Around Campus

Something to Remember

A collective sense of pride for Oakland University's faculty, staff and students unite fellow Golden Grizzlies for life

Black and white photo of students at their graduation, walking in a line up a staircase, wearing their caps and gowns

Letter from the editor

icon of a calendarJune 6, 2017

icon of a pencilBy Emell Derra Adolphus

Share this story

Each year, a new class of Oakland University graduates set out to make a mark on the world. But as OU alumni, their relationship with the University rarely ends after graduation. Nor should it. A collective sense of pride for the University’s faculty, staff and students unite fellow Golden Grizzlies for life — even if it’s only in memory.

Depending on how far back your OU roots run, returning to campus for events like homecoming and class reunions can feel like unpacking a yearbook long tucked away. Yet some OU memories never get old because of their sentimental impact.

Professor Emeritus William Schwab can recount the moment Chancellor Woody Varner asked him to join OU’s faculty in 1959. And nearly 60 years later, his pleasant memories spent at the University are still pristine, so much so that he has generously endowed a student scholarship in appreciation.

The promise of opportunity at the new Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine led Dr. Nickolas Linkous to apply, he remembers. Similarly, students and alumni come to Career Services for the promise of success.

For coach Greg Kampe, success also applies to his more than three-decade long tenure at the helm of the men’s basketball program.

This year, the Golden Grizzlies have had one of their most successful seasons yet. The team won their first ever Horizon League regular season championship and competed for the first time in the National Invitation Tournament.

But if there is one career-defining accolade Kampe will remember most, it’s his team’s culture.

Although there are few people on campus who can count their time in decades like Kampe, that doesn’t make their time at the University any less impactful. The scholarship in memory of OU student Hailey Brouillet is a testament to that.

All the more reason to take that extra moment to join a student or alumni group, go to a game, connect with a class friend or donate a gift — if only to further enrich your OU memories.

Share this story