Oklahoma Christian University

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Oklahoma Christian University


Motto	Transform lives for faith, leadership and service
Established	1950
Type	Private
President	Mike O'Neal
Staff	153
Undergraduates	1,800+
Postgraduates	200+
Location	Edmond, OK, USA
Campus	Urban, 200 acres (800,000 m²)
Endowment Address Phone	US $42 million Oklahoma Christian University P.O. Box 11000 Oklahoma City, OK 73136-1100 +1 800 877 5010 +1 405 425 5000
Mascot	Eagle
Affiliations	Church of Christ
Website	www.oc.edu

Oklahoma Christian University (locally known as OC) is a private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. OC is located in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb north of Oklahoma City.

1 History
2 School Songs
- 2.1 Alma Mater
- 2.2 Fight Song
3 OC policy
4 Cascade College
5 University Presidents
6 Social Activities and Student Life
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

Oklahoma Christian University was originally called Central Christian College when it opened in 1950 with 97 students in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on the 152 acre (615,000 m²) former estate of L.V. Foster, a prominent oil businessman. L. R. Wilson was the college's first president, having founded Florida Christian College just four years before. When James O. Baird became president the school continued to grow; shortly thereafter, in 1959, the campus was moved to Oklahoma City and OC began offering the bachelor's degree. The school name was changed to Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts before being truncated to "Oklahoma Christian University."

OC's athletic program is a part of the NAIA Division I SWC conference.

[edit] School Songs

[edit] Alma Mater

Hail to Oklahoma Christian
Hail to Oklahoma Christian
Hail thy purpose full and free
Life and truth for Alma Mater
May thy glories ever be
Lift your voices, anthems raise
Swell and chorus in her praise
Hail to Oklahoma Christian
Alma Mater, hail to thee

[edit] Fight Song

Stand Up and Cheer
Stand up and cheer for Oklahoma Christian
The home of maroon and gray
Stand up and cheer for Oklahoma Christian
The Eagles are on their way
We've got the spirit; we've got the might
We've got the team; we're gonna FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Stand up and cheer for Oklahoma Chrisitan
The Eagles are here to stay!

[edit] OC policy

President Mike O'Neal has attempted to the make the campus more progressive in its language, its diversity policies, and evangelistic outreach. These efforts can be seen in the newly-adopted policy changes^[1], and the appointment of an ethics ombudsman to improve OC's image. Full-time, tenure-tracked faculty are still required to be members of the Churches of Christ. However, adjunct professors are still hired and may not be members of the Church.

[edit] Cascade College

OC has a branch campus in Oregon known as Cascade College. Much like OC in the past, Cascade's reputation, credit, and academics were in disarray; the institution was in need of outside assistance. Cascade had lost its regional accreditation and was suffering financially when OC agreed to help them by making them a branch campus in 1993. The 12-acre campus is located in Portland, and like OC, the full-time faculty and a majority of the students are members of Churches of Christ.

[edit] University Presidents

L. R. Wilson - 1950 to 1954
James O. Baird - 1954 to 1974
J. Terry Johnson - 1974 to 1996
Kevin Jacobs - 1996 to 2001
Alfred Branch - Interim President, 2001
Mike O'Neal - Current President, term began in 2002

[edit] Social Activities and Student Life

Oklahoma Christian's students enjoy a wide variety of activities. Social service clubs (six for men, six for women) participate in intramural sport competitions including (major sports) softball, flag football, and volleyball in the fall, and basketball and soccer in the spring. Minor sports include ping pong, pool, swimming, and cross country. 'View 63' and 'Refuge' are two of the largest devotional groups on the campus. Social service clubs also participate in a yearly event known as Spring Sing where individual clubs preform sing parodies of popular songs that are developed alongside a certain theme.

The university also works with numerous churches to promote missionary activities and community outreach opportunities. The campus and student-led organization Outreach serves as the primary link between Oklahoma Christian and area churches for students. Outreach and the Student Government Association partner together to organize and promote multiple mission trips during Spring Break each year.