A Family Admission

MOUNT OLIVE – For most parents, sending a child off to college can be an unnerving experience. Seeing their most precious creation off into the unknown is tough, and the newly vacant room can be a sad sight. But for Tim Woodard, director of Admissions at University of Mount Olive, instead of seeing his son off for the year, he will be seeing him quite frequently when he arrives at work.

Even if Tim wasn’t in such close proximity to his son, Ryne, he wouldn’t be worried. Both he and Ryne’s mother, Lydia Drumm Price, attended University of Mount Olive. They know from firsthand experience the confidence that the college instills and the relationships it nurtures. As a student, Tim was a member of the golf team and majored in business administration. Lydia achieved her associate of science at MOC, before moving on to study pharmacy. Both had great things to say about how the faculty does their best to set students on the way to success.

“I was introduced to University of Mount Olive by Mr. VT Craddock, a member of my church.  He brought me to the campus and introduced me to Diane Riley”, Tim said. “She was super.  She helped to find scholarships for me and introduced me to the golf coach. After meeting the golf coach and trying out for the team I was awarded a golf scholarship. As part of that team, I managed to make friends for a life time.”

After graduation Tim was offered a job as an admissions counselor and Mount Olive has been a huge part of his life ever since.

Ryne obviously heard good things about the school from both parents, but surprisingly, despite his father working and attending University of Mount Olive, he was not pushed to enroll. “My dad is a walking billboard for University of Mount Olive, but he has always said that I could go anywhere I wanted, but I really feel like I have grown up at MOC. I look forward to making my own memories now, as a student.”

Although Ryne won’t be playing golf, he will continue the sporting tradition of his family and play basketball for the junior varsity team. He also hopes to rise to the level his parents have achieved; both are managers at their respective jobs, and gained a strong footing for their careers while studying as Trojans. Lydia hopes Ryne can gain confidence from lots of new experiences that he can take with him when he graduates.

“I want him to just to soak in his time in college, try to learn as much as he can and to branch out from his normal comfort zone. Or even study abroad!  I want him to get involved in something that is a bit uncomfortable.  That is how you grow.”

University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.