Bishop Ough presented with honorary doctorate
Photo: Bishop Bruce R. Ough, resident bishop, poses for a photo with President Amy Novak after receiving an honorary doctorate of divinity from Dakota Wesleyan University on Friday, June 10 at the Dakotas Annual Conference in Sioux Falls, SD. Photo by jlynn studios.
Bishop Bruce R. Ough, resident bishop, Dakotas-Minnesota area was presented an honorary doctorate of divinity from Dakota Wesleyan University at the 23rd session of the Dakotas Annual Conference, Friday June 10, 2016, in Sioux Falls, SD.
He is also a current member of the Dakota Wesleyan University Board of Trustees.
“We are fortunate to have such a faithful community servant on our board of trustees,” said DWU President Amy Novak. “Bruce’s colleagues consider him to be one of the most influential episcopal leaders in United Methodism. He is a gifted and passionate speaker and a compassionate listener.”
?This is a total surprise,” said Ough upon receiving the recognition. ?I am honored but wonder how you all kept it a secret.”
Ough has also chaired the United Methodist Connectional Table for the 2012-2016 quadrennium, and in May, became president of the Council of Bishops.
“Bruce, you have served the United Methodist Church around the world with compassion, leadership and humility, and your commitment to ministry has positively influenced countless lives,” Novak said during the presentation. “In recognition of your life and your service, it is our great privilege to present you with the Honorary Doctor of Divinity.”
About Ough
Ough is a native of North Dakota and a 1973 graduate of North Dakota State University. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he spent two years as a school counselor on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. He then attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and earned his Master of Divinity degree in 1978.
During his seminary years, Ough served as an associate pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Chicago, and he interned with the Dakotas Area program staff. In addition, he has done graduate work at Northwestern University and completed the Upper Room’s two-year Academy for Spiritual Formation. In 1979, he was ordained an elder in the former North Dakota Conference.
He and his wife, Charlene, are parents to three adult sons, and they have five grandchildren.
