Oral Roberts University


Oral Roberts University is a private evangelical liberal arts university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts, and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 students.
Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 60 undergraduate degree programs along with a number of masters and doctoral degrees. ORU is classified among "Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields".

History

Early history: 1965-1989

Ground was officially broken for Oral Roberts' university in 1962 in the southern part of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The university received its charter the following year 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. The university was founded by Oral Roberts "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'." 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 Frank Wallace, 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, Oral Roberts University was accredited by the North Central Association.
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.
During the first decade of the school's existence 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.
The university built the City of Faith Medical and Research Center 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.

1990-2007

Oral Roberts' son Richard was named president in 1993.
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 The Gathering, ORU sports, and other Christian programs not associated with ORU.
In early 2007, an Oral Roberts business class scored in the top five percent in a national field test. The 46 seniors in the Strategic Management Class scored an average of 95 percent on the test, which was carried out by 181 universities across the United States. The university announced in the same month that it would begin teaching new art degrees.

1997 Ramadan disruption

In February 1997, on the 28th day of Ramadan, several students from Oral Roberts University reportedly disrupted services at a mosque in the city of Tulsa near the University of Tulsa. The students mistakenly thought it was the 27th night of Ramadan, which is the holiest night of the Muslim calendar. 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." The students left after police had been summoned to the scene.
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. 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. Another Oral Roberts official, Jesse Pisors, further stated that despite the fact that students were praying for the conversion of Muslims, "their purpose specifically was not to proselytize or to intimidate."

LGBT issues

Citing alleged discrimination against LGBT students at ORU, in 2006 Soulforce 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 object to the university's honor code pledge's ban on homosexual activity. 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."
While homosexual activity is against the school's honor code, many LGBTQ students have still attended the school due to family or personal choice. Over time, ORU alumni have made groups such as ORU-OUT and gay-straight alliances to allow LGBTQ students and alumni to have social support groups.

Resignation of Richard Roberts

In October 2007, a lawsuit was filed in Tulsa County by three former professors who claimed to have been wrongfully terminated. The professors 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.
Lindsay Roberts was accused of spending university funds on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to the children of family friends and sending text messages on university-issued cell phones to "underage males." The lawsuit also alleged a longtime maintenance employee was fired for the purpose of giving the job to an underage male friend of Lindsay Roberts.
The plaintiffs filed an amended lawsuit adding the university's Board of Regents to the suit and alleged that Roberts fired the university's financial comptroller and "voluminous materials and documents were shredded and destroyed, constituting spoilation of evidence." The filing also alleged Lindsay Roberts had spent 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.
On October 17, 2007, 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 became Executive Regent of the Board of Regents and Interim President. Chairman of the Board George Pearsons noted the temporary resignation was not an admission of guilt.
In November 2007, the tenured faculty of Oral Roberts University approved by a simple majority a non-binding vote of no confidence in Richard Roberts. Roberts tendered his letter of resignation to the university's board of regents on November 23. 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 January 10, 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.
Tulsa evangelist Billy Joe Daugherty was named interim President and executive regent. That same month, the school was reportedly "struggling financially" with over $50 million in debt.

2008–present

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 Mart Green family, owners of Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby, and the $25 Million 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.
On January 14, 2008, Oral Roberts University's board of regents voted unanimously to accept $62 million from the Mart Green 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's presidential search committee recommended Mark Rutland, President of Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God in Florida, to officially succeed Richard Roberts, which the Board of Trustees approved. Rutland took office on July 1, 2009 as the third president.

Campus renovations and layoffs

Of the $82 million given to Oral Roberts University, around half went toward eliminating the university's $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.
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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 summer 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 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, 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 $4 million donation to the university. The donation will contribute to a new scholarship initiative that seeks to find 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 from full-tuition down to $2,500 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: Mark Rutland, 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.
Donations from alumni contributed heavily to the university becoming free: prior to the 2007 scandal, less than 6 percent 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.
On January 31, 2013, ORU announced that William "Billy" Wilson, executive director of the International Center for Spiritual Renewal and vice-chair of the ORU board of trustees, had been selected to succeed Rutland as president, effective on July 1, 2013. A day earlier, the ORU student newspaper had briefly posted an erroneous report on its website, mistakenly identifying a different person as the new president. Rutland criticized the report at a student assembly and the newspaper's longtime faculty adviser left the school the next day.

Recent history

ORU opened its Global Learning Center and the ONEOK Sports Complex, a track stadium with tennis courts in 2017. The campus added its first student housing since 1976, the Niko Njotorahardjo Residence Hall, in 2019, and started a $75 million fund for scholarships and campus expansion. According to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education College Rankings, ORU is the fourth highest ranked university nationwide in student engagement. ORU and G12 Vision announced in 2019 they had reached an agreement over a partnership. It was hoped that the agreement would make ORU's theological education more accessible worldwide. ORU moved to virtual classes for the remainder of the 2020 spring semester following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Academics

In addition to its undergraduate programs, the university also has a graduate seminary and graduate programs in business and education.
Students in the College of Science and Engineering with a GPA of 3.4 or higher have an 86% medical school acceptance rate and 75% dental school acceptance rate. ORU students have been accepted into more than 70 medical schools nationally, including Johns Hopkins University, Washington University, and Duke University. Because of the high acceptance rates for medicine, ORU signed an early assurance program with the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in 2011, allowing high achieving students to receive conditional admission to OSU's osteopathic medical school program. ORU is also one of the few undergraduate colleges in the southwest to have a human cadaver dissection class. While ORU is considered a Christian university, the College of Science and Engineering does not ignore evolutionary theories to teach creationism.

Admissions

In 2019 ORU agreed to pay $303,502 to settle a Department of Justice lawsuit filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. The school reached a settlement after allegedly violating the federal ban on incentive-based compensation.

Academic Programs & Accreditation

ORU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Some programs have additional specialized accreditation as shown in this list of the academic colleges and accreditors:
College/ProgramAccrediting Body
College of BusinessAssociation of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
College of EducationNational Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
College of Science and EngineeringAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Anna Vaughn College of NursingNational League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Oklahoma Board of Nursing
College of Theology and MinistryAssociation of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Social WorkCouncil on Social Work Education

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 used to have an Academic Peer Adviser who served to offer or facilitate tutoring services to students who need assistance with their studies; the APA also kept students informed of academic news and obligations. The APA program was shut down at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. 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 code. 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 40 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. In 2006, campus-wide dress code rules were eased further, allowing students to wear jeans to class and dress more casually in non-academic settings. Since 2009, men are allowed to have neatly trimmed facial hair. Restrictions on men concerning hair length were relaxed in 2013.

Chapel

The university has 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 "ORU Alive," is directed from the television studios in the Mabee Center 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, Dr. William Wilson, as well as special guests, including some of the world's biggest and most well-known pastors, evangelists, and spiritual leaders. Attendance at Chapel is mandatory and attendance is taken by student leadership.

Futuristic architecture

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 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, $10 million was set aside from Green family donations for long deferred maintenance on many campus buildings, along with the prayer tower. Another $10 million 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 facility with many pylon-like columns, gold-tinted windows and a lozenge shaped footprint that university publicity says was styled after King Solomon's Temple. The Howard Auditorium is a gold, Buckminster Fuller style geodesic dome that 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. J.L. Johnson Stadium is a 2,200 seat baseball stadium located on the north of the campus.
The Armand Hammer Alumni-Student Center was designed by KSQ Architects, PC, and constructed and completed in 2013. It is the first building to be built on the ORU campus in decades. It totes the largest TV in Oklahoma, a "living room" for students, a gaming center equipped with Wii's and Xbox's, pool tables, ping pong, and more. The building is a modern design fitting for the campus. Students also enjoy addition restaurants and a coffee shop. The Armand Hammer Student-Alumni Center also houses student government offices as well as board rooms for special meetings. No classes meet in this building; it is strictly for the use and enjoyment of the student body.
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 on the upper level.

Housing

There are eight dormitories on campus.
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 Dorms."

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 financial problems and a lack of demand for medical services. As of 2007, some floors have never been leased. The facility is now mostly leased out as commercial office space under the name CityPlex Towers. A 60 ft, 30 ton bronze sculpture Praying Hands, by sculptor Leonard McMurray and originally in front of the towers, was moved to the ORU campus entrance in the summer of 1991.

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles sports teams

Oral Roberts University is a member of The Summit League after leaving its former conference home, Southland Conference, in July 2014. 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 Eagles. 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.

Basketball

The Golden Eagles are best known for their achievements in basketball. They notably reached three straight NCAA tournaments between 2006 and 2008, during Scott Sutton's tenure as team coach. The women's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA tournaments in the past eight seasons. Sutton left his role after eighteen years in 2017.
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 once won 12 consecutive conference championships and played in 12 consecutive NCAA regional tournaments.

Doctrines of Christianity

From its founding, ORU has placed emphasis on Charismatic doctrines of Christianity; its initial Presidential leadership, including Oral Roberts and his son Richard Roberts, also espoused the doctrine of seed faith. This belief was closely connected to fundraising efforts by both Oral and Richard.
While the majority of ORU staff were happy with including other doctrines of faith, some such as Charles Farah have disagreed publicly, indirectly leading to the publishing of a PhD thesis from a student a number of years later about his opinions on seed faith. The university has since shied away from overt statements of such theology.

Notable alumni

NameKnown forRelationship to Oral Roberts University-
Daniel AmenPsychiatrist and authorDoctorate, ORU School of Medicine, 1982-
Jared AndersonMusician-
Michele BachmannU.S. Congress memberJ.D., 1986, from ORU affiliate Coburn School of Law-
Scott Thompson BakerActor-
Andretti BainNCAA champion sprinter, Olympic medal winner for Bahamas in 2008-
David BartonAuthor and commentator-
Doug BernierMajor League Baseball-
Steve HolmMajor League Baseball-
Todd BurnsMajor League Baseball-
John Allen ChauMissionary who illegally approached the Sentinelese-
Don ColbertPhysician, public speaker, and authorB.S., Biology, M.D. 1984.-
Kenneth CopelandMinister-
Billy Joe DaughertyPastor, television personality, and interim president of the university-
Jon EganWorship artistB.A., Organizational/Interpersonal Communications 2001-
Kathie Lee GiffordAmerican singer, songwriter, and actress-
Chi Chi GonzalezMajor League Baseball-
Brian GradenTelevision executiveB.A., Business 1985-
Michael GrahamTalk radio host and author-
Ted HaggardEvangelical ministerGraduate of 1978-
Adam HamiltonPastor and authorB.A., Pastoral Ministry, 1985.
Kari JobeSinger-
Keith LockhartMajor League Baseball-
Ron LuceFounder / President, Teen Mania MinistriesB.A., Theology, 1983-
Ron MeridithMajor League Baseball-
Keith MillerMajor League Baseball-
Don MoenMusician-
Mike MooreMajor League Baseball-
Prince MumbaRunner, represented Zambia at the 2004 and 2012 Olympics-
Joel OsteenPastor-
Ross ParsleyPastor-
Carlton PearsonBishop-
Richard RobertsEvangelist and former Oral Roberts University presidentB.A., M.Th., D.Min.-
Clifton TaulbertAuthorB.A.-
Ryan TedderSinger, songwriter, producer-
Haywoode WorkmanNational Basketball Association-
Kelly WrightTelevision reporter-
Bob ZupcicMajor League Baseball-
Ulf EkmanSwedish founder of world of life church in Uppsala-
Brian NhiraAmerican pop singer-
Teresa KnoxBusinesswoman-
Paul FriedlanderSwazi golfer-