Momentum & Impact
For more than a century, through sacrificial partners, dedicated faculty and staff, and generations of students, God has sustained the mission of OKWU. The stories in this issue point to a simple truth: God often does His greatest work through ordinary faithfulness sustained over time.
As Dr. Kevin Osborn begins his presidency, he brings a pastor's heart, a teacher's calling, and deep confidence that God is still writing the story of Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
The Next Chapter Begins
When the phone call came, Dr. Kevin Osborn felt two emotions at once.
Joy. And weight.
Becoming the seventh president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University is about accepting responsibility for a place he already loves, a community his own family has come to call home, and a mission he believes matters now more than ever.
"Through the presidential search process, the Lord has given me peace," says Osborn. "This is a place where I really sense He wants me."
That quiet confidence became clear throughout a season of prayer, discernment, and encouragement from people around the world who prayed not for a particular candidate, but for God's will to be done. Following the election of Dr. Jim Dunn as General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church, the Board of Trustees selected Osborn after a national search, entrusting him to lead OKWU into its next season.
For those who know him well, the decision feels less like a new beginning than the continuation of a calling.
Where God Wants Me
Osborn has spent his professional life in Christian higher education. Yet he rarely talks about education without first talking about ministry.
Years ago, he sensed God's call to serve the Church. Rather than leading him to a local congregation, that calling opened doors into colleges and universities, where he discovered another mission field.
"We're here to help people discover how God has gifted them," he says. "Whether they become pastors, teachers, business leaders, healthcare professionals, artists, or entrepreneurs, every vocation becomes an opportunity to serve Christ."
"What encourages me most is not simply what our students accomplish, but who they are becoming as they learn to lead with conviction, serve with humility, and follow Christ wherever He calls."
That conviction shapes the way he leads at Oklahoma Wesleyan.
"I want OKWU to be known as a transformational university, not just a transaction."
A university education is important. Career preparation matters. But Osborn believes something even greater happens in the classroom. Students are formed to carry knowledge and faith into every corner of the world.
Seeing OKWU as a Dad
Long before becoming president, Kevin experienced OKWU through the eyes of a father. He and Michelle, an adjunct professor of music and worship arts, have built a life centered on ministry, education, and family. Together they are raising three daughters and a son while eagerly anticipating a new adventure this year as first-time grandparents.
Michelle's story reflects the heartbeat of ministry in education. Raised in a pastor's family and shaped by years of worship ministry, she now teaches students to think deeply about worship rooted in Scripture and lived faithfully in the Church.
Their family knows OKWU not only from faculty meetings and boardrooms, but from residence halls, classrooms, rehearsals, and friendships.
Their oldest daughter graduated from OKWU, and another daughter will graduate this year. Watching their daughters with remarkably different personalities flourish in the same community gave Kevin a perspective few presidents receive before taking office.
"Our faculty invested in them personally," he says. "They didn't just prepare them for careers. They helped form them as followers of Christ."
That experience affirmed what he already believed. The greatest strength of a place like OKWU is not found in its buildings or programs. It is found in people who know students by name and care deeply about who they are becoming.
The Stewardship of a Calling
Christian higher education stands at an important crossroads. Across the country, universities face declining demographics, financial pressures, rising costs, and growing cultural challenges. Remaining faithful to biblical truth while preparing students for a rapidly changing world requires wisdom, courage, and perseverance.
Osborn does not minimize those realities. Instead, he sees an opportunity for faithful stewardship.
He speaks with optimism about equipping students for the future, embracing innovation wisely, and continuing to strengthen OKWU's mission. But he is equally convinced that the University's next chapter will be shaped by more than sound strategy. It will be sustained through prayer, faithful leadership, and God's provision.
It will require faithful churches, alumni, parents, faculty, and friends who believe deeply in the mission of Christian higher education. It will require generous partners whose investments make it possible for future generations to encounter Christ, discover their calling, and carry the Gospel into every vocation.
"When I look back at OKWU 10 years from now," he says, "I hope people see transformed lives for Christ. Faithful alumni living out their calling. And an institution that's flourishing while staying on mission."
That future will not belong to one president alone. Like every chapter in Oklahoma Wesleyan's history, it will be written by a community of people who faithfully steward God's calling together.
As Kevin and Michelle begin this new season of leadership, they invite the entire OKWU family to join them. Through prayer. Through partnership. Through faithful generosity. Together, we have the privilege of helping write the next chapter of servant leaders.
Dr. Kevin Osborn
Senior Vice President
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
