Marking a milestone for Oklahoma Baptist University, President Dr. Heath A. Thomas welcomed more than 530 new students into the broader university community during a near-capacity convocation chapel on Aug. 27, 2025. The service was held in the Recreation and Wellness Center on the OBU campus in Shawnee.

Abbie Richardson, instructor of nursing and director of the simulation center, offered the opening prayer. Dr. Cherith Tucker, chair of the faculty council and chair of the Division of Mathematics, then delivered greetings from the faculty.

After a scripture reading by Dr. Amadi Amaitsa, assistant professor of history, Spencer Barnhill, president of the Student Government Association, led the call to convocation.

Dr. Bret Roark, chair of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences, read the litany, joined by audience participation. Dr. Larinee Dennis, provost and chief academic officer, introduced the new faculty for the academic year.

Thomas introduced new staff members and presented annual faculty and staff awards. Dr. Contessa Edgar, chair of the Division of Science and professor of biology, received the Distinguished Teaching Award. Annie Keehn, chair of the School of Education, assistant professor of education and co-director, Master of Arts in Teaching and ACCESS programs, received the Promising Teacher Award. Randy Smith, executive vice president for business and administrative services, received the Meritorious Service Award.

Thomas then delivered the Convocation address, themed “The Love of Learning and the Desire for God.”

He welcomed the 2025–2026 academic year with great joy, celebrating one of the largest incoming classes in the past decade and the return of the broader student body.

He reminded students that OBU’s faculty and staff are deeply invested in their success, saying, “We have given our very lives to be a part of your story.” He shared that the OBU community has prayed for students by name, asking God to grant them joy, peace and purpose in the year ahead.

Thomas pointed to many reasons for celebration, including new degree programs in construction management, software engineering and graduate health sciences. He noted that OBU will launch its first doctoral program—the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy—in January 2026. He also highlighted the upcoming opening of the Shawnee Hall this fall, the anticipated completion of Thurmond Hall for engineering students in the spring and continued construction around Raley Chapel.

Yet alongside these milestones, Thomas acknowledged the challenges students face. Drawing on his own experience as a new student arriving from Dallas, he encouraged them to persevere, reminding them they are not alone and that God’s mercies are new every morning.

Turning to the theme of his address, Thomas referenced Jean LeClercq’s book “The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture.” He explained how medieval monasteries preserved the wisdom of Scripture, the Church Fathers and classical learning, paving the way for the rise of universities in the 12th century. Without their devotion to learning, he said, institutions like OBU might not exist today.

But, Thomas emphasized, the key insight of LeClercq’s work is found in its title. While the love of learning is good and necessary, it is incomplete without a desire for God. Learning, he said, shapes communities and enriches lives, but when it is aimed only at money, success, or material gain, it ultimately falls short. Only when learning is directed toward God does it bring true joy and satisfaction.

He urged the OBU community to orient their studies and aspirations toward the Lord: “Love learning…and desire God as you do it.” Quoting scripture, he called them to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” trusting that everything else would be added in due course.

“May God bless you as we begin this year,” he concluded. “And may God bless OBU.”

Following the address, Dr. Stephen Sims, Clair McGavern-Nancy Montgomery Associate Professor of Music, led “The Hymn to the Alma Mater,” and Carrie Myles, associate dean of academic support services, offered the benediction.