Ouachita Circle: Winter 2020

GRADUATE PROGRAMS ON THE HORIZON

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FOOTBALL IS GAC PROGRAM OF THE DECADE

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A NEW STANDARD FOR SCIENCE ED

Winter 2020

VALUE

VALUE

E D I TOR’ S N O T ES

Wrestling with value and the choices it presents I’ve thought a lot about value over the last few months – what I value, what value Ouachita offers, the definition of the word itself. While the word has monetary ties – as the “Great Value” brand at your local Walmart is eager to remind you – there also is a difference in value and price. Another ad campaign comes to mind that said, “It’s not a great deal if it’s not a great car.”

Aside from financial matters, we make value judgments constantly as we choose how to live our lives. At the beginning of my children’s preschool years, I placed high value on things like learning the alphabet and numbers. Now, I see much greater value in my sons developing emotional intelligence – kindness, resilience, empathy. Over the holidays, I noted the shift in where we place value over time – as children, excitement over material things; as we grow older, gratitude for time with family; and as Christians, awe at the incredible gift and sacrifice of Jesus.

In this issue, we approach value from a variety of lenses. Dr. Marshall Horton, our resident economist and a parent of four Ouachita grads, takes us on a journey on page 6 through the state of higher education and how Ouachita has carved out a niche in an environment defined by regulations, economic factors and Ouachita’s particular driving force, our mission. Dr. Monica Hardin provides an update on page 8 on graduate education at Ouachita, a renewed way we hope to bring value to students.

You can see other ways our faculty, staff and programs seek to provide valuable training, service and knowledge to students through the new Ouachita Sports Digital Network (p. 12) our research-driven psychology program (p. 18), outstanding financial aid counseling (p. 20) and record-setting football program (p. 26). We also celebrate individuals who have contributed greatly to Ouachita, their industry and their local spheres of influence: three Ouachita “super moms,” (p. 14) Dallas Cowboy great Cliff Harris (p. 24) and Ozark High teacher Alice Brooks (p. 22).

Value is a matter of perspective. Time, experience or a change in circumstances can help you see things in completely new ways, much like seeing a new view on a campus you’ve walked for more than 15 years. Our cover photo, looking out the stairwell window in Jones Performing Arts Center, struck me in this way and brought focus to the beautiful sunset I may have missed otherwise. I hope this issue of the Ouachita Circle can do the same for you.

Brooke Zimny Assistant to the President for Communications & Marketing

Price is what you pay.

Value is what you get.

Warren Buffett

Value is not made of money, but a tender balance of expectation and longing.

Barbara Kingsolver

To add value to others, one must first value others.

John Maxwell

Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value.

Desmond Tutu

Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:8b

INS IDE TH E CI R CL E 2

18

20

26

29

36

Camp u s Up d ate

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P R OV I D I N G VA L U E I N A C O M P L I C AT E D M A R K E T Dr. Marshall Horton, business administration chair, discusses Ouachita’s niche in higher ed.

Ouachita earns #1 “Best Value” ranking in the state

Facu l ty P r ofi l e

Dr. Allyson Phillips stresses research in psychology

S ta ff P r ofi l e

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James Richards provides value to first-gen students

O U A C H I TA P R E P S T O O F F E R N E W G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S Dr. Monica Hardin describes missional approach to forthcoming post-baccalaureate programs.

S p or ts Up d ate

Tiger football earns GAC title, All-Decade honors

Clas s Notes

Ouachitonians named to “Arkansas 250” by ABPG

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LUNCHEON HONORS THREE O U A C H I TA “ S U P E R M O M S ” Three outstanding mothers were honored at the 10 th anniversary Stepping Up for Ouachita event.

Clos i n g T h ou g h ts

Value, defined by different perspectives

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HARRIS NAMED TO PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Rex Nelson reflects on Cliff Harris’ storied career in this guest article on the football great.

Winter 2020

PRESIDENT BEN R. SELLS PRESIDENT EMERITUS DANIEL R. GRANT (’45) ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING / EDITOR BROOKE ZIMNY (’08)

CAMPUS NEWS

GRAPHIC DESIGN COORDINATOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR ASHLEY CAROZZA EDITORIAL COORDINATOR / ASSOCIATE EDITOR RACHEL MORENO (’16) DIGITAL CONTENT COORDINATOR TYLER ROSENTHAL (’15) VP FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT, CHIEF OF STAFF KELDON HENLEY (’86) DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS JON MERRYMAN (’00) ALUMNI ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT SELBY TUCKER (’20) The Ouachita Circle is a publication of Ouachita Baptist University’s alumni and communications offices. Printed by TCPrint Solutions in North Little Rock, Ark. © Copyright 2020 Cover photo by Tyler Rosenthal.

SUBMIT ADDRESS CHANGES AND CLASS NOTES obu.edu/alumni • alumni@obu.edu • (870) 245-5506 410 Ouachita St., OBU Box 3762 • Arkadelphia, AR 71998-0001

FOLLOW US

@Ouachita

@OuachitaAlumni

VISION Ouachita Baptist University seeks to foster a love of God and a love of learning by creating for students and other constituents dynamic growth opportunities both on campus and throughout the world. With foresight and faithfulness, Ouachita makes a difference.

MISSION Ouachita Baptist University is a Christ-centered learning community. Embracing the liberal arts tradition, the university prepares individuals for ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth, lives of meaningful work, and reasoned engagement with the world.

VALUES Ouachita strives to be an academic community of vision, integrity, and service grounded in the following values: Faith. We believe that life is lived most abundantly in response to the love of God through Jesus Christ.

Scholarship. We advance excellence in teaching, learning, research, and creative expression.

Growth. We foster broad-based education, encouraging growth in intellectual, spiritual, physical, and social domains.

Character. We affirm that respect and honesty undergird responsible citizenship and stewardship.

Community. We promote a vibrant community strengthened by diversity, sustained by common aims and supportive relationships, and committed to leadership and service on campus and beyond.

OUACHITA RESIDENTIAL ENROLLMENT RISES, EARNS #1 “BEST VALUE” RANKING, 99% CAREER OUTCOMES RATE The 2019 fall semester marked the third consecutive year of growth in residential undergraduate enrollment at Ouachita, increasing from 1,492 to 1,506 since last fall. Fueled by growth in new students, Ouachita also recorded its largest residential enrollment since 2012. Adding online and concurrent programs, Ouachita’s total fall enrollment was 1,633 students.

Ouachita’s three years of successive growth, including this year’s 1% increase, is noteworthy given the 9% decrease in the number of students enrolled in all of the state’s colleges and universities as reported in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

“The growth is further evidence that Ouachita is rising,” said Dr. Ben Sells, president. “Ouachita is increasingly recognized by students and their families as well as by those who rank universities.”

Recent recognitions include: • #1 “Best Value College” in Arkansas by Niche.com, which considers costs, student debt, graduation rates, alumni earnings and student and alumni reviews.

• #2 “Regional College in the South” (a 12-state region)

by U.S. News & World Report.

• #1 in student satisfaction among all universities in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas by College Consensus.

“We’re especially pleased with the ‘best value’ recognition,” Sells said. “It reflects Ouachita’s affordability, high-impact learning and commitment to spiritual growth that contribute to a 99% career outcomes rate.”

The career outcomes rate reflects the percentage of graduates who are either employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation. Ouachita’s two latest graduating classes have reported a 99% rate, 15% higher than the national average for 2018 and 6% higher than the 2019 average.

C A M P U S U P DA T E

UPDATE EXERCISE IS MEDICINE PROGRAM EARNS GOLD STATUS Ouachita’s Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Studies recently received the Gold Status credential from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for its participation and excellence in the organization’s Exercise Is Medicine® (EIM) program. In addition to the national recognition, the department also secured a mini-grant of $1,000 from Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation to support the EIM program.

This is the first time Ouachita has received Gold Status from ACSM, the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization. It received Silver Status in 2016 and 2018. EIM emphasizes the importance of including physical activity in treatment plans and referring patients to both evidence-based exercise programs and qualified professionals.

“Our culture is focused on sickness, not wellness,” said Dr. Terry DeWitt, professor of kinesiology and leisure studies.

“We are trying to get physicians to prescribe exercise.”

Ouachita’s program includes on and off-campus elements that promote a healthy lifestyle, including an organized recess to second and third graders at a local elementary school and cooperation with local healthcare providers.

“What we are doing is incorporating real people with real problems in the real world – some on campus, some off – into our wellness program,” DeWitt said.

OUACHITA AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY CHAPTER EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION Four Ouachita chemistry faculty and seven student researchers attended the American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting and Exposition in spring 2019 in Orlando, Fla., to present individual research. Ouachita’s student ACS chapter also received the Honorable Mention ACS Student Chapter Award for the 2017-18 school year during the meeting’s student awards ceremony.

Ouachita students Joey Dean, Travis Hankins, Savanna Harris, Mallory Mayfield, Alex Podguzov, Catie Shirley and Jessica Snelgrove gave poster presentations. Faculty members Dr. Sharon Hamilton, Dr. Timothy Hayes and Dr. Sara Hubbard also presented work.

Shirley and Snelgrove also presented a poster summarizing Ouachita’s ACS chapter activities over the 2018-19 school year, and the chapter participated in the ACS meeting’s demo-exchange, an academic and networking opportunity for all student chapters in attendance to share chemistry demonstrations using household items/chemicals.

Snelgrove, Ouachita’s 2018-2019 ACS student chapter president, accepted the Honorable Mention ACS Student Chapter Award on behalf of last year’s president, Alyson (Cole) McKinnon, to whom the chapter award is attributed. McKinnon is a 2018 biology graduate from El Dorado, Ark.

CROSS BRANDON PARTICIPATES IN BROADWAY WINDS SUMMER PROGRAM IN NEW YORK Cross Brandon, a sophomore instrumental music education major from Little Rock, Ark., was one of 10 participants from around the country selected to study in the Broadway Winds intensive program in New York. The five-day program, held July 14-18, 2019, was hosted

by New York University Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

Broadway Winds brings together advanced high school- and college-level woodwind players from across the nation to work with professionals in the Broadway industry. It allows students to perform, study and collaborate with NYU faculty and Broadway instrumentalists who have dedicated their careers to the art of woodwind doubling, playing more than one instrument. Brandon also had the opportunity to sit in the pit of Disney’s Aladdin – The Musical.

“This was a phenomenal opportunity for Cross to experience life as a working pit musician for Broadway musicals and to study with current professionals in New York,” said Dr. Caroline Taylor, professor of music at Ouachita. “Broadway Winds is a highly competitive program that requires students to master playing flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe and bassoon all equally well.”

Brandon said his experience “provided so much information and knowledge about the business and really inspired me to work harder.”

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C AM PU S U P DA T E

GUEST ARTIST SERIES BRINGS ACCLAIMED MUSICIANS, ARTISTS TO CAMPUS The School of Fine Arts continued its Guest Artist Series this fall, bringing acclaimed musicians and artists to campus for free events.

In September, the Division of Music hosted cellist Alexander Hersh, a first prize winner of the national 2019 NASM Young Artist Competition. Hersh has performed as a soloist with the Boston Pops and Houston Symphony and at music festivals worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Rosemary Adams Department of Visual Arts featured the artwork of mixed media artist Laura Brainard Raborn and Little Rock photographer Joli Livaudais. Raborn has been featured in more than 40 regional and national exhibitions, as well as multiple publications; her exhibit, “Processing,” featured a series of mixed media abstractions. Livaudais’ exhibit, “Then I Will See,” displayed images on black and white film in a study of her father’s fixation on patterns.

Livaudais’ work is to be displayed in the “Paper Routes – Women to Watch 2020” exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Additionally, the Adams Department co-hosted an exhibit with Ouachita’s Rogers Department of Communications featuring photography by 1994 alumnus Chris Ocken. The exhibit, “More Than History, More Than Land,” displayed images from Ocken’s travels to Israel alongside audio-visual work by Nick Burt (’15) and Kevin Barnard (’18).

In October, the Division of Music hosted percussionist Daniel Smithiger and oboist Dawn Striker-Roberts in a joint concert.

Smithiger and Striker-Roberts are both performers and instructors from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Ouachita also hosted the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus for “Let Freedom Ring,” a mixed performance of standard band literature and patriotic music. The Army Field Band, comprised of full-time professional musicians who are enlisted in the U.S. Army, has entertained audiences in all 50 states and in more than 30 countries since 1946.

OSF NAMED NATIONAL OUTSTANDING STUDENT ADVANCEMENT ORGANIZATION

CHURCH HISTORY SCHOLAR SPEAKS ON EVANGELICALISM

The Ouachita Student Foundation (OSF) was named one of three Outstanding Student Advancement Organizations in the nation by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Affiliated Student Advancement Programs (ASAP) at its national conference in August 2019. The award was presented to Ouachita, Ohio University and University of Missouri out of 700 member schools.

This is the second consecutive year that OSF has earned a national CASE ASAP recognition. Ouachita’s Tiger Tunes competition was named the CASE ASAP 2018 Outstanding Student Advancement Program in the nation.

“Receiving two awards in two years is an incredibly high honor for OSF and Ouachita,” said Selby Tucker, a senior accounting and political science double major from Hamburg, Ark. Tucker, OSF president for the 2019-2020 school year, also was recognized this spring as Outstanding Student Leader in District 4.

“Having seen the schools and organizations we have been up against for the past two years, we are overjoyed that our small organization and small campus have had such a huge impact,” she added. “This is a testament to our members’ hard work, our incredible legacy and our leadership past and present.”

OSF also was asked to lead breakout sessions about Tiger Tunes and peerfunded scholarship programs at the 2019 conference.

Since 1974, more than 1,000 students have served as members of OSF, and more than $1.6 million has been raised and awarded in student scholarships.

Ouachita hosted Dr. David Bebbington, noted church history scholar, in a lecture on the history of evangelicalism and its relevancy to the modern Christian as part of its Birkett Williams Lecture Series. Bebbington has published more than 20 books on the topic, including most recently Evangelicals: Who They Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be. “It must be insisted that the evangelical movement is religious and not political,” Bebbington noted in his lecture. “If you believe the Bible, if you cherish the cross, if you want to promote conversions and if you want to pursue activism, then recognize the identity that you actually have as being an evangelical Christian. Value, then, the evangelical tradition from the premiere of the 18th century. We can rejoice in the commitment of our tradition to changing lives for good in the name of Jesus Christ.”

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C A M P U S U P DA T E

PATTERSON SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM SEES RECORD PARTICIPATION Ouachita’s J.D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences had a record 28 students conducting faculty-advised research during summer 2019 through its Patterson Summer Research Program.

“The Patterson Summer Research program provides the opportunity for our students to set themselves apart when applying for jobs, graduate or professional school,” said Dr. Tim Knight, dean of the Patterson School. “Our science students receive more hands-on research experience than most any undergraduate student in any university in our region.”

In the program’s 19-year history, a total of 287 students have worked one-on-one with Ouachita science faculty to conduct research in their respective fields.

For example, senior biology majors Brockton Brown from Sheridan, Ark., and Hunter Jones from Roland, Ark., studied the stream quality of Ouachita River tributaries utilizing macrobenthetic species and fish populations with Dr. Knight.

“I experienced so many cool ways to evaluate nature and got to learn the ins-and-outs of doing work in the field,” Brown said.

David Rainwater, a senior biology and chemistry double major from Sheridan, Ark., conducted research with Dr. Nathan Reyna on the role of exosomes on the migration of glioblastoma cells, research that “could possibly lead to new discoveries involving cancer and the way it metastasizes in the body,” Rainwater said.

In addition to Patterson Endowment funds, the Patterson School received summer research funding from Alcoa Foundation, INBRE, ESPCoR, Ross Foundation and NASA to support 15 of the 28 researchers.

MORE THAN 800 OUACHITONIANS SERVE DURING FALL 2019 TIGER SERVE DAY A total of 820 Ouachita students, faculty and staff served Arkadelphia on Sept. 21, 2019, during its semi-annual Tiger Serve Day, hosted by Ouachita’s Elrod Center for Family and Community. More than 100 locations were served by 97 teams working together with the theme “Doing Good.”

“Volunteers are able to provide a service to individuals who many times are not able to do the work themselves and, at the same time, build important relationships with those served,” said Judy Duvall, associate director of the Elrod Center.

“Preparation for TSD requires five to six weeks of work and lots of prayer in the process,” said Taylor Fielder, a junior Christian studies/biblical studies, Christian theology and Christian missions triple major from Little Rock, Ark., and member of the TSD Leadership Team. “It is a full and exhausting day, but it is so worth it considering we have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our community!”

THREE OUACHITA WOMEN PLACE IN TOP FIVE AT 2019 MISS ARKANSAS PAGEANT Three Ouachita women were named Top Five finalists in the 2019 Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant. Of the 44 contestants from around the state, nine were from Ouachita, and four placed in the Top 10 overall. Among the Top Five finalists were Miss OBU Julie Williams, second runner-up; Miss Ouachita River Tiffany Lee, third runner-up; and Miss Greater Hot Springs Gracie Stover, fourth runner-up.

“I’ve never felt so loved by Ouachita and by Arkadelphia,” Williams said. “We could all feel the coverage of prayer!”

Williams, a 2019 mass communications and political science graduate from Arkadelphia, Ark., also won the Overall Social Impact in Evening Wear Award and a preliminary Evening Gown Award. Lee, a 2019 communications and media graduate from Benton, Ark., also won the Ashlen Batson Espirit De Corp Award and Healthy Lifestyle Platform Award; she previously held the title of Miss OBU in 2017. Stover, a senior communications & media/multimedia journalism major from Little Rock, Ark., also won a preliminary Artistic Expression in Talent Award, the Legacy Overall Dance Award, the Miss America Community Service Award and the Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Maker Award.

Miss Metro Taryn Bewley, a junior political science and psychology double major from Conway, Ark., was named a Top 10 semifinalist, and Miss South Central Arkansas Emma Pitts and Miss White River Mady Rottinghaus were named Top 15 semifinalists. Pitts, a senior choral music education major from Clarksville, Ark., also received the preliminary Artistic Expression in Talent Award, Frances Wilson Non-Finalist Overall Talent Award and Non-Finalist Vocal Award; she previously held the title of Miss OBU in 2018. Rottinghaus, a junior biology and Spanish double major from Hot Springs, Ark., also received the Overall Arrival Award, Overall Instrumentalist Award and Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Maker Award.

Additionally, Miss Spirit of Arkansas Laura Leigh Turner, who received first runner-up in the pageant, also has Ouachita ties; she is the daughter of alumni Tab Turner (’81) and Jenny (Gosser ’82) Turner. Laura Leigh also won a preliminary Social Impact in Evening Wear Award.

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VALUE AT OUACHITA: An Economist’s Perspective

by Marshall Horton

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alue is subjective. What is priceless to one person may be worthless to another. Furthermore, there are many potential choices in between. For example, consumers who place great value on prestige might be in the market for luxury automobiles while different customers who simply want efficient means of getting from one place to another might be in the market for economy cars. To offer more choices and attract more potential buyers, industries form layers to meet the needs of different consumers.

In much the same way as the automobile industry is stratified into different layers, higher education has also been stratified, with several broad tiers, including liberal arts institutions like Ouachita Baptist University. Each differentiates itself to focus on separate segments of the market and provide its own kind of value to customers with varying wants and budgets.

Ouachita is outstanding in many ways. Educating the whole person is important here. Christian mission is paramount, as are activities that build community including athletics and arts. Each contributes value. But four of my own children sought degrees at Ouachita because of academic value. To understand academic uniqueness requires some background information for context.

AC A DE MIC VALUE IN GE N ER A L

To protect consumers, governments regulate most industries, including higher education. Some of this regulation is done directly by government, but most is done indirectly through accreditation. After World War II, government accelerated subsidies to higher education since economists believed that a highly-educated populace was essential. Accreditation of colleges and universities grew in importance so that governmental agencies could track use of public funds and guard against fraud and waste. This is as it should be.

But another way to look at regulation is through the lens of risk. A major goal of regulation is to reduce risk, particularly risks of fraud or inefficiency. This serves the good purpose of minimizing substandard performance. Unfortunately, it also contributes to the risk of decreasing upside potential. This occurs in two ways. First, regulated industries are constrained from making some good decisions for which the potential return to risk ratio is high. In other words, the chance of the decisions resulting in a desirable outcome might be excellent, but the decision is dismissed because there is a small chance of failure as perceived by the regulator. Second, all companies and institutions in the industry, even honest and efficient ones, have to bear the high, often hidden costs of compliance.

To lessen costs of meeting accreditation standards and still keep the funds flowing, universities were tempted to characterize all functions as generic processes. As long as the revenue source, government, expressed keen interest in minimal standards and little concern with excellence, rational administration required efficient operations subject to meeting those standards. Rent-seeking, for-profit universities emerged throughout the 1990s and took advantage of federally-subsidized student loans in order to expand enrollments. Many traditional colleges followed suit. They ignored market forces and the important information signals that markets provide. In doing so, they exposed themselves to more serious risks that they could not see.

To save money, they hired part-time, adjunct faculty members with minimal academic credentials to teach most of their courses.

Application of manufacturing methods to education, or “edufacturing,” was generally not disclosed to customers, who presumed that instruction was being done by highly-qualified, full-time, professors who were experts in their areas. Widespread use of adjuncts has had the largely unnoticed effect of fewer scholars system-wide.

Today there are basically three tiers. Research institutions focus on contributing to the body of knowledge in academic disciplines.

Teaching institutions concentrate on completing educational processes and complying with minimum standards. Liberal arts institutions are under increasing pressure to jump to one of the other two remaining tiers. They are in the tough position of having to comply with accreditation requirements of standardization and yet still differentiate their offerings in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

It is difficult to differentiate efficiency. Efficiency is cost minimization. In a vacuum, where mission and market potential are ignored, the most efficient outcome may be to simply shut down and reduce variable costs to zero! Two chief measures of efficiency in higher education, standardization and quality control, have had the effect of reducing the worst outcomes: diploma mills and phantom schools.

But over-reliance on them has tended to sacrifice value with fewer experts who challenge their students with the best knowledge available.

OUACHITA IS RICHLY ENDOWED WITH INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL.

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In summary, government funding (and the attendant regulation) has contributed to the bifurcation of higher education into two extremes: research and teaching institutions. Research institutions showcase highly-specialized primary investigators who may not connect with normal people. Most teaching institutions have relied on enrollment-driven models and government funding. Having sacrificed their intellectual capital, they have figuratively eaten their seed corn.

OUACHITA’S ACADEMIC VALUE IN PARTICULAR

Ouachita is different. While committed to accreditation, Ouachita has largely resisted the edufacturing trap. While competitors were doubling or even tripling enrollment, OBU bucked the trend and invested endowment funds in research grants, sabbaticals, conferences and other mechanisms to enhance professorial intellectual capital. The university’s catalog tells part of the tale: professors with degrees in their academic fields rather than in general studies.

With well-qualified professors from a variety of viewpoints who remain current through publishing, presenting and performing, Ouachita is richly endowed with intellectual capital. Professors are collegial almost to the point of being family. They combine the best aspects of research (contributing to the body of knowledge) with the best aspects of teaching (imparting that knowledge to students as interpreters and practitioners of great ideas). They possess valuable knowledge that others have lost.

Furthermore, they know how to teach it with passion. Ouachita need not resort to edufacturing.

In contrast with competitors who artificially pumped up their enrollments by employing manufacturing methods and focusing solely on process over content, Ouachita is poised for success regardless of external conditions. This is an excellent and unique community in which to grow and learn.

Dr. Marshall Horton, chair of the Department of Business Administration and Regions Bank Professor of Economics and Finance, has taught in Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business since 2006. He earned Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas Wesleyan College.

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G R A D U AT E PROGRAMS extend reach, provide value and reinforce mission

by Monica Hardin

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hen I was a student at Ouachita in the 1990s, we often heard the phrase “lifelong learning.” In my undergraduate mind, this made sense in the context of ongoing spiritual growth and, vaguely, in connection to my chosen field of study, Latin American history.

Beyond that, the amount of lifelong learning my professional path would require wasn’t anything I could imagine. What I didn’t realize is that it became ingrained within an overall set of values that eventually became habits, both professional and personal.

I think a vague understanding of such a concept is probably something that hasn’t changed a great deal among traditional undergraduate students. They are mostly focused on their majors, with graduation as the immediate goal. What happens after that is somewhat of a mystery.

If we’re honest, most of us can admit that throughout adulthood, we regularly re-evaluate our professional situations to determine if what we are doing is still what we need to be doing.

We are regularly engaged in lifelong learning as we learn new software, raise children, adjust to new colleagues or a new boss or even move to a new city.

Since I returned to work at Ouachita in 2018, I was glad to see that we still talk about lifelong learning. We’ve rephrased it, though.

Now we talk about “ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth.” The wording has changed, but the concept remains consistent.

In the 20 years that I’ve been away from Ouachita, the world has changed dramatically. In my academic field, some scholars are arguing that the technological revolution of the last 50 years can effectively be compared to the Industrial Revolution in terms of its impact on the global economy. And the rate of change continues to accelerate. This, in turn, affects how higher education institutions must adapt to meet those changes.

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A clear illustration of this is the number of career changes that most people have. Recent estimates are that most people will change jobs or entire careers at least seven times in their lifetimes. This is no longer the anomaly, but the norm. That puts a traditional residential undergraduate campus in an interesting position. We must reinvent ourselves while holding firm to the values that make us who we are.

We are firm in our belief that an undergraduate, faith-based, liberal arts education is the foundation on which we base our academic mission. That foundation invigorates and guides our graduates to lives in which ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth is simply how they live. Yet, the reality of the professional world is constant evolution. Our graduates must be prepared to face the ongoing change that will inevitably be part of their lives.

At Ouachita, we have focused on providing the undergraduate foundation that will allow our alumni to have the skills to adapt.

We have done it exceedingly well. Now, we are expanding the reach of our mission as we launch new graduate and professional studies programs, becoming a source of ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth for both our alumni and other students who value what Ouachita has to offer.

Ouachita’s opportunity in this area is distinctive: we will offer exemplary academic programs at reasonable prices from a place where community is fostered through relationships with classmates and professors. We desire for others beyond the traditional undergraduate population to have the Ouachita experience, becoming part of our family. We have an opportunity through post-graduate programs to explore new and different modalities, fields and approaches, combining the very best of who we are with meeting the ongoing and changing needs of the work force. We all know that many of the careers and callings our children and grandchildren will follow are in areas that do not exist today.

V A LU E

We desire for others beyond the traditional undergraduate population to have the Ouachita experience, becoming part of our family.

COMING SOON

TO OUACHITA

A P P L I E D B E H A V I O R A N A LY S I S In the past year and a half, we have seen consistent affirmation of our efforts to reach into the area of graduate and professional studies. We have carefully developed processes for determining best fit programs for Ouachita. We have been approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics for pre-candidacy for a post-baccalaureate dietetic internship, which we expect to launch in Fall 2020. Additionally, we have been approved by Applied Behavior Analysis International to launch a Master of Science degree in applied behavior analysis starting in May 2020. Pending final accreditation from our regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, we anticipate launching these two new programs in the coming months.

We will also offer our first non-credit course option later this spring. Courses such as this one will showcase Ouachita’s commitment to our alumni and friends as a place of ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth for non-degree-seeking learners.

Our first course will be Financial Foundations, designed by Dr. Chris Brune, associate professor of finance and holder of the George Young Chair of Business. Designed particularly for the needs of young adults and families, this course will offer a practical, biblically-based perspective on key money management topics such as budgeting, insurance and planning for retirement.

As we move into this time of growth and change at Ouachita, we remain grateful for the support of alumni and former students. You are part of the fabric of Ouachita, and we seek to honor that legacy as we move forward.

Dr. Monica Hardin, associate vice president for graduate and professional studies, has served at Ouachita since 2018. A 1998 Ouachita graduate, she also earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University.

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE Low-residency: Online course work with 1-week on-campus intensive and in-person field experience with clinical partners 15 months to complete Accepting applications in March 2020* Launching May 2020* obu.edu/aba

DIETETIC INTERNSHIP P O S T- B AC C A L A U R E AT E C E R T I F I C AT E Arkadelphia-based: On-campus and online course work plus in-person practice hours with regional clinical partners 9 months to complete Accepting applications in summer 2020* Launching August 2020* Email Holly Kyzer for more information: kyzerh@obu.edu

F I N A N C I A L F O U N D AT I O N S NON-CREDIT Fully online 6 weeks to complete Email Dr. Chris Brune for more information: brunec@obu.edu * pending Higher Learning Commission approval WINTER 2020 | 9

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“DEVELOPING STUDENTS INTO SCIENTISTS”:

AR-CURE SETS A NE W STANDARD F OR SCIE NCE EDUCATI ON

by Rachel Moreno, editorial coordinator

T

he faculty in Ouachita’s Department of Biological Sciences are not only providing a valuable learning experience for students each day in Jones Science Center, they are setting a new standard for teaching science that is catching on across the nation.

Dr. Ruth Plymale and Dr. Nathan Reyna have developed a teaching strategy called Course-embedded Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) that increases the amount of hands-on research that undergraduate students conduct throughout their degree program.

“Traditional science labs are a series of weekly, observationtype of lab experiences, often referred to as ‘Cookbook Labs,’” said Reyna, assistant professor of biology at Ouachita. “We want to create labs that are true semester-long research experiences.”

Having gained success with this strategy as his students build and analyze synthetic genes in his research-based Genetics Laboratory course, Reyna pursued a four-year grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to formalize the dissemination of Ouachita’s CURE model to other institutions under the name Arkansas CourseEmbedded Undergraduate Research Experience (AR-CURE). Since 2016, AR-CURE has received $160,000 in grants.

AR-CURE is aligned with a national movement in science to incorporate more research into the undergraduate classroom, and instructors from other universities are taking note. In June of 2019, Ouachita hosted its third AR-CURE Synthetic Biology Workshop to share its innovative course-based research project

10 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

with institutions seeking to conduct semester-long undergraduate research. Thirty faculty members representing institutions in 17 states attended the workshop.

“The AR-CURE project gives faculty a model they can use to modify how they approach teaching science,” noted Reyna, who serves as co-director of AR-CURE along with Plymale, associate professor of biology at Ouachita and holder of the J.D. Patterson Chair of Biology.

The 2019 AR-CURE workshop, funded by NSF and the Arkansas Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (AR-EPSCoR), taught faculty participants the importance of coursebased research and shared how to conduct Ouachita’s synthetic biology project at their institutions. It also encouraged collaborators who had previously attended the workshop to share the challenges and triumphs of developing the project at their institutions.

“This workshop is unique in that Dr. Reyna is ‘teaching the teachers,’” said Dr. Tim Knight, dean of the Patterson School of Natural Sciences and professor of biology. “His workshop is set up to help other faculty at other institutions do what we are doing in our Department of Biological Sciences.”

One of Ouachita’s primary goals with the workshop, Plymale said, “is to empower faculty from small or resource-limited schools to conduct authentic research with their students.”

“Faculty apply to attend and are selected on various criteria, including if they are from a community college or minority-serving institution,” she said.

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photos by Tyler Rosenthal

According to Reyna, 11 institutions and almost 300 students participated in course-based research during the 2018-2019 academic year as a result of Ouachita’s 2018 AR-CURE workshop.

Reyna said he expects about half of this year’s 30 workshop attendees to use Ouachita’s synthetic biology project as their class CURE project, while the other half will use the model to create their own CURE project.

Having transitioned all of her Ouachita classes to a CURE-based curriculum, Plymale provided insight during the workshop about how faculty might adapt their own courses and projects to utilize CURE techniques.

“Course-based research extends the high-impact research experience to every student enrolled in a course, giving each student the opportunity to confront and overcome failure through working to solve a unique problem,” Plymale explained.

“In the biology department, we utilize course-based research at the freshman and junior and senior levels because we firmly believe that science is a necessarily repetitive process.

“Just like making one good cake does not mean that you are a baker, having one good independent research experience does not make the student a scientist,” she added. “The repeated research opportunities provided by course-based research are valuable in developing our students into scientists.”

Another highlight of Ouachita’s annual AR-CURE workshop is Ouachita students’ involvement. This year, Jake Edmondson, a 2019 biology graduate from Benton, Ark., and three Patterson

Summer Research Program senior biology students – Taylor Garner, a senior from Hensley, Ark.; Tiffany Koba, a senior from Benton, Ark.; and Cammie York, a senior from Glenwood, Ark. – helped facilitate the wet lab portion of the workshop.

“The guest faculty work through the student laboratory experience of creating a synthetic gene, and the students are invaluable as lab facilitators because they have completed the lab and can provide genuine insights into laboratory successes, struggles and lessons,” Plymale said.

Additionally, Reyna and Plymale have worked to make their AR-CURE teaching opportunities available to Arkansas high schools. The week of June 11, 2019, Reyna and Plymale hosted 10 high school biology teachers on campus for a bioinformatics high school outreach project they are developing; bioinformatics is the use of computers to analyze biological data. In the spring of both 2018 and 2019, they also helped their biology students host a “Genome Hack-a-Thon” DR. RUT H P LY MA LE bioinformatics workshop for high school students.

“Our model is to train our students and then let them train others through our science education outreach projects,” Reyna said. “The Genome Hack-a-Thon is a perfect example of this. On the day of the actual event, the students in our Bioinformatics class led the entire day’s activities.”

Since AR-CURE’s inauguration, “we continue to seek opportunities to broaden student participation in authentic science,” Plymale said.

JU ST L I KE M A K I N G O N E G O O D CA K E D O ES N O T M EA N T H A T Y OU A R E A B A K ER , H A VI N G O N E G OO D I N D EP EN D EN T R ESEA R CH E X P E R I EN CE D O ES N O T M A KE T H E ST U D EN T A SC I EN T I ST .

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ROARING INTO VIEW:

S P O RTS M E D I A ST U D E N TS G E T I N T H E GA M E W I T H O U A C H I TA S P O R T S D I G I TA L N E T W O R K

By Ashly Stracener

I

t’s the morning of the 2019 Battle of the Ravine football matchup, a tiebreaker year. A Henderson State win will force a shared Great American Conference (GAC) title; a Ouachita win will mean an outright championship for the Tigers, their third consecutive GAC title. ESPN is in the press box. A Sports Illustrated reporter is interviewing participants on both sides of the street.

Ouachita students are up early, prepping for a performance that will be seen by thousands, but these aren’t linebackers and defensive ends; they are budding journalists. A team of 15 communications majors are setting up for the “Roar Rundown Live,” their version of “College GameDay,” on the brand new Ouachita Sports Digital Network (OSDN).

The OSDN launched this year with the hire of Chris Babb, a 1999 Ouachita graduate, as instructor of communications and director of sports media productions and following a donor gift to purchase needed equipment. Beginning as primarily a broadcast project that livestreams Ouachita athletics events, the long-term goal is to build the OSDN into a full-fledged media operation with a website, written content, coverage of off-campus athletics and more.

But let’s back up.

As the world of communications constantly evolves, Ouachita’s Rogers Department of Communications recently redefined the mass communications major as “communications and media” to better reflect technological advancements in the field. It also added emphases to better prepare students for specific career paths: communication studies, integrated communications, multimedia journalism, sports media, strategic communications and visual media & film studies.

S PO RTS A R E N OT S O M ET H I N G A M E R I C A’ S G E T T I N G T I R E D O F. – DR. JEFF ROOT

There are more communications majors than ever at Ouachita, 130 students and growing. The addition of the OSDN was a response to particular growth and interest in the sports media emphasis and as a way to give students hands-on, immersive experience while still in school.

“The sports industry itself is continuing to grow,” said Dr. Jeff Root, dean of the School of Humanities and Huckabee School of Education. “Sports are not something America’s getting tired of.

As a result of that, we feel like our students are going to have an opportunity to work in the field.”

With the hire of Babb, a key donor gift and support of alumni in the field, the OSDN was born.

“We have more students involved because we’ve hired a faculty member in Chris Babb,” Root said. “He is taking us to a new level with an increased number of students who are interested in this emphasis and are getting involved outside of class in major ways.”

Babb has worked as Ouachita’s sports information director, as an athletics fundraiser in Ouachita’s Office of Development and as athletic director and communications director for Arkadelphia Public Schools.

“It’s personal to me because that’s where I got my start,” noted Babb. “And when this whole opportunity came, it was kind of full circle because I came in the fall of ’95 as a student from Cabot High who wanted to get into sports journalism, and now I’m able to lead and help students in that same position, 20-something years later.”

The outside support has been critical to getting the OSDN off the ground, Root said.

“The giant leap has been possible here because a donor has made it possible to buy the equipment necessary. That kind of support is tremendously important,” Root said. “We’ve also had a number of alumni involved because they’ve been working in the sports industry and they’ve come down to talk to our students about their lives and careers, and they’ve been very supportive and helpful.”

Ouachita students have jumped at the new opportunities. Even before the OSDN was formalized, two Ouachita communications students, Josh Salim and Tiffany Lee, worked with faculty members to create the “Roar Rundown” as a weekly campus sports show. Salim, now a senior, has been a part of the inaugural year of the OSDN. Lee graduated in 2019 and now serves as an on-air reporter for KFSM 5 News, the CBS affiliate in northwest Arkansas.

The OSDN has allowed students to gain even more experience through broadcasting more games than ever before. Salim counts that he’s been involved in more than 200 broadcasts in fewer than two years.

“The whole thing is the hands-on, practical experience,” Babb said.

“You have some majors that get experience doing research or performing; our experience is practical, hands-on learning – just doing it.

“The goal is to get students experience in producing, directing, shooting, being behind the mic, in front of the camera and all aspects of putting a production together,” he added.

“The students have really come through because they’re doing more than the classes tell them they have to do; they’re volunteering for it,” Root continued. “It’s a great testimony to how much they love the work that they’re doing and want to continue to do it and how well Chris had organized it.”

TUNE IN: livestream.com/obu @OSDNMedia

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@ouachita_sports_digital_ntwrk

For more information on OSDN, contact Chris Babb at babbc@obu.edu or 870-245-5207.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

JOURNALISM CONFERENCE The Rogers Department and OSDN will host a one-day sports journalism conference for high school students interested in sports media this spring. Participants will hear from sports media professionals from around the state and region on various aspects of the industry. Save the date and follow along on social media for more details.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 Keynote Speaker: Tim Brando

“The OSDN is something special,” said Salim, a Dallas native. “It allows for students to come in, even as freshmen, and automatically get an opportunity to have an experience that they’ve never had before. That’s the Ouachita difference compared to these big schools.”

“Even before the OSDN, if I said I wanted to do something, someone in the department would find something for me to work on,” said Caity Hatchett, a sophomore from Keithville, La. She has gravitated to the behind-the-scenes work of sports media, writing, directing and producing the broadcasts.

“It is amazing to be supported by a president and a university that says, ‘If you can think of something we could broadcast, let’s do it,’ and then throws its full support behind it,” said Luke Roberson, a junior from Plano, Texas, who plans to pursue a career in athletics administration and communications. “Through this experience, I am confident that when I step into the workplace, no matter how large the scale, I will be able to take the reins and step up as a leader to provide the best possible product.”

The breadth of skills and experience is something freshman Caroline Derby also said she values, saying, “Having this experience

V A LU E will allow me to be a versatile journalist. I feel prepared to go into the future with the experience I need to be able to do it all. On camera, filming, producing sound bites, doing live shots are just some of the skills the OSDN has provided me with.” Derby, an Arkadelphia native, plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism.

So how did that Battle of the Ravine broadcast go?

“We couldn’t have asked for it to be any better,” Salim said.

“We learned a lot in the process. Talking live for an hour is difficult.

It flies by, but all the same, we learned so much about ourselves and the program, and it was a big step forward. So that’s what we’re trying to do as we continually progress into the future.”

“This broadcast allowed us to get experience with live shots and creating packages, all for viewers,” added Derby, whose father serves as offensive coordinator for the Tiger football team. “I loved getting to share my love for the Battle of the Ravine.”

“It was exciting for them to be able to have success in something so new and challenging,” Babb said. “They had to learn on the fly, they had to monitor and adjust as we went, they had to learn how to be flexible, and I was really proud of them.”

After three days of intense work, more than 2,000 online views and a memorable story for future job interviews, the OSDN team came away with a win in November alongside the Tigers. And then they started planning their next broadcast.

Ashly Stracener is a senior from Cabot, Ark. She double majors in English and communications & media with an emphasis in strategic communications.

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Clothed with strength and dignity: OUA C HI TA C E L E B R AT E S 1 0 Y E A R S R E C O G N I Z I N G W O M E N O F CH ARACTER

By Rachel Moreno, editorial coordinator

M

ore striking than the elegant setting or carefully prepared meal were these words – spoken with a tone of admiration and, on several occasions, muffled by tears – recognizing three women at the 10th anniversary Stepping Up for Ouachita luncheon: “There is no way to edify my wife, Livia, in two minutes. I would measure what she’s meant to many by the friends who are here today.”

“Betty has dedicated her life to taking care of things that are important: her family, her church and her work.”

“Kathy’s preference, the way she lives life, is serving behindthe-scenes – quietly and unknown to anyone else.”

Introduced by their husbands, honorees Livia Dunklin, Betty Tollett and Kathy Whisenhunt were surrounded by a full room of friends, family and Ouachita alumni as they each were recognized.

Every year, the university’s Stepping Up for Ouachita luncheon honors an outstanding woman who has shown grace, leadership, integrity and faith.

The event, which has raised more – T ERRY P EEP LES than $680,000 for scholarships since the inaugural event in 2010, is a symbol of Ouachita’s ongoing commitment to the next generation of Ouachita women.

For the first time, Ouachita commended not one but three women, all who are outstanding Ouachita mothers. They were recognized for the special ways they have actively, but without seeking recognition, made a difference in the lives of those around them – in their homes, work and communities – and at Ouachita.

“These front tables are filled with husbands, daughters and sons and grandchildren who can tell us in words and ways, too many to count, how Betty, Kathy and Livia helped them, and changed them,” said Dr. Ben Sells, President of Ouachita.

“Betty, Kathy and Livia, unlike the previous recipients of this award, are not alumni of Ouachita,” he continued. “They did more than attend alumni reunions, travel to campus events or pay tuition, as important as that is. They began to identify with Ouachita, so much so that they wanted to offer their help to all Ouachita students, not just their family. Over time, they began to help, in ways that are visible and invisible, to make possible a Ouachita education for others. They’ve helped in untold and incalculable ways.”

In a series of videos, the families of Livia, Betty and Kathy identified the characteristics they admired most about them.

A L L O F TH ES E L A D IES A R E OU A C H I TA S U P E R MO MS .

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Livia Dunklin:

LOVING, COMPASSIONATE, DEVOTED Livia, who has supported her family’s business, Five Oaks Ducks Lodge, was praised by both her husband and daughter for being a person of presence.

“Livia was there through a really difficult time in my life,” said Livia’s husband, George. “At every meeting, every turn, every time we had an issue come up, she was there and offered advice and counsel.

“She’s a very driven person and successful person at anything she does,” he continued, “but she does it with grace and love and dignity.”

Lauren (Dunklin) Heird, a 2014 graduate who first introduced her parents to Ouachita, said of her mother, “She’ll drop anything in the world to be there for us, no matter what she’s doing or where she is.”

Having actively attended Ouachita football games and Homecoming celebrations in support of Lauren and their son-in-law, Brad (’15), George and Livia said they “fell in love with Ouachita.”

“I believe that the small campus Ouachita offers radiates a feeling of community and family,” Livia said. “When I go to Ouachita, it is like being home. Even for someone who didn’t attend, you are always very sorry to leave.”

Betty Tollett:

KIND, CLASSY, UNCONDITIONAL “I am proud that my two children, some of my grandchildren and a daughter-in-law attended Ouachita,” said Betty, who also was introduced to Ouachita through her children. “I feel the world needs a Ouachita. It is a bright light in this very dark world.”

Betty served many years as an elementary school teacher and also as a third grade Sunday School teacher at Cross Church in Fayetteville, Ark., where she also met her husband, Leland.

“Sometimes I see Betty coming across the room or sitting in a room, and I see that same classy, elegant young woman that I saw 59 years ago,” Leland said. “Our life together has been wonderful.”

Throughout her life, Betty has been known for her way with names, hospitality and service to others.

“I will run into people all the time, still today, who say, ‘Your mom is just one of the kindest people I’ve ever been around,’” said her son, Gary, a 1989 graduate who serves on the Ouachita President’s Advisory Council.

“She’s just unconditionally loving,” said Betty’s daughter, Terri (Tollett) Mardis, 1984 graduate and a member of Ouachita’s Board of Trustees.

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photos by Alex Blankenship

Kathy Whisenhunt: PATIENT, PEACEFUL, LOYAL

Kathy’s purpose is clear in everything she does, such as preparing meals for sick individuals, hosting showers for new brides and mothers, rocking babies at Arkansas Children’s Hospital or homeschooling her children.

“She simply does what Jesus said the basis of life is,” said her husband, Gene. “She loves God, and she loves people.”

While homeschooling their children, she taught them “to do things right – to treat people with respect, to always honor others, to serve and to give – but also responsibility, work ethic and that you reap what you sow,” Gene said.

Mary (Whisenhunt) Harrell, a 2013 graduate, said of her mom, “I value so much the way you’ve taken time to invest in us. Thanks for loving on our own kids so well. And, most importantly, thanks for pointing us to Christ all the time.”

Looking back on her children’s choice to attend Ouachita, Kathy said, “Ouachita provided a biblical worldview to guide and encourage my children as the Lord prepared them to go out into the world and make a difference for His kingdom.”

WOMEN OF CHARACTER “All of these ladies are committed wives, mothers and servants for the Kingdom,” said Terry Peeples, vice president for development at Ouachita. “They are all Ouachita super moms.”

Livia, Betty and Kathy follow nine Stepping Up honorees. What they all have in common, besides their deep love for Ouachita, is their personification of the Proverbs 31 woman: “Many women do noble things, but you – a woman of character – surpass them all.” It is not what they accomplish, but the character with which they live their lives. And that is lasting.

“Betty, Kathy and Livia, thank you. You follow a 133-year tradition of people stepping up for Ouachita,” Sells said, “and this mission has been sustained and strengthened precisely because of people like you.”

Former Stepping Up for Ouachita honorees: 2010: SHARON HEFLIN

2011: MARGARET WRIGHT 2012: MOLLY KIRCHER Livia Dunklin (center) and family

Kathy Whisenhunt (fourth from left) and family

2013: MARY SHAMBARGER 2014: SUSIE EVERETT 2015: BETTY OLIVER 2016: MARIANNE GOSSER 2017: MARY PAT COOK ANTHONY 2018: CATHRYN BERRYMAN

VISIT OBU. EDU/S UFO2 0 1 9 to see the videos presented at the event to honor Dunklin, WINTER 2020 Tollett and Whisenhunt.

Betty Tollett (fourth from left) and family

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H OM E CO M IN G

Homecoming 2019:

OUACHITA CELEBRATES RECORD RAISED BY TUNES, A FOOTBALL WIN AND PATTERSON CROWNED

photo by Danielle Sourber

O

uachita’s 2019 Homecoming festivities included a record amount raised by Tiger Tunes, Betsy Patterson crowned Homecoming Queen and another Tiger football victory.

In its 45th year of “students helping students,” the Ouachita Student Foundation (OSF) sold more than 8,000 tickets and raised a record $160,000 from 2019 Tiger Tunes performances, the 41st year for the event. More than 784 students participated and practiced a total of 43,120 hours before opening week.

Tiger Tunes 2019 winners include: Kappa Chi men’s social club, first place; EEE women’s social club, second place; Eta Alpha Omega men’s social club, third place and OSF Award; Campus Ministries, fourth place; and Chi Delta women’s social club, People’s Choice Award.

Jhonika Wright, a senior musical theatre major from Bowie, Md., received the Shelby Seabaugh Spirit of Tunes Award.

The 2019 Homecoming Court was recognized before kickoff at Cliff Harris Stadium.

Betsy Patterson, a senior secondary mathematics education major from Garland, Texas, was crowned the 2019 Homecoming Queen; she represented Campus Ministries. First runnerup was Addy Goodman, a senior mass communications and political science double major from Arkadelphia, Ark., who represented The Signal student newspaper. Two nominees tied for second runner-up: Maggie Donnell, a senior psychology and social justice studies double major from Rogers, Ark., and Jhonika Wright. Donnell represented Student Senate, and Wright represented Chi Delta women’s social club. Third runner-up was Selby Tucker, a senior accounting and political science double major from Hamburg, Ark., who represented the Ouachita Student Foundation.

The 2019 class of Alumni Milestone Award winners was recognized at halftime of the Homecoming football game. See p. 31 for full coverage of those recognized.

The Tiger football team made the most of turnovers to fuel a 27-14 Homecoming victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State, which contributed another exciting win to the Tigers’ undefeated regular season.

@jhonikaaaa

@emily.koonce

@montraywyatt116

16 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE photo by Hannah Smith

HO M EC O M IN G

photo by Danielle Sourber

@christinestreet12

@danidroste

photo by Danielle Sourber

@_heavenstobetsy

@harrison.d.shuffield

@scarlet_bates

@ouachitaalumni

@amykirbydds

@markdarr

photo by Hannah Smith

photo by Hannah Smith

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photo by Wesley Kluck

@katiecrousee

@mrskellystamps

photo by Danielle Sourber

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photo by Tyler Rosenthal

FA C U LT Y P RO V AFILE LU E

Allyson Phillips Chair, Department of Psychology

By Jon Merryman, director of alumni relations

D

r. Allyson Phillips began her studies in psychology assuming her path would lead her to counseling, but a professor encouraged her along the way to consider focusing on research. It was Ouachita’s empirical approach to studying psychology, research and observation-based learning that drew her to OBU. She now serves as assistant professor of psychology and chair of the Department of Psychology.

“Allyson encourages students to ‘take ownership of your insights!’ – a vision Allyson lives out daily,” said Dr. Randall Wight, dean of Ouachita’s Sutton School of Social Sciences.

Phillips earned her bachelor of arts degree from Colorado Christian University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Alabama. She has worked at Ouachita since 2014.

“I love teaching at Ouachita because my students want to be challenged,” Phillips said. “I talk with colleagues at other schools, and this just isn’t the case everywhere. Our students are learning things others only learn in graduate-level studies. They are invested, engaged and actively involved.”

The department is seeing its graduates secure jobs over other applicants because of the unique research and advanced statistics experiences at Ouachita. For Phillips, though, it’s not just about the numbers.

“What I enjoy most is not the caliber of our students but the relationships formed with them,” she said. “At Ouachita we care about students and their futures, not just what they are learning.”

Another passion for Phillips is autism, and her interest in that area has been an asset as Ouachita has prepared to add a graduate program in applied behavioral analysis (ABA), one of the leading treatment plans for autism. As a student, she participated in a summer service project at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), observing children in their autism clinic.

“I’ve always loved kids, and I’ve always rooted for the underdog,” Phillips said. “Seeing the needs of children with autism in my summer work at ACH inspired me to focus on autism research. My love of children and passion for research intersect at Ouachita as I lead students in research focused on children with autism.”

In a recent research project with Ouachita students, “we worked to increase facial emotion recognition in children with autism,” she said, using a free smart phone app, which she hopes will be “a helpful resource to families with children diagnosed with autism.”

Phillips also served on the subcommittee tasked with evaluating applied behavior analysis as a viable graduate program to launch at Ouachita as the university seeks to diversify educational offerings, one of the six strategic directions named in its strategic plan for 2018-2022. Phillips said she is excited about the program for many reasons.

“We have students graduating Ouachita every year going into this field having to either move across country for the program or join an online program, which may not prepare them adequately for ABA certification,” she said. “I think it’s fabulous that ours will be the first ABA program in the state.”

Phillips and her husband, Camaron, live in Benton, Ark., and have three children: a daughter, Jordyn (6), and two sons, James (4) and Calvin (7 months). They are members of South City Church in Little Rock, where they serve with the rEcess ministry that provides respite care to parents of children with special needs.

“Our students are learning things others only learn in graduate-level studies. They are invested, engaged and actively involved.”

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photo by Tyler Rosenthal

S T A FF P RO V AFILE LU E

James Richards Financial Aid Counselor

By Jon Merryman, director of alumni relations

A

s a first-generation college student himself, James Richards said that helping other firstgeneration students navigate paying for and getting settled into college was a perfect fit.

“I believe this job was sent from the Lord,” James shared. “I wasn’t looking for new opportunities when Karen and Brant Matros shared this opportunity with me. I love what I get to do every day now at Ouachita.”

If you were not a first-generation student, if your parents or other family members did attend college, you might not realize that the ins and outs of college life, even terminology, is not always obvious. Many students who are the first to attend college in their family – and their parents – are simply not aware of things like private scholarships, federal aid or work study. Some assume they have to find a way to pay for school all on their own, but Richards helps students and families navigate the sometimes overwhelming process.

“Many of the students and families I visit with don’t realize there are lots of things available to help pay for school,” Richards said. “I enjoy being able to help students understand how their dreams of attending college can become reality. Even things like federal aid paperwork can seem daunting at first, but just knowing there is someone to help make sure things are done right helps put students and families at ease.”

“James is a valuable member of the Student Financial Services team,” said Susan Hurst, associate vice president for student financial services. “He provides uncommon service to our families and is a man of faith who brings calm strength and assurance to those he encounters.”

In addition to Richards’ work with firstgeneration students, he also works with those eligible for veterans benefits, both military dependents and active-service military men and women. Providing dedicated support to students with these unique circumstances helps Ouachita meet the needs of students and families better.

“Visiting with students, learning from them, getting to know their stories and their backgrounds and finding out how I can help are the best parts of my job,” Richards shared.

About 30% of Ouachita’s student body fall under Richards’ areas of focus, first-generation students and military families. His extra attention to their unique circumstances – and serving as a connector to other key areas of campus – provides value to those students both in the college search process and throughout their time in the Ouachita community.

“I love that everybody at Ouachita works as one unit,” Richards said. “I know I can go to anyone on campus for answers to questions – from admissions counseling to the registrar or the alumni relations office – I know I’ll find people happy to help. Our campus is not divided; everyone is here to help every student succeed.”

Richards and his wife, Michelle, live in Arkadelphia and have two sons, Javion (13) and Kaiden (11). They are members of Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church, where James serves as a deacon.

He also is a member of the Arkadelphia Badger Foundation and led his son’s baseball team as head coach to the 2019 Cal Ripken 12U Major/60 World Series in Visalia, Calif.

“I enjoy being able to help students understand how their dreams of attending college can become reality.”

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AL UM N I P RO F ILE

Alice (Evans ’45) Brooks T E AC H E R L E AV E S $ 1 M I L L I O N G I F T

By Jon Merryman, director of alumni relations

A

lice Brooks is not the kind of person you would expect to leave behind a million-dollar estate gift.

A hardworking schoolteacher in rural Arkansas, the impression she left on her students was undeniable.

Thanks to her generous gift, her dedication to education will live on at Ouachita, as well.

“She was a great teacher, demanding and firm,” said C.A. Kuykendall, one of Brooks’ former students. “I was well-prepared for college because of her teaching.” Dr. Kuykendall is now a pharmacist and owns Village Pharmacy in Ozark, Ark., and Village Health Services in Fayetteville, Ark. Other of Brooks’ students went on to careers as electrical engineers, nuclear plant operators, dentists, attorneys, educators and even an artificial intelligence specialist at Amazon.com.

Seeking to expand the knowledge and worldviews of her students, many of whom had never left the state, Brooks led senior trips to Canada, Detroit, New York, St. Louis and Washington.

“Traveling and seeing places opened up the students’ horizons much more than reading about them in books,” Brooks said.

From humble beginnings herself, she was born Alice Evans in 1924 in Alix, Ark., a small community eight miles from Ozark.

Alice lost her mother when she was just 8 years old, and her aunt moved to Alix to help raise her. Her father worked long hours in the coal mines, and her brothers, 10 and 13 years older, were off to photo courtesy of Ozark High School the Army and to college.

Always a dedicated student, Alice graduated from high school in 1942 and earned a degree in chemistry from Ouachita in 1945. At Ouachita, she was on the Ouachitonian, Ripples and Signal staffs and was a member of the Home Economics Club and Phi Beta Chi. She began her teaching career close to home in Altus, Ark., before moving to Texas with her husband, Norman. In 1948, they moved back to Ozark, where she taught high school science, including her two favorite subjects, physics and chemistry, for 33 years. Brooks earned her master’s degree in natural science from the University of Arkansas in 1959.

Brooks’ husband, Norman, who sold cars, once said, “I go to work to earn a living. Alice goes to school to play!”

The Brookses never had children, but Alice said she considered all of her students her children. In 33 years, she never sent a student to the principal’s office, preferring to solve the problem herself. Her favorite quote, which hung on the wall of her classroom, said, “Teach not from the book, but from the heart.” In an Ozark High School yearbook dedicated to Mrs. Brooks, it said, “This teacher is indeed a friend.”

After Norman passed away in 1992, Alice continued to live in Ozark until her death on June 25, 2019. Her funeral was attended by many whose lives she touched, including several generations of former students. The service was officiated by two former students, Kuykendall and Lonnie Turner.

While Brooks let Ouachita know in the early 1990s that she had included Ouachita in her estate plans, the amount was unknown. This faithful alumna, teacher, mentor and friend who lived humbly left Ouachita $1 million for student scholarships.

“When I visited with Alice in her home, she talked about the influence of Ouachita faculty in shaping her life – something that happened 70 plus years ago,” said Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president. “I was also struck by her modest lifestyle and commitment to Biblical stewardship – one that will provide scholarships to generations of Ouachita students.”

22 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

A LU M N I P RO FILE

Flight 1420 Crash REUNION BRINGS SINGERS HOME

By Jon Merryman, director of alumni relations

I

t’s been 20 years since the Ouachita Singers, returning from a mission trip to Europe, crashed on the final leg of their trip in Little Rock on American Airlines Flight 1420. Survivors returned to Arkadelphia in June 2019 to mark the 20th anniversary of that night, June 1, 1999.

“The term ‘alma mater’ literally means nourishing mother,” said Ouachita President Ben Sells at the dinner opening the weekend’s events. “I hope this weekend will be nourishing and healing for each of you.”

Since the plane crashed, Ouachita faculty and staff have been caring for the group. From a retreat just one month after the crash to help students process and begin to heal to gatherings in the president’s home during the years that followed, the group continued to strengthen their bond. The university continued their care, even 20 years later, by hosting the June 2019 reunion, including a dinner on campus, photos in the Rachel Fuller and Ouachita Singers Memorial Amphitheater on campus and spending the anniversary day together at DeGray Lodge. The gathering was a time to share with each other through laughter and tears.

“Today I’m reminded that God’s strength is made perfect through weakness,” said survivor Tad Hardin (’99). “I didn’t always know what that meant. I didn’t always believe that people of faith were allowed to be broken. Twenty years after the crash, there’s still much more that I still don’t know. But I do know that I photo by Lori Motl am blessed beyond measure to be alive … to be a husband, father, teacher, mentor … and to belong to a family of fellow survivors who are lifelong friends. Reconnecting with them this weekend fed my soul and reminded me that while our scars represent pain and sorrow, they also tell our story, and stories need to be shared.”

Attending survivors shared testimonies of how God had worked in their lives since the crash, the joy of marriages and children and thankfulness for the support of other survivors helping them make it through the crash and the years after.

“If the only reason I’m still here is to be a dad, then that is more than enough for me and the greatest privilege of my life,” shared Luke Hollingsworth (’02). “It’s amazing to look at the picture of our group and then a picture with our families. That is truly a picture of the blessing of these past 20 years and a reminder of the influence and impact each of us has had on the world around us.”

While the weekend was filled with fun memories of the mission trip the group was on before crashing on their return, there were also deep discussions of living with post-traumatic stress, struggling to get back on a plane and wrestling with their faith. They also honored the memories of friends who didn’t survive, fellow classmate James Harrison and Rachel Fuller, daughter of Singers director and accompanist Drs. Charles and Cindy Fuller.

“I have wrestled with the hard questions of faith,” shared Misha (Perkins ’01) Parker. “Even then, God kept His promise, ‘I will neither leave you nor forsake you.’ And after wading through disappointments and struggles, there have been many seasons when I finally experienced the peace that passes understanding.”

“This weekend has given me the wonderful opportunity to ponder all the many blessings God brought my way,” said Natalie (Putnam ’02) Jaggers. “It has given me pause to praise Him for teaching me through the storms I’ve been blessed to walk, crawl and trudge through these past 20 years. I am thankful for the lives of each person who survived and those who died on flight 1420. I pray that their lives will continue to bring light and hope to this world.”

WINTER 2020 | 23

VAL UE

Cliff Harris (’70) MAKING FOOTBALL HISTORY

By Rex Nelson

W

hen former Ouachita football star Cliff Harris is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later this year, you can bet that he will be thinking about his late father, O.J. “Buddy” Harris.

Buddy Harris starred in football at Ouachita in the 1940s.

To understand what has driven Cliff Harris all of these years, one must first understand the story of his father.

It was announced on Jan. 15 that Cliff Harris, who played in five Super Bowls as a free safety for the Dallas Cowboys from 1970-79, will go into the Hall of Fame, pro football’s most prestigious honor.

Buddy Harris was a linebacker and center at Ouachita and went on to be a war hero during World War II, earning the P-38 Flying Cross after being shot down over the Pacific. By age 50, the elder Harris had lost most of his sight due to diabetes. By the time Cliff began playing for the Cowboys in 1970, his father was having a hard time finding him on the field. At home, he would turn down the sound on the television and listen to the radio broadcasts of Dallas games instead.

“Cliff didn’t think much about it back then,” Kevin Sherrington wrote in the Dallas Morning News. "He was too caught up making and keeping his position with the Cowboys. ... Cliff says he is who he is because of his father. He figures he still owes him.” artwork by Luke Roberson (’21) “My dad never flew again after the war,” Cliff said. “I played in five Super Bowls, and he never got to live his dream. I feel kind of guilty because I was so focused on myself all those years. I feel like I didn’t do him justice.”

Cliff’s mother, Margaret, graduated from Henderson but became Ouachita’s biggest fan once her son was a Tiger.

Cliff was born in Fayetteville, Ark., spent most of his formative years in Hot Springs and graduated from high school at Des Arc. He played multiple sports growing up but drew little interest from college recruiters after graduating from high school in the spring of 1966. Buddy Benson, who had become Ouachita’s head football coach in 1965, was urged by some of Buddy Harris’ former teammates to offer Cliff a scholarship. It was his only scholarship offer.

Cliff made a name for himself in Arkansas while playing for Ouachita in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference from 1966-69, but he was overlooked in the 1970 NFL draft. Gil Brandt, who headed the famous scouting operation for the Cowboys, was aware of the hard-hitting player from the small school in Arkadelphia. He signed Cliff as a free agent. A decade and five Super Bowls later, Cliff retired from football.

The previously unknown player from Ouachita earned a starting position as a rookie even though his first NFL season was interrupted by a tour of duty in the U.S. Army. Cliff wasted no time regaining his starting position following his military commitment. During the decade of the 1970s, Cliff changed the way the position of free safety was played in the NFL. He rarely left the field, often leading the team not only in interceptions but also in yardage on kickoff and punt returns.

24 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

V A LU E

In addition to playing in those five Super Bowls (the Cowboys won two of them), Cliff was named to the Pro Bowl six times and was named a first team All-NFL player for four consecutive seasons by both The Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers Association.

He was named to the Dallas Cowboys’ Silver Season All-Time Team, was selected by Sports Illustrated as the free safety on the magazine’s All-Time Dream Team, was given the NFL Alumni Legends Award and was the free safety of the All-Decade Team for the 1970s.

In 2004, Cliff was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor. A large contingent of Ouachita graduates were on hand at Texas Stadium that day for the induction ceremony. In 2013, the Little Rock Touchdown Club created the Cliff Harris Award, which is given annually to the best defensive player in small college football. And in 2014, Ouachita named its newly renovated football stadium Cliff Harris Stadium. Since the stadium opened, Ouachita has won four conference championships and has had three undefeated regular seasons with Cliff regularly in attendance at home games.

“Super Bowls and Pro Bowls say a great deal about his contributions to the game, but what many don’t know is the way he did it,” said Ouachita head coach Todd Knight, who also played for Benson in college. “Hard work and the values he learned in the Ouachita football program made him unique. Cliff is a great representative of the game of football.”

Through tenacity and a willingness to do whatever it took to succeed, Cliff overcame numerous obstacles in his football career to become one of the best defensive players in the history of the game. Now his name will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

“As a small college player myself at Ouachita, I always understood that recognition and respect for outstanding play was more difficult to attain,” Cliff said. “Because of this, I relied on perseverance and mental toughness.”

O.J. “Buddy” Harris – Ouachita graduate, college football star, war hero and an inspiration for all who knew him – wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Rex Nelson (’81) is senior editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and has served 37 seasons as the radio voice of Ouachita football.

WINTER 2020 | 25

SPO R TS U P DA T E

TIGER FOOTBALL TALLIES CONFERENCE AND STATE HONORS AFTER THIRD UNDEFEATED SEASON, NAMED PROGRAM OF THE DECADE BY GAC Following an outstanding 2019 season, the Tiger football program was named “Program of the Decade” by the Great American Conference (GAC). Additionally, 11 individual players were named to the GAC All-Decade Team, the highest representation of any institution in the conference.

“When I look back over the decade, all I think of is the dedicated coaches and student athletes that have developed a culture of success on and off the field,” said Head Coach Todd Knight. “We’ve been blessed in more ways than we can even count. I’m very thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to coach alongside a great group of coaches and student athletes. The program is a reflection of them.”

In 2019, Tiger football recorded its third undefeated regular season as well as its third back-to-back GAC championship and fourth NCAA playoff appearance. Knight was named GAC Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year. Individual players set GAC records and earned accolades from the conference as well as the Little Rock Touchdown Club.

“It was a fantastic season for the Tigers,” said Director of Athletics David Sharp. “Winning a third consecutive and undisputed GAC Championship reflects the culture Coach Knight has embraced along with the coaching staff and all of the team members.”

After capturing the GAC title with the win against University of Arkansas-Monticello on Nov. 9, the Tigers defeated the Henderson State University Reddies 24-21 in the Battle of the Ravine Nov. 16.

The Tigers fell only to the Lindenwood University Lions in the opening round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, held at Ouachita’s Cliff Harris Stadium on Nov. 23, bringing the Tigers’ 2019 season to an end with a final score of 41-38.

The team was awarded 18 All-GAC selections for 2019. First

Team selections included: Allie Freeman, wide receiver and return specialist; Brockton Brown, running back; Jacob Roberts, center; Cori Gooseberry, lineman; Anthony Chairez, lineman; Dameyun McDonald, defensive end; and Keandre Evans, cornerback. Second Team selections included: LaFoy Smith, defensive end; Shimorye Hampton, defensive tackle; and Jake Ford, punter (also earned an Honorable Mention). Other Honorable Mentions included: quarterback Brayden Brazeal, tight end Hunter Swoboda, defensive tackle Zach Curry, linebacker Austin Guymon, safety Jonathan Harris and kicker Gabe Goodman.

Freeman, a senior from Little Rock, Ark., also became the GAC all-time leader in receptions in a career and the first player in conference history to reach the 5,000-yard mark in all-purpose yards.

Brown, a senior from Sheridan, Ark., set a new GAC single-season rushing touchdown record with his 22nd rushing touchdown of 2019 during the Battle of the Ravine.

This was Knight’s third consecutive year and fifth time (also 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2018) in the nine-year history of the GAC to be named GAC Coach of the Year. Knight, who has coached 21 total seasons and 12 consecutive winning seasons of Tiger football, holds GAC records for total wins (76) and conference wins (72). This was the third time Knight has earned Regional Coach of the Year honors from the AFCA, representing Division II Region 4.

Ouachita also was the most recognized university in the state at the annual Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet. Gooseberry received the Willie Roaf Award for best college offensive lineman in the state; Brown received the Darren McFadden Award for best college running back in the state; and Allie Freeman was selected as Ouachita’s most valuable player.

TIG E RS ON TH E GAC ALL-DECADE TEAM PLAYER'S NAME

POS. YEARS

GAC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

KRIS OLIVER RB

CHRIS RYCRAW RB

2015-18 2018 2011-13

Four-time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team, Offensive Player of the Year Three-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team

JOHNATHAN POWELL TE ALLIE FREEMAN UTL

2012-15 2016-19

Three-Time All-GAC, 2015 First Team Four-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team

DREW HARRIS

UTL

2015-18

Three-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team

CORI GOOSEBERRY

OL

2016-19

Three-Time First Team

JUSTIN GOOSEBERRY OL AARON SPRINKLE OL KEANDRE EVANS CB COLE ANTLEY K 26 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE ETAUJ ALLEN RS

2016-18 2011-14 2015-19 2015-18 2012-14

Three-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team Three-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team Three-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team Four-Time All-GAC, 2018 First Team Three-Time All-GAC, Two-Time First Team photo by Hannah Smith

S P O RT S U P DA T E

VOLLEYBALL COMPLETES WINNING SEASON WITH MEMORABLE SENIOR NIGHT

photo by Levi Dade

WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS EARN ALL-GAC AND REGIONAL HONORS Women’s soccer ended their 2019 regular season 10-7-1, had seven Tigers named Great American Conference (GAC) AllConference team and saw both offensive and defensive players recognized by NCAA Division II for their accomplishments on-field.

“It was a good season for the ladies,” said Head Coach Kevin Wright. “We finished 2nd in the regular season behind strong performances from a mixture of returners and newcomers. I couldn’t be more excited about the next few years as we return the majority of this group. I was very proud of the girls and their effort in the fall.”

Ouachita Tigers Jaymee Dotson, Ashlyn Heckman and Carmen Scott were selected for GAC All-Conference First Team; Erica Gaddie, Gracen Turner and Erin Webster were selected for Second Team; and Josilyn Kispert received Honorable Mention honors.

Carmen Scott, a junior defender from Garland, Texas, was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Year and selected for the 2019 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) Women’s Soccer All-Central Region First Team. Additionally, she was named to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA DII Women’s All-Central Region Second Team, along with Jaymee Dotson and Erin Webster.

Dotson, a sophomore midfielder from Princeton, Texas, posted seven goals and one assist for the season. Webster, a senior goalkeeper from Alvin, Texas, ended her career as a Tiger with 68 games starting in goal. In the 2019 season, she had a total 100 saves as goalkeeper and allowed only 18 goals.

Ashlyn Heckman, a junior midfielder from Frisco, Texas, was named to the CCA All-Central Region Third team. She scored eight goals and recorded three assists on the season.

Tiger volleyball finished the 2019 season strong with an exciting senior night matchup, an appearance in the Great American Conference (GAC) Tournament and several individual player recognitions by the GAC. Their overall record was 14-13.

Senior night was an instant classic for the Tigers as they won their third straight fifth-set match against University of ArkansasMonticello. Hitter Katie Camp, a senior from Plano, Texas, recorded a career-high 24 kills. Setters Temi Fayiga, a freshman from Frisco, Texas, and Joni Schneider, a freshman from Garland, Texas, racked up assists and digs; Fayiga put in 29 assists and 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season, and Schneider accumulated 24 assists and 14 digs for her 10th double-double. Libero Lexie Castillow, a sophomore from Greenwood, Ark., was lights out on defense and recorded a career-high 39 digs.

While the Tigers suffered a 3-1 loss in the first round of the GAC tournament on Nov. 21, Camp tallied her 1,000th kill in her last match as a Tiger and kept the Tigers in the game with a total of 16 kills and 17 digs. Castillow led the Tigers defensively with 35 digs, making plays all over the court, and setters Fayiga and Schneider combined for 51 digs on 60 kills.

Five Tiger volleyball players were recognized by the GAC for the 2019 season. Lexie Castillow was named All-GAC Second Team; Katie Camp and Julianna Mack were named Elite Scholar Athletes; and Shannon Hogan and Temi Fayiga were recognized as Distinguished Scholar Athletes.

“I am very proud of our 2019 season,” said Head Coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer. “We had great senior leadership and every underclassman stepped up and was successful in her role.

Katie Camp met her goal of 1,000 kills, and she and Tabatha Huckabee will leave this program better than when they came in.

We’re looking forward to the bright future all our Tigers and our volleyball program have.”

photo by Wesley Kluck

WINTER 2020 | 27

CLASS NOTES connecting the circle

1970s Retired Col. Edwin L. (Eddie) Buffington (’70) was inducted into the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Hall of Fame at Fort Lee, Va. He retired from the Army in 2002 after 32 years of service and retired from federal civil service in support of the military in 2015. He and his wife of 49 years, Kay (Fisher ’69), live in Little Rock, Ark. Lt. Col. Arnold David Harrington (’71) of Little Rock, Ark, was inducted into the Arkansas Veterans Hall of Fame in November 2019.

Debbie (Jones ’78) Johnson released her latest book, The Journey: A Traveling Companion Through the New Testament, a collection of 300 entries covering Matthew through Revelation.

Joey Morin (’79) retired after 34 years of teaching in New Mexico. He and his wife, Lee, plan on traveling and enjoying time with family.

1980s Barry Bates (’82) was selected by his peers as Teacher of the Year for Marion Visual and Performing Arts Magnet. As music specialist, he leads the 60-voice select choir, a school-wide Christmas musical and two spring musicals.

Melody (Mosley ’82) Morris is employed by Marriage Dynamics Institute, where she serves as a consultant for the “A New Beginning” workshop for marriages in crisis. She is completing a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Williamson College in Franklin, Tenn. Melody and her husband, Ken, have been married for 34 years. They have five young adult children.

28 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

Cindy (Hubby ’83) Klatt was named vice president of Kemmons Wilson Insurance Group in Memphis. Having previously served as chief operations officer, her career in the insurance industry spans 35 years.

Jim Yates (’83) serves as dean of arts and sciences at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado, Ark. He previously served as professor and chair of the English department at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla., and vice president of academic affairs at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Okla.

Keith Wheeler (’84) has carried a 12-foot, wooden cross on foot over 25,000 miles in more than 180 different nations on all seven continents, a ministry he began on Good Friday of 1985. In addition to sharing the message of God’s love with the people along the way, he speaks at churches, schools and conferences about his journey.

1990s Jana (Allcock ’91) Liebermann has become the health sciences librarian for Centra Health in Lynchburg, Va., after 15 years with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C. Tony Christensen (’93) is pursuing a Master of Theological Studies degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Bryan Bolton (’94) earned a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree in Christian worship from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2019. As director of his church choir, he and 18 members of the choir performed in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in Nov. 2019. They joined choirs from across the nation to perform “Sing Christmas,” a new composition by Mary McDonald and Joel Raney.

Amanda (Coon ’94) Karber has been named the Bank Secrecy Act fraud analyst for Southern Bancorp Bank. Karber previously served as secretary to the bank’s board.

Andrew Bagley (’97), along with with local Helena businessman Chuck Davis, purchased The Helena World from Gatehouse Media of New York. Bagley will serve as publisher while continuing to teach at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.

Liz (Smith ’98) Evan graduated from Belmont Law School in May 2019 and passed the Tennessee Bar in July 2019. She currently is a judicial law clerk for Judge Robert L. Holloway Jr. on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

Dr. Brent Baskin (’99), has been named chair of the Department of Christian Studies at Shorter University in Rome, Ga. He also serves as associate professor of Christian studies and youth ministry, and his wife, Melissa (Ross ’99), serves at Shorter as assistant professor of communication studies.

2000s Steven Lewis (’00) is in his seventh year of teaching. He currently teaches A.P. U.S. History at White Hall High School and is pursuing a master’s degree in history from the University of Louisiana Monroe.

Brian (’00*) and Kristi (Driggers ’00) Womack, live in Saint Charles, Ark., and operate High Plains Waterfowl, a seasonal men’s ministry centered around duck hunting, and Brian is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Marvell, Ark. They have four children, Avery, Drake, Wyatt and Emory.

C LA S S N O T ES Justin Eisele (’01) lives in northern Virginia and works as an attorney for the Seddiq Law Firm, handling federal and state criminal defense cases, immigration matters and civil rights litigation. He is a member of the Capital Area Muslim Bar Association and does pro bono legal work on various immigration matters.

Hall Reynolds (’03) works as a senior accountant with T-Mobile corporate in Washington state. He has three children: Everett, Adelaide and Salem.

Marie (Bryant ’04) Keene received her Certified Insurance Service Representative designation. She serves as the personal lines customer service manager at Summit Insurance Group in Hot Springs, Ark. Dr. Kyle Thomas (’05) now serves as assistant professor and coordinator of the B.A./B.S. Theatre Program at Missouri State University.

He previously directed and taught theatre at the University of Indianapolis. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in theatre from the University of Illinois in 2018 and 2012, respectively.

Lee (’06*) and Julie (Bradley ’04) Shepherd have relocated to the Jonesboro, Ark., area after 11 years of service in Istanbul, Turkey.

Lee is working as a lead operator at Precision Digital Printing while Julie homeschools their four children: Anastasia (8), Jack (7), Titus (4) and Luke (2). They continue to be involved with their church overseas and to encourage others to pursue ministry in Turkey.

Dr. Josh Richards (’07) married Savanna Schlote of Mountain Home, Ark., at Mounts Botanical Gardens in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 1, 2019. The couple resides in Bismarck, N.D., where Josh teaches English and speech at the University of Mary.

Jessica Harris (’08) married Danny Russell on May 18 at Ouachita’s Berry Chapel. They reside in Maumelle, Ark. Michael Truss (’08) earned his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary in December 2018.

Michael lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Elizabeth (Sturm ’09), and daughter, Lillian.

He serves as associate pastor at Millwood Baptist Church.

OUACHITONIANS AMONG “ARKANSAS 250”

O

uachita President Dr. Ben Sells and 13 alumni were selected for inclusion in the 2019 edition of “Arkansas 250: Arkansas’ Most Influential Leaders.” The list, published as a supplement to Arkansas Business on Nov. 4, highlights leaders from across 10 sections of industry, such as Education & Health Care, Banking & Finance and Government & Policy. “‘Arkansas 250’ is intended to be a mix of household names, rising stars and those who prefer their influence and accomplishments to remain behind the scenes,” said Chris Bahn in the issue’s welcome letter. Bahn serves as publisher of business special publications for Arkansas Business Publishing Group. “It is

important to us that this list includes people actively plotting the course of our state.”

Ouachita alumni featured on the list include: Mitch Bettis (’90), Nicholas A. Brown (’81), Mike Carroll (’77), Kevin Crass (’81), Joyce Elliott (’81), Fitz Hill (’87), Denver Peacock (’94), Kendra Pruitt (’10), Lyn (Peeples) Pruitt ('80), Rhonda (Saunders) Sanders (’83), Bob Sexton (’93), Matthew Shepherd (’98) and Gene Whisenhunt (’83).

“I’m honored to be included in this distinguished collection of leaders in our state,” Sells said. “I am especially proud of these Ouachita alumni who represent our university well with their exceptional leadership and service in many fields.”

2010s

Logan Kuhn (’15) earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis on May 24, 2019. His wife, Rebekah (Raine ’15), is a preschool teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy.

Tori (Abellera ’14) Gay was promoted to creative and trade marketing manager at Farmhouse Culture in Chicago.

Meg Hart (’14) married Michael Gullotta of Gold Coast, Australia, on April 19. Meg and Michael live in Little Rock, Ark., where Meg works as an assurance manager at PwC. Trey Lynch (’14) married Amy Bell on June 15 at Fellowship Bible Church in Conway, Ark. They reside in Conway, where Trey is the boys and girls basketball coach at Conway Christian Schools, and Amy is a registered dietitian with Baptist Health in Little Rock and a certified personal trainer with Conway Regional.

Chloe Huff (’15) married Sam Chao at Woodinville Lavender in Redmond, Wash., on June 8, 2019.

They reside in Seattle.

Kaitlyn Clark (’16) married Jeremy Sisk on July 20, 2019, in Monroe, La. Beth Anne Caery (’16) married Banks Peterson on Aug. 18, 2018. They live in Little Rock, Ark., where Banks is a resident physician at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Beth Anne is a speechlanguage pathologist for Pediatrics Plus in Conway, Ark. Jocelyn Ho (’16) married Ryan Hadaway on June 29, 2019, at First Baptist Church of Texarkana. They live in Texarkana, Ark., where she is a middle school math teacher at Texas Middle School and he is an assistant band director at Arkansas High School.

Jacob May (’16) married Emily Long (’17) on March 30, 2019, in Springdale, Ark. They live in Fayetteville, Ark., where Jacob works for a Walmart supplier and Emily is an auditor for Tyson Foods and is pursuing a master’s degree in business through Arkansas State University.

WINTER 2020 | 29

C L ASS N O T ES

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATE JOHNSON RECEIVES $75,000 CANCER RESEARCH GRANT

HICKS AUTHORS “GERMANY” CHAPTER IN COLD WAR HANDBOOK

Dr. Blake Johnson, assistant professor of biology, was awarded a $75,000 grant from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Arkansas Breast Cancer Research Program (ABCRP) to support his project “Identification and functional characterization of exosome-derived GPI anchored proteins in breast cancer.” The goal of Johnson’s research is to discover new and less-invasive methods to detect breast cancer earlier and to monitor the disease’s progression during treatment instead of relying on intrusive surgery for testing.

Dr. Bethany Hicks, associate professor of history, authored a chapter essay titled “Germany” in the book East Central European Migrations During the Cold War: A Handbook, published in May 2019. The volume is a compilation of essays written by historians, sociologists and political scientists from eight countries. She also spent a recent sabbatical serving as a visiting associate professor of history at the University of Gdansk in Poland.

CARVAJAL-VILLAMAR PRESENTS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Dr. Jerusa Carvajal-Villamar, assistant professor of Spanish, presented a paper at the biennial meeting of the Society for Amazonian & Andean Studies (SAAS) in October 2019 at the University of Alabama. She presented “A Portrait of the Amazons in a Play of AmericanTheme in the Spanish Golden Age,” which analyzed Amazonas en las Indias, a 17th century Incan comedy by Tirso de Molina.

Carvajal-Villamar focused on the justification of conquest and highlighted how Spanish Golden Age literature about America is interconnected with the diverse fields that study both the Amazonian and Andean regions.

FAYARD WRITES ON PERSONALITY FOR “PSYCHOLOGY TODAY” Dr. Jennifer Fayard, assistant professor of psychology, is an official blogger for Psychology Today, hosting a blog called “People Are Strange” on personality and social psychology. Additionally, she wrote an article on personality tests, “False Portraits,” that was published in the January print issue of the magazine.

30 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

MERRYMAN APPOINTED CCCU ALUMNI AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER Jon Merryman, director of alumni relations and the Ouachita Student Foundation, recently was appointed as a commissioner to the Alumni Affairs Directors Group with the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).

Merryman is one of seven directors from the U.S. and Canada appointed to the group. He will serve a three-year term as a volunteer to advise the CCCU president and staff in alumni relations, as well as organize the annual Advancement, Alumni Affairs, Communications and Enrollment Conference.

UTTER SELECTED TO ATTEND COMPETITIVE SEMINAR ON VOCATION Dr. Ben Utter, assistant professor of English, represented Ouachita faculty at the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education’s (NetVUE) “Teaching Vocational Exploration” seminar held summer of 2019 in Chicago. Utter was one of 22 faculty members from around the country selected to attend. An initiative of the Council of Independent Colleges , NetVUE is a nationwide network of colleges and universities that seeks to catalyze the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students.

Jordan Sharp (’16) married Jessica Shell (’19) on July 12, 2019. They reside in Springdale, Ark., where Jordan attends the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas and Jessica is a category analyst for Reynolds Consumer Products.

Eric Bentley (’17) married Kaylie Roberts (’18) on Nov. 17, 2018, in North Little Rock, Ark. Eric is a youth pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church in Cabot, Ark., and the director of the mobile program at the Arkansas Dream Center. Kaylie is pursuing a nursing degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Ryan Hammer (’17) married Kelsie Adcock (’17) on Dec. 29, 2018, in Monticello, Ark. They reside in Lewisville, Texas. Ryan is a financial advisor with AXA Advisors. Kelsie recently earned a master's degree from Baylor University and works as a pediatric speech-language pathologist.

Evan Wheatley (’17) married Margaret Geoffrion (’17) on June 9, 2018, in Hot Springs, Ark. Evan is the communications representative for Lockheed Martin - Camden Operations, while Margaret is the worship director for Oasis Church Camden.

Matt Savage (’18) married McKenzie Gosser (’19) on Oct. 13, 2019. They reside in Little Rock, Ark., where Matt is a medical student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and McKenzie is the internal marketing and communications manager at Baldwin & Shell Construction.

Haley Whitworth (’18) married Avery Shoebridge on May 26, 2018, in Sheridan, Ark. Haley teaches social studies at Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, Ark., and Avery is an agent for Farmers Insurance in Sheridan.

C LA S S N O T ES

OUACHITA NAMES 2019 ALUMNI MILESTONE AWARD RECIPIENTS

The 2019 Alumni Milestone Award honorees were recognized at the Homecoming football game and include (from left): Laura Cox, Dr. Sarah Beth (Milam) Harrington, Brad Sullivan, Dr. Jim Spann and Mauricio Vargas. They are joined by Ouachita President Ben Sells, far right. Photo by Wesley Kluck.

O

uachita recognized five outstanding alumni in the 10th class of Ouachita Alumni Milestone Award recipients at its Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 5: Mauricio Vargas (’69), Dr. Jim Spann (’79), Brad Sullivan (’89), Dr. Sarah Beth Harrington (’99) and Laura Cox (’09).

Honored for their professional achievements, community service and dedication to their alma mater, they were selected by a committee of faculty and staff to represent their respective classes during the Homecoming festivities.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ouachita with a major in Spanish in 1969, Mauricio Vargas moved with his wife, Carolyn, to New Orleans, La., to attend New Orleans Theological Seminary. Vargas served through the New Orleans Seaman’s Mission and was integral in starting Hispanic missions at local churches. Vargas later moved to North Carolina, where he served with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board) and spread the gospel to Hispanics in North Carolina. Later serving 20 years with the Missouri Baptist Convention, Vargas was the recipient of the “Hispanic Church Planting Lifetime Achievement

Award” from the Home Mission Board Language Department and the “Hispanic Heritage Award” from Missouri’s Office of Administration. He and his wife have four children and six grandchildren, and he currently serves as pastor of Enon Baptist Church in Russellville, Mo. A child of missionaries and a second generation Ouachitonian, Dr. Jim Spann earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and physics from Ouachita in 1979, followed by a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Arkansas. In 1986, Spann joined NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., where he spent more than 30 years. He now leads the space weather-related research for NASA’s Heliophysics Division in Washington D.C. He has two children and three grandchildren.

After graduating from Ouachita in 1989, Brad Sullivan earned his master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Arkansas. He has served in various roles in the field of education over the past 29 years, from teacher to his current position as superintendent of the South Pike County School District. Sullivan and his wife, Jill, married while students at Ouachita and had two daughters, Bethany, who is now 24 years old, and Hannah, who passed away at the age

of 17 after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

As a result of their experience with Hannah, they co-founded a nonprofit ministry called While We’re Waiting.

After graduating from Ouachita with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry in 1999, Dr. Sarah Beth (Milam) Harrington earned an M.D. from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine in 2003. After serving as faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., she moved back to Little Rock, where she currently serves as the director of the Palliative Medicine Division at UAMS and chief of palliative care at the VA. She and her husband, Brooks (’00), have two sons, Cole and Patrick.

Laura Cox graduated from Ouachita in 2009 with a major in English. She went on to teach English in Kosovo through the International Mission Board and then earned a Master of Arts degree in English language and literature from the University of Arkansas.

After teaching for a few more years in Germany and then California, Cox earned a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School. Returning to Arkansas, Cox clerked for Hon. Bobby E. Shepherd (’73). She currently practices law as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in Washington D.C. WINTER 2020 | 31

C L ASS N O T ES

FUTURE TIGERS 1990s Kevin Taylor (’97) and his wife, Regina, welcomed son Karson Stanley on Jan. 26, 2018.

He joins siblings Nicholas, Chloe and Liam.

2000s Katie (Kirkpatrick ’01) Choate and her husband, David, welcomed son Sutton James on Feb. 5, 2019.

Larissa (Arnault ’02) Roach and her husband, Nate, welcomed son Ozark Nathan.

Tad Moore (’03) and his wife, Anna, welcomed daughter Heidi Joy on May 2, 2019. They live in Hot Springs, Ark.

Whitney (Martin ’08) Jones and her husband, David, welcomed son David Charles on Aug. 8, 2019. He joins sister LillyAnne (3).

Dustin (’07) and Stacy (Callas ’07) Roberts welcomed son Miles in September 2019, joining brother Oliver.

Nick (’08) and Katie (Crow ’10) McGlone welcomed son Keeton Lee on Oct. 27, 2018.

He joins brother Grayson (5).

Alicia (Whitaker ’08) Harrison and her husband, Zac, welcomed daughter Olivia on Jan. 26, 2019. They live in St. Louis, Mo.

Do you have a Class Note?

SUBMIT TO ALUMNI@OBU.EDU OR AT OBU.EDU/ALUMNI/CLASSNOTES

FACULTY, STAFF HONORED FOR COMBINED 655 YEARS OF SERVICE

D

uring Ouachita’s annual Faculty/ Staff Banquet in August 2019, 33 faculty and staff members were honored for a combined total of 655 years of service to the university. Dr. Mike Reynolds, professor of kinesiology and leisure studies and coordinator of outdoor education, and Alton “Sam” Walton, facilities management, were both recognized for 35 years of service.

“To faculty and staff, and to family members, thank you for your calling to be here,” said Ouachita President Ben Sells. “Thank you for what you do. It truly does matter.”

In addition to Reynolds and Walton, 31 other faculty and staff members were honored for service milestones including: 30 Years: Dr. Scott Duvall, J.C. and Mae Fuller Professor of Biblical Studies; John Hardman, director of facilities management; and Dr. Tim Knight, dean of the Patterson School of Natural Sciences and professor of biology.

25 Years: Dr. Joe Bradshaw, W.D. and Alice Burch Professor of Chemistry & PreMedical Studies; Dr. Kevin Brennan, professor of political science; Kathy Green, payroll and 32 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

fringe benefits specialist; Brenda Philson, director of TRIO Programs and Educational Talent Search; Dr. Jon Secrest, Addie Mae Maddox Professor of Music; and June Whitley, print shop administrative assistant.

20 Years: Tammy Barnes, office manager for the Office of Student Life; Gwen Crangle, office manager for Facilities Management; Dr. Terry DeWitt, professor of kinesiology & leisure studies; Patty Jones, student accounts for Student Financial Services; Dr. Rebecca Jones, associate professor of communications; Chester Mitchell, facilities management; Randall Quillin, assistant director of facilities management; Margaret Reed, professor and periodicals/electronic resources librarian; Donna Reynolds, director of Foster Grandparents Program; and Kristi Smith, associate professor and head of circulation/ reference in the library.

15 Years: Susan Atkinson, registrar and director of admissions; Dr. Gary Gerber, dean of the School of Fine Arts, professor of music and director of choral activities; Elaine Minton, administrative assistant for the Patterson School of Natural Sciences; Ruth Kemp,

Dr. Mike Reynolds (pictured) and Alton “Sam” Walton were recognized for 35 years of service to Ouachita.

Photo by Justin Trostle.

facilities management; and Corrie White, facilities management.

10 Years: Dr. Chris Brune, associate professor of finance and holder of the George Young Chair of Business; Dr. Kathy Collins, associate professor of education; Dr. Sara Hubbard, associate professor of chemistry and holder of Nell I. Mondy Chair of Chemistry; Dr. Ryan Lewis, associate professor of music; Tamara May, facilities management; Lori Motl, director of admissions counseling; and Dr. Ruth Plymale, associate professor of biology and holder of J.D. Patterson Chair of Biology.

C LA S S N O T ES René (’08) and Brooke (Showalter ’08) Zimny welcomed son Kurt Alexander on July 2, 2019. He joins brother Walker (4). René serves as assistant professor of visual arts at Ouachita, and Brooke serves as assistant to the president for communications and marketing.

B.J. (’09) and Ashley (Hall ’07) Eason III welcomed son Levi Ellis on Jan. 28, 2019.

Blake (’09) and Lindsay (Hollingsworth ’10) Lockwood welcomed daughter Anna Kaye on March 13, 2019.

She joins brother Matthew (3). The Lockwoods recently moved to Fayetteville, Ark., where Blake serves as a medical oncologist with Highlands Oncology Group.

Klayton (’09) and Megan (Tucker ’10) Seyler welcomed Everett Nathan on Sept. 5, 2019. He joins sister Lucy Joy (3). The Seylers also have a daughter in heaven, Madelyn Jane, who was born in 2015.

Klayton now serves as lead worship pastor at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills in Rogers, Ark.

2010s David (’10) and Brittany (Luper ’10) Armstrong welcomed daughter Audrey Day on Aug. 8, 2019. She joins brother Liam (3).

Josh Raine (’10) and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed son Levi Joshua on Jan. 23, 2018.

Rebecca (Atkinson ’13) Smith and her husband, Justin, welcomed son Shepherd Christopher on July 10, 2018.

Kelly (Magee ’11) Cates and her husband, Zach, welcomed son Jackson David on July 16, 2019. He joins sister Sutton.

Tyler Faught (’15) and his wife, Allison, welcomed daughter Lucy Kate on Dec. 31, 2018. They live in Silsbee, Texas, where Tyler is an insurance agent for State Farm and Allison teaches first grade for Silsbee Independent School District.

Ian (’11) and Cara (Tyhurst ’11) Deetz welcomed daughter Lucy on June 6, 2019. She joins brother Ivan.

Mark (’11) and Katie (Willhite ’11) Morrison welcomed daughter Whitley Jane.

Luke (’15) and Hailee (Bezet ’15) Fruchey welcomed daughter Ivy on Sept. 30, 2019.

Hayden (’17) and Jessica (Compton ’16) Thornton welcomed son Case Brian on Sept. 14, 2019.

Faculty Landon (’13) and Sarah (Bell ’11) Flax welcomed daughter Palmer Bell on May 22, 2019.

Emily (Treadway ’13) McLarty and her husband, Kyle, welcomed daughter Lyla Brooke on Jan. 30, 2019. She joins brother Elliot.

Dr. Allyson Phillips, assistant professor of psychology and chair of Ouachita’s Department of Psychology, and her husband, Camaron, welcomed son Calvin Joseph on June 14, 2019. He joins sister Jordyn (6) and brother James (4).

Jennifer Pittman, lecturer in English and director of the Speer Writing Center, and her husband, Matt, welcomed son Andrew Keegan on March 30, 2019.

WINTER 2020 | 33

C L ASS N O T ES

IN MEMORIAM We remember the following alumni and former students who recently passed away, listed with their class years and dates of death.

1930s James H. Ramay (’39) • March 15, 2019

1940s R. Rodney Ryan (’41*) • Aug. 22, 2019 Sarah Beth (Henderson) Harp (’42) • Sept. 8, 2019 Alice W. (Evans ’45) Brooks • June 25, 2019 Martha P. Carozza (’46) • May 28, 2019 Marcine (Swaim ’46) Floyd • May 15, 2019 Margaret S. Williams (’46) • Aug. 4, 2019 Betty Jo (Hicks ’47) Clay • Feb. 11, 2019 Betty Jo (Oliver ’47) Grant, who served 18 years as first lady of Ouachita, died Sept. 7, 2019, at age 92. In honor of her service to Ouachita, Mrs. Grant had been recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Purple & Gold Heart Award.

Additionally, the Daniel and Betty Jo Grant Center for International Education was named in the Grants’ honor. The American Mothers, Inc., Arkansas Association named her Arkansas Mother of the Year in 2002. Among her many contributions outside of the university, she taught English language classes in Bangkok, Thailand; was an active member of First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia, singing in the choir and leading women’s and missions support ministries; and assisted in the development of the Consortium for Global Education.

She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Dr. Daniel R. Grant, Sr., (’45) president emeritus of Ouachita; two daughters, Carolyn Walton and Shirley (Grant ’74) Hardin; one son, Daniel Ross Grant, Jr. (’77); five grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

34 | THE OUACHITA CIRCLE

Martha (Mosley ’47) McHaney • July 12, 2019

Mary K. Wright (’53) • July 27, 2019

Rev. Ralph E. Branum (’49) • May 10, 2019

Dr. Joe C. Wright (’54) • May 20, 2019

Vita J. (Roberts ’49) Hankins • Nov. 7, 2019

Mary A. (Taylor ’55) Davis • Sept. 23, 2019

Henri Etta (Proctor ’49*) Kilgore • June 4, 2019

Rosa Charlene Lincoln-Robertson (’56) • Dec. 10, 2019

Lola M. Kumpe (’49*) • Aug. 1, 2019

Harrell Dean Stark, Sr. (’56) • Dec. 8, 2019

Charles K. “Sandy” Sandifer (’49), former chair of the biology department, died Aug. 20, 2019.

He served 34 years at Ouachita. A deacon at First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia, Sandifer also served on the school board, water utilities board and Red River Baptist Association Disaster Relief team and had a special passion for supporting first responders and utility workers. He is survived by his wife, Lucille Kesner Sandifer; son Randy Sandifer (’78); daughter, Leanne (Sandifer ’85) Strickland; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-greatgrandchildren.

Dr. Thomas “Tom” C. Urrey (’56) • Oct. 12, 2019

1950s James Warnock (’50) • Jan. 12, 2019 William F. Hughes (’52) • Sept. 11, 2019 Agga Mae (Overton ’52) Sanders, former dorm mom, died Dec. 25, 2019. She served 15 years at Ouachita alongside her husband, Clinton “Pop” Sanders, who preceded her in death. Also a former teacher in Magnet Cove and Malvern, she was a member of the Hot Spring County Retired Teacher Association and Third Baptist Church, also attending North Malvern Assembly of God. She is survived by her son, David Sanders (’89); five grandchildren; and one granddaughter.

Charles R. Edwards (’53) • May 6, 2019 Betty A. Natzke (’53) • Oct. 11, 2019

Rev. Robert “Bob” N. Holland (’57) • Nov. 26, 2019 Mary I. (King ’58) Barrett • May 31, 2019 George H. Wells III (’58*) • Sept. 22, 2019 Rev. John W. Fox (’59) • Sept. 18, 2019 Jack S. Harrison (’59) • May 24, 2019 Linda A. Ross (’59) • Aug. 31, 2019

1960s Barbara E. (Bledsoe ’60*) Shepherd • Nov. 27, 2019 Richard H. Humphreys (’61*) • June 4, 2019 William L. “Larry” Larson (’62) • Oct. 24, 2019 Letha B. Mills (’62) • Sept. 12, 2019 James “Jim” M. Bowen (’63) • Feb. 27, 2019 Donye L. Davis (’63) • Oct. 25, 2019 J. Dennis Fitzgerald (’63) • July 24, 2019 Larry R. Kilbury (’63) • July 26, 2018 H. Wayne Davenport (’64) • Sept. 22, 2019 Norma B. Schmidt (’64) • Aug. 3, 2019 Robert C. McGlothlin (’65) • May 6, 2019 Rev. Wallace R. “Wally” Ferguson (’66) • June 4, 2019 George D. Green, Jr. (’66) • Sept. 11, 2019 Dr. Jim P. Thrash (’66) • July 8, 2019 Kathy G. Branch (’67) • Oct. 22, 2019 Wanda S. Hale (’67*) • June 28, 2019 Lt. Col. Donald D. “Don” Miller (’67) • July 8, 2019

C LA S S N O T ES Helen Jane (Fowler ’67) Quick, associate professor emerita of English, died Nov. 2, 2019. She earned her undergraduate degree from Baylor University and later her Master of Arts degree from Ouachita. Her late husband, Randy, was professor emeritus of sociology at Ouachita. Jane taught English from 1968-1991 and later taught English as a Second Language to international exchange students. She is survived by her sister, Joyce; two grandchildren; and three great-grandsons.

OUACHITA ONLINE IS NOW OFFERING DEGREE COMPLETION

JT McDonald (’68) • Aug. 4, 2019 Gregory L. McNeal (’68*) • May 31, 2019 Dr. John S. Hilliard (’69) died Nov. 15, 2019. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Ouachita, he earned degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and Cornell University. Hilliard recently retired after teaching for 25 years at James Madison University, where he served as professor of music and resident composer.

Hilliard was a Fulbright Scholar and was commissioned by then-President-Elect Bill Clinton to write the procession and fanfare for his first inauguration. He is survived by his wife, Mineko Yoshida; brother, Nathan Hilliard; and daughters, Sachi Hilliard and Mika Hilliard.

1970s Patricia A. Ramsey (’70) • Feb. 17, 2019 Charles Edward “Ed” Simpson (’70) • Sept. 25, 2019 Leroy Brownlee (’71*) • June 16, 2019 Robert F. Cini (’72) • Aug. 2, 2019 Jerry Coates (’73) • Sept. 27, 2019 Betty (Garrett ’75) Sekely • June 15, 2019 Gary W. Reese (’76) • June 26, 2019 Jacqueline “Jackie” (Summerlin ’78) Hurd • Nov. 6, 2019

It’s been 20 years from the day I started to the day I graduated.

When you’re faithful to stay the course, when you’re faithful to continue in the journey, no matter how difficult it gets, the reward is absolutely incredible that’s waiting for you in the end.

– Ryan, Ouachita Online graduate

OBU.EDU/ONLINE

1980s Fletcher L. (Fleming ’80) Merritt • Oct. 25, 2019 L.B. Easter, Jr. (’87) • Aug. 24, 2019

1990s Jimmy R. Witherspoon (’92*) • June 6, 2019

2000s

2010s Nikolas L. Taylor (’12*) • May 20, 2019

Faculty/Staff Rev. Robert “Bob” E. Langley • Aug. 5, 2019 Dr. Michael Murphy • Oct. 13, 2019 *denotes former student

Kimberly Dawn James (’00) • July 29, 2019 Zachary “Zac” P. Stuckey (’01) • July 19, 2019 WINTER 2020 | 35

CVAL L OSIUENG T HO U GHT S

DEFINING VALUE What is the value of the Ouachita experience? It depends on who you ask.

Students and parents are pleased that Niche.com ranks Ouachita #1 for “Best Value” among Arkansas universities. This helps explain why our undergraduate enrollment increased 4.5% the last three years while overall statewide enrollment decreased 16% the last decade.

Faculty and staff express how much they appreciate Ouachita by staying put, even when more lucrative offers come their way. The average tenure of our employees is 13.5 years. For them, investing in students is a calling.

That’s why 400 alumni, when interviewed this summer by students, named 267 different faculty or staff members who made a difference in their lives.

Alumni are elated that 99% of them secure work or graduate school admission within six months of graduation compared to the national average of 93%. A 2018 graduate enrolled at one of the nation’s top law schools recently shared with me how well prepared he feels compared to his peers from “name brand,” even Ivy League, national universities.

Donors underscored the value they assign to this university by investing $43.1 million since 2016, a record for any three-year period at Ouachita.

Grateful graduates give back because the benefit of their Ouachita education so clearly exceeds what they paid for it.

Others give forward because they believe the value of their gift, invested in young people, multiplies over time.

Arkansas Baptists cooperatively give $3 million a year.

They are our largest annual donor and largest cumulative source of support since Ouachita was established in 1886.

Some 65% of our students come from Arkansas and 75% identify as Baptists. They often come from Arkansas

Baptist homes and many return to the Arkansas Baptist community as ministers and leaders in local churches.

Yes, the value of Christian higher education can and should be measured in financial terms, but far more evidence can be mustered to prove that the preeminent value is missional. It’s not just transactional, because we aspire, pray and labor that it be transformational for those it serves – our students.

Our mission: Ouachita is a Christ-centered learning community. Embracing the liberal arts tradition, the university prepares individuals for ongoing intellectual and spiritual growth, lives of meaningful work and reasoned engagement with the world.

The most enduring value can be found in the way our mission is realized in the lives of our students and as they assume their roles of service and leadership in their generation – in their homes, churches, communities and careers.

Christian higher education, when the university and students are intentional about it, especially forms and informs the first 10 years after graduation. The decisions that young alumni make, as they deepen and ingrain the habit of following the Lord, shapes the trajectory of their entire lives – and in profound ways.

When Gold Tigers assemble each spring for their 50th reunion, we all gain from the long-term view they bring. So many say that much of who they became can be traced back to the perspective they gained at this small, Christian college situated in a forest, on a bluff, overlooking the Ouachita River.

So, while different people express the value of a Ouachita experience in different ways, all of them assign great value to it and, quite remarkably, pledge themselves to continuing to build value in it with every passing year.

The most enduring value can be found in the way our mission is realized in the lives of our students.

Ben R. Sells, PhD @OuachitaPrez

| THE 3636| THE OUACHITA OUACHITA CIRCLE CIRCLE

#1 i n A r k a n s a s

BEST VALUE COLLEGE (Niche.com, 2019)

Unforgettable experience meets best return on investment.

We get it. A college education is expensive. And you want every moment to be worth it. Based on financial data (cost, student debt, alumni earnings) and personal reviews, Niche.com recently ranked Ouachita Baptist University the #1 Best Value College in Arkansas, meaning students benefit more by choosing Ouachita.

OUACHITA STUDENTS RECEIVE MORE FOR THEIR MONEY: EXCELLENT EDUCATION & CAREER PREPARATION

99% placement rate for graduates in jobs/grad school GENEROUS FINANCIAL AID

100% of freshmen receive financial aid MINIMIZED DEBT

Ouachita student debt is well below state & national levels COMMUNITY UNLIKE ANY OTHER top satisfaction rate in AR, TX & LA (collegeconsensus.com)

E XPLORE HOW OUACHITA CAN I N V E S T I N YO U .

Visit obu.edu to learn more.

OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 410 Ouachita Street • Box 3762 Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71998-0001

P H A SE 2 OF BERRY-PEEPLES BI BL E BU I L DI N G

renovations complete Thanks to the many generous donors who contributed to this project, which renewed a space on campus at the heart of Ouachita’s vision to foster a love of God and a love of learning.