Ottawa University is a private Baptist university with its main campus in Ottawa, Kansas, a second residential campus in Surprise, Arizona, and adult campuses in several locations throughout the United States. It was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The residential campus in Ottawa has approximately 750 students, while the OUAZ campus in Surprise boasts nearly 700, in addition to approximately 4,000 students across all of its campuses and online.
History
The origins of Ottawa University date back to the 1860s when Baptist missionaries established the First Baptist Church in the area that would eventually develop into Ottawa, which at the time was occupied by Native Americans. Elsewhere, Kansas Baptists had managed to charter an institute of higher learning that they were planning on calling the "Roger Williams University". In the early 1860s, they were looking for a place to establish it and at the 1860 Baptist State Convention in Atchison, Kansas, Rev. John Tecumseh "Tauy" Jones made a case for the university coming to Ottawa; he proposed that the Baptists work with the Native Americans in the area, who had land that they might be willing to sell for the purpose of creating a college. After discussions with the Native Americanswho were amenable to the ideait was agreed that 20,000 acres of land would be set aside for the express purpose of constructing a college. On August 20, 1862, the first board of trustees met and decided to purchase 5,000 acres of the aforementioned land so as to establish a campus. In 1865, the name "Roger Williams University" was decommissioned in favor of "Ottawa University". Eventually, the campus was whittled down to about 640 acres.
Ottawa University offers bachelor's degree programs in more than 25 disciplines. Current graduate program offerings include Master of Accountancy, Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Human Resources, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts in Leadership, Master of Science in Addiction Counseling, and Master of Science in Nursing. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school as the 3rd-highest regional private college in Kansas; the site also ranked Ottawa University as 42 out of 150 in a ranking of Midwest Regional Colleges.
Research and cultural resources
Ottawa University is the Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Delta, the national speech and debate honorary. In 1913, Ottawa became the founding member and continues to invest in forensic activities over 100 years later. Free and open to the Ottawa, Kansas, and surrounding communities, the music department holds a number of concerts throughout the year both on campus and in local venues. The theatre department offers a variety of productions for the community. The University serves as a host for community related events throughout the year.
Athletics
The team in Kansas are known as the Braves. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and competes in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The university provides 30 varsity athletic teams—13 men's teams, 14 women's teams, 3 co-ed teams, and a varied intramural programs. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, powerlifting, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cross country, flag football, golf, lacrosse, powerlifting, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling. Co-ed teams include competitive cheer, dance and esports. OUAZ teams are known as the Spirit. They are also a member of the NAIA and most of the athletic programs compete in the Golden State Athletic Conference ; football will compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Women's sports include: basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Student life
The campus in Ottawa, Kansas, offers more than 30 student groups, clubs and organizations, including the oldest student-run newspaper in Kansas, The Campus. The school offers drama, music, fraternities and sororities, honor societies, campus ministry opportunities, and other activities. The campus in Surprise offers music ensembles, academic and professional clubs, campus ministries, and club teams such as bowling, lacrosse and outdoor adventures.
Notable Alumni
Wayne Angell, former Federal Reserve governor, Kansas State Representative and Bear Stearns chief economist
