Roughly 1600 Oakwood University alumni are raising concerns online about the school’s finances and other issues.
A Facebook Page named “Concerned Oakwoodites” outlines many of these concerns, among them a lack of transparency, accountability, lack of corrective action, and a large debt load.
According to the Oakwood University Consolidated Financial Statements the University’s 2022 liabilities is nearly 44 million, double from 2021 (see page 7). Oakwood University consolidated net assets decreased almost 9 million in fiscal year 2022,
The concerned alumni were spurred into action earlier this year when the online stream for the university’s FM radio station, WJOU, went down. Investigation revealed that an unpaid bill with an internet services company caused the outage.
Following the radio station outage, concerned alumni concluded that the university might have more serious financial issues. In September, they created the Concerned Oakwoodites Facebook group.
In October, they had a press conference,
October 12, 2023
HUNTSVILLE – Concerned Oakwoodites is hosting a press conference on Monday, Oct.16th at 11 a.m. It will be in the gymnasium of St. Luke Christian Church, 1800 Sparkman Drive N.W., in Huntsville.
We are a group of 1,046 people who share a connection with Oakwood University as alumni, friends, faculty, staff, and students. Oakwood connected many of us with life-long friends, spouses, careers, and business partners.
Some of us grew up on that campus. Many certainly became adults there. And so many of us either became Christians there, or got to know God better there.
Recent concerns shared with us by faculty, staff, students, parents, and even board members have compelled us to come together. A lack of transparency, accountability and corrective action is what compelled us to make our concerns public.
We are committed to supporting Oakwood and all its stakeholders. We want Oakwood to survive its current challenges, and to thrive. For that to happen, we believe it is imperative that the Oakwood University Board of Trustees and Administration must intensify their focus on the following:
1. Faculty and Staff Retention: Oakwood reportedly has more than 60 job openings while also being under a hiring freeze. Current and former employees have complained about workplace conditions: no air conditioning in some buildings, ceiling tiles that need to be replaced, etc. Several high-ranking employees have resigned recently, at least one without having an employment option in place.
2. Ethical Practices and Procedures: Some former employees have expressed concerns regarding expectations or orders that may not be in keeping with government policies and federal policies. We believe the integrity of our institution should never be compromised, for the sake of its students – past, present, and future.
3. Student Enrollment and Retention: All the concerns we’ve presented jeopardize Oakwood’s ability to recruit and retain students. Students are the lifeblood of any educational institution. Their care and well-being should be paramount. We, Concerned Oakwoodites, remain committed to pursuing transparency, accountability, and corrective action, while promoting views and solutions that reflect our love for Oakwood and a commitment to our faith.
For more information about Concerned Oakwoodites, contact David Person at 256.701.2594 or persondt63@gmail.com
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“I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly” (Psalm 85:8).
