by Emma Thompson
Photo by OBU Marketing and Communication
OBU’s Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students, Brandon Peterson announced he was leaving Bison Hill to pastor in South Carolina. Students were notified Monday, April 4th.
Dean Peterson and his wife both graduated from OBU in 1995. After graduation, he spent some time working in Texas and Oklahoma before moving to South Carolina.
Peterson returned to Oklahoma and began working at OBU in July of 2020
(you can read that article here:)
Petersen said he was the first hire made by Heath Thomas, OBU’s current president.
“I spent my first year hardly being able to know students because all I could see was their eyes, and that was it,” recalled Peterson on his first year at OBU, the same year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While COVID was really difficult, I would say that it did provide a really unique opportunity for the campus life team to unite in a way that we might not have united without COVID… it really gave people the opportunity to step into new spaces and to give in a way that they probably didn’t know they could give.”
The truth of this statement is evident; the Campus Life team at OBU has a definitive amount of cohesion that is built on a Christlike love for the students of the university.
“The next year to year and a half was almost like COVID stripped our students of the ability to socialize, or maybe of the desire to it because they started getting used to being withdrawn,” Peterson continued.
This is an obvious contradiction to the goals of the Campus Life team, which is to encourage and foster a strong community on the campus.
“What’s been neat is watching each year since COVID, the class that comes in… they have brought s little more life, energy, passion, purpose, and significance to who we are and what we do,” said Peterson, touching on the progression of student community since transitioning out of COVID.
Peterson served almost five years at OBU and has accepted the position as Executive Pastor of Ministries at Shandon Baptist in South Carolina where he served prior to OBU from 2005-2018.
Peterson expressed his deep love for both students and staff at OBU and is going to miss everyone.
In the email that went out to all students, President Thomas wrote: “Please join me in expressing our deepest thanks to Dean Petersen for his faithful work at OBU and in wishing him all the best as he transitions into this new chapter in his career.”
Thomas also went on to assure students that in the search for someone to fill this role, OBU will “prioritize [our] care and engagement”, ensuring a fluid and supportive transition for students.
Although Dean Peterson will be missed, OBU’s future is certainly bright, and the Campus Life team is working hard to ensure the well-being of the students at the university.
