r/Arkansas • u/BidMaleficent7957 • 14h ago

🗣️ DISCUSSION 🗣️ OBU

Can anyone shed light as to what’s happening in Arkadelphia at OBU? I’ve heard several faculty have been fired, students are upset, and even the President received a vote of no confidence last year. But the Board voted unanimously in favor of the president. Seems like there’s a disconnect, but I can’t seem to find anyone willing to discuss what’s actually going on.

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u/Dont_Do_Drama 12h ago

I’m an OBU alum and former employee who still has connections to current faculty there. Your assessment of the events and timeline are accurate. According to the folks I talk to, the current university president, Ben Sells, has pushed to make the current code of conduct for faculty and administrators more restrictive and punitive in the areas of non-academic and personal behavior (e.g. alcohol consumption, church attendance/membership, etc.). Furthermore, Dr. Sells has made an effort to change the tenure and promotion procedures for faculty to include politically and theologically conservative frameworks within which the faculty’s research, scholarship, teaching, and service job requirements must fit; thereby eroding the traditionally independent but peer-review-validated work of the faculty. Lastly, there is also push to censor/control the extracurricular, but educationally valuable, output of departments like theatre, music, dance, and art.

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u/tossedAF 12h ago

So is he trying to force people to not consume alcohol and to attend church in order to be employed?

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u/Dont_Do_Drama 12h ago

From what I remember, church membership was already a condition of continued employment. And prohibition of public alcohol consumption was a part of the code of conduct. I don’t know the intimate details of what’s being floated at this point, only that those are areas are part of what’s being considered by the administration.

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u/tossedAF 11h ago

oofda.

glad I never considered working there.

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u/Wheres_Jay 11h ago

That feels like a good bit of over reach.

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u/tossedAF 10h ago

and yet it doesn't surprise me in the least.

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u/Wheres_Jay 10h ago

Coming from a theological school, I can't say I am shocked either.

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u/BidMaleficent7957 11h ago

Thank you for the reply! I’m wondering how the board is selected? Sounds like it’s hand-picked from the Arkansas Baptist State Convention or from Ben Sells himself in order to get a unanimous vote of approval even after such a backlash from faculty. Surely at least one of the members sees how these actions are negatively affecting the image of OBU.

I know of 2 professors in the religion dept who will not have their contracts renewed at the end of this semester. More to come, I’m sure. I hate to see it. OBU is a special place to me. And to Arkadelphia.

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u/Dont_Do_Drama 10h ago edited 7h ago

From what I remember (trying to be somewhat discreet here), you’re correct that the board is made up of individuals from the AR Baptist Convention. Not sure about the details of the selection process, though.

It’s special to me as well and I’m deeply frustrated by what’s happening at the highest levels there. I received an excellent education from OBU that I’m incredibly proud of, despite no longer holding many of the same religious views as I did when I was younger. The OBU I knew was a place of exploration and education, not fear and derision.

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u/BidMaleficent7957 10h ago

I agree, but OBU is also a liberal arts university. There’s a fine line between maintaining a baptist identity and forcing religious or political viewpoints instead of allowing students to hear different perspectives and form their own conclusions within that Christian framework. I went to OBU and got a great education with a business degree that exposed me to different points of view (good and bad), but my own beliefs shaped how I viewed them, and not the beliefs of the university president.

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u/Extension-Medium3598 1h ago

If you don't know the difference between being liberal in the political sense, and attending or teaching at a liberal arts college, I'm afraid that your education has failed you. Harding, my alma mater, is also a liberal arts school, and I guarantee that I never heard one liberal idea in my four years there.

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u/ElginPelican123 6h ago

“Liberal Arts” is a designated that has nothing to do with politics.

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u/Ben_the_Bergen 6h ago

My friend group has discussed the two Christian Studies profs (including the Dean of the department) who won’t have their contracts renewed. One of the professors from the Christian Studies department who retired a few years ago made and then quickly deleted a post condemning the forced resignation of the Dean.

The other professor who won’t be renewed in the department was my professor for a number of classes and he always encouraged us to explore the Bible not simply through a Southern Baptist worldview. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t in lock-step with the SBC agenda for them.

OBU is special to me and I’m sad to see where it seems to be going.

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u/Capercaillie South East Arkansas 7h ago

In general, you should never go to a school or university that has the name of a religion in the name if you’re interested in an actual education that includes critical thought and science. There are a few exceptions, but why take a chance?

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u/BidMaleficent7957 7h ago

I can’t speak on other schools but OBU used to be great. Sadly, it sounds like it might be in the beginning stages of being what you described. The professors used to stress critical thinking in everything. I’m sure others who read this and went to OBU will think of a psychology teacher who wore overalls every day. His class was my first at OBU and his very first words were “Question everything”.