Oakland University

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Oakland University is a medium-sized public university located in Rochester, Michigan. Oakland University was created in 1957 by Michigan State University when Matilda Dodge-Wilson, widow of automobile magnate John Francis Dodge, and her second husband Alfred Wilson donated their 1,500-acre estate, including Meadow Brook Hall, Sunset Terrace and all its other buildings and collections, along with $2 million. In 2002, Thomas M. Cooley Law School opened a satellite campus on Oakland University.

It was known as Michigan State University-Oakland until 1963 when it became known as Oakland University. As of 2005, more than 16,000 students are enrolled at the school. The current president is Dr. Gary Russi, who took over from Dr. Sandra Packard in 1995.

Oakland's sports teams were known as the Pioneers until the school moved from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I in 1997. They are now known as the Golden Grizzlies and participate in the Mid-Continent Conference. The school colors are black and gold. Two OU grads have gone on to notable athletic careers: Anita Rapp won a women's soccer gold medal with Norway in the 2000 Summer Olympics, while Don Kirkwood pitched for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays between 1974 and 1978. The Oakland Club Hockey team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Division II national championship in 2004, was national runner-up in 2005, and returned in 2006 to once again win the championship. In addition the hockey team's games are broadcast through the teams official website.

Oakland University qualified for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament for the first time in 2005. The Golden Grizzlies were given a #16 seed after defeating Alabama A&M in the opening-round game at Dayton, Ohio on March 15, 2005. Ironically, former OU star Brian Gregory was Dayton's coach at the time. Oakland was eliminated three days later by North Carolina in their first-round matchup. In 2005, Rawle Marshall, who led the team to its first tournament birth, became the first player from the university to make an NBA roster, signing with the Dallas Mavericks. On March 7 2006, the women's basketball team defeated Western Illinois University to capture the 2006 Mid-Continent title. On March 19, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the #16 Grizzlies lost to #1 Ohio State 68-45.

Actors Robert Englund and David Hasselhoff both briefly attended Oakland, but neither graduated. Actor Curtis Armstrong and Actor-Comedian Sinbad also attended Oakland.

The current university President is Dr. Gary D. Russi.

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