Leger's house was destroyed while Jennifer Simonds was injured protecting children at Plaza Towers Elementary School. Crawford, who lost his house in a 2011 tornado, helped organize relief efforts for this year's victims.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

“Why did this happen? Why an elementary school? Why little kids?”

Jennifer Simonds flutters between anger and thankfulness as she grapples with those questions.

God “kept me alive and kept my kids alive,” says the 26-year-old kindergarten teacher, who attends the Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma City with her husband, Colby. The couple met as students at Oklahoma Christian University, next to the church.

The May 20 storm attained EF5 status, cutting a swath of destruction more than a mile wide, as it moved from Newcastle to Moore, where Jennifer Simonds teaches at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Parents had picked up all but six of the 22 students she teaches during afternoon kindergarten. She made sure the remaining students were in the “duck and cover” position. As the storm got closer, one of the girls asked her if a train had come in the building.

Jennifer Simonds remembers the lights flickering, the sound of breaking glass, the taste of dirt in her mouth as she yelled “we’re going to be fine!”

“I kept praying ... that if anything was to happen, it would happen to me,” she says. “When it was all over ... I sat up on my knees and realized that, on my back, was an upside-down SUV.”

Rescuers pulled the sport utility vehicle away from the teacher and her students. Paramedics took them to a hospital in nearby Norman. They all survived but later learned that seven third-graders, ages 8 and 9, had perished when a wall collapsed on them.

Colby Simonds raced from his work and walked through block after block of debris to reach the school, only to learn that his wife was at the hospital. The couple reunited about five hours after the storm.

Remembering the devastation he saw, “I don’t know how anybody walked away from that,” Colby Simonds says.

Click here to read the full article.

Formally titled the Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars' Conference, scholars present more than 90 peer-reviewed and generative sessions to advance scholarship, collaboration and engaged dialogue.

This year’s conference theme was "Crises in Ethics: Theology, Business, Law and the Liberal and Fine Arts."

Key speakers included ethics author John Dean, religious studies professor and author Charles Matthews, and David Miller, the founding director of Princeton University’s Faith & Work Initiative. 

Below is a list of OC faculty and students with the title of their presentations:

• Graduate students Robert Davis and Freddie Lorick, Jr., were respondents for the “Civil Rights and the Churches of Christ" session.
• John Harrison, professor of New Testament, presented on “The History and Practice of New Testament Interpretation.”
• James Baird, professor of Bible and philosophy and director of OC’s Honors Program, was a panelist on the session titled, “The Value of High School Research for Universities, Students, and Secondary Educators.”
• Phil Lewis, dean of OC’s College of Professional Studies, was a panelist on the session titled, “Business Deans Speak Out: Teaching in Business Schools.”
• Dan Sorensen, assistant professor of business, presented on “An Accounting Ethics Intervention Based on the Moral Philosophy of Adam Smith.”
• OC Bible professors Charles Rix and James Dvorak were co-conveners of the session titled, “Bahktinian Readings of Cain and Abel and other Narratives in Jewish and Christian Scriptures.”
• Rix presented on “Who is Watching the Children? Ethics of Responsibility in the Story of Cain and Abel.”
• Dvorak presented on “Not Like Cain: Marking Moral Boundaries Through Vilification of the Other in 1 John 3:1-18.”
• Barrett Huddleston, assistant professor of communication, participated in the Theatre and Ethics Session. He presented on “The First Condition: Censorship in Contemporary Value Based Production.”

The Christian Scholars Conference was created in 1981 under the direction of Dr. Thomas H. Olbricht, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Pepperdine University, and has since been hosted by several universities associated with Churches of Christ. 

The conference calls together scholars from a wide variety of disciplines in the liberal arts, sciences, business, law, education and medicine to develop their own academic research and to reflect on the integration of scholarship and faith. 

Families displaced by the May 19-20 storms have been living on the Oklahoma Christian University campus waiting for permanent lodging to be made available.

According to Neil Arter, dean of students, OC has hosted as many as 50 family members displaced from those storms.

As of Monday, OC is hosting 34 family members from about six families while they work to secure more long-term housing.

“Just last night, OC took in a family with a special needs child that had been without a home since May 20,” said Josh Watson, OC spokesman.

In addition, OC’s Honors House, which has 82 beds, has stayed at capacity for a week and a half now as OC has hosted a number of volunteers helping with clean-up and recovery.

Volunteer groups include the Austin Disaster Relief from Austin, Texas, and the Disaster Response Communications team out of Minnesota.

The groups were assisting victims of the tornado with paperwork at Westmoore High School on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Oklahoma Christian campus is busy this week with 200 additional students on campus attending a Love OKC Service Camp. Watson added while the camp was scheduled before the storms, it has become a storm-focused service week.

This weekend, officials expect 75-100 students to join faculty and staff for OC’s Love Your Neighbor storm recovery efforts June 7-11.

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One of the top national public relations competitions for undergraduate students, the Zenith Awards contest is the only one in which work previously completed in a class or internship may be submitted.

Estrada’s entry was an assignment completed in the OC class Public Relations Principles, which she took last fall. 

For the past two years, the senior from Duncanville, Texas, has also served as an officer in OC’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

She was also on a team that placed third at the 2012 Oklahoma Speech Theatre and Communication Association PR student competition. This summer, Jessica is interning in Dallas at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas.

“Jessica is one of our most dedicated and conscientious students,” said Josh Watson, assistant professor of communication and Estrada’s advisor. “We are not surprised that her work was recognized as the best among her peers across the nation. Her servant spirit and pursuit of excellence will continue to set her apart as she begins her career next year.”

The PR Research category included any public relations project that used primary research, secondary research or analysis of research for academic purposes, internship purposes or personal interest. Estrada submitted a communication audit of a national nonprofit organization.

This is the second year in a row that an OC student has received one of the only seven awards given out each year in the national competition. Last year, Joshua Richardson won the award for PR Writing.

Begun in 1998 by the Oklahoma City chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, the Zenith Awards are hosted by the University of Oklahoma. 

To see how some of OC’s recent public relations graduates are benefitting from and contributing to a strong economy in Oklahoma City (and hosting current OC students as interns), see the latest edition of Vision, OC’s alumni magazine. 

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Tragedy hit close to home this week. The Moore tornado, which struck 20 miles from the OC campus, was cataclysmic. It was massive, strong, and brutal.

Our neighbors on the south side of Oklahoma City lost sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, mentors, and friends. They lost their homes, their possessions, and their normalcy.

We mourn with our OC alumni and all those hurting from the loss of family members. Other alumni and students had their homes destroyed. The damage was far-reaching, and it impacted our community in many ways.

We can’t change what happened, but there are things we can do. The OC family is giving. In fact, a young OC Rwandan student gave $80 to the International Studies Office saying, “Here, use this to help people who need it.”

OC apartments have become temporary homes for displaced families and volunteer relief workers. Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni have joined relief and cleanup crews. They are rallying around those in need, trying in some small way to support and honor our heroes – like the brave OC alumni serving as teachers in Moore who protected, comforted, and shielded their young students during the tornado.

Can I be transparent with you? I like answers. I like to understand. If I have answers and if I understand, I think I can fix things. Or, maybe I can prevent things. But I don’t understand this. I can’t fix or prevent or control this situation. I am sad, angry, and confused … and I feel guilty for being spared.

In times like these, though, I realize I don’t need to know everything. I just need to know Him.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.”

We pray for peace. We pray that God will calm our minds and hearts … and move our hands and feet to help our neighbors. We pray for Oklahoma.

John deSteiguer
President
Oklahoma Christian University

We have the opportunity to provide general donations through several organizations, including our home congregations.

In addition, you can click this link to see a listing by the Christian Chronicle of churches of Christ and associated ministries that are providing relief and shelter.

The following is a list of other organizations along with the needs at this time. We also will post updates on relief efforts through Facebook and Twitter.

FEED THE CHILDREN

Feed The Children accepted donations from the public on Tuesday at the McCormick Distribution Center, 29 N. McCormick. Items accepted included diapers, canned goods, nonperishable food and snack items, water and sports drinks. Feed The Children is coordinating with other organizations and authorities at the scene to deliver disaster supplies as requests are received. Cash donations to help with relief efforts can be made by phone at 800-627-4556 or online at www.feedthechildren.org/disaster.

OKLAHOMA BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF

With Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief teams already responding to severe weather from Sunday in several locations, including Shawnee, Edmond and Little Axe, Oklahoma Baptists are assisting with recovery efforts from the tornado that hit Moore. Those interested in helping can make a tax-deductible donation to the BGCO’s Disaster Relief ministry, by visiting www.bgco.org/donate or calling 405-942-3800. All money goes toward disaster relief and helping victims. For photos, information and updates, visit the Oklahoma Baptists’ blog at www.okdisasterhelp.com.

OKLAHOMA BLOOD INSTITUTE

Donors to the Oklahoma Blood Institute provide every drop of blood needed by patients in all metro-Oklahoma City hospitals and 140 others across the state. Presently, the state’s blood supply is adequate to meet the needs of patients in all hospitals caring for victims of the Moore tornado. Since there is no substitute for blood, the supply constantly needs to be replenished. Those with O-negative and Rh-negative blood types are most needed. Locations of donor centers and mobile blood drives can be found at www.obi.org.

RED CROSS

The Oklahoma Red Cross is asking people to donate $10 by texting “Red Cross” to 90999. Local Red Cross units will be dispatched throughout the damaged area. Those who are looking for family members can visit www.safeandwell.org.

REGIONAL FOOD BANK OF OKLAHOMA

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, in partnership with Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, is asking that the public support all rescue, recovery and disaster relief efforts with donations of cash to your favorite responding charity. Donations of items such as clothing and supplies are strongly discouraged. Financial donations will allow disaster relief agencies to purchase whatever items are deemed necessary without resulting in the additional burden of securing warehouse space and volunteers to work donated product. To make a tax-deductible donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, go to www.regionalfoodbank.org or call 604-7111 or text FOOD to 32333 to give $10 to relief efforts.

SALVATION ARMY

The Salvation Army Arkansas-Oklahoma Division has dispatched disaster response teams. Donations can be made to: The Salvation Army Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 12600, Oklahoma City, OK 73157. Designate Oklahoma Tornado Relief on all checks. Donate by phone: (800) 725-2769. Donate online: donate.salvationarmyusa.org/uss/eds/aok.

TULSA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Tulsa Community Foundation, the nation’s largest community foundation, has established the Moore and Shawnee Tornado Relief Fund. This fund has received a lead gift of $100,000 from the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Contributions to the Moore and Shawnee Tornado Relief Fund can be made securely online at www.TulsaCF.org. Donations can also be mailed to TCF offices at 7030 S Yale, Suite 600, Tulsa, OK, 74136.

UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

United Way of Central Oklahoma has activated its disaster relief fund. Fund dollars will be distributed without administrative fees to United Way Partner Agencies working on the tornado relief efforts. To donate, go to www.unitedwayokc.org or give by mail to United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 837, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 with notation for May Tornado Relief. For more information, contact Karla Bradshaw at kbradshaw@unitedwayokc.org.

This summer, more than 120 students, staff and faculty are leaving the comforts of home to serve and spread the Gospel in around 20 countries, showing that “OC is Mission,” too.

“We are motivated and encouraged by the pure hearts for service that so many OC students have,” deSteiguer said. “We commend them, as well as our many faculty and staff who exemplify OC’s Christian mission to spread the good news and serve others.”

OC summer missionaries will lead Bible studies, make new friends and work on service projects, all in the name of Jesus. Those traveling appreciate prayers for success and safety.

Last year, students serving in Tanzania, Africa, helped as a "bucket brigade" that put out a fire at a school dormitory. To read about updates on some of the current OC mission projects, visit OC’s Center for Global Mission’s Facebook page.

Below is a list of countries and the OC students, staff and faculty that are serving in each location.

Argentina: Madison Huntsman, Josh McCoy, Jenny Stewart

Australia: Adam Bowman, Kent and Nancy Hartman, Kyle Keesee

Austria and neighboring countries: Anna Berthold, Jillian Bryson, Kolby Calhoun, Bradford Eckhart, Daniel Griffin, Ryan Hinds, Elizabeth Maher, Payton Minzenmayer, Alexander McMannama, Candyce Moore, Afton Paris, Alex Powers, Brayden Reiter, Seth Reiter, Shelby Richards, Alissa Stephens, Hardeman Tucker, Hayley Waldo, Dylan White

Brazil: AnnaBeth Duncan, Kristine Pike, Mindi Powell, Jess Tucker

Burkina Faso: Quinn Fields, Chelsea Leigh, Jessica Parker, Caleb Smith

Canada: Zechariah McNeil

Chile: Abi Johnson, Caleb Johnson, Craig Johnson, Hannah Johnson, Kara Johnson, Sarah Johnson

Czech Republic: Clayton Brewer, Jeremy Lasso

Germany: Clyde and Gwen Antwine

Honduras: Eric Alberts, Erin Bailey, Hope Casey, Dudley Chancey, Kayla Cook, Meredith Corwin, Carli Covalt, Mariah Danley, Kelli Ewert, Miriam Flores, Linda Fly, Shawna Hood, Kym Langford, Bradley Litzkow, Peyton Moehlenbroch, Andrea Moore, Ivan Noffsker, Katie Pryor, Marion Rich, Kaitlyn Schemeissner, Liz Webb

Japan: Mitch Aufiero, Karley Davis, JoLin Nguyen

Peru: Kasey Aufiero, Kayla Frei

Russia: Branson Hartshorn

Rwanda: Bonaventure Bikorimana, Francois Birori, Ines Dushime, Becca Greenwood, Yves Iradukunda, Christelle Kwizera, Alyssa Lui, Yingui Lui, Hunter Marris, Jeanmarie Ndayisaba, Darian Russell, Ariette Sangwa, Paige Shaw, Marci Smith, Grace Umutesi, Diane Uwacu, Lauren Whitworth

Thailand and Cambodia: Jonna Bezner, Mahya Inoue

Tanzania: Bret Arnold, Eddie Brumley, Abbie Bryant, Bethany Dean, Molly Gettle, Mackenna Jones, Ben Langford, Jonathan Parker, Julianne Stinson, Stuart Woodfin

U.S.-based mission work: Kaler Campbell, Carley Cave, Amber Cox, Quinn Drake, Jamal George, Zeke Gustafson, Loryn Hammer, Sierra Harris, Kelsey Henson, Josh Jones, Dillon and Ariel Leu, Mike Lynn, Jessica Parker, Crystal Robinson

Do you know someone on a mission trip that is not on this list? Let us know! Please include their name and location.

KFOR recently featured Oklahoma Christian University professor Jeff Price in its "Is This a Great State or What?" series.

Price leads OC's gaming and animation program, which earned Oklahoma Christian national recognition from The Princeton Review. OC received honorable mention on The Review's list saluting the best undergraduate schools in the U.S. and Canada to study video game design.

Price also has vintage arcade games like Space Invaders, Pong, Defender and Centipede in his OC office. He uses them as teaching tools and, of course, to have some fun along the way.

Read more on KFOR.

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Oklahoma Christian officially unveiled the Lou Phillips Welcome Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by OC board members, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

The new facility, located in the lobby of the Garvey Center, will serve as a beginning point for campus guests – including future students and parents touring the university. Made possible by a gift from Oklahoma City philanthropist Jose Freede, the venue also will house OC’s Office of Events and Campus Coordination.

During more than three decades at Oklahoma Christian, Lou Phillips was a longtime executive assistant and later served as coordinator of special projects.

She worked closely with five OC presidents – J. Terry Johnson, Kevin Jacobs, Alfred Branch, Mike O’Neal and John deSteiguer – and also served on the board of the Oklahoma Christian Women’s Association until her passing in January.

“Lou Phillips was such a dear friend to so many of us. She was known far and wide because she was hospitality ‘capitalized,’” deSteiguer said. “Lou had a way about her to make people feel welcomed, at home and special. I was especially blessed that she took me under her wing and helped me in lots of ways. She trained more presidents at Oklahoma Christian University than anybody else.”

In 1992, Phillips was the official hostess for President George H.W. Bush’s official campaign visit to Oklahoma Christian. She also helped coordinate George W. Bush’s 1990 visit to Oklahoma Christian on “University Day.” After Phillips’ passing, George W. Bush sent a personal letter of condolences to her family.

Just before she passed away, she told President deSteiguer to “take care of OC.” Those words are displayed in the Lou Phillips Welcome Center.

“My mom was really good at noticing people,” said Lori Walle, Phillips’ daughter. “She noticed students, staff, visitors, famous people, people nobody knew, workers, and people in her office. She noticed everyone – and everyone was important to her. I think that’s something we can all learn from. Wherever we are, we can notice people and make a difference in their lives.”

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Thursday evening, Charles Kaczorowski returned to a familiar and ultra-meaningful site.

Oklahoma Christian University is the only place in the world outside of New York City to have survivor trees from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the World Trade Center growing side by side. For the eighth year in a row, guests from New York have come on April 18 to commemorate the Oklahoma City bombing.

For Kaczorowski, the pilgrimage to the sacred spot located just west of the Mabee Learning Center is on his annual must-do list. He comes feeling like a drained battery, he said. He leaves re-energized, refreshed and restored.

TOO MANY FATEFUL DAYS

Back in 1990, while he was working for Shearson Lehman Hutton's facilities department, Kaczorowski had an office on the 106th floor of 2 World Trade Center.

Three years later, at 12:17 p.m. on Feb. 26, 1993, the Vietnam veteran was working in 3 World Financial Center on his lunch break in the concourse going down the escalator to the path trains for their schedule when the whole place shook.

“When I felt the concussion, it took me back to Vietnam,” said Kaczorowski, a Navy Seabee from 1969-70.

Terrorists had detonated 1,500 pounds of explosives in a van parked in the underground public lot of the World Trade Center two levels below the southern wall of the North Tower. The attack killed six people, injured more than 1,000 and created a five-story crater beneath the towers.

Less than a month later, the WTC was open for business.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Kaczorowski was arriving at the World Trade Center in New York City.

At about 9 a.m., he was coming from the subway station at Vesey and Church streets, delayed by a subway delay, which made him late for a scheduled 8:30 a.m. breakfast meeting in the Trade Center Concourse.

He emerged less than 25 yards from the North Tower.

“I saw the towers burning,” he said.

When the South Tower began collapsing, Kaczorowski was a block away. He ran as fast as humanly possible away from the dust cloud.

“I never looked back,” he said. “I just kept on running.”

He made it to a nearby building and took cover. Efforts to connect by phone with his wife were hampered by system overloads. Then he heard the North Tower coming down.

When the second tower fell, 35 years of his life were literally wiped clean from his mind and heart like it never existed, he said.

At 8 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2001, Kaczorowski returned to Ground Zero where he supervised the operations for the midnight-8 a.m. shift for the City of New York Department of Design and Construction until July 1, 2002.

Pieces of his memories gradually came back as bodies were recovered from Ground Zero. Like many others who were there he suffers from health issues related to breathing the air; he also has various issues related to his service in Vietnam.

‘I FIND PEACE’

At OC, Kaczorowski wasn’t alone. He was joined by survivors and others from New York and from Oklahoma.

During a chilly evening which looked and felt more like January than April 18, members of 419 Outreach, founded by Oklahoma City bombing family members, survivors and responders, Ronald Vega, director of design and construction of the National September 11 Memorial and OC representatives came together for a quiet ceremony near the survivor trees.

Since 2005, Kaczorowski has been coming to Oklahoma for the Oklahoma City bombing anniversary.

“When I first came here I was so touched by the memorial,” Kaczorowski said as the guests were about to be treated to dinner at OC. “This the most peaceful memorial in the entire country. I come here, seriously, on the 19th of April, I go out by the chairs, I lay down in the grass on my back and I cleanse my body, my soul, my mind and my heart. It’s so peaceful here. I find peace, tranquility and serenity here.”

When he leaves, he feels reborn.

Risa Forrester, OC’s vice president for admissions and marketing, said the campus is blessed to have the survivor trees and granite from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and an iron cross from the World Trade Center at the site.

“For this group to choose our home to put these items at our place is really, really special for our family here,” she said.

When people come from across the world on campus tours, the spot is a must-see place, Forrester said. It helps them remember that peace is paramount and no matter what good always wins, she said.

Neil Arter, OC’s vice president for student life and dean of students, said every year the ceremony is special. Guests never want to forget and there is something more.

“We kind of have these living heroes,” Arter said of the New York and Oklahoma folks. “They come and they really just show you everything that’s great about human nature.”

Gabbi Cook's parents were missionaries in Peru and planned a quick visit to the U.S. in August. Unexpectedly, doctors found cancer in Gabbi's liver and her parents have had to give up their missionary calling. Luckily, Gabbi received a new liver right before Christmas, but her family has incurred numerous health expenses. 

Kid President mentioned Gabbi at the end of one of his most popular videos, OC students are doing good on Gabbi's behalf through the 30 Day 30k campaign aimed at inspiring 30,000 people do good works on Gabbi's behalf. Those good deeds include raising money, but giving encouragement and praise are sometimes just as important. 

Talented OC students and alumni Sandra Peck, Brett Vanderzee and Laura Vanderzee are performing. Students are also selling drinks, snacks and balloon animals. The event will conclude around 8:30 p.m.

To learn more about helping Gabbi, visit Facebook.com/30day30k, twitter.com/30day30k or the donation page at Give Forward. 

The "Murdered My Wisdom Teeth" video of her dental adventure (above) went viral on YouTube, and she's been interviewed by ABC's Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Watch her interview with Jimmy Kimmel here:

Here's her appearance on GMA Live!:

Abbie is a sophomore family studies major from Coffeyville, Kansas. Her aunt, Shelley Kurt, writes about life as the parent of two OC students in her "Leaving the Nest" blog.

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This follows the American Marketing Association’s Oklahoma City chapter renaming its Lifetime Achievement Award after Smith, a professor of marketing and MBA advisor in Oklahoma Christian’s School of Business Administration. He received the organization’s only lifetime achievement award in 2008.

These awards reflect Smith’s servant leadership approach to his field and his commitment to helping his community. In 2011, Smith served as auctioneer (another of his many talents) to help raise more than $150,000 for injured Oklahoma City police officer Chad Peery, a father of four facing significant medical bills.

OC MBA alumna Dee Patty, a former student of Smith’s who works for the police department, organized the “Taking Care of Our Own” benefit event.

“I remember Dr. Burt being so enthusiastic and excited about his work at OC that I looked more into the work he did outside the school. It was there I discovered he was also an auctioneer and worked some of the benefit auctions put on by actor Mark Harmon. I knew we needed to have him for our auction,” Patty said.

Patty has since been asked to be a consultant by other officers wishing to put fundraising events together for Officer Peery and other first responders injured in the line of duty in the metro area. She also has taken the “Taking Care of Our Own” name further to make it a nonprofit organization to continue to raise funds for first responders injured in the line of duty.

According to Smith, when people meet Chad, they are impressed with what an upbeat spirit he has despite what has happened.

“His ability to inspire has not been exaggerated,” Smith said. “I only visited with him for a little while because he had tons of folks lined up who wanted to thank him. In the short time I spent with him, I was impressed with what a powerful human being he is.”

Smith said he was also very proud of how his former student used her leadership and organizational skills to help make the event such a success.

“People have no idea how much planning, detail and just plain hard work goes into an event like this,” Smith said. “Dee and her team can take great pride in the way they orchestrated this event. It really was something to behold.”

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The 50 selected students will meet with authors, politicians and global thought leaders, such as Karl Rove, former presidential adviser, author and FOX News commentator.

Oklahoma Christian is the primary host for the all-inclusive program (tuition, room, board, travel and fees), which is free to the 50 selected students.

This year's Four Star Leadership Congressional Debate competition offers students expert policy briefings so they may address those issues in persuasive speech and editorial contests, while collaborating in a model Student Congress. Students will investigate contemporary policy controversies ranging from energy policy to human rights.

Excursions during the week will provide participants with opportunities to further develop leadership skills and employ them through cultural experiences and service projects.

General Tommy Franks, former commander-in-chief of American and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, hosts the program, with OC, the National Center for Policy Analysis and the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs as partners.

Since 2008, Four Star Leadership has welcomed 206 American high school students from 42 states and 32 international students. Kings, governors, senators, Olympic gold medalists and top national policy experts have mentored students in developing and demonstrating the core leadership principles of the program: character, common vision, communication, and caring.

To apply, go to http://fourstarleader.com. The application deadline is May 15. For more information, call (580) 726-5900.

Any of the 50 students who choose to pursue their college education at Oklahoma Christian will receive a $1,000-per-year scholarship for up to four years.

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Oklahoma Christian University (OC)
Oklahoma Christian, which set an enrollment record with 2,271 students this year, is recognized as one of the best universities in the western United States by U.S. News and World Report and The Princeton Review. The university offers undergraduate programs in more than 60 fields of study and graduate programs in business administration, engineering, ministry, and divinity. In addition to its Oklahoma City campus, OC has study abroad opportunities in Europe, Honduras and the Pacific Rim. For more information, go to www.oc.edu.

National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA)
With offices in Dallas and Washington, D.C., the NCPA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA’s goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. For more information, go to www.ncpa.org.

Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA)
With thousands of members across the state and a staff based in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs operates as an independent, nonprofit public policy research organization - a think tank - focused primarily on state-level issues. Throughout its 20 years of existence, the primary purpose of OCPA has been to educate the citizenry to equip them for self-government. They want to empower Oklahomans to lead the nation in the defense of freedom by providing fact-based public policy analysis that promotes free markets, limited government and entrepreneurial opportunity. OCPA publishes the conclusions from its research in the monthly policy journal Perspective and online at www.ocpathink.org. Within the arena of public policy and politics, OCPA is regarded as the flagship of the free-market movement in Oklahoma.

OC has dedicated a week of Chapel services to foster care, adoption, and the fatherless.

“We believe that every child deserves a family,” said Holly Towers, executive director of Lilyfield. “Participation with the fatherless and the modern-day orphan is not optional when we are focused on Christ and living a Godly lifestyle.”

Lilyfield  lined up speakers and organizations from the community and other not-for-profit organizations to speak on the needs of the fatherless in our community.

“Many people can foster or adopt. But even those who cannot open their homes to a child can ensure that other Christian families are able to,” Towers said. “We also hope that a seed might be planted in the hearts of these students to one day foster or adopt.”

Towers kicked off the week by sharing Lilyfield’s dream of a family for every child in Oklahoma. The campus then heard from Tom Ward, CEO of SandRidge Energy and founder of White Fields. He shared his passion of supporting the fatherless as an act of obedience to the Gospel. 

Other speakers include: John Sowers, author of The Fatherless Generation and president of The Mentoring Project; Ben Nockels, director of the 111 Project; and Josh Kingcaid, adoptive father and a minister at Memorial Road Church of Christ.

OC students have the opportunity to donate a meal swipe to help fund the cause of providing families for children in Oklahoma through the adoption and foster care programs at Lilyfield. 

Other efforts include donating spare change in baby bottles located around campus and connecting with featured organizations through volunteer and internship opportunities.

“Students often wonder how they can be involved in making a difference in the lives of children. Through these efforts, students can help provide homes for children by donating their time and resources,” Towers said.

About Lilyfield Christian Adoption and Foster Care
Lilyfield Christian Adoption and Foster Care is an adoption agency providing comprehensive services to women in unplanned pregnancies and couples wishing to grow their families. Lilyfield provides women in crisis pregnancies a place to turn to for guidance. In 2008, the agency began serving infants and young children in state custody by matching them with loving, Christian foster families. Since its inception in 2000, Lilyfield has served more than 600 birth mothers and placed more than 120 children in loving Christian homes. For more information, go to www.lilyfield.org.

OC receives nod for video game studies
By Brian Brus
The Journal Record

Sometimes it can seem as though academic studies at Oklahoma Christian University are all fun and games, associate professor Jeff Price said.

That’s as it should be, actually. The university recently earned an honorable mention on The Princeton Review’s list of best undergraduate schools in North America to study video game design.

The annual list named 15 undergraduate schools and 15 runners-up. It was the only Oklahoma school and one of two in the Southwest to make the list.

“We’ve completely revamped the degree program for this area over the last four years, and it’s nice to see someone noticed,” said Price, who teaches animation and design. “When I came here four years ago, we held back 3-D modeling until senior year, which just isn’t enough time to master it well enough to make games. Now they’re modeling in 3-D their freshman year. It’s really enhanced the degree option and made it more valuable.”

The Princeton Review based its list on criteria such as curricula, faculty, facilities, financial aid and career services.

This year the review partnered with PC Gamer magazine, which will feature the rankings in its May issue to be published in early April.

The recognition is valuable marketing for the school, Price said. Potential students visiting the school still mention an earlier version of the list from 2010, in which OC was ranked in the top 50 of about 500 schools. Price said OC will probably ramp up its advertising for the program to attract students who might not otherwise consider a Christian university.

Price said the OC gaming and animation curriculum includes gaming and animation history, technical skills classes covering about 30 software programs and studio classes to develop their own games. However, the skills that students learn won’t pigeonhole them in the entertainment industry - although that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, given the wide range of media such as movies, smartphone applications and technology still evolving.

“This can take them into military simulation, scientific data visualization working with doctors, the education field, product designs, or even architecture and sales,” he said. “One of our students works with a homebuilder to do visualizations for the types of houses they can build.”

Price said he remembers being reprimanded in his first computer programming class in Mustang High School on the west side of the metro area in the 1980s.

“He got onto me because we were supposed to be writing a program to calculate the interest rate on a car lot, while I was making an interactive game like Dark Tower with branching storylines,” Price said. “I think we can see where the industry went with that.”

Just two days before heading to the Himalayas, the 1982 Oklahoma Christian graduate sat down with News9 to talk about her upcoming adventure.

Click here to watch News9's story.

To read more about Valari, click here for a story from Edmond Life & Leisure and click here for a story about her involvement in the on-campus Eagle Trail.

-OC-

Jase came to OC with his wife, Missy, and their three children. Prior to Chapel, he did a video shoot with Oklahoma Christian president John deSteiguer ... standing in the OC Pond. (Click here to watch the video.)

"The Bible is a weapon of mass instruction, and a love letter from God Almighty. And the message is clear - He is for you, not against you," Jase said during his Chapel talk. "The power is in the message. Share the message and let God water the seed."

Duck Dynasty is the most-watched program in the history of the A&E Network. The premiere of its third season on February 27 was the No. 1 cable show of the week.