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The History of the Academy
Founded in 1950 and affiliated with the churches of Christ, Oklahoma Christian University is a sister institution with schools such as David Lipscomb University (1891), Abilene Christian University (1906), Harding University (1924) and Pepperdine University (1937). Accredited by the North Central Association since 1966, the main campus is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and a smaller satellite campus, Cascade College, is located in Portland, Oregon. The two campuses reported a total of enrollment of 2049 full-time undergraduate students, 217 full-time graduate students and a full-time faculty of 103 in the fall of 2005.
Since its earliest years, Oklahoma Christian University has had a strong tradition of political activism due in part to the influence and efforts of Dr. George S. Benson. “Born on a farm in western Oklahoma, George S. Benson developed a national reputation for himself and Harding College, where he served twenty-nine years as its president. Business leaders across the nation sought Dr. Benson as a speaker for their local civic events. His three-point message was faith in God; belief in constitutional government; and support for a free economy. Although dedicated to building Harding into a great school in Searcy, Arkansas, Dr. Benson never forgot his roots in Oklahoma. In 1956, Dr. James O. Baird, then president of Central Christian College, persuaded Dr. Benson to assist the Oklahoma college with a study regarding its future in Bartlesville. He worked with Central Christian's trustees and others who examined potential sites in Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City.
Two years later, the college relocated to Oklahoma City. For ten years (1957-67), Dr. Benson served as chancellor of Oklahoma Christian. Part of that time he was actually the chief executive, with President Baird serving as chief operating officer. Eight of those years he was still president of Harding. It took an understanding Board of Trustees at Harding to allow its president to serve a sister institution. Even more, Dr. Benson encouraged some of his best friends in Oklahoma to support the young college's move to Oklahoma City. Included in this list were E. K. Gaylord, Edward L. Gaylord, C. A. Vose, Donald S. Kennedy, W. T. Payne and C. L. Frates. Later, Dr. Benson was instrumental in attracting major gifts from W. G. and Reba Davisson of Ardmore, Oklahoma." (taken from www.oc.edu)
Remembered best within the political community for his establishment of the National Education Program (NEP), Benson brought Harding College (Searcy, AR) from obscurity to a nationally recognized institution and used his fame within conservative circles to help establish Oklahoma Christian. Through NEP, Benson hosted “Freedom Forums” and radio shows, produced short films and was a prolific writer. During the peak years of NEP, Dr. Benson’s weekly column “Looking Ahead”, his monthly newsletter and the radio show “The Land of the Free” reached an audience estimated at 25,000,000 per week.
Although the efforts of NEP were highly popular in the decade following World War II, the appeal of conservative, anti-communist rhetoric waned in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. America was entering a new era of social change and the values of groups such as NEP was viewed by many social leaders as out of step with the evolution of American culture. Consequently, public sentiment towards leaders such as Benson and organizations like the NEP changed and their efforts viewed by many within the academic community as Cold War propaganda. Nonetheless, Benson and others forged ahead, in their efforts to promote Citizenship, Free Enterprise and Anti-Communism. Throughout the history of Oklahoma Christian, its Presidents, which have included L.R. Wilson (1950 – 1954), Dr. James O. Baird (1954 – 1974), Dr. Terry Johnson (1974 – 1996), Dr. Kevin Jacobs (1996 – 2000) and current President Mike O’Neal have all sought to promote the value of service leadership and an informed citizenry.
During the administration of Dr. Terry Johnson, the most significant artifact of OC’s long history of involvement with the promotion of citizenship and the free-market economic system was born. Located prominently on the southwestern corner of the OC campus, Enterprise Square USA, dedicated in November 1982, is a striking and impressive structure, which overlooks the skyline of Oklahoma City. Built at a cost of $15,000,000 and designed to be an interactive museum dedicated to the promotion of American Citizenship and the Free Enterprise System, the facility opened with great fanfare. Intended primarily for elementary and high school students, the layout of the museum was the brainchild of one of the nation’s leading museum architects aided by consultants from Walt Disney World. When it opened, school children from throughout the state and across the region flocked to the only interactive museum of its kind in America. It was a “must see” for tourists coming to Oklahoma City and was the subject of numerous newspaper articles and magazine articles, most notably Time Magazine.
Based upon the “cutting edge” technological advances of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the success of the program was short-lived as the bulk of the interactive games and displays at Enterprise Square quickly became obsolete. Unfortunately, due to the significant economic downturn in Oklahoma in the early 1980’s, the money needed to renovate and modernize Enterprise Square as it aged was no longer available. Although , Enterprise Square continued to be a popular destination point for tourists and school children throughout the 1980’s, by the early 1990’s the steady stream of visitors began to wane. The last major attempt to revive the program was made in 1997, when $415,000 was invested in renovating one section of the building to house “The Learning Center.” Both “The Learning Center” and “Enterprise Square” quietly closed their doors in 2002.
Currently, as it awaits renovation, Enterprise Square is largely unused. Designed specifically for the purposes of an interactive museum, the building will require a significant financial investment if it is to be used for a new purpose. Until funding can be secured, the expansive building is now used as an art studio, a warehouse, offices, and on rare occasions a meeting area for large student groups. Currently there is no debt on Enterprise Square, USA although no funds have been designated for its renovation.
OC President, Mike O’Neal, has worked actively to renew interest in programs that encourage meaningful public discourse and has made the growth of the Academy of Leadership and Liberty a high priority in his administration. In 2006, President O’Neal made the renovation of Enterprise Square an item on the OC Strategic Plan with the goal of renovating the facility in the next 3-5 years.
