Philosophy and Ethics at Oklahoma City University

At OCU, Smith was a three-time All-American (she missed one year due to an elbow injury), College Athlete of the Year, Conference Wrestler of the Year, and a three-time National Scholar All-American. She double-majored in philosophy and political science, graduating in May 2024.

Philosophy professor Cody Weaver taught several of Smith’s classes. Weaver remembers Smith’s incredible discipline, noting she "tore both of her elbows at different points" across two different semesters. Despite these setbacks, her academic drive remained unwavering.

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Professor Mark Davies will be presenting a papers titled “The World is Our Campus: Climate Justice and United Methodist Higher Education” and will be participating the Theological Education working group at the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, August 4-11, 2024.

The Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies

Congrats to graduating senior Sophia Smith!
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The Rising Stars series continues with senior Sophia Smith! Sophia is a Philosophy and Political Science double major, and she was recently named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Congratulations, Sophia! 🌟

The OCU Ethics Debate Team received a Starsky Salute for taking first place at the Rocky Mountain Regional Ethics Bowl, which makes OCU one of two teams from the event to qualify for nationals in Cincinnati.

The Oklahoma City University Ethics Debate team sponsored by the Meinders School of Business took 1st place at the Rocky Mountain Regional Ethics Bowl, which makes OCU one of two teams from the event to qualify for nationals in Cincinnati, Ohio.

OCU went undefeated (4-0) with wins against Arizona State, University of Colorado Denver, University of Northern Colorado, and Colorado School of Mines.

Team members are:
Grant Baber, senior majoring in economics
Ian McEntire, senior majoring in economics and political science
Mackenzie Moon, senior majoring in political science with a minor in international relations
Sophia Smith, senior majoring in philosophy and political science
Sonny Tabor, sophomore majoring in philosophy and political science

The OCU Ethics Debate team is coached by Justin Wareham, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management in the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University.

Congrats to all and all the best for nationals!

Great opportunity for OCU students to explore issues of economic development around the world. OCU’s own Jonathan Willner will be one of the speakers.

YOU ARE INVITED!

Café Alive Academics by MISEN offers a virtual mini-exchange experience, featuring short presentations by international university faculty, followed by engaging international discussions.

On this occasion the focus will be on Economic Development.

This exceptional session will assemble a panel of university faculty from five continents—South America (Argentina), North America (United States), Asia (Japan), Africa (Zimbabwe), and Europe (England). Each panelist will briefly introduce unique regional perspectives on the economic challenges and innovative solutions that characterize today's global landscape.

Whether your academic focus is economics or simply a curiosity in international affairs, this discussion promises to offer an enriching and enlightening experience.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your academic journey and acquire a worldwide perspective on economic development. Mark your calendars now!

About MISEN: The Methodist International Student Exchange Network (MISEN) is an organization of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU), dedicated to fostering international academic exchange and collaborations. Through student exchange programs and online events like Café Alive, MISEN cultivates international opportunities for interaction, thereby enriching academic and cultural experiences.

For more information on MISEN, and the link to join, please contact [email protected].

Emma Goins, Philosophy and Religion major 2025, currently works as the Student Professional for the Office of Religious Life at OCU. She serves the student body through assistance with our weekly Wesley Worship and University Worship services. This has given Emma the opportunity to work alongside our Religious Life Director, Aly Shahan, to help make Religious Life on campus an inclusive and flourishing environment.

Emma also serves as the president of Better Together, our student Interfaith organization. Her focus within this group is to create a space of Religious plurality, engaging in conversation with those of all faith backgrounds and representing their voices on campus.

Outside of Religious Life, Emma is on the executive board for Alpha Chi Omega, in the President Leadership Class, and is a member of Theta Alpha Kappa, the National Honor Society for Religion and Theology.

Thank you Emma for your leadership and service to the OCU community and beyond!

We celebrate the work of Garrett Grantz, Philosophy and PolItical Science, 2026. Garrett is the Director of OCUServes which is a new student organization that prioritizes community service. They partner with many different organizations such as The Urban Mission, The Lazarus Community, Billy Hooten UMC, and many others. OCUServes recently built and installed a Blessing Box so that OCU can better serve the 23rd Street community. The Blessing Box will be filled on the first and fifteenth of every month, if you want to bring food or any other products that might help the people on 23rd Street please bring them to the Religious Life office in the lower level of the Chapel. Also, if you would like to join the OCUServes team, please email Garrett at [email protected].

Garrett also is the Service Chair of the Theta-Psi Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity on the OCU campus. With Kappa Sigma, he organizes community service events with a multitude of other organizations such as the ones listed above and other Kappa Sigma Chapters in Oklahoma. Since he became the Service Chair of Kappa Sigma, they have totaled 5,845.5 service hours. This comes out to an average of 117 hours per member.

Thank you for your service to our community Garrett!