Ohio Christian University (OCU) is a private college in Circleville, Ohio. The school is denominationally affiliated with the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.
History
The school was founded in 1948 as Mount of Praise Bible College, which met at the Mount of Praise Campground, where the Churches of Christ in Christian Union held annual revivalist camp meetings. The primary objective of the bible college was to train ministers for the Churches of Christ in Christian Union denomination. It later became Circleville Bible College. In 2006, the college changed its name to Ohio Christian University, and received regional accreditation.
Over the past several years, the University has seen tremendous growth. As of Fall 2011, total enrollment reached 2,382 with about 600 on campus and the rest online or at satellite locations.
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Former presidents
Everett A. Keaton (1948-1952)
- First president of Ohio Christian University (first known as Mount of Praise Bible School)
- Two-Year Bible Training Course established in 1949
- Improvements and upgrades to the Mount of Praise Camp Meeting grounds in order to facilitate needs of the college
- Ministerial and denominational financial support of the college created
- First Student Council created
Guy C. Johnson (1952-1953)
- Only interim president in the history of Ohio Christian University
Richard G. Humble (1953-1956)
- First Administration building constructed and completed (1953-54)
- Name of school changed from Mount of Praise Bible School to Circleville Bible College (spring 1954)
- First college chapel built (1955)
- First President's home purchased (Christmas 1955)
- Student enrollment tops 50 for first time (January 1956)
Glen Johnson (1956-1959)
- Student enrollment tops 70 for first time (September 1957)
- First College Board of Trustees organized in 1958
- New library-science building constructed in 1958 financed primarily through donation campaign among Church of Christ in Evangelical Christian Youth
Morton W. Dorsey (1959-1964)
- Ohio Christian University received its first State Charter from Ohio Board of education (1961)
- College station wagon purchased through Top Value Stamps campaign among the student body (Fall 1961)
- First Youth Conference Weekend began in Spring 1961
Melvin Maxwell (1964-1980)
- Administration/academic building constructed and occupied in August 1966 at new 40-acre campus site on Route 22 east of Circleville
- Student enrollment tops 150 (Fall 1967)
- York Hall, Campus Church, Academic Building, Moore Hall, and Campus Center constructed and occupied (1967-1970)
- Student enrollment tops 200 (Fall 1968)
- In 1970, the university received applicant status from American Association of Bible Colleges.
- Full accreditation as a Bible College attained in Fall 1976.
Douglas Carter (1980-1989)
- Increased the profile of OCU nationally with his involvement in World Gospel Mission
- OCU accepted as a participant in the Ohio Instructional Grant program
- OCU budget tithe implemented in each CCCU local church
- Endowment Fund created; $450,000 balance in 1989
- Intercollegiate sports in the National Christian College Athletic Association for men and women were established (basketball for both men and women; volleyball for women and baseball for men)
- Associate of Arts degree in Religion approved by the Ohio Board of Regents
David Van Hoose (1989-1994)
- In 1989, 5-Year Strategic Plan developed as required by AABC. This plan served as a model for other colleges in AABC as well as for OCU
- Counseling program major created; Teacher Education Education program affiliation with Mount Vernon Nazarene College and Ashland University established
- Adult Completion Program (predecessor to today's popular AIM Program) was instituted
- Office of Institutional Development created
- Major fire in December 1990 destroyed much of the girl's dormitory, Moore Hall. Restoration completed in the summer of 1991
- Johnson Hall and Campus Church made handicap accessible in 1993
John Conley (1995-2005)
- Steered OCU through the process of accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Received full accreditation in 2005.
- Annual operating budget of OCU increased from $1.4 million in 1995 to $3.8 million in 2003
- Student enrollment increased from 170 in 1995 to 413 in 2005; OCU received Christianity Today and the Association for Biblical Higher Education's growth award in 2001 and again in 2005
- OCU graduates largest class ever in 2005 with 96 students
- The Adult Education Program (AIM) was launched in 1998 and later expanded to the campuses of Hocking College and Columbus State Community College
- 14,000 square foot addition made to the Melvin and Laura Maxwell Library
- Three family unit townhouse and World Gospel Mission Student Involvement Center erected in 1999
- Clock tower named in honor of longtime faculty member, Dr. David Case placed in center of the campus area
- Addition of a rear entrance to Johnson Hall and the refurbishing of the exterior of the Graham Administration Building completed in 2003-04
- Construction of a 6400 square foot addition to Johnson Hall that houses the Music Department, Student Services, Student Lounge and President's Dining Room; *The OCU Board of Trustees named the addition the Conley Ministry Center in his honor
Campus
The university sits on the outskirts of Circleville, Ohio and has been expanding. Classes are located in the Maxwell Center, Johnson Hall, and the science and logistics center. Students reside as freshmen in York Hall and Moore Hall. From there, they may choose to live in Lewis Moats Hall, New Hall, an offsite residence named Terrace, or townhouses.
Since 2008, Maxwell Center has expanded by adding the science and logistics center and a student development center. The university has plans to develop the traditional campus further in the next five years.
Academics
The school offers the Bachelor of Arts, Associate of Arts and Master of Arts in professional fields of study. It also offers an Adult and Online Degree Program. Their online counseling degrees are the most affordable in the United States. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Ohio Christian University's Adult and Online Degree Programs offer associate, bachelor,and master's degrees. OCU offers online education and evening or weekend classes at campuses in Ohio and Georgia . Ohio campus locations include: Dublin, Columbus, Pataskala, Grove City, Lancaster, Circleville, Chillicothe, Nelsonville and the campuses of Southern State Community College in Wilmington, Washington Court House, Hillsboro and Sardinia. The Georgia campus is located in Milner.
Accreditation
- Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
- Accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education
- Authorized by the Ohio Board of Regents to offer associate, baccalaureate, and masters level education.
- Chartered by the State of Ohio.
- Approved by the United States Office of Education for participation in the federal students financial aid programs.
- Approved by the Ohio Board of Regents to offer teacher education programs.
- Approved by the United States Department of Justice for the education of foreign students.
- Approved by the Internal Revenue Service for Social Security benefits for eligible students.
- Approved to train Veterans or eligible persons.
- Recognized by the Churches of Christ in Christian Union, Primitive Methodist Church, Evangelical Church and Evangelical Methodist Church, for ministerial training.
Student life
The Student Activities Council (SAC) offers activities throughout the school year. Among the more popular activities are Friday Night Live, a live variety show written and performed by students. Performed in Detty Chapel, the night is usually hosted by an alumnus or faculty member. Another popular activity is midnight breakfast, an event scheduled at the beginning of final examinations week, catered by favorite staff and faculty.
Chapel is housed in Detty Chapel and is offered twice every Tuesday and Thursday. Students come to worship with a live student band and hear a message by the chaplain or special guest. There is a required number of times that every student must attend while enrolled at Ohio Christian.
A Student Development Center houses dining facilities, the office of Student Development, the department of psychology, and several classrooms. In addition, there is a full Christian bookstore, a coffee shop, and an arcade.
The Trailblazers, as the school's athletic teams are called, compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) in the Mid-East Region. Men's sports include baseball, soccer, basketball, cross country, and golf. Women's sports include volleyball, basketball, soccer, cross country, and softball.
Athletics
Ohio Christian was accepted by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for membership beginning with the 2015-16 school year.
Men's Soccer
The men's soccer program was started in 1980 and was coached by Mike Walters. The first 30 years of the program saw very little success on the field where the best record was posted in 1983 (7-7-0). In 1999, the program cease to exist and didn't start back up until 2004 by a handful of students. In 2008, OCU was under the helm of Josh Murton who led the team to its best record in school history (10-5-1). In 2009, more success came as OCU went 17-6-1 and finished 3rd in the NCCAA Division 2. Then in 2010 OCU again out did itself as they lost in the National Championship to Clearwater Christian College, 0-2. They finished the season 14-9-0 playing their toughest schedule in school history, yet they finish #2 in the Nation. In 2011, the men broke the school record for winning percentage (.783) with a record of 17-4-2. Losing in the final four to Northland International University (WI) ended their title hopes. The 2012 and 2013 seasons saw restructuring years for the program yet success still came as both years they won more than 10 games while also winning regional titles. In 2012, they again lost to Northland International in the semifinals and in 2013 they finished 5th in the nation. 2014 was the final year for OCU in the NCCAA Div. 2 and the men made it to the National Championship once again. Losing to Maranatha Baptist University (1-2), the men took the program to a 14-9-0 record with the most difficult schedule OCU has played.
Men's Basketball
Head Coach Tony Stockman enjoyed a memorable inaugural season as he led the Trailblazers to the very first NCCAA National Championship in school history during his first year as coach. The Trailblazers went 27-8 overall and 22-0 against NCCAA Division II competition on their way to the National Title. Stockman is a product of Medina, Ohio and is no stranger to basketball in the Buckeye state. Stockman was named Mr. Basketball Ohio in 2000 after averaging 25.5 points per game and becoming the all-time leading scorer at Medina High School where he led his team to a 58-9 record in three seasons. He then signed with Clemson University where he would prove to be the top freshman in the ACC with a scoring average of 12.0 in his first season. In his 2nd season at Clemson he was the leading sophomore scorer in ACC play with an average of 14.1 points per game in conference games. Stockman became an Ohio State Buckeye following the 2001-02 season when he transferred from Clemson University. After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, he averaged 13.6 points per game to lead Ohio State in scoring as a junior. As a senior, he led Ohio State to a 20-12 record under new head coach Thad Matta.
"Tony is a leader in every sense of the word," said Ohio State Coach Thad Matta. "He was a floor general for us and was the closest thing you could get to a coach on the floor." Stockman comes to OCU with strong ties to both Thad Matta at Ohio State University and John Groce (formerly) at Ohio University. Both coaches have served as mentors to Coach Stockman for the past nine years and will continue in that relationship in his new role at OCU.
"I want to help young men grow on and off the court as they become future leaders in our community," said Stockman. "Ohio Christian University is a great place to grow and develop both spiritually and as a young professional. If you are a young person looking for that kind of opportunity, then OCU is the place to be." Stockman is married to his wife Brittany and the couple has three sons - Tayden, Maddox, and Braysen.
Notable alumni
- John C. Maxwell, author and leadership coach
- Rod Parsley, pastor and founder of World Harvest Church
- Stan Toler, General Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene
- Tom Hermiz, General Superindendent, Churches of Christ in Christian Union
- David Harris, Speaker. Leader. Communication Coach. Director Thriving Churches International
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