Tuition, room and board cover 80% of Ouachita’s operating expenses. Every year the remaining 20% must come from other sources. Annual Fund gifts help bridge this gap and touch every aspect of campus life by supporting the operating budgets of academic programs, centers, and athletics, as well as the Ouachita Scholarship Fund. Over 97% of our students receive Ouachita-based financial aid. Ouachita Annual Fund gifts help provide financial assistance to current students.  Monies raised each fiscal year (June 1 – May 31) are spent in their entirity, a fact which highlights our need for, and appreciation of, faithful annual supporters.

The Conger Club

J.W. Conger was elected the first president of Ouachita Baptist College in June, 1886. For 21 years, President Conger guided Ouachita’s development as a Christ-centered learning community.  What better name than The Conger Club for those leaders who, through Annual Fund gifts of $1,000 or more, accept the challenge to “carry the torch” to ensure and advance the legacy of Ouachita!  Young alumni may become members of Conger Club GOLD (Graduates Of the Last Decade) by giving $20 per month or $240 per year.

Conger Club membership is based on Annual Fund gifts during Ouachita’s fiscal year (June – May) and includes unrestricted gifts, gifts to the Ouachita Scholarship Fund, FORE Ouachita and Stepping Upevents, the President’s Fund for emerging needs, and gifts to underwrite the annual operating budgets for academic programs, centers and *athletics.  (*booster club gifts do not qualify)

Members receive “Conger Conversations” (a special report and Q&A from President Horne), a membership card redeemable for a campus tour and lunch in the Commons, and special recognition in published donor lists.

The most meaningful benefit of Conger Club membership is making a difference every day in the lives of students and faculty.  It’s a way to thank those whose support preserved Ouachita in the past and join with others to guarantee the Ouachita experience for the students of today.

“As a Conger Club member myself, I look forward to partnering with you in important ways to ‘carry the torch’ of Ouachita’s mission.”   – Rex M. Horne, Jr., President

Ways to Give

• Credit card gifts by phone, automatic bank draft or credit card draft: Call 870-245-5169 and one of our Development staff members will gladly assist you.
• Online Gifts: Use your credit card and choose “Ouachita Scholarship Fund” or “Unrestricted” from the drop-down designation table.
• Mail: Friends of Ouachita are contacted several times during the fiscal year to ask for their support.  Reply envelopes are provided, or mail gifts to: Development Office, OBU Box 3754, Arkadelphia, AR  71998.
• National Phonathon: Current students enjoy connecting with alumni and friends during phone calls each fall and spring.  In recent years, the Phonathon effort has consistently raised over $100,000 in gifts and pledges for the Ouachita Scholarship Fund.
• FORE Ouachita annual golf tournament.
• Stepping Up for Ouachita women’s event.

NEW! Current Ouachita students are learning what it means to be a Tiger for Life through a student-created, student-led philanthropy program. Read more!

For additional information, contact Emily Merryman (merrymane@obu.edu), Annual Fund Director.