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During the summer, Oklahoma Christian University initiated Thrive, a three-year campaign that has remodeled the Davisson American Heritage Building auditorium, placed a new sound system in Hardeman auditorium and will continue to bring changes to the campus.
Vice President for Advancement Kent Allen stated that the overall goal of the three-year campaign is to raise $30 million for 30 projects.
“It’s a fast paced, very transparent campaign that started in June and will go for 36 months to three years,” Allen said. “We started the campaign with zero dollars and we have so far this year in pledges and checks almost six million. And our goal for this year, 2014, is to raise 12 million.”
Allen said that the projects are tailored for the benefit of the students.
“They range everywhere from the remodel of the cafeteria to giving to the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Natural and Health Sciences,” Allen said. “We think it’s a campaign that a lot of people have given us very positive vibes about.”
The idea of Thrive came from a trustee of Oklahoma Christian, who decided a program to fund and complete 30 projects on shorter time frame would better serve the campus than a campaign lasting for numerous years.
This idea went to President John deSteiguer then to Kent Allen and ultimately Will Blanchard, director of advancement operations. Thus, Thrive was born.
“Oklahoma Christian is not in the business to just survive, but we want to thrive, we want to grow,” Allen said. “We want to be all that God really wants us to be as a university.”
Thrive is bringing new additions and updates to Oklahoma Christian. Thrive plans to remodel the cafeteria and bring in additional food options. It also plans to improve several programs of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Natural and Health Sciences.
“They just remodeled DAH auditorium, it’s absolutely beautiful; it really hadn’t been touched for probably 30 years with any type of remodeling,” Allen said.
Students can also look forward to other additions Thrive is going to offer around campus.
“We’re raising money for a student coffee shop on the second floor of the Mabee Learning Center, which we think is going to be a great gathering place for students to fellowship with each other, to share information with each other, even to talk about God’s word,” Allen said.
Director of freshman experience, Amy Roberts, is involved with Thrive and said it is an open and transparent way to raise money.
“This is viral to where everyone can see every dollar we raise and at what times we raise it,” Roberts said. “I get to watch that way as an alumni of OC, I get to see where I want to put my money.”
Roberts said Thrive gives back to Oklahoma Christian.
“Ethos being an example,” Roberts said. “Ethos is our new program that needs funding, so it’s going to be able to fund projects and fund programs on our campus, keeping things going.”
Junior Benjamin Hartman sees how Thrive and Ethos are working together and Thrive as a motivating way to donate.
“Thrive almost seems to be like we’re no longer just blankly asking for donations, we’re asking for use of volunteers to donate specific things,” Hartman said. “If people are going to donate then they will actually get to see, ‘hey, this is where my money went into and this is where my investment went into.’ And so from that you have a personal side, which is highly motivating, because it’s real hard to donate money when you don’t see a face.”
Hartman, a history major, has noticed the changes in the DAH auditorium, which now has new seats, lighting and carpeting.
“The seats are so much more comfortable,” Hartman said “It was hard to learn in the auditorium because the seats were not so conducive to learning because they just were uncomfortable. But now the seats are more comfortable and the lighting is better.”
Thrive expects completion by May 2017. The full Thrive story can be found at www.oc.edu/advancement/thrive.
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