OBU Signal – February 12, 2015

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02.12.15 Volume 123 Issue 15

Ouachita Baptist University

Tyler Rosenthal z The Signal STUDENTS serve various international dishes at last year’s International Food Festival. This year’s festival is themed “Passport to the World.” More than 500 people are expected to attend and dozens of students will participate by cooking and serving dishes, as well as by presenting special international music pieces.

International Club to host International Food Festival Feb. 17 By LAUREN SCARBROUGH News Bureau

The 2015 International Food Festival, hosted by Ouachita’s International Club and Daniel and Betty Jo Grant Center for International Education, will be held on Feb. 17 from 6-8 p.m. in Walker Conference Center. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 each.   Ian Cosh, Ouachita’s vice president for community and international engagement, describes the festival as a “signature event at OBU that seeks to highlight the international dimension of our unique community.”   The event is designed for Ouachita students, faculty and staff who have either lived or spent time abroad to share that experience with others. It serves as an opportunity not only to bring together members of the Ouachita community but also to provide a

global context, reminding participants that they all are citizens of the world.   For many Ouachita students with international ties, “it’s the first time they have been able to give back to the community and share their life story with the community,” noted Sharon Cosh, a staff coordinator for the event and Ouachita’s English as a Second Language program. “It’s a very bonding experience for them as a group and also a pretty unique experience for all of us that we can share in.”   “Imagine 500 people milling around Walker Conference Center tasting samples of foods from all over the world,” said International Club President Ben Lange-Smith, a junior psychology major from Harare, Zimbabwe. “The festival is held only once per year, and, as you can imagine, internationals and third culture students go all out to show off their culture and also to ex-

cite your taste buds!”   This year’s theme is “Passport to the World” and will feature food from more than 30 countries, cultures and regions. Over the decades, the event has grown to include other cultural elements, as well.   “There is a legacy with it,” Ian Cosh added. “We’ve done it now for at least 40 years, and every year the event is a medium of telling a story. We tell that story through taste, music and all of the human senses, in a way that unites students from around the world.”   Additionally, musical entertainment will be provided by international students singing in their native languages as well as American students with international connections.   “For instance, one of the students will be singing in a language that he went to study in Europe,” Sharon Cosh noted. “The foreign language program

is an added dimension to the whole international emphasis on our campus.”   The Arkansas Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union will also host a world market with fair trade products for sale at the event. Proceeds from the world market benefit women around the world who come from poor socioeconomic countries and are working for a better life by earning money through a fair process that is seldom found in their settings.   While Lange-Smith is always excited to see the theme, décor and entertainment come together, he said his favorite part is sampling the cuisine.     “I would be lying if I said I didn’t come mainly for the food. I’m big on taste and love food. That is why this is a killer event in my book.”   For more information contact Tanya Jackson, administrative assistant in the Grant Center, at jacksont@obu.edu. n

Ouachita alum Jason Tolbert named university’s new chief financial officer By TRENNIS HENDERSON News Bureau

Jason Tolbert, controller for the Arkansas Baptist Foundation since 2004, has been named chief financial officer for Ouachita effective March 30. He succeeds Dr. Brett Powell who recently was named director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.   Other roles held by Powell as vice president for administrative services have been reassigned to current university administrators, including Dr. Keldon Henley, vice president for institutional advancement, also supervising student financial services, and Bill Phelps, director of IT services, being named assistant to the president for IT services and facilities management.   Tolbert, a 1998 Ouachita graduate, holds a Master of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He also holds an Arkansas license as a certified public accountant.   Serving as the controller for the Arkansas Baptist Founda-

tion for the past 11 years, Tolbert has handled charitable trusts and investments for Arkansas Baptist churches and institutions, including some endowment funds for Ouachita. During his tenure at the Foundation, total assets under management grew from $128 million to more than $230 million.  “I am pleased to have Jason Tolbert come serve with us at Ouachita,” said President Rex Horne. “His devotion is clear. His ability is proven. Jason is a difference maker and will be a great asset to our university and to all of us.”   “I am so thankful for the opportunity to officially rejoin the Ouachita family although like most alumni I feel like I never left,” Tolbert said. “I am delighted to share in the vision Dr. Horne has for the university. We have exciting

days ahead of us, and I am privileged that God is allowing me to be a part of it.”   Tolbert previously served in assurance services for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Little Rock, in international accounting for Alltel Information Services and as an office manager for the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council. He also is chairman of the legislative committee for the Arkansas SoJason Tolbert ciety of Certified Public Accountants.   Tolbert and his wife, Kathy, are active members of First Baptist Church of Benton where he serves on the budget and finance committee. Mrs. Tolbert, also a 1998 Ouachita graduate, teaches second grade at Howard Perrin Elementary School in Benton. They are the parents of two sons, Luke (10) and John (5). n

Lindsey Catlett z Courtesy THE AREA 10 Special Olympics take place in SPEC with hundreds of student athletes from various high schools. OBU students always participate by volunteering.

More than 200 athletes to compete in Special Olympics basketball games Feb. 19 By DIXON LAND Sports Editor

The Area 10 Special Olympic Basketball Games will take place next Thursday, February 19 from 10 a.m. to noon.   The games will take place in the Sturgis Physical Education Center, with individual skill activities occurring in Bill Vining Arena and team games in the Auxiliary gyms I and II.   The events will be kicked off by the national anthem

perfromed and the nation’s color presented by the HSU/ OBU Color Gaurd. Dr. Rex Horne will welcome everyone to the event and then the OBU Cheerleaders will host a pep rally before the games begin.   Over 200 athletes from 16 high schools will be competing in the games.   “Even if you can’t stay for the whole two hours, you should still come out and volunteer or support these athsee OLYMPICS z 2


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