we are today, and much of this credit should go to Al and Judy Branch.
Prior to joining the OC community in 1999, Al had a highly successful career in the real estate services community with the Trammell Crow Company. During his tenure at OC, his expertise in real estate has proved invaluable as OC sought to modernize its physical plant and construct new facilities. After much prayer and consultation, Al has chosen to return to the real estate development and management business as President of Moriah Properties, Inc. of Midland, Texas. Moriah is the real estate investment and development company owned by long-time Branch family friends Dale and Cary Brown. Some of you may know the Brown family through their connections with OC as well. Dale is chair of the Board of Trustees of The Christian Chronicle. Cary is married to alumna Jill (Johnson) Brown who is a member of OC’s Board of Development.
Al will be stepping down from his role as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer in early October to begin his work with Moriah. Al and Judy will continue to reside in Oklahoma City. I am very pleased to report that we are finalizing an arrangement with Moriah to allow Al to work on the management and development of OC’s real estate investments and major construction projects. We are thankful to the Branch family for their desire to continue to serve OC in this important role and are deeply grateful for their faithful service to OC over the past nine years.
Al’s stepping down leaves a huge hole in our campus leadership. In the coming days, I will be meeting with the leadership team to determine how to proceed with the many areas reporting to the Executive Vice President. We will also schedule an appropriate occasion to honor Al and Judy and express our appreciation to them for all they mean to the OC community.
Mike E. O’Neal
President
Exchange student at Korea Christian University
Marshall Wade, a senior accounting major at Oklahoma Christian University, is the first OC student to be selected for our exchange program with Korea Christian University. In fact, he is the first American exchange student at that university. Marshall participated in OC’s Pacific Rim study abroad program in 2006 and will serve as an excellent representative of Oklahoma Christian in our new exchange program. He will be studying in Seoul until December. Click here to visit the online journal he is keeping.
Oklahoma Christian University is in our second year of hosting exchange students from KCU. The KCU student we are hosting this year, Hyun Byung Kwon, arrived last night.
The International Programs at OC continue to enrich and inspire our campus and students. Many thanks to the Office of International Programs for all of their excellent work.
OC ranked in “America’s Best Colleges”
Oklahoma Christian University (OC) has been named a “Best University—Master’s” in the West region in U.S. News and World Report’s 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” This is the 10th consecutive year that U.S. News has ranked Oklahoma Christian in its America’s Best Colleges Guidebook.
Last year, Oklahoma Christian was elevated to a higher category known as the master’s group due to a growing number of graduate students and the addition of several new graduate programs. OC moved up five spots from its initial 2007 ranking in this higher category, even though it is a newcomer to this category and not as well known by its peers.
“Oklahoma Christian fared very well in the U.S. News & World Report ranking,” said Dr. Mike E. O’Neal, OC president. “Our undergraduate program is certainly one of the most outstanding in this area. The real proof is how well our graduates perform in the marketplace.”
For example, last year OC’s literary journal Soundings received the top award in the nation from the international English honor society, and its history honor society was named best chapter in the nation for the 13th straight year. The university’s art and design and communications students also received several national awards last year.
More than 90 percent of OC students who applied to medical school were accepted into several of America’s best medical schools and one of its biochemistry students received the award for best overall presentation at the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences convention last year. The school of business administration students earned the highest pass rate on the CPA exam of all Oklahoma colleges and universities in 11 of the 13 most recent years.
Oklahoma Christian is one of only two members of the 112 schools in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities with ABET—the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology—for three engineering programs.
“Rankings alone don’t accurately measure the success or standing of a university,” O’Neal said. “Our master’s programs continue to grow in scope and stature, so we expect our rankings to climb higher because of the overall quality and exceptional professors we have teaching in these rigorous programs.
“We’re very pleased to be ranked as a best college in the West,” he said. “This is a tribute to our faculty, staff, alumni, donors and other supporters. We have certainly been blessed with outstanding faculty and students who are committed to our mission of transforming lives for Christian faith, scholarship and service.”
Professor serving on NAEP World History Steering Committee
Dr. Phillip Patterson, Professor of Communications at Oklahoma Christian University, will be the private school representative on a panel that will be formulating questions for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the “Nation’s Report Card”) and their first ever attempt to assess American students on their knowledge of history in 2012. His role will be to represent the 8 million private school student community on this government panel. NAEP is under the department of the Census and is empowered by Congress to assess the nation’s students on an annual basis.
