A 33 Year Era Ends at OCU
Posted under: James Wilson Murray is presented as a candidate for the sacred and honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. In his lifetime, Dr. Murray has distinguished himself in three separate professional careers.
As a young man, he joined the United States Marine Corps where he was to serve for more than twenty years. He rose from private to the rank of colonel and saw combat duty in Korea and Vietnam. He holds three purple hearts and the Bronze Star Medal for valor. He was cited by his superiors
for his leadership ability under the most trying circumstances.
Also as a young man, Dr. Murray answered the “call” to the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who were both ordained ministers. He successfully served as a pastor and rose in the General Baptist denomination to become the
moderator of its General Association on two occasions. In 2006, Dr. Murray celebrated being the evangelist in the one-thousandth series of revival meetings he conducted. This is an achievement rarely approached and matched by only a very few.
Thirty-three years ago he came as president to what was then Oakland City College. He arrived when the school was not accredited or recognized. The school was experiencing continually decreasing enrollment. Morale was low. The college owed money to about every bank in southern Indiana.
Through President Murray’s leadership over the thirty-three year period, the school is now fully accredited by every agency in which there are curricular offerings; the little college has become a “university” with more than 2,000 students on several campuses; there is no debt at all; an endowment fund has been started; and the curriculum extends from associate degrees through the doctoral level.
Marine, Minister, University President. Just one of those careers would be a tremendous accomplishment for a normal lifetime. But James Murray has filled each of these careers to the full — and many have been the beneficiaries of his efforts.
As an ERA ends and a new one begins. Dr. Murray will continue to be an asset to OCU as President Emeritus and as an active member of the OCU Foundation. He said, “I will continue to do what I do best, raise money for OCU.”
Thanks Dr. James W. Murray for all you have done and will continue to do in the future for OCU.