Oral Roberts University
Encyclopedia
Oral Roberts University (ORU), based in Tulsa, Oklahoma
, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian
, comprehensive university
with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S.
states
along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries. Founded in 1963, the university is named for its late founder, evangelist
Oral Roberts
, and is the largest Charismatic Christian
university in the world.
The school fronts on South Lewis Avenue between East 75th Street and East 81st Street in South Tulsa. Sitting on a 500 acres (2 km²) campus, ORU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), and offers over 65 undergraduate degree programs along with a number of masters and doctoral degrees. ORU is classified as Doctoral/Research University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. ORU was also ranked as one of 123 institutions in the 2009 "Best in the West" regional list produced by The Princeton Review
.
ORU offers undergraduate programs in theology
, business
, music
, communication arts
, modern languages, behavioral sciences, graphics
, education
, biology
, chemistry
, computer science
, mathematical science, engineering
, physics
, English
, history
, humanities
, government
and nursing
. The university also has a graduate seminary
and fully accredited graduate programs in Business and Education.
ORU is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
, one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
(NCA), which was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. A major distinction of ORU is its high number of additional specialized program accreditations, especially for a university of its size. The following is a list of the academic colleges with the recognition of specialized accreditation, along with the name of the accrediting body.
According to the university it was founded by Oral Roberts in 1963 "as a result of the evangelist Oral Roberts’ obeying God’s
mandate to build a university on God’s authority and the Holy Spirit
. God’s commission to Oral Roberts was to 'Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased'." The first students enrolled in 1965.
The school was accredited in 1971 by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
. It is also accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
. Oral Roberts' son Richard Roberts
was named president in 1993. In October 2007 Roberts took a leave of absence, citing a lawsuit filed by former ORU professors. Tulsa evangelist Billy Joe Daugherty
and Oral Roberts
were named executive regent and interim president of the university amid a widely publicized scandal and Richard Roberts resigned the following month.
In October 2007 the school was reportedly "struggling financially" with over $50 million in debt. ORU's operating budget for 2007-2008 was more than $82 million. However, in the second quarter of 2009, the university's debt was reduced to $720,000 as of result of a number of simultaneous efforts including a $70 million gift from the Green family of Oklahoma City
and the $25 Million Dollar Matching Campaign, a part of the university's Renewing the Vision effort. On September 23, 2009, it was announced at the end of the university's chapel service that all of the university's long-term debt obligations had been met and the school was debt-free.
In January 2009, the university's presidential search committee recommended Dr. Mark Rutland, President of Southeastern University in Florida, to succeed Richard Roberts, which the Board of Trustees approved. Rutland took office on July 1, 2009 as the third president.
. The university received its charter the following year in 1963 from the State of Oklahoma and Oral Roberts University officially opened in 1965 with an enrollment of 300 students and with seven major completed buildings. Oral Roberts placed special importance on the Prayer Tower
, even though the concept of a building specifically dedicated to prayer located at the center of the campus caused some considerable tension, as some academic leaders were afraid the school would be unable to receive accreditation with such a building. However, the tower, designed by architect , was completed in 1967 at a cost of two million dollars, a further source of contention. After the tower's completion, Roberts called for a three-day period of prayer and fasting. At the university's dedication ceremony in 1967, the evangelist Billy Graham
was the keynote speaker.
The first partial graduation took place in 1968 and the first full graduation in 1969. In 1971, Roberts announced to the student body that Oral Roberts University had been fully accredited
for ten years by the North Central Association, to which the students responded by lifting Roberts off the stage and carrying him around the outdoor assembly amid the cheers of supporters.
During the first decade of the school's existence, enrollment increased at a rapid pace; also during this time, many of the campus' iconic structures were completed, such as the Howard Auditorium, the Graduate Center, the Mabee Center, and Christ's Chapel among others.
hospital, which opened in 1981, and started the Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in 1978, but severe financial difficulties with both of these institutions led to their closure in 1989.
The O. W. Coburn School of Law
opened in 1979. In 1986 the university "shut down its ailing law school and sent its library to Pat Robertson
's Bible-based college in Virginia", which subsequently founded the Regent University School of Law
.
on out-of-state projects as part of a long-standing, pre-approved curriculum which had been in place for several years. Other allegations against Roberts include claims he used university funds to pay for his daughter's trip to the Bahamas
by providing the university jet and billing other costs to the school, maintains a stable of horses on campus and at university expense for the exclusive use of his children, regularly summons university and ministry staff to the Roberts house to do his daughters’ homework, has remodeled his house at university expense 11 times in the past 14 years, allowed the university to be billed both for damage done by his daughters to university-owned golf carts and for video-taped vandalism caused by one of his minor daughters and acquired a red Mercedes convertible and a white Lexus SUV
for his wife Lindsay through ministry donors.
Lindsay Roberts, who is referred to in ORU publicity as the university's "first lady," is accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars of university funds on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarship
s to the children of family friends and sending text messages, mostly sent between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males." The lawsuit also alleges a longtime maintenance employee was fired for the purpose of giving the job to an underage male friend of Lindsay Roberts.
Richard Roberts told students during his weekly chapel, "This lawsuit ...is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion." Former ORU professor and lawsuit plaintiff Tim Brooker commented, "All over that campus there are signs up that say, 'And God said, build me a university, build it on my authority, and build it on the Holy Spirit.' Unfortunately, ownership has shifted."
United Church of Christ
minister and former Church of God in Christ Bishop Carlton Pearson
, a former protege of Oral Roberts, said Richard Roberts was "born into privilege... What others may call extravagance he may not see it as extravagant." According to CNN, Pearson said he was disappointed but not surprised by the allegations, explaining, "These kinds of things are common among family-owned and operated businesses and ministries. They don't cross every T and dot every I."
On 12 October the plaintiffs filed an amended lawsuit adding the university's Board of Regents (George Pearsons
, Kenneth Copeland
, Creflo Dollar
, Michael A. Hammer
, John Hagee
, Marilyn Hickey
, Oral Roberts
, Richard L. Roberts, Jerry Savelle
and
Charles Watson)
to the suit and alleging three days after the original lawsuit was filed, Roberts fired the university's financial comptroller (who had been employed by ORU for 26 years) and "witnesses have reported voluminous materials and documents were shredded and destroyed, constituting spoilation of evidence." The filing also alleged Lindsay Roberts had spent at least nine nights in the ORU guest house with an underage 16 year old male who also was allowed to live in the Roberts family residence on campus, a situation which made their oldest daughter so uncomfortable, she insisted deadbolt locks be installed on all bedroom doors in the house.
In a written response to the later allegations Lindsay Roberts said, "I live my life in a morally upright manner and throughout my marriage have never, ever engaged in any sexual behavior with any man outside of my marriage as the accusations imply. Allegations against me in a lawsuit yesterday are not true. They sicken me to my soul." In a separate written statement the university denied "purposely or improperly" destroying documents.
noted the temporary resignation was not an admission of guilt.
In November 2007 former board of regents member Harry McNevin claimed that during the 1980s the ORU Board of Regents "rubber-stamped" the "use of millions in endowment money to buy a Beverly Hills property so Oral Roberts could have a West Coast office and house." McNevin also said a country club membership was purchased for Oral Roberts' home. "His idea was if he could get on the golf course with these people, he could get donations for the university," said McNevin. These lavish expenses led McNevin to resign from the board in 1987.
In a wrongful termination lawsuit filed against the university on 21 November former ORU senior accountant Trent Huddleston claimed he had been ordered to help Roberts and his wife "cook the books" by misclassifying nearly $123,000 in funds allegedly spent by the university on remodeling the Roberts home.
On 13 November the tenured faculty of Oral Roberts University "nearly unanimously" approved a nonbinding vote of no confidence in Richard Roberts.
Roberts tendered his letter of resignation to the university's board of regents on 23 November, effective immediately. In a prepared email statement released by the university he said, "I love ORU with all my heart. I love the students, faculty, staff and administration and I want to see God's best for all of them." The regents said they would meet the following week to discuss the search for a new president. Executive regent Billy Joe Daugherty continued as interim president (working with chancellor Oral Roberts).
"You can't take the sacrifices of God's people and use them any old way," McNevin commented after Roberts' resignation. "It's been 20 years that they've been doing the same things that I became aware of." Cornell Cross II, an ORU senior majoring in government said, "This is not over, there a lot of things that need to continue. The culture of fear
that has been allowed to fester at ORU has to be looked into."
family, founders of Hobby Lobby
and Mardel educational and Christian supply stores. In late October an ORU spokesman had said ORU was $52.5 million in debt and the school accepted an unconditional $8 million from the Greens in late November. ORU’s board of regents has been replaced with a 23 member board of trustees all initially named by the Greens, with Mart Green as chairman. Although Green said in November two family members would sit on the board, he will reportedly be the only one. Green said he wanted to be involved in ORU because his family “felt like financial stewardship needed to be shored up.”
In January 2009, the University began to implement the employment reduction plans announced in November 2008, laying off 53 employees and cutting about 40 unfilled positions. According to university sources, these layoffs come as the administration and Board of Trustees seeks long-term financial viability for the university.
On January 29, 2009, it was announced that the Green family would commit an additional $10.4 million to go toward additional campus renovations and upgrades to take place during the summer of 2009. About the gift, Mart Green, who is chair of ORU's board of trustees, said, "This gift will help to improve the quality of education for students at the new ORU. Our family is excited to continue partnering with ORU financially to ensure this great university continues to provide an excellent, whole-person education."
On April 15, 2009, a $1 million donation was made to the school's Whole Person Scholarship fund by Chairman of the Armand Hammer Foundation and university trustee Michael Armand Hammer
, son of Julian Armand Hammer and grandson of the late industrialist Armand Hammer
. Hammer's donation will be matched twice and, in the end, will amount to a four million dollar donation to the university. The donation will contribute to a new scholarship initiative that seeks to find students potential students who are well-rounded and already exhibit the characteristics of a person who is spiritually alive, intellectually alert, physically disciplined, and socially adept. The Whole Person Scholarship provides scholarships that vary between full-tuition and $2500 to students who meet the aforementioned criteria.
, president of Southeastern University
in Lakeland, Florida
. On January 14, Rutland confirmed that he had been offered the position, and intended to accept it. Rutland was formally announced as the new president on January 28, 2009. He officially took office on July 1, 2009.
On September 23, 2009, at the university's twice-per-week chapel service, President Mark Rutland announced that all of the university's long-term debt obligations had been met and the school was now debt-free. Rutland had indicated in an interview earlier in the year that he had expected the announcement for quite some time and that he could have paid the debt down when he took office in July, "But that's like making a hole in one with nobody on the golf course." He told the AP, "So, we're going to wait until school starts ... and then we'll have a 'ta-dah' moment."
About the erasing of the university's debt, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mart Green said, "We are extremely thankful to all the donors who stepped up to support ORU. They know the value of this university and they can see the product that ORU produces – excellent, whole-person graduates who are valuable to this community and to the world." Donations from alumni contributed heavily to the university becoming free: prior to the 2007 scandal, less than 6% of alumni donated to the university; however, as a result of the Renewing the Vision campaign, donations from alumni rose from $763,000 in 2007 to $2.3 million in 2009.
The announcement was made two days before the September 25, 2009, inauguration
ceremony for Rutland held at the Mabee Center
on the university campus. The first ceremony of its kind in ORU's history, it was attended and addressed by many dignitaries and guests, among them Kathy Taylor
, the mayor of Tulsa, and Marilyn Hickey
, former member of the ORU Board of Regents. Governor
Brad Henry
declared September 25, 2009, "Dr. Mark Rutland Day". At the ceremony, Rutland received a blessing from the founder and chancellor of the university, Oral Roberts.
In December 2010, ORU announced that the Green family would make another $10 million gift in 2011, to be used for renovations and technology improvements. The gift raised the Greens' total donations to $110 million.
. Prohibited activities include lying
, cursing
, smoking
, drinking
, and a range of sexual acts
including homosexual
behavior and sex outside marriage. In early 2003 the student dress code
was relaxed for the first time in forty years and described as business casual
. For most of the school's history men were required to wear collared shirts and ties while women were required to wear skirts (an exception for winter months was added in 2000). In 2006 campus-wide dress code rules were eased even further, allowing students to wear jeans to class and dress even more casually in non-academic settings. Since 2009, men are allowed to have neatly trimmed facial hair. There are some restrictions on men concerning hair lengththey are only loosely enforced.
while the cameras and sound equipment are manned by students.
A typical chapel service features contemporary worship
, a missions offering, special music, and a sermon
, typically from the President of the University, Mark Rutland
. Attendance at Chapel is mandatory and attendance is taken by student leadership.
The campus was built beginning in 1963 with a noted futuristic
look and architecture. Architects Stanfield, Imel & Walton of Tulsa designed the 1963 master plan but most of the buildings were designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace. Interviewed in 2010, Wallace characterized his ORU buildings as "sculptures", noting that an inspiration for his artistic sensibility was "whittling since I was a kid". It has also been suggested that the buildings may have been inspired by Tulsa's art deco
architectural heritage along with Bruce Goff
's individualistic style and creative use of new materials. By 2007 the campus was described as "a perfect representation of the popular modernistic architecture of the time... the set of the The Jetsons
" but also "shabby" and "dated, like Disney's
Tomorrowland
." Maintenance of the many unique but aging buildings, structures and architectural details on campus was cited as a growing problem for the university. In 2008, ten million dollars was set aside from Green
family donations for long deferred maintenance on many campus buildings, along with the prayer tower. Another ten million dollars was donated by the Green family and budgeted for work during the summer of 2009.
The front entrance onto campus is a divided, landscaped roadway, originally called The Avenue of Flags and now renamed Billy Joe Daugherty circle, lined with lighted flags representing the more than 60 nations from which ORU students have been drawn.
The main academic building is the John D. Messick Learning Resource Center / Marajen Chinigo Graduate Center, an immense 900,000 square foot (80,000 m²) facility with many pylon-like columns, gold-tinted windows and a lozenge
shaped footprint
which university publicity says was styled after King Solomon's Temple
. The Howard Auditorium is a gold, Buckminster Fuller
style geodesic dome which is used for movies, theatre productions, classes and seminars. Bi-weekly university chapel services are held in Christ's Chapel, a 3,500 seat building constructed in drape-like fashion as an echo of Oral Roberts' early tent revivals. The Googie style Prayer Tower
at the center of campus was intended to resemble "an abstract cross
and Crown of Thorns
" and also houses a visitor center
. The Mabee Center
is an 11,000 seat arena on the southwestern edge of campus and is used for basketball games, concerts, church services and satellite television productions. Timko-Barton Hall houses musical and theatrical performance halls as well as classrooms devoted to the university's programs in the performing arts. The building's performance halls are often the scene of concerts and recitals by performing arts students.
The Kenneth H. Cooper Aerobics Center houses basketball courts, an elevated running track, a free-weights and exercise room, a swimming pool and classrooms for students who are enrolled in health fitness courses (a requirement for all students). J.L. Johnson Stadium is a 2,200 seat baseball stadium located on the north of the campus.
The Hamill Student Center is located between Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts Halls and houses restaurants on its lower level. Zoppelt Auditorium is located on the ground level and is often used as a lecture hall for classes, forums and special events. Campus Security and the "Fireside Room" are also on ground level with the university cafeteria (called "Saga" by students) on the upper level.
The university has strict guidelines concerning student access to the upper floors of residence halls by members of the opposite sex, which is limited to designated occasions called "Open Houses."
problems and a lack of demand for medical services. As of 2007, some floors (in the 20-story building) have never been leased. The facility is now mostly leased out as commercial
office
space under the name CityPlex Towers
. A 60 ft (18.2 m), 30 ton
bronze sculpture Praying Hands, by sculptor Leonard McMurray (cast in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
in 1980) and originally in front of the towers, was moved to the ORU campus entrance in the summer of 1991.
in July of 2012. | Its athletic programs include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis along with track and field for men and women. There is also a baseball program for men and volleyball for women.
ORU's early sports team nicknames were the Titans
for men and the Lady Titans for women, adopted in 1965 by a vote of the student body. On April 30, 1993 all teams for both men and women became known as the Golden Eagle
s. ORU's current mascot
is "Eli" the Golden Eagle, who hatched out of his papier-mâché
egg on November 17, 1993 before the start of an exhibition basketball game as the official symbol of a new era in ORU athletics. The mascot's name is an acronym for education, lifeskills and integrity.
The men's basketball team coached by Scott Sutton
has gone to three straight NCAA tournaments. ORU's women's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA Tournaments in the past eight seasons.
The ORU baseball team has played in 21 NCAA regional tournaments. ORU advanced to the College World Series in 1978. In 2006, ORU advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against Clemson. ORU baseball has now won 12 conference championships in a row and has played in 12 NCAA regional tournaments in a row (1998 to 2009).
doctrines of faith
. Critics cite Oral Roberts' connection with Word of Faith
doctrine and how they believe this has been used for self promotion and justification of economic materialism
. Oral Roberts helped pioneer the concept of "Seed Faith," which associated acts of God with the results of an individual's previous investment into God's will, like a plant growing from the investment of a seed. Scriptural citations for the doctrine include Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you, full measure pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom; for what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again". Critics claim this is equivalent to believing miracle
s can be bought and makes God into a manipulable party.
Some of the earliest criticisms of the Word of Faith movement came from ORU faculty members including Professor Charles Farah
and one of his students, Daniel Ray McConnell. McConnell submitted a PhD thesis to the university detailing his assertion that the teachings of the movement are heretical. This was later published as A Different Gospel in 1988.
, several students from Oral Roberts University reportedly disrupted services at a mosque in the city of Tulsa near the University of Tulsa
. Mujeeb Cheema, the chairman of the Islamic Society of Tulsa at that time, told The New York Times
that "Some 20 Oral Roberts students put their hands on the exterior doors and walls of the mosque and prayed for the conversion of the Muslims." A few days after the event, the society received a written apology from the Reverend Bill Shuler, who was the director of religious services on the ORU campus and is now pastor of Capital Life Church in Washington, D.C. A university spokesman indicated that the students would not be disciplined and that officials from the university were discussing with the students their accounts of the events, which differed from what was reported by the Muslims attending the religious services.
placed the university on its 2006 Equality Ride
route and the rally took place on March 20, 2006. University administration refused the activists the right to enter the campus and several were arrested after they entered the campus in spite of the university administration's decision.
Soulforce members allege that the university "bans" people who are homosexual, referring to the university's honor code pledge's ban on homosexual activity (i.e., homosexual intercourse). All students are required to sign and abide by the honor code which places the same restriction on all sexual activity performed outside of "traditional marriage of one man and one woman."
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
, comprehensive university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries. Founded in 1963, the university is named for its late founder, evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
, and is the largest Charismatic Christian
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
university in the world.
The school fronts on South Lewis Avenue between East 75th Street and East 81st Street in South Tulsa. Sitting on a 500 acres (2 km²) campus, ORU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), and offers over 65 undergraduate degree programs along with a number of masters and doctoral degrees. ORU is classified as Doctoral/Research University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. ORU was also ranked as one of 123 institutions in the 2009 "Best in the West" regional list produced by The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
.
Education
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, communication arts
Communication Arts
Communication Arts is the largest international trade journal of visual communications. Founded in 1959 by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard, the magazine’s coverage includes graphic design, advertising, photography, illustration and interactive media. The magazine continues to be edited and...
, modern languages, behavioral sciences, graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, mathematical science, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
. The university also has a graduate seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
and fully accredited graduate programs in Business and Education.
ORU is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Higher Learning Commission oversees the accreditation of degree-granting colleges and universities in nineteen Midwestern and South-Central states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa,...
, one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
(NCA), which was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. A major distinction of ORU is its high number of additional specialized program accreditations, especially for a university of its size. The following is a list of the academic colleges with the recognition of specialized accreditation, along with the name of the accrediting body.
| College/Program | Accrediting Body |
|---|---|
| College of Business | Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs , formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learning.... (ACBSP) |
| College of Education | National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S.... (NCATE) and the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP) |
| College of Science and Engineering | Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology ABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is a non-profit organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology... (ABET) |
| Anna Vaughn College of Nursing | National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (OBN) |
| College of Theology and Ministry | Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions... (ATS) |
| Social Work | Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) |
History
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
mandate to build a university on God’s authority and the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
. God’s commission to Oral Roberts was to 'Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased'." The first students enrolled in 1965.
The school was accredited in 1971 by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. It is also accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
. Oral Roberts' son Richard Roberts
Richard Roberts (evangelist)
Richard Roberts is an American evangelist. Roberts is chairman and chief executive officer of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. Since his healing ministry began in 1980, he has preached on six continents. Holding his first overseas crusade in South Africa in 1982, he has since traveled...
was named president in 1993. In October 2007 Roberts took a leave of absence, citing a lawsuit filed by former ORU professors. Tulsa evangelist Billy Joe Daugherty
Billy Joe Daugherty
Billy Joe Daugherty was founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also the founder of Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute and Victory World Missions Training Center. Nine hundred and eighty Victory Bible Institutes have been started in eighty-five...
and Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
were named executive regent and interim president of the university amid a widely publicized scandal and Richard Roberts resigned the following month.
In October 2007 the school was reportedly "struggling financially" with over $50 million in debt. ORU's operating budget for 2007-2008 was more than $82 million. However, in the second quarter of 2009, the university's debt was reduced to $720,000 as of result of a number of simultaneous efforts including a $70 million gift from the Green family of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
and the $25 Million Dollar Matching Campaign, a part of the university's Renewing the Vision effort. On September 23, 2009, it was announced at the end of the university's chapel service that all of the university's long-term debt obligations had been met and the school was debt-free.
In January 2009, the university's presidential search committee recommended Dr. Mark Rutland, President of Southeastern University in Florida, to succeed Richard Roberts, which the Board of Trustees approved. Rutland took office on July 1, 2009 as the third president.
1963 - 2007
Ground was officially broken for Oral Roberts' university in 1962 in the southern part of the city of Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. The university received its charter the following year in 1963 from the State of Oklahoma and Oral Roberts University officially opened in 1965 with an enrollment of 300 students and with seven major completed buildings. Oral Roberts placed special importance on the Prayer Tower
Prayer Tower
The Prayer Tower is a Futurist tower located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft glass and steel structure, designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace, opened in 1967. An enclosed observation deck gives a 360° view of the surrounding area and enables a...
, even though the concept of a building specifically dedicated to prayer located at the center of the campus caused some considerable tension, as some academic leaders were afraid the school would be unable to receive accreditation with such a building. However, the tower, designed by architect , was completed in 1967 at a cost of two million dollars, a further source of contention. After the tower's completion, Roberts called for a three-day period of prayer and fasting. At the university's dedication ceremony in 1967, the evangelist Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
was the keynote speaker.
The first partial graduation took place in 1968 and the first full graduation in 1969. In 1971, Roberts announced to the student body that Oral Roberts University had been fully accredited
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
for ten years by the North Central Association, to which the students responded by lifting Roberts off the stage and carrying him around the outdoor assembly amid the cheers of supporters.
During the first decade of the school's existence, enrollment increased at a rapid pace; also during this time, many of the campus' iconic structures were completed, such as the Howard Auditorium, the Graduate Center, the Mabee Center, and Christ's Chapel among others.
Former medical and law schools
The university built the City of Faith Medical and Research CenterCityPlex Towers
CityPlex Towers is a large office space complex located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The facility was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to be a major charismatic Christian hospital...
hospital, which opened in 1981, and started the Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in 1978, but severe financial difficulties with both of these institutions led to their closure in 1989.
The O. W. Coburn School of Law
O. W. Coburn School of Law
The O. W. Coburn School of Law was the law school of Oral Roberts University. The school was named after donor Orin Wesley Coburn, the founder of Coburn Optical Industries and the father of future US politician Tom Coburn....
opened in 1979. In 1986 the university "shut down its ailing law school and sent its library to Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
's Bible-based college in Virginia", which subsequently founded the Regent University School of Law
Regent University
Regent University is a private coeducational interdenominational Christian university located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. The school was founded by the American televangelist Pat Robertson in 1978 as Christian Broadcasting Network University. A satellite campus located in...
.
Golden Eagle Broadcasting
In January 1996 Golden Eagle Broadcasting, a small digital satellite Christian and family programming television network owned and operated by Oral Roberts University, was founded. Programming includes the Oral Roberts University Chapel Service, called Enter In, ORU sports, and other Christian programs not associated with ORU.2007
In October 2007 a lawsuit was filed in Tulsa County by three former professors who claimed to have been wrongfully terminated. They also alleged university president Richard Roberts misused university assets and illegally ordered the university to participate in Republican candidate Randi Miller's political campaign for Tulsa mayor. This occurred while the tax-exempt university was working lawfully with the Republican National CommitteeRepublican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
on out-of-state projects as part of a long-standing, pre-approved curriculum which had been in place for several years. Other allegations against Roberts include claims he used university funds to pay for his daughter's trip to the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
by providing the university jet and billing other costs to the school, maintains a stable of horses on campus and at university expense for the exclusive use of his children, regularly summons university and ministry staff to the Roberts house to do his daughters’ homework, has remodeled his house at university expense 11 times in the past 14 years, allowed the university to be billed both for damage done by his daughters to university-owned golf carts and for video-taped vandalism caused by one of his minor daughters and acquired a red Mercedes convertible and a white Lexus SUV
Lexus LX
The Lexus LX is a full-size sport utility vehicle sold by Lexus since 1996. Three generations of the Lexus LX have been produced, all based heavily on the long-running Toyota Land Cruiser series of SUVs. The first generation LX 450 debuted in 1996 as Lexus' first entry into the SUV market. Its...
for his wife Lindsay through ministry donors.
Lindsay Roberts, who is referred to in ORU publicity as the university's "first lady," is accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars of university funds on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s to the children of family friends and sending text messages, mostly sent between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males." The lawsuit also alleges a longtime maintenance employee was fired for the purpose of giving the job to an underage male friend of Lindsay Roberts.
Richard Roberts told students during his weekly chapel, "This lawsuit ...is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion." Former ORU professor and lawsuit plaintiff Tim Brooker commented, "All over that campus there are signs up that say, 'And God said, build me a university, build it on my authority, and build it on the Holy Spirit.' Unfortunately, ownership has shifted."
United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
minister and former Church of God in Christ Bishop Carlton Pearson
Carlton Pearson
Carlton D'Metrius Pearson, DD is an American minister. At one time, he was the pastor of the Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center, later named it Higher Dimensions Family Church which was one of the largest churches in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the 1990s, it grew to an average attendance of over...
, a former protege of Oral Roberts, said Richard Roberts was "born into privilege... What others may call extravagance he may not see it as extravagant." According to CNN, Pearson said he was disappointed but not surprised by the allegations, explaining, "These kinds of things are common among family-owned and operated businesses and ministries. They don't cross every T and dot every I."
On 12 October the plaintiffs filed an amended lawsuit adding the university's Board of Regents (George Pearsons
George Pearsons
http://rileystephenson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Pastor_George.bmpGeorge Pearsons is a pastor at Eagle Mountain International Church, an arm of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, in Newark, Texas. Pearsons is married to Terri Pearsons who is Copeland's oldest daughter. He was the chairman of the...
, Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive...
, Creflo Dollar
Creflo Dollar
Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr. is an American Word of Faith teacher, pastor, and the founder of the non-denominational World Changers Church International based in Fulton County, Georgia. Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association , Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Arrow Records...
, Michael A. Hammer
Michael Armand Hammer
Michael Armand Hammer is an American philanthropist and businessman. He is the son of Julian Armand Hammer and the grandson of industrialist Armand Hammer...
, John Hagee
John Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
, Marilyn Hickey
Marilyn Hickey
Marilyn Hickey is an American Christian minister and Christian television televangelist and personality who teaches Bible studies both nationally and internationally.-Biography:...
, Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
, Richard L. Roberts, Jerry Savelle
Jerry Savelle
Jerry Savelle is president of Jerry Savelle Ministries International , a ministry of many outreaches devoted to meeting the needs of believers all over the world.-Ministry:...
and
Charles Watson)
to the suit and alleging three days after the original lawsuit was filed, Roberts fired the university's financial comptroller (who had been employed by ORU for 26 years) and "witnesses have reported voluminous materials and documents were shredded and destroyed, constituting spoilation of evidence." The filing also alleged Lindsay Roberts had spent at least nine nights in the ORU guest house with an underage 16 year old male who also was allowed to live in the Roberts family residence on campus, a situation which made their oldest daughter so uncomfortable, she insisted deadbolt locks be installed on all bedroom doors in the house.
In a written response to the later allegations Lindsay Roberts said, "I live my life in a morally upright manner and throughout my marriage have never, ever engaged in any sexual behavior with any man outside of my marriage as the accusations imply. Allegations against me in a lawsuit yesterday are not true. They sicken me to my soul." In a separate written statement the university denied "purposely or improperly" destroying documents.
Resignation of Richard Roberts
On 17 October Richard Roberts announced a "temporary leave of absence" as president of the university, citing the "toll" the lawsuit and attendant allegations have taken on him and his family. Billy Joe Daugherty of Victory Christian Center became Executive Regent of the Board of Regents and Interim President. Chairman of the Board George PearsonsGeorge Pearsons
http://rileystephenson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Pastor_George.bmpGeorge Pearsons is a pastor at Eagle Mountain International Church, an arm of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, in Newark, Texas. Pearsons is married to Terri Pearsons who is Copeland's oldest daughter. He was the chairman of the...
noted the temporary resignation was not an admission of guilt.
In November 2007 former board of regents member Harry McNevin claimed that during the 1980s the ORU Board of Regents "rubber-stamped" the "use of millions in endowment money to buy a Beverly Hills property so Oral Roberts could have a West Coast office and house." McNevin also said a country club membership was purchased for Oral Roberts' home. "His idea was if he could get on the golf course with these people, he could get donations for the university," said McNevin. These lavish expenses led McNevin to resign from the board in 1987.
In a wrongful termination lawsuit filed against the university on 21 November former ORU senior accountant Trent Huddleston claimed he had been ordered to help Roberts and his wife "cook the books" by misclassifying nearly $123,000 in funds allegedly spent by the university on remodeling the Roberts home.
On 13 November the tenured faculty of Oral Roberts University "nearly unanimously" approved a nonbinding vote of no confidence in Richard Roberts.
Roberts tendered his letter of resignation to the university's board of regents on 23 November, effective immediately. In a prepared email statement released by the university he said, "I love ORU with all my heart. I love the students, faculty, staff and administration and I want to see God's best for all of them." The regents said they would meet the following week to discuss the search for a new president. Executive regent Billy Joe Daugherty continued as interim president (working with chancellor Oral Roberts).
"You can't take the sacrifices of God's people and use them any old way," McNevin commented after Roberts' resignation. "It's been 20 years that they've been doing the same things that I became aware of." Cornell Cross II, an ORU senior majoring in government said, "This is not over, there a lot of things that need to continue. The culture of fear
Culture of fear
Culture of fear is a term used by certain scholars, writers, journalists and politicians who believe that some in society incite fear in the general public to achieve political goals, for example......
that has been allowed to fester at ORU has to be looked into."
Aftermath
On 27 November Pearsons said the university planned to separate its finances and leadership from the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, to the apparent approval of many students and faculty members. On 10 January 2008 ORU settled with lawsuit plaintiff John Swails who was reinstated to his previous teaching position. The school also announced a formal search committee for a new president, to be headed by board of regents member and Tulsa resident Glenda Payas.2008 - present
On 14 January 2008 Oral Roberts University’s board of regents voted unanimously to accept $62 million from the Mart GreenMart Green
Mart Green is the founder and CEO of Mardel Christian and Educational Supply and of Every Tribe Entertainment, and an heir to the Hobby Lobby family of companies which was founded by Mart's father David Green....
family, founders of Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby is a privately held retail chain of arts and crafts stores based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is formally called Hobby Lobby Creative Centers.Founded by David Green on August 3, 1972, the chain has more than 456 stores in 39 states...
and Mardel educational and Christian supply stores. In late October an ORU spokesman had said ORU was $52.5 million in debt and the school accepted an unconditional $8 million from the Greens in late November. ORU’s board of regents has been replaced with a 23 member board of trustees all initially named by the Greens, with Mart Green as chairman. Although Green said in November two family members would sit on the board, he will reportedly be the only one. Green said he wanted to be involved in ORU because his family “felt like financial stewardship needed to be shored up.”
Campus renovations and layoffs
Of the $62 million given to Oral Roberts University, around half went toward eliminating the university's staggering $52 million debt. The remaining $32 million was allocated to, "campus renovations, technology upgrades, academic enhancement, financial aid for new and returning students, marketing and operations," according to the university website. During the summer of 2008, $10 million went toward campus upgrades and deferred maintenance. Many of the dormitories on campus received extensive renovations and most of the campus's other buildings received much needed restoration and upgrades.On January 29, 2009, it was announced that the Green family would commit an additional $10.4 million to go toward additional campus renovations and upgrades to take place during the summer of 2009. About the gift, Mart Green, who is chair of ORU's board of trustees, said, "This gift will help to improve the quality of education for students at the new ORU. Our family is excited to continue partnering with ORU financially to ensure this great university continues to provide an excellent, whole-person education."
Renewing the Vision campaign
Following Mart Green's contribution, the university's debt was reduced to $25 million. In February, 2008, the Renewing the Vision campaign was initiated in an effort to erase this debt. To free the university from its burgeoning debt, the Board of Trustees announced plans for a $25 million matching campaign, in which the Board agreed that it would match dollar-for-dollar all that was donated to the university as part of the Renewing the Vision campaign, up to a maximum of $25 million. ORU Interim President Dr. Ralph Fagin stated, "The goal is in one year to get the debt down. It is a pretty audacious goal. It is a faith goal." In addition to eliminating the debt, funds from the Renewing the Vision campaign contributed to the 2008 summer campus renovations as well as scholarships provided by the university. As of June 3, 2009, donations and pledges had reduced the university's original $50 million debt to $720,000.On April 15, 2009, a $1 million donation was made to the school's Whole Person Scholarship fund by Chairman of the Armand Hammer Foundation and university trustee Michael Armand Hammer
Michael Armand Hammer
Michael Armand Hammer is an American philanthropist and businessman. He is the son of Julian Armand Hammer and the grandson of industrialist Armand Hammer...
, son of Julian Armand Hammer and grandson of the late industrialist Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer was an American business tycoon most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran for decades, though he was known as well as for his art collection, his philanthropy, and for his close ties to the Soviet Union.Thanks to business interests around the world and his...
. Hammer's donation will be matched twice and, in the end, will amount to a four million dollar donation to the university. The donation will contribute to a new scholarship initiative that seeks to find students potential students who are well-rounded and already exhibit the characteristics of a person who is spiritually alive, intellectually alert, physically disciplined, and socially adept. The Whole Person Scholarship provides scholarships that vary between full-tuition and $2500 to students who meet the aforementioned criteria.
Presidential inauguration of Mark Rutland and debt-free status
In January, 2009, it was reported that ORU had selected a new president: Dr. Mark RutlandMark Rutland
Mark Rutland is a missionary, evangelist, ordained minister of the International Ministerial Fellowship, and the third and current President of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was elected to that position following a vote by the Oral Roberts University Board of Trustees on January...
, president of Southeastern University
Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God
Southeastern University is a private Christian liberal arts university located in Lakeland, Florida, USA. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama as a Bible college, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became a liberal arts college in 1970. The school has four colleges and is the largest...
in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
. On January 14, Rutland confirmed that he had been offered the position, and intended to accept it. Rutland was formally announced as the new president on January 28, 2009. He officially took office on July 1, 2009.
On September 23, 2009, at the university's twice-per-week chapel service, President Mark Rutland announced that all of the university's long-term debt obligations had been met and the school was now debt-free. Rutland had indicated in an interview earlier in the year that he had expected the announcement for quite some time and that he could have paid the debt down when he took office in July, "But that's like making a hole in one with nobody on the golf course." He told the AP, "So, we're going to wait until school starts ... and then we'll have a 'ta-dah' moment."
About the erasing of the university's debt, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mart Green said, "We are extremely thankful to all the donors who stepped up to support ORU. They know the value of this university and they can see the product that ORU produces – excellent, whole-person graduates who are valuable to this community and to the world." Donations from alumni contributed heavily to the university becoming free: prior to the 2007 scandal, less than 6% of alumni donated to the university; however, as a result of the Renewing the Vision campaign, donations from alumni rose from $763,000 in 2007 to $2.3 million in 2009.
The announcement was made two days before the September 25, 2009, inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
ceremony for Rutland held at the Mabee Center
Mabee Center
Mabee Center is an 11,300-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.An adjacent building, smaller but similar in shape, is known as "Baby Mabee" and houses a television production studio....
on the university campus. The first ceremony of its kind in ORU's history, it was attended and addressed by many dignitaries and guests, among them Kathy Taylor
Kathy Taylor
Kathryn L. Taylor was elected the 38th Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 4, 2006, in the city's largest voter turnout for a mayoral election. She defeated Republican incumbent Mayor Bill Lafortune to become Tulsa's second female mayor, after Susan Savage first filled the post in 1992...
, the mayor of Tulsa, and Marilyn Hickey
Marilyn Hickey
Marilyn Hickey is an American Christian minister and Christian television televangelist and personality who teaches Bible studies both nationally and internationally.-Biography:...
, former member of the ORU Board of Regents. Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
Brad Henry
Brad Henry
Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
declared September 25, 2009, "Dr. Mark Rutland Day". At the ceremony, Rutland received a blessing from the founder and chancellor of the university, Oral Roberts.
In December 2010, ORU announced that the Green family would make another $10 million gift in 2011, to be used for renovations and technology improvements. The gift raised the Greens' total donations to $110 million.
Campus life
The university's residential policy requires all unmarried undergraduate students who are younger than 25 to live on campus, although exceptions are made for those students who live with their parents within the Tulsa area. Men and women are housed in separate dormitory facilities on campus with student access to housing of the opposite sex largely restricted. In addition to having a chaplain on every "wing" of each dormitory, there are also Residential Advisers for each floor, who enforce curfew, take attendance at Chapel services, and serve as "go-to persons" for students living on their floors. As well, each floor has an Academic Peer Adviser (APA) who serves to offer or facilitate tutoring services to students who need assistance with their studies; the APA also keeps students informed of academic news and obligations. Every Monday night is a mandatory Hall Meeting at which announcements are made by dorm leadership.Student codes
All students are required to sign a pledge stating they will live according to the university's honor codeHonor code
An honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
. Prohibited activities include lying
Lie
For other uses, see Lie A lie is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others....
, cursing
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, smoking
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
, drinking
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, and a range of sexual acts
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
including homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
behavior and sex outside marriage. In early 2003 the student dress code
Social aspects of clothing
Dress codes are written and, more often, unwritten rules with regards to clothing. Clothing like other aspects of human physical appearance has a social significance, with different rules and expectations being valid depending on circumstance and occasion...
was relaxed for the first time in forty years and described as business casual
Business casual
Business casual is a popular dress code in professional and white-collar workplaces in Western countries. In the United States, 43% of non-self-employed workers commonly wear casual business attire. Casual street wear is the next most common work attire , closely followed by uniforms...
. For most of the school's history men were required to wear collared shirts and ties while women were required to wear skirts (an exception for winter months was added in 2000). In 2006 campus-wide dress code rules were eased even further, allowing students to wear jeans to class and dress even more casually in non-academic settings. Since 2009, men are allowed to have neatly trimmed facial hair. There are some restrictions on men concerning hair lengththey are only loosely enforced.
Chapel
The university has bi-weekly chapel services in Christ's Chapel which are recorded and broadcast live through the university's television station and also via satellite. The television broadcast, called "Enter In," is directed from the television studios in the Mabee CenterMabee Center
Mabee Center is an 11,300-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.An adjacent building, smaller but similar in shape, is known as "Baby Mabee" and houses a television production studio....
while the cameras and sound equipment are manned by students.
A typical chapel service features contemporary worship
Contemporary worship
Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the twentieth century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found to varying extents in a wide range of churches, including many that do not subscribe to a...
, a missions offering, special music, and a sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
, typically from the President of the University, Mark Rutland
Mark Rutland
Mark Rutland is a missionary, evangelist, ordained minister of the International Ministerial Fellowship, and the third and current President of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was elected to that position following a vote by the Oral Roberts University Board of Trustees on January...
. Attendance at Chapel is mandatory and attendance is taken by student leadership.
Futuristic architecture
Futurist architecture
Futurist architecture is an early-20th century form of architecture characterized by anti-historicism and long horizontal lines suggesting speed, motion and urgency. Technology and even violence were among the themes of the Futurists. The movement was founded by the poet Filippo Tommaso...
look and architecture. Architects Stanfield, Imel & Walton of Tulsa designed the 1963 master plan but most of the buildings were designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace. Interviewed in 2010, Wallace characterized his ORU buildings as "sculptures", noting that an inspiration for his artistic sensibility was "whittling since I was a kid". It has also been suggested that the buildings may have been inspired by Tulsa's art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
architectural heritage along with Bruce Goff
Bruce Goff
Bruce Alonzo Goff was an American architect distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere.-Early years:...
's individualistic style and creative use of new materials. By 2007 the campus was described as "a perfect representation of the popular modernistic architecture of the time... the set of the The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
" but also "shabby" and "dated, like Disney's
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland
- Tomorrowland 1955–1967 :The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase,...
." Maintenance of the many unique but aging buildings, structures and architectural details on campus was cited as a growing problem for the university. In 2008, ten million dollars was set aside from Green
Mart Green
Mart Green is the founder and CEO of Mardel Christian and Educational Supply and of Every Tribe Entertainment, and an heir to the Hobby Lobby family of companies which was founded by Mart's father David Green....
family donations for long deferred maintenance on many campus buildings, along with the prayer tower. Another ten million dollars was donated by the Green family and budgeted for work during the summer of 2009.
The main academic building is the John D. Messick Learning Resource Center / Marajen Chinigo Graduate Center, an immense 900,000 square foot (80,000 m²) facility with many pylon-like columns, gold-tinted windows and a lozenge
Lozenge
A lozenge , often referred to as a diamond, is a form of rhombus. The definition of lozenge is not strictly fixed, and it is sometimes used simply as a synonym for rhombus. Most often, though, lozenge refers to a thin rhombus—a rhombus with acute angles of 45°...
shaped footprint
Surface area
Surface area is the measure of how much exposed area a solid object has, expressed in square units. Mathematical description of the surface area is considerably more involved than the definition of arc length of a curve. For polyhedra the surface area is the sum of the areas of its faces...
which university publicity says was styled after King Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
. The Howard Auditorium is a gold, Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
style geodesic dome which is used for movies, theatre productions, classes and seminars. Bi-weekly university chapel services are held in Christ's Chapel, a 3,500 seat building constructed in drape-like fashion as an echo of Oral Roberts' early tent revivals. The Googie style Prayer Tower
Prayer Tower
The Prayer Tower is a Futurist tower located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft glass and steel structure, designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace, opened in 1967. An enclosed observation deck gives a 360° view of the surrounding area and enables a...
at the center of campus was intended to resemble "an abstract cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
and Crown of Thorns
Crown of Thorns
In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...
" and also houses a visitor center
Visitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
. The Mabee Center
Mabee Center
Mabee Center is an 11,300-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.An adjacent building, smaller but similar in shape, is known as "Baby Mabee" and houses a television production studio....
is an 11,000 seat arena on the southwestern edge of campus and is used for basketball games, concerts, church services and satellite television productions. Timko-Barton Hall houses musical and theatrical performance halls as well as classrooms devoted to the university's programs in the performing arts. The building's performance halls are often the scene of concerts and recitals by performing arts students.
The Kenneth H. Cooper Aerobics Center houses basketball courts, an elevated running track, a free-weights and exercise room, a swimming pool and classrooms for students who are enrolled in health fitness courses (a requirement for all students). J.L. Johnson Stadium is a 2,200 seat baseball stadium located on the north of the campus.
The Hamill Student Center is located between Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts Halls and houses restaurants on its lower level. Zoppelt Auditorium is located on the ground level and is often used as a lecture hall for classes, forums and special events. Campus Security and the "Fireside Room" are also on ground level with the university cafeteria (called "Saga" by students) on the upper level.
Housing
There are eight dormitories on campus. Seven are in use.- Claudius Priscilla Roberts Hall is a seven story building built in 1965 which can house up to 600 women. Called "Claudius" by students, the building is named after Oral Roberts' mother.
- Ellis Melvin Roberts Hall is a seven story building also built in 1967 which can house up to 600 men. Called "EMR" by campus residents, this dormitory is similar to Claudius Priscilla Roberts Hall but has some differences, notably walls made of concrete blocks rather than sheetrock, two elevators instead of one and laundry facilities located in the basement instead of every floor. According the university, these two tri-winged buildings are meant to reflect the TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
.
- Frances Cardone Hall (originally named Ethel Hughes Hall) is a twelve story building for housing up to 372 women. This is one of the four "Towers" dormitories, which are meant to represent the Star of DavidStar of DavidThe Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
. The building is called "Frances" by university students. - Michael Cardone, Sr. Hall (originally named Edward Hughes Hall) is the twin dormitory to Frances and houses up to 372 men. It is linked to the three other Towers dormitories by a central hallway and the main lobby area, called the "Fishbowl" for its glass exterior walls.
- Susie Vinson Hall is one of two shorter "Towers" housing 244 women on eight stories and known as "Susie."
- Wesley Leuhring Hall, called "Wesley" by students, is the twin dormitory of "Susie" and is much alike in both capacity and design.
- Gabrielle Christian Salem Hall is a three story split-level dormitory located west of Timko-Barton Hall and called "Gabby" by the students. It can house up to 240 women and has secured doors which open using university issued cards. There are in-room bathroom facilities on the first and second floors.
The university has strict guidelines concerning student access to the upper floors of residence halls by members of the opposite sex, which is limited to designated occasions called "Open Houses."
CityPlex Towers
In 1981, the City of Faith Medical and Research Center opened. The buildings are south of the ORU campus, and were originally built as a 60-story clinic, a 30-story hospital, and a 20-story research center. The original tenants left in 1989 because of financialFinance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
problems and a lack of demand for medical services. As of 2007, some floors (in the 20-story building) have never been leased. The facility is now mostly leased out as commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
space under the name CityPlex Towers
CityPlex Towers
CityPlex Towers is a large office space complex located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The facility was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to be a major charismatic Christian hospital...
. A 60 ft (18.2 m), 30 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
bronze sculpture Praying Hands, by sculptor Leonard McMurray (cast in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
in 1980) and originally in front of the towers, was moved to the ORU campus entrance in the summer of 1991.
Athletics
Oral Roberts University is a member of The Summit League but will join the Southland ConferenceSouthland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
in July of 2012. | Its athletic programs include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis along with track and field for men and women. There is also a baseball program for men and volleyball for women.
ORU's early sports team nicknames were the Titans
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
for men and the Lady Titans for women, adopted in 1965 by a vote of the student body. On April 30, 1993 all teams for both men and women became known as the Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s. ORU's current mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is "Eli" the Golden Eagle, who hatched out of his papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
egg on November 17, 1993 before the start of an exhibition basketball game as the official symbol of a new era in ORU athletics. The mascot's name is an acronym for education, lifeskills and integrity.
The men's basketball team coached by Scott Sutton
Scott Sutton
Scott Sutton is the men's basketball coach for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. He coached the university into the first round of the 2006, 2007, and 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournaments....
has gone to three straight NCAA tournaments. ORU's women's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA Tournaments in the past eight seasons.
The ORU baseball team has played in 21 NCAA regional tournaments. ORU advanced to the College World Series in 1978. In 2006, ORU advanced to the NCAA Super Regional against Clemson. ORU baseball has now won 12 conference championships in a row and has played in 12 NCAA regional tournaments in a row (1998 to 2009).
Doctrine
ORU has been criticized for endorsing unorthodoxOrthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
doctrines of faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
. Critics cite Oral Roberts' connection with Word of Faith
Word of Faith
Word of Faith is a family of Christian churches as well as a label applied by some observers to a teaching movement kindred to many Pentecostal and charismatic churches and individuals worldwide. The basic doctrine preached is that of salvation through Jesus Christ and what that salvation entails...
doctrine and how they believe this has been used for self promotion and justification of economic materialism
Economic materialism
Materialism is a mindset that views the consumption and acquisition of material goods as positive and desirable. It is often bound up with a value system which regards social status as being intrinsically linked to affluence as well as the perception that happiness can be increased through...
. Oral Roberts helped pioneer the concept of "Seed Faith," which associated acts of God with the results of an individual's previous investment into God's will, like a plant growing from the investment of a seed. Scriptural citations for the doctrine include Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you, full measure pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom; for what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again". Critics claim this is equivalent to believing miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s can be bought and makes God into a manipulable party.
Some of the earliest criticisms of the Word of Faith movement came from ORU faculty members including Professor Charles Farah
Charles Farah
Charles Farah, Jr. was a Professor of Theology and Historical Studies at Oral Roberts University. He taught in the school of theology at Oral Roberts University from 1967 to 1991 and from 1994 to 1995...
and one of his students, Daniel Ray McConnell. McConnell submitted a PhD thesis to the university detailing his assertion that the teachings of the movement are heretical. This was later published as A Different Gospel in 1988.
Ramadan disruption
In February 1997, on the twenty-eighth day of RamadanRamadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
, several students from Oral Roberts University reportedly disrupted services at a mosque in the city of Tulsa near the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
. Mujeeb Cheema, the chairman of the Islamic Society of Tulsa at that time, told The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that "Some 20 Oral Roberts students put their hands on the exterior doors and walls of the mosque and prayed for the conversion of the Muslims." A few days after the event, the society received a written apology from the Reverend Bill Shuler, who was the director of religious services on the ORU campus and is now pastor of Capital Life Church in Washington, D.C. A university spokesman indicated that the students would not be disciplined and that officials from the university were discussing with the students their accounts of the events, which differed from what was reported by the Muslims attending the religious services.
2006 Equality Ride
Citing alleged discrimination against LBGT students at ORU, in 2006 SoulforceSoulforce (organization)
Soulforce is an American social justice and civil rights organization that supports acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people through dialogue and creative forms of nonviolent direct action...
placed the university on its 2006 Equality Ride
Equality Ride
The Equality Ride is a periodic LGBT rights bus journey across the United States led by young adults and sponsored by Soulforce, a national LGBT nonprofit organization. Its primary goal is to foster dialogue on issues of faith, sexuality, and gender, and discrimination against lesbian, gay,...
route and the rally took place on March 20, 2006. University administration refused the activists the right to enter the campus and several were arrested after they entered the campus in spite of the university administration's decision.
Soulforce members allege that the university "bans" people who are homosexual, referring to the university's honor code pledge's ban on homosexual activity (i.e., homosexual intercourse). All students are required to sign and abide by the honor code which places the same restriction on all sexual activity performed outside of "traditional marriage of one man and one woman."
Notable alumni
| Name | Known for | Relationship to Oral Roberts University |
|---|---|---|
| Michele Bachmann Michele Bachmann Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a... |
Minnesota Representative United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... (from 2007 - current) |
J.D., 1986 from ORU affiliate Coburn School of Law. |
| Scott Thompson Baker Scott Thompson Baker Scott Thompson Baker is an American television actor, from Golden Valley, Minnesota. Some of his most notable roles are Colton Shore on General Hospital, Craig Lawson on All My Children, and Connor Davis on The Bold and the Beautiful.-Life and career:Baker was born in Golden Valley, Minnesota... |
Actor, playing Colton Shore on General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns.... (ABC TV). |
|
| David Barton | Author and commentator. | |
| Doug Bernier Doug Bernier Douglas Bernier is a second baseman, who is currently in the New York Yankees organization. He is an alumnus of Oral Roberts University.... |
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... second baseman Second baseman Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base... . |
|
| Steve Holm Steve Holm Stephen Robert Holm is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent.- Amateur career :Holm attended Sacramento's McClatchy High School, where he played shortstop... |
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... catcher Catcher Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to... . |
|
| Todd Burns Todd Burns Todd Edward Burns in Maywood, California, is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher.Burns attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, earning first-team All-America honors before being drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 7th round of the 1984 MLB amateur draft... |
Former Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... player. |
|
| Don Colbert Don Colbert Don Colbert is a New York Times best selling author who has written over 40 books that together have sold millions of copies.Colbert is a frequent guest on the programs of John Hagee, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland and other fundamentalist Christians... |
Physician, public speaker, and author on nutritional therapy and preventative medicine | B.S., Biology, M.D. 1984. |
| Kenneth Copeland Kenneth Copeland Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive... |
Minister | |
| Jon Egan (Desperation Band Desperation Band Desperation Band, led by Jon Egan, is part of the worship ministry of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.The band has been featured on the main stage at Creation East and Kingdom Bound, and has led worship in the Worship Tent at both Creation East and KingdomBound. They have also been... ) |
Worship Artist | B.A., Organizational/Interpersonal Communications 2001 |
| Kathie Lee Gifford Kathie Lee Gifford Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, songwriter and actress, best known for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin... |
American singer, songwriter, and actress. | |
| Brian Graden Brian Graden -Biography:Graden grew up in Illinois and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1981. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1985 with a degree in business, and later graduated with an MBA from Harvard University.... |
Television executive | B.A., Business 1985 |
| Michael Graham | Conservative talk radio host and author | |
| Ted Haggard Ted Haggard Ted Arthur Haggard is an American evangelical pastor. Known as Pastor Ted to the congregation he served, he was the founder and former pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado; a founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches; and was leader of the National Association of... |
Evangelical Minister | Graduate of 1978 |
| Kari Jobe Kari Jobe Kari Brooke Jobe is an American Christian singer and songwriter.- Biography :Kari Jobe was born in Waco, Texas to parents Mark Douglas and Caroline "Sandy" Jobe and was raised in Watauga, Texas and Hurst, Texas; she has two other siblings, Kristen and Caleb. Jobe first began singing at the age of... |
Christian music singer | |
| Keith Lockhart Keith Lockhart (baseball) Keith Virgil Lockhart is a retired second baseman and third baseman who played for 10 seasons in the major leagues from -.... |
Former Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... player. |
|
| Ron Luce Ron Luce Ronald Allen “Ron” Luce is the co-founder and president of Teen Mania Ministries located in Garden Valley, Texas. Together with his wife Katie, Ron founded Teen Mania in 1986 in his van. The ministry has expanded greatly and has become influential within today's Christian youth culture... |
Founder / President, Teen Mania Ministries Teen Mania Ministries Teen Mania Ministries is an Evangelical Christian youth organization located in Garden Valley, Texas. Teen Mania focuses primarily on four key programs, with a few additional smaller endeavours.... |
B.A., Theology, 1983 |
| Keith Miller | Former Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... player. |
|
| Don Moen | Christian musician composer | |
| Mike Moore | Former Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... player. |
|
| James Norman | Surgeon and Internet entrepreneur | MD from ORU Class of 1986 |
| Richard Roberts Richard Roberts (evangelist) Richard Roberts is an American evangelist. Roberts is chairman and chief executive officer of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. Since his healing ministry began in 1980, he has preached on six continents. Holding his first overseas crusade in South Africa in 1982, he has since traveled... |
Evangelist and former Oral Roberts University president, son of founder Oral Roberts | B.A., M.Th., D.Min. |
| Clifton Taulbert Clifton Taulbert Clifton Taulbert , is an American author and speaker. He is best known for his books Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored and Eight Habits of the Heart: Embracing the Values that Build Strong Communities... |
Author | B.A. |
| Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona... |
Singer in OneRepublic OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then... , songwriter, producer |
|
| Haywoode Workman Haywoode Workman Haywoode Wilvon Workman is a retired American basketball player, and active NBA referee.He played the point guard position at 6'2", and played 359 games in eight NBA seasons for five teams from 1989 to 2000... |
Former National Basketball Association National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada... player. |
|
| Carlton Pearson Carlton Pearson Carlton D'Metrius Pearson, DD is an American minister. At one time, he was the pastor of the Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center, later named it Higher Dimensions Family Church which was one of the largest churches in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the 1990s, it grew to an average attendance of over... |
Minister | |
| Kelly Wright Kelly Wright Kelly Wright is an American reporter for Fox News Channel and co-anchor of America's News Headquarters on Saturday, and is based in the network’s Washington, D.C., bureau. He was a co-host of Fox and Friends Weekend from July 2006 to January 2008.... |
General assignment reporter for Fox News Channel Fox News Channel Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
|
| Bob Zupcic Bob Zupcic Robert "Bob" Zupcic is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox . He batted and threw right-handed.... |
Former Major League Baseball Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... player. |
|
| Billy Joe Daugherty Billy Joe Daugherty Billy Joe Daugherty was founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also the founder of Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute and Victory World Missions Training Center. Nine hundred and eighty Victory Bible Institutes have been started in eighty-five... |
Pastor, Victory Christian Center, Tulsa OK. Television personality, briefly the Interim President of ORU | |
| Bettye J. Holland | Pastor, Life Changers Christian Ministries, and Founder of the WIM |
External links
- Oral Roberts University
- Swails, Brooker, Brooker v. Oral Roberts University, et al., October 2007 from the United States District Court for the Northern District of OklahomaUnited States District Court for the Northern District of OklahomaThe United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma is the Federal district court for a portion of the state of Oklahoma....
- Coverage of 2007 scandal from the Tulsa World