2024 OBU Women of Vision Select Annual Project During Meeting Oct. 17

October 22, 2024

The OBU Women of Vision held their annual meeting and dinner on Oct. 17 in the backyard of the Cargill Advancement and Alumni Center on the OBU campus in Shawnee. With 140 women in attendance, the event was held to generate support and contributions towards projects that greatly impact students and the OBU campus. The event, which included a performance by 30 members of the OBU dance team, set the stage for various festivities during The Weekend Oct.17-19.

Women of Vision is a giving circle dedicated to empowering women by promoting philanthropic endeavors that support OBU’s mission. Membership is open to all OBU alumni and friends, and it includes activities that foster networking and connection with one another and the OBU community. A key component of Women of Vision is its mission to provide financial resources needed to make lasting improvements and impacts on Bison Hill.

Featured speakers for the evening were OBU alumni Emily Freeman and Brittney Freeman Minard. They spoke on the theme of the night which was “Shape the Future: We are all Connected.”

OBU First Lady Jill Thomas said, “As we kick off the university’s ‘Shape the Future’ campaign, it's important to remember that we are all connected and you are an important piece of the OBU story. Your connection to OBU makes a difference and helps shape lives.”

The special evening also included a performance by the National Champion OBU Dance team.

OBU student Liv Todd, a junior nursing major, was awarded a $2,000 Women of Vision scholarship.

The Women of Vision scholarship fund was created in 2018 through an endowed gift and is presented annually to a female OBU student(s) in their junior year. Students apply and a personal interview is conducted as part of the selection process. A goal of the Women of Vision advisory board is to increase the scholarship fund to offer additional assistance to students in the future.

Each year, the Women of Vision vote to fund one of several project proposals they are presented with during their annual meeting.

“Our projects are selected through various proposals from students, faculty, staff, and WOV board members,” Thomas said. “We vet these projects to make sure they align with our ‘Shape the Future’ campaign as we renew after the tornado. Our priorities with the campaign are three major areas: academic investment, facility improvement, and campus life enhancement. Our selected projects fit within these parameters. While we build projects, the bigger goal is always about the people and the community we create through building projects on campus.”

This year, the Women of Vision voted to fund renovations to Wood Science lab space.

The Wood Science Building houses science and math classrooms, laboratories, the W.P. Wood Planetarium and the Bailey Science Museum. In the building, there is a pressing need for modernized classrooms and lab space as well as the integration of new educational technology and tools to greatly benefit students.

“In the last three years, 100 percent of OBU science majors who applied to medical school were accepted within one year of graduation,” Thomas said. “What an honor to get to renovate a lab space for these future shapers.”

Last year’s approved project was an academic classroom in Shawnee Hall. The 20 to 25-seat classroom will feature classroom technology OBU’s education students will use as they move into teaching positions following graduation. This project will function as a part of the overall “Shape the Future” campaign that is focused on transforming the building following damage caused by a tornado that hit the campus on April 19, 2023.

Past projects have included an outdoor classroom, street lighting around designated areas of campus to promote safety, the installation of keyless card access among buildings to enhance security, and the placement of multiple blue safety phones around campus that connect to emergency services.

Other enhancements funded by Women of Vision include significant remodeling, new furnishings and updates to key buildings on campus including the interior lobby of the admissions office and the student life office. Projects have also provided exterior updates on campus featuring outdoor seating, picnic tables, umbrellas, benches and common gathering spaces. The goal of each of the Women of Vision projects is to enhance the overall campus experience for students, employees, alumni and guests.

 “It is an honor to serve OBU through Women of Vision,” Thomas said. “We love to connect with these future shapers on campus and encourage them as they seek to live all of life, all for Jesus. We see needs on campus and collectively we seek to improve and enhance our beloved Bison Hill. Women of Vision is also a wonderful avenue for friendship and fellowship as we serve together.”

Please visit the Women of Vision website to learn more about Women of Vision.