SHAWNEE—As I approached the side entrance of Shawnee Hall on Bison Hill, I was immediately taken back to my days as an Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) student. On the outside, that old building looked just as I remembered, its bright red bricks standing out against a grey, fall sky. Inside, though, was a different story.
Before the tornado totaled it,I had been inside of Shawnee Hall numerous for OBU’s famous Western Civilization (CIV) courses, so I remember what it looked like well. Walking in, I was immediately hit with a sense of strange familiarity. The renovations done to Shawnee Hall make it more modernized, ready for the next generation of future shapers.
New classrooms have been added, one of which is an impressive interactive room where all the walls can be used as a touchscreen for more hands-on lessons. I was told that not too long ago during OBU’s STEM day each of the four walls had an interactive lesson that focused on one of the four branches of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
On the third floor, where my CIV classes were held, the layout has been altered slightly. Now there are two smaller rooms flanking a larger one in the center. This center room has an amazing view straight down the oval through massive windows. OBU left the original brick exposed in this room, merging the old brick of Shawnee Hall with the more modernized classroom.
It seemed like a huge goal for the renovations was to make Shawnee Hall feel new and improved while also paying homage to its history. This vision can be seen clearly on the second floor where my favorite addition is. Students, or prospective students, will usually enter Shawnee Hall from the front. Upon entering the building one of the first things they’ll see are two massive OBU Bison emblems made from the old Shawnee Hall wood flooring.
Personally, I think those two emblems perfectly show what OBU is about. Between COVID, the ice storms and the 2023 tornado, OBU has seen its fair share of hardships. No matter what though, the goal to prepare the next generation of Christian leaders has never wavered and their focus remained steadfast on God. OBU rolled with the punches and emerged stronger than ever, and those wooden emblems are a reminder of what they’ve been through, but also a reminder of what all God has accomplished through OBU.
