OBU students in the International Business MBA program has traveled to China, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Brazil in the past.  "This program offers a fresh approach to learning how to do business in other countries", says Ann. 

You can view pictures at this Link.  Find out more about the MBA in International Business Program at: http://graduate.okbu.edu/international-business-program

OBU has named Lepaine Sharp-McHenry as dean of the College of Nursing. She will assume the responsibilities of this role July 15, 2013.

McHenry currently serves as the assistant director and a clinical instructor for the University of Arkansas’ Eleanor Mann School of Nursing in Fayetteville, where she has been on the faculty since 1993.

“We look forward to working with Lepaine McHenry at OBU as we enter a period of anticipated growth in the College of Nursing,” said OBU President David W. Whitlock. “She is a visionary leader with a can-do attitude.”

A doctoral candidate at Union University, McHenry is working toward a doctorate in nursing practice with a specialty in executive leadership, with an expected graduation in May 2014. She earned an associate degree in nursing from Southern Arkansas University in 1981; a bachelor’s of science in nursing degree from the University of Arkansas in 1993; and a master’s of science in nursing degree from University of Oklahoma-Tulsa in 1996. Her area of specialty is psychiatric mental health nursing.

“Lepaine McHenry will provide the type of vision and leadership that will build upon our great legacy of nursing education to move us forward into the new challenges confronting us in health care education,” said Dr. Stan Norman, OBU provost and executive vice president for campus life.

At the University of Arkansas, she has served as assistant director of the School of Nursing since 2009. She served as a full-time faculty member from 1993-2000, and on the adjunct clinical faculty from 2002-06. She was an online graduate nursing adjunct faculty member for Regis University from 2007-09. She has served in nursing legal consultation for various law firms since 1998.

McHenry’s medical practice included work at Charter Vista Hospital in Fayetteville from 1989-93 as a staff nurse in the adult psychiatric program, staff development director, interim adult addictive disease nurse manager, interim children’s program manager, interim human resources director and nursing education coordinator. Her previous practice included long-term care with Millspaugh and Associates and Rose Care, Inc.; director of nursing and in-service education coordinator with Apple Tree Inn Nursing Home; oncology charge and staff nurse and head nurse, recuperative care skilled unit with Washington Regional Medical Center; charge nurse with Union Medical Center; and staff nurse, surgical unit, with University of Missouri Health-Science Center. She is a certified long term care nurse administrator and certified for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation with the American Heart Association.

“I am truly excited about the opportunity to serve as the dean of nursing at OBU,” McHenry said. “The College of Nursing has a rich, noteworthy history, and is well respected among nursing leaders. Health care services are moving toward outcomes. Research has demonstrated better patient outcomes when cared for by a baccalaureate prepared registered nurse. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has recommended by 2020 that 80 percent of the nursing workforce be prepared at the baccalaureate level. OBU has an opportunity to make a significant contribution to this recommendation by increasing the BSN nurse workforce impacting care outcomes across the country.”

“Also, the IOM is recommending that we double the number of nurses with a doctorate degree by 2020,” McHenry said. “OBU is clearly positioned to take the helm and prepare nurses that will assume leadership roles in the nursing profession whether in education, practice or regulation. I look forward to building on pass successes to accomplish the core values of OBU by providing a Christ Centered, Excellence Driven, Learning Focused, Mission Purposed and Community Directed nursing program that will not only meet the needs of our community, state and nation, but also the world.”

McHenry has received many awards and honors, including the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing 2010 Service Award; American Association of Collegiate Nursing Leadership Academic Nursing Program Fellow in 2009; Outstanding Volunteer Award for NWA Junior League in 2004; Outstanding Young Arkansan in 1999; Fayetteville’s Young Top Five Professionals in 1999; Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Research Award in 1998; and the University of Oklahoma Outstanding Academic Achievement in 1996, among others.

She is the founding president of the Arkansas Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care. She served as vice president and committee chair for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing from 2005-08; as past president of the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Educators in 1994; and as a board member of the Arkansas Nursing Home Nurses Association from 1991-93. Her professional affiliations include the Arkansas Nurses Association; the American Association of Long Term Care Nurses; and Sigma Theta Tu, Pi Theta Chapter.

McHenry has served on many journal editorial/advisory boards, including the Geriatric Nursing Editorial Advisory Board from 1997-2005; The Director, the official publication of the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care; University of Arkansas Black Alumni Society Board member; PLAVIX Long Term Care Advisory Board; Aventis Long Term Care Advisory Board; Janseen and Janseen LTC Quality Initiatives in Clinical Practice; Norvatis LTC Advisory Board; and Solvay/Wyeth Senior Care Advisory Board.

Her academic service includes numerous committees at various levels, including the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing; the College of Education and Health Professions; and the University of Arkansas. Her community service includes the Board of Trustees for the Leader Training Institute of America; Fayetteville Christian School Board; Community Clinic at St. Francis House; and Washington County Tea Party. She is president-elect of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas.

At the state level, she was appointed by Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve on the Arkansas Minority Health Commission; the Long Term Care Facility Advisory Board; the Arkansas State Board of Nursing; and the Governor’s Roundtable on Healthcare. She is an executive school board member of the Arkansas Virtual Academy. At the national level, she has served as vice president, treasurer and corresponding secretary of the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration; and she served as a committee member, committee chair, delegate and vice president of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

McHenry is an author and contributor to numerous scholarly writings and research projects, as well as an in-demand professional workshop presenter and speaker.

“The Energy and Land Management Certificate Program is designed for individuals who wish to continue their certification in land management or begin a career in a field related to petroleum or land management endeavors,” said Dr. Scott Harris, director of the OBU Graduate School. “This certificate program is convenient and scheduled so that you may easily complete the program within a six-month period. If desired, participants may take specific courses to enhance their current working knowledge.”

The program is designed for landmen; lease and title analysts; attorneys; land owners; division order analysts; lease records clerks; people involved in exploration and development activities; and people who want to further their knowledge of the field of energy management.

The program consists of 11 courses. Each course is one or two days in length, with new class cycles beginning every January and July. When participants have successfully completed the program, they will receive an Energy Land Management Certificate.

“With the accelerated scheduling, participants can quickly complete the certificate program and then pursue enhanced career opportunities,” Harris said.

Courses include (For full course descriptions click here):

* Energy Management, a two-day course slated for Jan. 28-29. This course presents a broad overview of the most needed information related to petroleum land management with significant time focused on the role land personnel in the development of oil and gas plays, the oil and gas lease, oil and gas contracts and understanding critical petroleum land title issues and solutions.

* Oil and Gas Law, a two-day course on Feb. 11-12. This course is perfect for anyone seeking to understand how oil and gas law drives the oil and gas industry and the activities of oil and gas participants including lenders, investors, lessors, working interest owners, government regulators, attorneys, landmen and others.

* Critical Title Issues for Petroleum Land Management, a one-day course on Feb. 25. This class covers crucial information for the land professional dealing with critical title issues and conveyances that impact how oil and gas interests are calculated and maintained.

* Understanding and Negotiating the Oil and Gas Lease, a two-day course on March 11-12. This course provides a solid understanding of the more common provisions and the legal significance of an oil and gas lease.

* Oil and Gas Contracts, a two-day course on March 25-26. This course assumes some knowledge of mineral conveyancing and addresses, in more depth, the Farmout Agreement and Joint Operating Agreement with a review of numerous other contracts and a brief summary of the required elements found in an enforceable contract and defenses to a breach of contract case.

* Curing the Oil and Gas Lease and Energy Land Tile Defects, a two-day course on April 8-9. This course presents the function known as curing land titles.The purpose of a title opinion – whether for lease acquisition, drilling, division order, security or production purchase purposes – will control the format of the opinion, the information reported in the opinion, and what title defects lead to title requirements.

* Calculating Oil & Gas Interests, a one-day course on April 22. This course will equip land professionals with critical skills for calculating working interests, net revenue interests and other interests found in leases, assignments, operating agreements and associated documents.

* Farmouts: Critical Concepts and Practices, a one-day course on May 6. This course provides an overview of the widely used “Farmout” Agreement beginning with its history and how it is typically defined and distinguished from other relationships.

* Due Diligence in Acquisition and Divestiture of Oil and Gas Properties, a one-day course on May 20. In this course, students learn why and how to do a due diligence examination. “Due diligence” is a term that comes from provisions in the typical purchase and sale agreement that deal with the buyer's examination of the property and the seller's records.

* Understanding Joint Operating Agreements, a one-day course on June 3. This course focuses on what may be the most common agreement for upstream oil and gas operations, the Joint Operating Agreement.

* Understanding and Settling Surface Damage Claims, a one-day course on June 17. This course will cover important areas of the law related to surface damages such as the fact that as the law exists today, the owner of a mineral lease, rather than the surface estate owner, possesses the dominant estate.

Course will be taught by Dr. Patrick Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D., who practices law with the firm Fitzgerald & Associates. For many years he has provided significant consulting and taught in many areas related to oil and gas in addition to topics concerning economic and financial decision making in the petroleum industry. Fitzgerald has an extensive background in publishing and is a contributor to Landman, a bi-monthly publication of the American Association of Professional Landmen.

All classes meet from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on the campus of First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City at 1201 N. Robinson, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 in the campus cafe.

The ELM Certificate Program classes cost $300 for a one-day class and $600 for a two-day class. This fee includes the workbooks needed for each class, lunch and refreshments, as well as complimentary parking on the campus of First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City for each class. Interested professionals are encouraged to check with their current employers for payment assistance, as many companies pay for their employees to complete such a certificate program.

Classes must be paid for at time of registration. There are no refunds once a student has registered for a class. If the OBU Graduate School is notified 48 hours in advance of a class, a student may transfer the registration to another class if necessary.

For more information or to register, contact Lana.Melton@okbu.edu or (405) 585-4601. Learn more by clicking here.

The award honors 30 individuals under the age of 30 for their professional achievements, community involvement and commitment to Oklahoma.

“These individuals have shown leadership among their peers and in the Oklahoma community,” said Don Swift, publisher of iON Oklahoma Online, on the award’s website. “Oklahoma’s momentum will continue because of these 30 outstanding individuals. We are proud to honor their accomplishments and look forward to their continued contributions.”

Strange earned a master’s degree from OBU in business administration, with an emphasis in international business. Her career goal was to work for a non-profit agency to make an impact in her community and the individuals of Oklahoma.

“I was looking to increase my business administration skills for my career in the non-profit sector,” she said.
She now works for OKC Beautiful, a non-profit organization with a mission to encourage and facilitate efforts to improve the image and appearance of Oklahoma City through various programs that offer education, beautification and recognition to the community. She serves as the programs and business manager for the organization, with responsibilities in fundraising campaigns, business relations and the Young Professionals organization.

“The faculty and staff at the OBU Graduate School are proud of Juliann and her accomplishments,” said Dr. Scott Harris, director of the Graduate School. “We believe she will continue to achieve great things as she serves our community. Way to go, Juliann!”

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OBU’s first marriage and family therapy graduate program was operated on the Shawnee campus from 1993-2005.

“The vision for reinstituting this program was birthed by Dr. Canaan Crane,” said Dr. Stan Norman, provost and executive vice president for campus life. “His passion to restart this program and his determination to work for its re-accreditation make him the most suitable person to serve as the director of the master of science degree in marriage and family therapy. He understands the potential significance of such a degree, and I am confident that he will provide exceptional leadership to grow this program in academic excellence, Christian commitment and sustained viability. I am delighted that Dr. Crane has been appointed to this post.”

The marriage and family therapy graduate program at OBU will extend the existing mission of the undergraduate programs into a technical degree program which will equip marriage and family therapists for Christian service in churches, agencies, on the mission field and in private practice. OBU’s MFT graduate program will prepare competent professionals who will apply their Christian faith to help a diverse and hurting world.

“The marriage and family therapy program is an excellent fit with OBU’s mission,” Crane said. “Equipping professionals to bring healing to hurting families and individuals will allow Christ’s love and the grace of God to be demonstrated in a very real way. Our families and relationships hold much potential to be sources of support and caring, and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy can give a student real tools to invest in promoting healthy marriages and families.”

Crane earned his bachelor’s degree from OBU in 1997 and his master’s degree from OBU in 2000. He earned his doctorate in human environmental science, with a specialization in family science, from Oklahoma State University.

“I’m truly honored to be tasked with leading OBU’s MFT program,” Crane said. “I know that our program can build on OBU’s solid reputation of academic excellence and equip students for the rigors of professional work while preparing those professionals to be ‘salt and light’ to the world.”

Crane has been a licensed marital and family therapist since 2002 and an approved supervisor for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy since 2005. He has been involved in counseling services at OBU, including career counseling and university counseling.

At OBU, he teaches undergraduate psychology courses including “Theories of Personality,” “Basic Counseling Skills,” “Theories of Counseling” and “Family Therapy: Theory and Practice.” He also teaches “Introduction/Intermediate Rock Climbing” in OBU’s Recreation and Wellness Center.

“As a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), a supervisor for LMFTs and a professor at OBU, I’ve been able to see the powerful touch that a marriage and family therapist can have in people’s lives,” Crane said. “To take people where they are and show them compassion –- along with a challenge towards healthy relationships and living –- can free them for lives of purpose, meaning and true community.”

The OBU Graduate School currently offers a master of business administration degree and a master of science in nursing degree. New tracks offering focuses in energy management and global nursing began in August at the Oklahoma City campus.

“Night at the Graduate School” will offer an opportunity for those interested in pursuing a graduate degree to meet other prospective students and OBU professors, as well as learn options for funding a degree program.
“This will be a great opportunity for people to learn more about the degree program of their interest,” said Ann Gray, associate director of the OBU Graduate School. “We want to create a casual environment of food and discussion for people to come together and discuss their questions, needs and the benefits of the program. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sit in on a class session for a few minutes. … They will hear from some of the graduate school professors, current students and graduates of the program.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring a friend who might also be interested in pursuing graduate work.
“If people are even thinking about getting a master’s degree, they should attend this event,” said Dr. Scott Harris, director of the OBU Graduate School. “They will see firsthand what OBU has to offer. I believe they will like what they see, and they will see that graduate school is very doable, even while working full-time.”

For more information about the event, call Lana Melton, administrative assistant, at (405) 585-4601 or email lana.melton@okbu.edu.

In a world where information is immediate and technology changes at a supersonic speed, a global mindset is mandatory for successful business ventures. At the OBU Graduate School, an international business practicum in East Asia was an integral part of the curriculum for current MBA candidates.

Eighteen students working toward masters of business administration degrees through the OBU Graduate School traveled to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing, China, July 7-15, to expand their business worldviews through the practicum. Led by adjunct professor Trish Zylstra, the group interacted with executives from international companies in China to learn how to conduct business on the international stage.

Students from the OBU Graduate School meet with personnel from Siemens Medical Equipment in Shanghai, China, during an international business practicum in July. The hands-on international business experience is a distinctive of the master’s of business administration degree at OBU.

“Being that now just about every company and organization has some form of international makeup, this trip forced us to consider the international aspects of our industries and our world,” said Scott Timmons, an MBA student from Shawnee, Okla. “China is especially unique due to its size, presence on the world stage, and a thought process that is very much foreign to Western thought.”

Rubbing shoulders with executives and learning the cultural customs of the country offered the students an opportunity to discover what it would be like to conduct business transactions in a foreign country. They experienced firsthand both the benefits and drawbacks of international business.

“The purpose of the trip was to help students apply their book knowledge in the international business arena by visiting companies in China and exploring the possible ways to do business with China in their industry,” Zylstra said. “On the trip, students learn business by doing business. They exchange business cards, meet prospective clients and begin forming relationships with Chinese executives.”

Students visited several companies -– including Siemens Medical Equipment, Inventronics, Taomee Entertainment Network and the ELS Language Center –- and met with multiple executives while in China. The students also were introduced to local culture, food, transportation methods, markets and business etiquette during the practicum. They traveled on a high-speed train from Shanghai to Beijing and climbed the Great Wall.

During the trip, the students met with OBU President David W. Whitlock, who was traveling with executives from the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma to lead business workshops and meet with executives and entrepreneurs in East Asia. The OBU students participated in a one-day business conference in Beijing and heard a business lecture from Whitlock. After the conference, they sampled Beijing’s famous Peking duck. The menu included tofu, jellyfish, duck, vegetables and fried scorpions.

“One of the highlights of my trip was connecting with our MBA students in Beijing,” Dr. Whitlock said. “Engaging directly with students is among my favorite activities, and spending time with them was a great opportunity.”

Daniel Chouinard (center) and Jinglin Gao (right), students in the OBU Graduate School MBA program, discuss the cost of goods at the Panjiayuan Flea Market in Beijing, China, with a vendor.

Zylstra created an “Amazing Race” style exercise in Beijing in which the students utilized all modes of available transportation and visited business highlights in a contest involving speed and budgetary constraints. For MBA student Jonna Raney, from Shawnee, Okla., the exercise proved to be the most interesting and most culturally educational part of the trip.

“We had several places that we had to find as teams, and we had to use all modes of public transportation and communicate with locals for directions and information,” Raney said. “It gave us a good understanding of what it would be like to live in Beijing as part of the minority population.”

Zylstra, who owns an international business and education company called The Harvest Abroad, said the international business practicum is a unique component of the OBU Graduate School’s MBA program.
“Very few programs assist students in traveling internationally to get a hands-on understanding of the global economy,” Zylstra said. “The Oklahoma Baptist University Graduate School offers a distinctive (aspect) by providing students the opportunity to travel internationally to understand international business.”

Timmons said from a professional standpoint, the trip forced him to think bigger than he has thought before.
“One restaurant in which we ate appeared to have approximately 4,000 people eating at a time,” he said, noting there is a difference in understanding the concept of large numbers and the reality of seeing such economic growth firsthand. “In Shanghai, it felt as though there were a thousand skyscrapers, and in one place I counted 20 cranes building new skyscrapers.”

He said the magnitude of the surroundings was matched by the willing spirit of the Chinese people to work with businesses in the United States. While the two countries’ governments might not see eye-to-eye at a macro level, Timmons said on a personal level, the Chinese businesspeople offered a welcoming spirit open to collaboration with Americans in the business world.

Representatives of the OBU Graduate School climbed the Great Wall of China during an international business practicum in July. They included (from left) professor Trish Zylstra and students Keli White, Scott Timmons, Eduardo Pajares, Kyle Rudek, Michael Dickinson and Fred Oraene.

As the owner of Extreme Inflatables in Shawnee, Timmons said the experience provided him with multiple business ideas and granted him the confidence that he is capable of making international business transactions happen as a result of the trip. The journey was an invaluable asset from his MBA studies at OBU, he said, as the global marketplace does not appear to be shrinking anytime soon.

“This business trip sets our MBA program apart,” said Dr. Scott Harris, director of the OBU Graduate School. “It truly allows students to learn about international business up close and personal rather than from a cold textbook. Whether our MBA students engage in international business directly after graduation or not, their perspective on business is never the same, and that makes them a valuable asset to their companies.”

The cohort of MBA students will graduate with their degrees during OBU’s December Commencement ceremony, with completion of all coursework slated for next Spring.