Oklahoma Baptist University
 |
|
| Motto | "Eruditione Religioneque Veritas" |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1910 |
| Affiliation | Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma |
| Endowment | $93.7 million |
| President | David W. Whitlock |
|
Academic staff
|
113 |
| Students | 1,979 (fall 2014) |
| Location | Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Campus | Urban, 210+ acres |
| Colors | Green and Gold |
| Nickname | Bison |
| Affiliations |
NCAA Division II Great American Conference |
| Website | www |
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a co-educational Christian liberal arts university located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Established in 1910, OBU is ranked among the top five baccalaureate colleges in the western region in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges” ratings and has been Oklahoma’s highest rated regional college in the U.S. News rankings for 18 consecutive years. According to The Princeton Review, OBU is a 2013 “Best in the West” institution and one of "America's Best Value Colleges." OBU was named among Oklahoma's top-ranked university in the Forbes.com 2013 listing of "America's Best Colleges" and was the state's top college in the Forbes.com list of "America's Best College Buys."
Prior to the creation of the Baptist University of Oklahoma by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma in 1910, several other Baptist-affiliated schools were started in Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma Baptist College in Blackwell began operation on September 4, 1901. The school fought financial problems throughout its history and closed in 1913. In the fall of 1907, the Baptists of Hastings, Oklahoma, Comanche County, Oklahoma and Mullins Baptist Associations opened Hastings Baptist College in the southwestern part of the state. A year later, the name was changed to Southwest Baptist College and then to Southwest Baptist Academy. It suffered similar financial challenges and ceased operation in 1912. Baptists in nearby Mangum were able to pay off debts of Southwest Baptist College and move the school to their city. It was reopened in the fall of 1912 in the First Baptist Church building and was called Southwestern Baptist College, then Western Baptist College. It was closed in 1915.
A commission to plan the founding of a Baptist university in Oklahoma was established by the Baptist Convention in 1906 (one year prior to Oklahoma statehood) while in session in Shawnee. At the second annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) at Ardmore in November 1907, the Baptist Education Commission unanimously passed a resolution stating its sense that "as soon as practicable a new Baptist University be established.” A board of trustees was elected soon thereafter in 1907. A site for the university was sought, and from 1908–1909 negotiations were held with entities in El Reno, Lawton, Chickasha and Oklahoma City without reaching agreeable terms.
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