Ouachita Baptist
 |
|
| Motto | Vision. Integrity. Service. |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1886 |
|
Religious affiliation
|
Arkansas Baptist State Convention |
| Endowment | $65.4 million |
| President | Ben Sells |
|
Academic staff
|
117 |
| Undergraduates | 1,594 |
| Location |
Arkadelphia, Arkansas, U.S. 34°7′30″N 93°3′10″W / 34.12500°N 93.05278°WCoordinates: 34°7′30″N 93°3′10″W / 34.12500°N 93.05278°W |
| Campus |
Suburban, 160 acres (0.65 km2) (City of Arkadelphia, Clark County, Arkansas) |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | Tiger |
| Website | www |
 |
|
Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private, liberal arts, undergraduate institution located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, which is about 65 miles southwest of Little Rock. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced Wash'-uh-taw) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. The student body is approximately 45% male and 55% female.
Ouachita Baptist University was founded as Ouachita Baptist College on September 6, 1886, and has operated continually since that date. It was originally located on the campus of Ouachita Baptist High School. Its current location is on the former campus of the Arkansas School for the Blind, which relocated to Little Rock.
The first president was J. W. Conger, who was elected to the post on June 22, 1886. 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).
In 1965 the college changed its name to Ouachita Baptist University. Recent years have seen a steady expansion of the campus, including the Harvey Jones Science Center (1997), the Frank D. Hickingbotham School of Business in Hickingbotham Hall (2006), the Student Village residence halls (2009) and Cliff Harris Stadium (2014).
Ouachita Baptist University focuses on undergraduate programs in the liberal arts. It offers 64 degree programs in eight academic schools: School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Frank D. Hickingbotham School of Business, Chesley and Elizabeth Pruet School of Christian Studies, Michael D. Huckabee School of Education, School of Fine Arts, W. H. Sutton School of Social Sciences, J. D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences, and School of Humanities. Most students earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, but the school also offers Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) and Associate of Arts (A.A.) degrees. Study abroad programs are offered through the Grant Center for International Studies. Two classes in religion are part of the core curriculum and graduation requires seven credits of chapel (earned by regular chapel attendance during a semester).
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