Oklahoma Christian University Gives Lovebirds Something to Laugh About

Contact: Kate Millican at (405) 425-5130 or e-mail at

kate.millican@student.oc.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Christian University Department of Music invites the public to enjoy highlights from the musical "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" as part of The Valentine Cabaret 2001, February 6, 8, 9 and 10.

For the first time in more than 10 years, The Cabaret will move to the Garvey Center, located on the east side of the Oklahoma Christian University campus, 2501 East Memorial Road in Oklahoma City. Each night will begin at

6 with a catered dinner in the McIntosh Conservatory followed by highlights of the musical performed in the Recital Hall.

Since the beginning, the directors of The Cabaret have used the romance of Valentine's Day to showcase student talent and dazzle audiences. Chad Anderson, 1998 Oklahoma Christian University alumnus and this year's director, hopes to continue the tradition by providing patrons with an "enjoyable evening of theater and an inexpensive night of fun."

The Valentine Cabaret dinner theatre student cast includes: seniors Gerald Burnett from Dallas; Carrie McFarland from Springfield, Mo.; and Janna Montgomery from Edmond, Okla., juniors Erin Cooper from Laporte, Texas; Travis Montgomery from Edmond, Okla.; and Brian Stroud from Gibsonburg, Ohio; and sophomores Ted Howard from Dallas, and LaChelle Mason from Oklahoma City.

Anderson received his masters from Oklahoma City University in vocal performance and currently teaches voice for Oklahoma Christian University.

For ticket information call 405-425-5540. Discounts will be given for Oklahoma Christian University faculty, staff, and students.

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Oklahoma Christian University Kicks Off Laptop Pilot Program

Contact Bryan Smith at (405) 425-5130 or by e-mail at bryan.smith@oc.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Sixty Oklahoma Christian University students have

traded a notebook for a laptop this semester.

They were selected to participate in a program to test a wireless

laptop program that will be available to all students next fall.

As part of Oklahoma Christian's continuing commitment to provide the

latest technology, each full-time student will be provided an IBM Thinkpad

laptop computer with wireless Internet access capabilities in the fall 2001

semester.

By using the laptops, students will have the ability to study

anywhere on the campus, such as the student center or the forum. It also

allows them to study at any time, regardless of when the campus computer

labs are open.

"We'd like to ensure that it's student-centric," Alley said.

"Students can learn at a time and place that's best for them."

The students were given their laptop computers at the beginning of

the semester.

Applicants for the program had to have at least one year of school

left after the pilot semester.

Robin Beam, operations manager for the university's information

technology services, said the students have approved of the laptops early on

in the program.

"It seems like they have a very positive reaction," Beam said.

Kandace Eaves, a junior electrical engineering major from Midwest

City, said the laptop has allowed her to access anything she needs from

wherever she is.

"I use it as much as I can for my courses, and as far as getting

things off the Internet, it's very helpful," Eaves said.

The laptops are wireless, meaning students do not have to plug in

every time they want to work. Wireless antennas strategically located across

the campus make the Internet accessible.

The wireless antennas allow students to study anywhere on campus,

not just places where they are connected through an electrical outlet or a

phone line. Alley said it lets students learn "when and where it's most

convenient and most appropriate."

The university is currently in the process of adding more wireless

antennas around the campus. That task should be finished by the end of the

summer.

Alley and Beam both said the university plans to distribute laptops

to all students during the week before classes begin.

"We feel like it will be worth it to have their laptops on the first

day of classes," Beam said.

The pilot program is just one part of Oklahoma Christian's

technology expansion. On Oct. 18, the university kicked off "myOC," a

personalized e-Campus web site for students, faculty and staff. The site

allows each student, faculty and staff member to have an individual page for

news, calendars, personal information and various activities.

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Oklahoma Christian University Broadcasters Hit Television Airwaves

Contact Bryan Smith at (405) 425-5130 or by e-mail at bryan.smith@oc.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After several years of bringing Eagle and Lady

Eagle basketball action to fans via the radio and Internet, Oklahoma

Christian University's broadcasting department has added television to its

hoops menu.

Oklahoma Christian basketball fans can tune in to Cox Cable Channel

3 from any where in the Oklahoma City metro area to watch the Eagles play on

their home court during January and February.

The tape-delayed broadcasts are produced by students who are

involved in the university mass communication program.

"We're very excited about broadcasting the basketball games across

the city on Cox Cable," said Dr. Larry Jurney, Eagle Broadcasting advisor.

"This gives our students valuable experience in a variety of areas, from

television broadcasting to graphic design and video work."

The games are also broadcast on KOCCi, Oklahoma Christian's Internet

radio station. Fans can catch those games at kocci.oc.edu.

The broadcasting department will televise 11 games this season

throughout the next two months. Upcoming games include February match-ups

with Southern Nazarene University, Wayland Baptist University and the

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

"The broadcast also is a bonus for Eagle fans who can now watch the

games on television rather than just hearing them on Internet radio," Jurney

said.

OC alumnus David Jurney and current KOCCi sports director Meagan

Johnson, a junior broadcasting major, are announcing the women's games for

the taped broadcasts. Jurney and fellow OC alumnus Wes McKinzie take the

microphones for the men's games.

Oklahoma Christian University offers 70 different fields of study,

including liberal arts, science and engineering, Bible, business and

education. The university has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report

and the John Templeton Foundation. Visit our website at www.oc.edu.

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Oklahoma Christian University Wins $88,000 Grant to Fund Engineering Academy for Three Years

Contact: Jim Stafford at (405) 425-5130 or e-mail at jim.Stafford@oc.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Christian University has been awarded an $88,000 grant that will bring weeklong engineering academies back to campus each summer for the next three years.

The grant, awarded by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, will ensure that promising high school students from across the state will have the opportunity to investigate the world of engineering at the summer academies, which are offered free of charge to participants.

Oklahoma Christian hosted two successful day camps last June that brought nearly three dozen potential engineers to campus for a week that offered a wide variety of engineering-related activities. The participants built

working robots, tested catapults, met engineers and visited high-tech engineering labs throughout the Oklahoma City area.

"We are so pleased to be able to offer these academies for the next three summers," said Dr. Ben Hutchinson, Dean, College of Science and Engineering.

"They are a wonderful opportunity for young men and women to explore the possibilities of engineering as a career and have a great deal of fun at the same time."

Dr. Jeff Bigelow, associate professor and chairman, electrical engineering department at Oklahoma Christian, served as director for the 2000 academy. Participants divided into teams and competed on three engineering projects during the week, which had a theme of "Engineering the Next Millennium."

The academies are offered for students entering the 10th through the 12th grades, with a special emphasis given to include female students. One academy will be offered exclusively to young women, while the other is open

to both male and female students.

This year's engineering academies will be held in June.

The engineering academy hosted by Oklahoma Christian University was one of 35 State Regents Summer Academies in Math and Science held on 22 Oklahoma college and university campuses last year. It is the only academy directed

at potential engineering students. More than 1,600 students participated in the academies statewide.

Oklahoma Christian University is a private, four-year liberal arts institution nationally ranked as a top ten university in our region by U.S. News & World and recognized as a character building institution by the John Templeton Foundation. The College of Science and Engineering offers

ABET-accredited degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering. Oklahoma Christian has celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2000.

Oklahoma Christian offers degree plans in more than 70 fields of study in five colleges: Biblical Studies, Business, Education, Liberal Arts and Science and Engineering. It offers graduate degree programs in Biblical

studies and Business Administration.47

Oklahoma Christian University Lectureship to Focus on ‘Building the Local Church’

Contact: Jim Stafford at (405) 425-5130 or by e-mail at jim.stafford@oc.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With a theme of "Building the Local Church," Oklahoma Christian University's annual Lectureship returns to campus January 21-24, 2001, with a series of outstanding speakers and a full slate of classes.

The theme for this year's Lectureship was chosen to provide information and encouragement to leaders of local congregations as they look for ways to build stronger programs, said Dr. Stafford North, Lectureship director.

"There is a great need today for strengthening the local congregation and growing the church, and we've developed the entire Lectureship agenda to addressing that need," North said. "The speakers are outstanding men of God who have worked to build local congregations. And the class schedule will benefit all who are involved in the day-to-day life of the local church."

Special attention will be given to providing ideas for churches in smaller cities and towns since so many congregations in those locations are looking for suggestions about how to reach out to more people in their communities.

The Lectureship will begin at 6:45 p.m. on January 21 with a performance by the Oklahoma Christian University Chorale, followed at 7:30 p.m. by the keynote address of Dr. Paul Faulkner on the topic of "To Build: Keep Focused

on Jesus."

The class schedule begins at 8:45 a.m. each day with seven separate classes running concurrently. Classes continue at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day and will cover a wide range of topics. Some will be practical.

Others will be studies of Bible text, while others will deal with special interests such as building Web pages or developing a youth ministry.

Among the class leaders will be Dr. Don Hebbard, director, Institute for Marriage and Family at Oklahoma Christian University, and Dr. Jim Baird, professor of Bible, and Dr. Curt Niccum, associate professor of Bible, both

at Oklahoma Christian, and Dr. Everette Ferguson, of Abilene Christian, teaching of Early Christians Speak.

Keynote speakers each day will include:

10 a.m. Monday: Glynn Langston, of Carencro, La. Langston is an educational consultant for the visually impaired with Insight International.

7 p.m. Monday.: Jimmy Jividen, Abilene, Texas. Jividen has been a preacher for more than 50 years and now devotes most of his time to speaking and writing.

10 a.m. Tuesday: Lynn McMillon, Oklahoma City. McMillon is Dean, College of Bible and Distinguished Professor of Bible at Oklahoma Christian University.

7 p.m. Tuesday: Bruce McClarty, Searcy, Ark. McClarty is a minister at the College Church of Christ in Searcy and author of the book, Journey of Faith: Walking with Jesus through the Gospel of John.

10 a.m. Wednesday: Harold Redd, Memphis, Tenn. Redd preaches at the Midtown Church of Christ in Memphis.

7 p.m. Wednesday: Prentice Meador, Dallas. Meador is pulpit minister at the Prestoncrest Church of Christ in Dallas.

Monday, January 22, has been set aside for the all-day women's program. As in the past, this series of classes and lectures will be held at the building of the Memorial Road Church of Christ, adjacent to the campus.

The annual dinner for preachers and elders and their wives will be on Tuesday at 5 p.m. A special program for youth will be held simultaneously with the Sunday evening service, and there also will be a special service each evening for Spanish-speaking brethren.

"We trust that this schedule of classes and speakers will arm every minister, elder and church leader with the knowledge and passion to renew their commitment to building their local congregations in a big way," North said.

This is the 51st year Oklahoma Christian University has hosted its Lectureship series, offering classes and speakers designed to promote growth of the church both locally and worldwide.

For more information on Lectureship 2001, call Dr. North at (405) 425-5380, or visit the Website at www.oc.edu/lectureship.

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