Christian university students can finally get transcripts after 2021 shutdown
Students and alums of a shuttered West Virginia Christian college will finally get access to their transcripts and other information nearly two years after the school's closure.
Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City has announced that it will provide registrar services to former Ohio Valley University students, according to a statement sent to The Christian Post. Both institutions are affiliated with the Churches of Christ denomination.
Ohio Valley University of Vienna permanently closed in December 2021, leaving many of its students and alumni unable to attain academic transcripts for work and education opportunities.
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OVU alumni can now request copies of their transcripts by contacting the Oklahoma Christian University registrar at this link.
"Churches of Christ have a rich heritage of founding and operating schools and colleges to provide faith-based education," said OCU Provost Brian Starr.
"We are saddened by the loss of a sister institution, but Oklahoma Christian University is preparing to help Ohio Valley University alumni obtain their academic transcripts. We hope this small act of service will be of good benefit to them as they seek to expand their careers and education."
Former OVU President Michael Ross said he is "thrilled to be partnering with Oklahoma Christian University to ensure that our students can receive their transcripts."
"This has been a challenging process as Robert Moore (Chair, Board of Trustees) and I have worked with so many to get to this point," Ross added.
"We are thankful this sister institution has stepped up to help in such a critical and difficult time. We are confident that OC will serve our students well."
Founded in 1958, OVU was forced to close down due to financial hardships as it failed to make payroll and was millions of dollars in debt, according to the Churches of Christ-affiliated news outlet The Christian Chronicle.
Last year, OVU officials garnered much criticism for their failure to process academic transcripts for former students in a timely manner, which complicated the academic and professional futures of many alumni.
Katharine Davis, an OVU alumnus who graduated in 2018, told CP in an interview last year about how she struggled to get transcripts from school officials.
"I attempted to contact OVU over 40 times, paying for 10 transcripts. I only received one after my father physically went to the building," she said, adding that the delays thwarted her plans to enter a military officer program.
"Our lives are on hold … We are losing our jobs. We can't get better jobs. We can't complete our schooling, enter the military. We can't provide for our families and ourselves as we should be able to."
Regarding this most recent development, Davis told CP on Thursday that she hopes that "this is a permanent home for the transcripts" and that the "relief is palpable among students as we have worked towards this for over a year."
"For me, this was the end goal, to get the transcripts found and sent to a place they can be distributed. I am so so thankful for everyone involved who worked hard towards this goal," said Davis.
"There were countless prayers involved, and the faith of everyone who kept working, speaking up, and encouraging one another was admirable. I have never been involved in something like this, and while we never should have been kept from our transcripts, seeing the staff, professors, and students come together for the greater good was beautiful."
Davis said she now has "friends who can finally enter the army, med school, and finish their degrees, myself included. It feels like life was on pause, and we finally started again."
