Ouachita Baptist University

Last updated

Ouachita Baptist University
Ouachita Baptist University seal.png
Former name
Ouachita Baptist College (1886–1965)
MottoVision. Integrity. Service.
Type Private
Established1886;139 years ago (1886)
Religious affiliation
Arkansas Baptist State Convention
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
Endowment $65.4 million [1]
President Ben Sells
Academic staff
109 full-time and 51 part-time (fall 2022) [2]
Students1,784 (fall 2022) [2]
Undergraduates 1,730 [2]
Postgraduates 54 [2]
Location, ,
United States

34°7′30″N93°3′10″W / 34.12500°N 93.05278°W / 34.12500; -93.05278
Campus Rural, 160 acres (65 ha)
Colors Purple and Gold
   
Nickname Tigers
Mascot Tiger
Website obu.edu
Ouachita.png

Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, a state convention affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Ouachita Baptist University was founded as Ouachita Baptist College on September 6, 1886, [3] and has operated continually since that date. It was originally located on the campus of Ouachita Baptist High School.[ citation needed ] Its current location is on the former campus of the Arkansas School for the Blind, which relocated to Little Rock.[ citation needed ]

The first president was J. W. Conger, who was elected to the post on June 22, 1886.[ citation needed ] The OBU Board of Trustees unanimously elected Dr. Ben Sells, former vice president for university advancement at Taylor University, as the sixteenth president of Ouachita Baptist University on April 7, 2016. Those who have served as president include J. W. Conger (1886–1907), Henry Simms Hartzog (1907–1911), R. G. Bowers (1911–1913), Samuel Young Jameson (1913–1916), Charles Ernest Dicken (1916–1926), Arthur B. Hill (1926–1929), Charles D. Johnson (1929–1933), James R. Grant (1933–1949), Seaford Eubanks (1949–1951), Harold A. Haswell (1952–1953), Ralph Arloe Phelps Jr. (1953–1969), Daniel R. Grant (1970–1988), Ben M. Elrod (1988–1998), Andrew Westmoreland (1998–2006) and Rex Horne (2006–2015). [4]

In 1965 the college changed its name to Ouachita Baptist University. [3]

Academics

Academic rankings
Liberal arts
U.S. News & World Report [5] 178 of 185
Washington Monthly [6] 185 of 194
Cone-Bottoms Hall, home to the Grant Administration Center, is the oldest building on campus Ouachita Baptist University 011.jpg
Cone-Bottoms Hall, home to the Grant Administration Center, is the oldest building on campus

The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission with specific programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), National Association for Schools of Music, the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education Programs (CAATE), and the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association. [7]

The university was ranked 178 of 185 in the 2024 National Liberal Arts Colleges rankings by U.S. News & World Report. [8]

Athletics

Ouachita's iconic Tiger statue has stood in silent vigil over the campus since 1935 Ouachita Baptist University 006.jpg
Ouachita's iconic Tiger statue has stood in silent vigil over the campus since 1935

OBU fields intercollegiate men's teams in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, swimming, tennis, cross country, and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

The school mascot is the Tiger, and colors are purple and gold. As of fall 2011, Ouachita began competition in the Great American Conference.

The Tigers football team were the conference champions of the inaugural 2011 season and the 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons. [9] In wrestling, a sport not sponsored by the GAC, OBU competes as a single-sport member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. [10]

In 2010, Ouachita Baptist was the first university in Arkansas to offer an NCAA wrestling program. Dallas Smith, a four-time All-American, earned the program's first national title at the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2015. [11]

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Iowa University</span> Private university in Fayette, Iowa, US

Upper Iowa University (UIU) is a private university in Fayette, Iowa, United States. It enrolls around 3000 students and offers distance education programs that include centers in the U.S., an online program, an independent study program, and formerly had centers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. UIU has a total student enrollment of more than 3,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeshiva University</span> Private university in New York City, New York, U.S.

Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City. The university's undergraduate schools—Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, Katz School of Science and Health, and Sy Syms School of Business—offer a dual curriculum inspired by Modern–Centrist–Orthodox Judaism's hashkafa (philosophy) of Torah Umadda, combining academic education with the study of the Torah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf South Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference

The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, with two members in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington competing as affiliates for football only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association</span> Athletic conference in the American Midwest

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Its fourteen member institutions, of which all but one are public schools, are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The MIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkadelphia, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,380. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University, are located here. Arkadelphia was incorporated in 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpson College</span> Methodist liberal arts college in Indianola, Iowa, US

Simpson College is a private Methodist college in Indianola, Iowa. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and enrolled 1,151 students in fall 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake University</span> Private university in Des Moines, Iowa, US

Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, law, and pharmacy. Drake University Law School was founded in 1865, which makes it one of the 25 oldest law schools in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Baptist University</span> Private university in Bolivar, Missouri, US

Southwest Baptist University (SBU) is a private Baptist university in Bolivar, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2023, it had a total enrollment of 2,168 students enrolled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson University (South Carolina)</span> Baptist university in Anderson, South Carolina, US

Anderson University is a private university in Anderson, South Carolina, United States. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in over 100 areas of study. Anderson is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Anderson participates in NCAA Division II athletics and is a member of the South Atlantic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Baptist University</span> Baptist university in Riverside, California, US

California Baptist University is a private Baptist Christian university in Riverside, California. Founded in 1950 as California Baptist College, it is affiliated with the California Southern Baptist Convention, an organization affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. CBU is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schreiner University</span> Presbyterian university in Kerrville, Texas

Schreiner University is a private Presbyterian university in Kerrville, Texas. The university enrolls an estimated 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers over 40 four-year undergraduate programs, an MBA and a master of education. Established in 1923, it has been coeducational since 1932. The university is also home to Schreiner Institute, a college-level service academy preparatory program for those who did not receive appointments or nominations straight out of high school, ROTC, and veteran services. Prior to the founding of the Schreiner Institute, Schreiner University was home to Greystone Preparatory School, a service academy preparatory program, which now operates at the University of the Ozarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardner–Webb University</span> Christian university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, US

Gardner–Webb University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It was founded as Boiling Springs High School in 1905. Gardner–Webb is a classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shorter University</span> Baptist college in Rome, Georgia, US

Shorter University is a private Baptist university in Rome, Georgia. It was founded in 1873 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through six colleges and schools. In addition Shorter operates the Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business and the School of Nursing at off-campus facilities in the Rome area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars Hill University</span> Christian university in Mars Hill, North Carolina, US

Mars Hill University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The university offers 35 undergraduate majors and includes a school of nursing and graduate schools in education, criminal justice, and management. From 1859 to 2013 the school was called Mars Hill College; in August 2013 it officially changed its name to Mars Hill University.

The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In fall 2014, the university enrolled a total of 1,142 undergraduate students and 311 graduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Mount Olive</span> Baptist university in Mount Olive, North Carolina, US

The University of Mount Olive is a private university in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Chartered in 1951, the university is sponsored by the Original Free Will Baptist Convention and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. A member of the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas, its sports teams compete as the Mount Olive Trojans.

The Ouachita Baptist Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Ouachita Baptist University located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in NCAA Division II and are members of the Great American Conference. Ouachita Baptist's first football team was fielded in 1896. The team plays home games at Benson-Williams Field at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Todd Knight has served as head coach for the Tigers since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great American Conference</span> NCAA Division II college athletic conference

The Great American Conference (GAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellville, Arkansas. Athletic competition began play during the 2011–12 school year. Its twelve all-sports member schools are located in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the South Central United States. The conference also has four men's soccer affiliate members, two in Kansas and two in Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–12 Great American Conference championships</span>

The Great American Conference sponsors championship events for 12 of its 13 sports. The football champion is the team with the best conference record.

References

  1. As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "College Navigator - Ouachita Baptist University".
  3. 1 2 Lyon College 1872-2002: the Perseverance and Promise of an Arkansas College (c). University of Arkansas Press. 2003. pp. 392–. ISBN   978-1-61075-255-8.
  4. "A Brief History of Ouachita". Ouachita Baptist University. Ouachita Baptist University.
  5. "2024-2025 National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". U.S. News & World Report . September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  6. "2024 Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". Washington Monthly . August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  7. Ouachita Baptist University: Accreditations and Memberships, Retrieved 2012-08-05
  8. "Ouachita Baptist University". U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  9. GAC Press Release, Retrieved 2012-02-28
  10. "GLVC Wrestling Admits Ouachita Baptist as Associate Member" (Press release). Great Lakes Valley Conference. August 2, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  11. "First time for everything | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved April 22, 2019.