ABOUT
ABOUT:
Oakland City University
Welcoming students to our family since 1885.
OCU History
OCU was just a single two-story brick building when General Baptists founded it. Imagine what it must have been like for those first students in 1891 to attend all their classes together in that one building. It was an intimate learning community. They felt known. Connected. Supported.
We’ve certainly had a lot of changes over the years.
Buildings were added. Collegiate sports programs and student clubs grew. Enrollment shrank during the Depression when faculty and staff went without pay to keep the school running, then surged upward again after World War II.
We became a fully accredited college in 1977, and again by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education in 1981. We added five graduate degrees and over 40 undergraduate programs and achieved university status in 1995.
But in many ways, we’re still that single schoolhouse, now on 34 beautiful acres north of Evansville, Indiana. OCU today continues to be a place where students are known, connected and supported academically, emotionally and spiritually. We’re still committed to providing opportunity for all who want to enter to learn and to fulfill their calling to go forth and serve.
Our Mission
Oakland City University is a Christian faith-based learning community dedicated to the enhancement of intellectual, spiritual, physical and social development for positive leadership.
We want to set you up for success, whatever it takes. That means investing fully in you as a person who desires to live out a fulfilling life as you make a positive impact on the world.
Our Vision
To become a leading faith-based University that provides a Christian learning environment preparing students for service.
It has been our calling for well over a century to continually meet the unique needs of the next generation of servant-leaders while embracing our core values of Christian faith and service.
How OCU Stands Apart
Career-Focused
Meeting the needs of today’s students means paving the way toward gainful employment and meaningful service. That’s what our Career Pathways program is designed to do.
Family-Like Community
Beyond providing the programs that create an active campus, such as NAIA Mighty Oaks athletics and over 30 student organizations, we create an environment where students feel deeply known and supported.
Committed to Diversity
We also strive to create a socioeconomically diverse learning community. This includes a strong focus on supporting first-generation college students through our Center for Calling and Career, which works to promote upward social mobility and partners with programs like Act Six.
Creating Leaders with a Christian Foundation
As a Christian university, we work from a foundation of biblical values as we train up leaders to embrace service-oriented career paths, excel in their chosen field, and make a positive impact in service to the world.
Our Faculty
It takes a talented faculty to equip students with the knowledge and expertise they need to lead fulfilling lives. What makes our instructors special is their passion. They are incredible mentors, cheerleaders and advocates who see personally to the success of every single student.
Our Campus
There’s so much more to discover about OCU when you’re here. Whether you’re meeting a member of our amazing faculty, shooting pool with students at The Underground, or taking in a pulse-pounding Mighty Oaks athletic event, you’ll recognize that familiar feeling … of home.
General Baptist Denomination
Oakland City University is the only General Baptist-affiliated higher ed institution in the nation. As we teach in accordance with our faith, we are open to students of all faith backgrounds.
Oakland City University (OCU) is accredited by
The Higher Learning Commission.
Oakland City University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
Higher Learning Comission
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602-2504
1-800-621-7440
Click here to view the Statement of Accreditation Status page.
Department and Program Accreditations
Several of the University’s programs are accredited by discipline-specific accreditors, agencies, professional associations, and organizations. Current accreditations and recognitions include:
- Indiana Department of Education
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), formerly National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
- initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs
- Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
- National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
- Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC)
- National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
- SHAPE America-Physical Education, formerly National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
- National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
- Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
- International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)
- Associate of Science, Accounting; Associate of Science, Business Administration; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (concentrations in accounting, management, human resource management, marketing, criminal justice, sports administration); Master of Business Administration
Chapman Seminary Accreditations
The Chapman Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), and the following degree programs are approved: DMin MDiv.
The University holds membership in academic and collegiate associations to maintain the integrity of academic protocols and operations.
- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
- Association of Veterans Education Certifying Officials (AVECO)
- Central Association of College and University Business Officers (CACUBO)
- Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
- College Placement Council, Inc.
- Conference for Small Private Colleges
- Council of Independent Colleges
- Illinois Association of College Admissions Counselors (IACAC)
- Indiana Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (IACRAO)
- Independent Colleges of Indiana
- Indiana Association of College Admissions Counselors
- Indiana Conference of Higher Education
- Indiana, Midwest, and National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
- Kentucky Association of College Admissions Counselors (KYACAC)
- North American Coalition of Christian Admissions Professionals (NACCAP)
- National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)
- National Association for Business Teachers