Oral Roberts University
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Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a
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evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
university in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder,
evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...
Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christian televangelist, ordained in both the Pentecostal Holiness and United Methodist churches. He is considered one of the forerunners of t ...
. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs along with 20 graduate programs across six colleges. ORU is classified among "Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields". Most popular majors include ministry and leadership, nursing, engineering, psychology, and business administration. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 students. Students may take part in mission trips as part of 60 clubs that are available through the university. In 2018, over 500 students completed trips across five continents. Students are required to attend weekly
chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
services.


History


Foundation and early years

Ground was officially broken for Oral Roberts University in 1962 in the southern part of
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
. 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 seven major completed buildings. The university was founded by
Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christian televangelist, ordained in both the Pentecostal Holiness and United Methodist churches. He is considered one of the forerunners of t ...
"as a result of the evangelist Oral Roberts' obeying God’s mandate to build a university on God’s authority and the
Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...
. 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'." Roberts placed special importance on the
Prayer Tower The Prayer Tower is a late Googie design-influenced tower located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft (60.9 m) glass and steel structure, designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace, opened in 1967. An ...
, even though the concept of a building specifically dedicated to prayer at the center of the campus caused considerable tension, as some academic leaders were afraid the school would be unable to receive accreditation with such a building. But the tower, designed by architect Frank Wallace, was completed in 1967 at a cost of $2 million, a further source of contention. After its completion, Roberts called for a three-day period of prayer and fasting. At the university's dedication ceremony in 1967, the evangelist
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
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 Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the North Central Association. ORU was accredited in 1971 by the
Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
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 The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...
. During the first decade of the school's existence many of the campus's iconic structures were completed, such as the Howard Auditorium, the Graduate Center, the Mabee Center, and Christ's Chapel. 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 Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an American media mogul, religious broadcaster, political commentator, former presidential candidate, and former Southern Baptist minister. Robertson advocates a conservative Christian ...
's Bible-based college in Virginia", which subsequently founded the Regent University School of Law.


Campus expansion and later years

The university built the
City of Faith Medical and Research Center CityPlex Towers is a complex of three high-rise office towers located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The complex was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to b ...
hospital in 1981 and started the Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in 1978. Severe financial difficulties with both of these institutions led to their closure in 1989. Oral Roberts's son
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
was named president in 1993. In January 1996,
Golden Eagle Broadcasting GEB Network (formerly known as Golden Eagle Broadcasting) is a digital satellite television network, which airs primarily Christian and family programming. Oral Roberts founded it in 1996. GEB is owned by Oral Roberts University and is headquart ...
, a small digital satellite Christian and family programming television network owned and operated by Oral Roberts University, was founded. On February 5, 1997, several ORU students reportedly disrupted services at a mosque near the
University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...
. The students mistakenly thought it was the 27th night of
Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
when it was actually the 28th day of Ramadan. A university spokesman indicated that the students would not be disciplined and that university officials were discussing with the students their accounts of the events, which differed from what those attending services at the mosque reported. On February 7, 1997, the Islamic Society of Tulsa received a formal apology from Reverend Bill Shuler, who led religious services on campus. Due to alleged discrimination against
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
students at ORU,
Soulforce Soulforce is a U.S.-based social justice organization that works to end the religious and political oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people. The organization's co-executive directors are Alba Onofrio ...
placed the university on its 2006
Equality Ride The Equality Ride is a periodic LGBT rights bus tour made for young adults and sponsored by Soulforce, a national LGBT nonprofit organization. They seek to debate LGBT issues with students at conservative Christian colleges and military acade ...
route, with a rally taking place on March 20, 2006. University administration refused the activists entrance to the campus, which resulted in several activists being arrested after they entered despite the university administration's decision. Soulforce members objected 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 outside "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. 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. Since ORU-OUT's founding, some of the university's LGBTQ+ alumni have publicly marched in Tulsa's pride parade. In February 2007, ORU announced that it would offer new art degrees. In 2010, ORU teamed up with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference to open a bilingual Hispanic Center on campus.The goals of this partnership include targeting a 25% Hispanic population within the student body and to reduce the approximately 50% high school dropout rate among Hispanic students. ORU was granted an exception to
Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
in 2017 which allows it to legally discriminate against
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
students for religious reasons. It is ranked among the "Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth" by
Campus Pride Campus Pride is an American national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded by M. Chad Wilson, Sarah E. Holmes and Shane L. Windmeyer in 2001 which serves lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and ally student leaders and/or campus orga ...
. ORU and
G12 Vision The G12 Vision is a Christian evangelism and discipleship strategy established by Pastor César Castellanos, the founder of International Charismatic Mission Church. G12 has been adopted worldwide by different churches. History The G12 Vision w ...
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 after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In fall 2020, students were required to get tested for COVID-19 before moving into the dorms. All students and staff were required to wear masks on campus at all times. The university also rearranged class schedules in order for the semester to end early. In 2021, the university expanded its campus through the addition of 3 new buildings: a welcome center (which broke ground in April), Media Arts Center, and library. The expansion was part of ORU's $75 million campaign, which allocated $60 million to these new structures with the remainder going towards student scholarships. ORU also announced in April 2021 the development of the Mike Carter Athletic Center, which is expected to be over 40,000 square feet, and renovation of the Mabee Center.


Resignation of Richard Roberts

In October 2007, three former professors filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against ORU in Tulsa County. 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, the wife of Richard Roberts, was accused of spending university funds on clothes, awarding nonacademic
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...
s 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 (Oral and Richard Roberts, along with George Pearsons,
Kenneth Copeland Kenneth Max Copeland (born December 6, 1936) is an American televangelist associated with the charismatic movement. The organization he founded in 1967, Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. (EMIC), is based in Tarrant County, Texas. Copelan ...
,
Creflo Dollar Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr., (born January 28, 1962) is an American pastor, televangelist, and the founder of the non-denominational Christian World Changers Church International based in College Park, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Dollar also he ...
, Michael A. Hammer,
John Hagee John Charles Hagee (born April 12, 1940) is an American pastor and televangelist. The founder of John Hagee Ministries, his ministry is telecast to the United States and Canada. Hagee is also the founder and chairman of the Christian-Zionist or ...
,
Marilyn Hickey Marilyn Allene Hickey (born July 1, 1931) is an American Christian minister and televangelist who teaches Bible studies both nationally and internationally. Biography Marilyn Allene Hickey was born on July 1, 1931, in Dalhart, Texas. When she wa ...
, Jerry Savelle and Charles Watson) to the suit and alleged that Roberts fired the university's financial comptroller and "voluminous materials and documents were shredded and destroyed, constituting spoliation of evidence." The filing also alleged Lindsay Roberts had spent nights in the ORU guest house with a 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 had 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 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 relief of many students and faculty members. On January 10, 2008, ORU settled with 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 Billy Joe Daugherty (April 23, 1952 – November 22, 2009) was founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center (now Victory Church) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also the founder of Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute and Victory World ...
was named interim President and executive regent. The same month, the school was reportedly "struggling financially" with over $50 million in debt.


Finances

ORU's operating budget for 2007-08 was over $82 million. On January 14, 2008, ORU's board of regents voted unanimously to accept $62 million from the
Mart Green Mart Green is the founder and CEO of Mardel Christian & Education and of Every Tribe Every Nation, and an heir to the Hobby Lobby family of companies founded by his father David Green. Mart Green's chain of Christian stores, Mardel, has 37 store ...
family, the owners of
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-based
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, Mardel educational, and various Christian supply stores, an offer which included changes to the university's governing board. In October of that year, an ORU spokesman said the university was still $52.5 million in debt. The school accepted an additional $8 million from the Greens in November. Of the $82 million given to Oral Roberts University, approximately half went toward eliminating its debt. The remaining half was allocated to "campus renovations, technology upgrades, academic enhancement, financial aid for new and returning students, marketing and operations", according to the university website. 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 to match dollar-for-dollar all donations. In addition to eliminating debt, funds from the Renewing the Vision campaign contributed to the 2008 summer campus renovations, as well as scholarships provided by the university. During the summer of 2008, $10 million went to campus upgrades and deferred maintenance. Many dormitories were extensively renovated and most other buildings received restoration and upgrades. In January 2009, the university's presidential search committee recommended
Mark Rutland Mark Rutland (born November 5, 1947) is a missionary, evangelist, ordained minister of the International Ministerial Fellowship, and founder of Global Servants, formerly known as the Trinity Foundation. and the House of Grace. He was the third ...
, President of Southeastern University of the Assemblies of God in Florida, to succeed Richard Roberts, which the trustees approved.Shannon Muchmore
"Oral Roberts University president takes office"
''
Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...
'', July 1, 2009.
On January 14, Rutland confirmed that he had been offered the position and intended to accept it. The university began to implement the employment reduction plans, laying off 53 employees and cutting about 40 unfilled positions. On January 29, 2009, the Green family committed $10.4 million to additional campus renovations and upgrades to take place during summer 2009. Following Mart Green's contribution, the university's debt was reduced to $25 million. On April 15, 2009, Chairman of the Armand Hammer Foundation and university trustee
Michael Armand Hammer Michael Armand Hammer (September 8, 1955 – November 20, 2022) was an American businessman. He was the son of Julian Armand Hammer and the grandson of industrialist Armand Hammer. Best known for his ties to Occidental Petroleum, the company of ...
made a $1 million donation to the school's Whole Person Scholarship. As of June 3, 2009, donations and pledges had reduced the university's debt to $720,000. On September 23, 2009, it was announced at the end of the university's chapel service that the school was debt-free.Justin Juozapavicius
"Oral Roberts says it's debt-free after scandal"
''
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
'', September 23, 2009.
The announcement was made two days before Rutland's September 25, 2009
inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...
ceremony, held at the
Mabee Center Mabee Center is a 10,154-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.Bill Haisten, "Still Fine at 40: Built in 1972, ORU’s Mabee Center remains an effective venue today." ''Tulsa ...
. 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.


LGBTQ Discrimination on Campus

On August 25, 2015, ORU Administration learned of Sabrina Bradford's recent marriage to a woman and two days later she was informed she was not welcome back on campus. In March 2006 eight peaceful protesters were arrested while rallying across the street from ORU's main entrance. Ronnie Roberts, the son of Oral Roberts, came out as gay to the Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, in the early 1980s. Six months later, Ronnie Roberts committed suicide. As of December 7, 2021, an online petition to "Tell Oral Roberts University: Change your anti-LGBTQ honor code" had gained over 10,000 signatures. March 2021 - The Religious Exemption Accountability Project, or REAP, filed a class action lawsuit Hunter v. the U.S. Department of Education on March 26, 2021, against this campus and other named campuses citing the abuses that thousands of LGBTQ+ students endured at these colleges and universities over the years. LGBTQ+ students document their own direct discrimination, harassment and negative harms in the filing.  Those abuses include “conversion therapy, expulsion, denial of housing and health care, sexual and physical abuse and harassment.” The abuses also include the “less visible, but no less damaging, consequences of institutionalized shame, fear, anxiety, and loneliness.” On November 1, 2017, Billy Wilson preaches chapel service titled, "Holy Sex" and says, “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable, they are put to death." Within three months of graduation, Andrew Hartzler joined a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, seeking to strike down a religious exemption provision in U.S. civil rights law that allows ORU and other schools to receive federal funds despite such discriminatory policies. The lawsuit contends it is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and of the students’ equal protection rights.


Presidential inauguration of William Wilson and recent history

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 July 1, 2013. A day earlier, the ORU student newspaper had briefly posted an erroneous report on its website, mistakenly identifying someone else 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. In 2018, the university announced that it would retain Wilson as president for 10 years or at least until 2028. Under Wilson's presidency, ORU completed a $50 million developmental campaign, which helped construct its Global Learning Center and ONEOK Sports Complex. Student enrollment rose from approximately 3,000 in 2008 to over 4,100 in 2019. In 2020, the university began its $75 million Impact 2030 campaign, a program focusing on making ORU a “maximum global impact” by 2030. A component of achieving this global impact will be ORU's goal of educating students from 195 nations. Fundraising this campaign is due to span over three years and be divided as such: $60 million for buildings, $10 million for international scholarships in order to enroll at least one student from every country around the world, and $5 million for reconverting the university's current library into the Center for Global Leadership. The
David Green David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
family has promised to match every campaign gift up to $45 million with a 3-to-1 match.


Campus

The campus began construction in 1963 with a
futuristic The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
look and architecture, which historian Margaret Grubiak noted as being inspired by the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Architects Stanfield, Imel & Walton of Tulsa designed the 1963 master plan, but most of the buildings were designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace. In 1981, the
City of Faith Medical and Research Center CityPlex Towers is a complex of three high-rise office towers located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The complex was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to b ...
opened. The buildings were 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 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
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 Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...
space under the name
CityPlex Towers CityPlex Towers is a complex of three high-rise office towers located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The complex was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to b ...
. A 60 ft (18.2 m), 30
ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...
bronze sculpture ''Healing 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. By 2007, the campus was described as "a perfect representation of the popular modernistic architecture of the time... the set of ''
The Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced ...
''" but also "shabby" and "dated, like
Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
."Justin Juozapavicius, Associated Press,
Scandal Brewing at Oral Roberts U.
', October 5, 2007, retrieved October 7, 2007.
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, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
architectural heritage, along with
Bruce Goff Bruce Alonzo Goff (June 8, 1904 – August 4, 1982) was an American architect, distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere. A 1951 ''Life Magazine'' article stat ...
's individualistic style and creative use of new materials. 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. The Green family donated another $10 million for work during the summer of 2009. In 2011, the Prayer Tower was renovated and returned to its original function as a place for prayer. 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. It also started a $75 million fund for scholarships and campus expansion. 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 come. 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 or losange may refer to: * Lozenge (shape), a type of rhombus *Throat lozenge, a tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to suppress throat ailments *Lozenge (heraldry), a diamond-shaped object that can be placed on the field of ...
-shaped
footprint Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes. The ...
that university publicity says was styled after
King Solomon's Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by th ...
. The Howard Auditorium is a gold,
Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller (; July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He styled his name as R. Buckminster Fuller in his writings, publishing mo ...
-style geodesic dome used for movies, theatre productions, classes and seminars. Biweekly 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's early tent
revivals Revival most often refers to: * Resuscitation of a person *Language revival of an extinct language * Revival (sports team) of a defunct team *Revival (television) of a former television series *Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously p ...
. The
Googie Googie architecture ( ) is a type of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, jets, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. It originated in Southern California from the Streamline Moderne architecture of the 1930s, and was popular in the ...
style
Prayer Tower The Prayer Tower is a late Googie design-influenced tower located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft (60.9 m) glass and steel structure, designed by Tulsa architect Frank Wallace, opened in 1967. An ...
at the center of campus was intended to resemble "an abstract
cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
and
Crown of Thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the in ...
" and also houses a
visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...
. The
Mabee Center Mabee Center is a 10,154-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.Bill Haisten, "Still Fine at 40: Built in 1972, ORU’s Mabee Center remains an effective venue today." ''Tulsa ...
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 Kenneth H. Cooper (born March 4, 1931, Oklahoma City) is a doctor of medicine and former Air Force lieutenant colonel from Oklahoma, who pioneered the benefits of doing aerobic exercise for maintaining and improving health. In 1966 he coined the ...
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 Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athleti ...
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
Armand Hammer Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist" by the press, ...
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 The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
s and
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
es, 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 between Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts Halls and houses restaurants on its lower level. Zoppelt Auditorium is 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.Student Handbook
Student Handbook Fall 2008
'' retrieved March 3, 2008


Housing

There are eight residence halls 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." * Claudius Priscilla Roberts Hall is a seven-story building built in 1965 that can house up to 600 women. Called "Claudius" by students, the building is named after Oral Roberts's mother. * Ellis Melvin Roberts Hall is a seven-story building also built in 1967 that 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 sheet rock, two elevators instead of one and laundry facilities in the basement instead of on every floor. According to the university, these two tri-winged buildings are meant to reflect the
Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
. * Frances Cardone Hall (originally Ethel Hughes Hall) is a 12-story building for up to 372 women. This is one of the four "Towers" dormitories, meant to represent the
Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
. The building is called "Frances" by university students. * Michael Cardone, Sr. Hall (originally 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 alike in both capacity and design. In the summer of 2017, Wesley was converted into a women's dorm and was to be called "Susie North." * Gabrielle Christian Salem Hall is a three-story split-level dormitory west of Timko-Barton Hall and called "Gabby" by the students. It can house up to 240 women and has secured doors that open using university-issued cards. There are in-room bathroom facilities on the first and second floors. * Niko Njotorahardjo Hall, named after the founder and senior pastor of an Indonesian church and ministry, opened for the fall 2019 semester. It was ORU's first new student housing project since 1976 and contains 240 beds in apartment and dorm style rooms.


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. A typical chapel service features
contemporary worship Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many w ...
, a missions offering, special music, and a
sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...
, typically from President 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.


Academics

ORU is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
. Some programs have additional specialized accreditation as shown in this list of the academic colleges and accreditors: In addition to its undergraduate programs, the university also has a graduate
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
and graduate programs in business, education, and computer science. ORU has signed an early assurance program with the
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) is a public medical school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It also has a branch campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Founded in 1972, OSU-CHS is part of the Oklahoma State University System. OSU-CHS off ...
in 2011, allowing high achieving students to receive conditional admission to OSU's
osteopathic Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques i ...
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 Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
. From its founding, ORU has placed emphasis on Charismatic doctrines of
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
; its initial presidential leadership, including Oral Roberts and his son Richard Roberts, also espoused the doctrine of
seed faith "Abundant life" is a term used to refer to Christian teachings on fullness of life. It is not an organized movement or a unique doctrine, but a name applied to the teachings and expectations of the groups and people who follow the teachings. Abun ...
. 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 Charles Farah, Jr. (July 21, 1926 – October 9, 2001) was a Professor of Theology and Historical Studies at Oral Roberts University. He taught at the school from 1967 to 1991 and from 1994 to 1995.seed faith "Abundant life" is a term used to refer to Christian teachings on fullness of life. It is not an organized movement or a unique doctrine, but a name applied to the teachings and expectations of the groups and people who follow the teachings. Abun ...
.


Student life

The university's residential policy requires all unmarried undergraduate students younger than 25 to live on campus, although exceptions are made for those students who live with their parents in 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 on their floors. Every Monday night is a mandatory Hall Meeting at which announcements are made by dorm leadership. All students are required to sign a pledge stating they will live according to the university's honor code. Prohibited activities include
lying A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deception, deceiving or Deception, misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a l ...
,
cursing Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, ru ...
,
smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...
,
drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely am ...
, and a range of
sexual acts Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...
, including homosexual behavior and sex outside marriage."Honor Pledge"
''Oral Roberts University'', September 18, 2009.
In early 2003, the student
dress code A dress code is a set of rules, often written, with regard to what clothing groups of people must wear. Dress codes are created out of social perceptions and norms, and vary based on purpose, circumstances, and occasions. Different societies a ...
was relaxed for the first time in 40 years and described as
business casual Business casual is an ambiguously defined Western dress code that is generally considered casual wear but with smart (in the sense of "well dressed") components of a proper lounge suit from traditional informal wear, adopted for white-colla ...
. For most of the school's history, men were required to wear collared shirts and ties and women were required to wear skirts (an exception for winter months was added in 2000). 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's hair length were relaxed in 2013.


Athletics

Oral Roberts University is a member of
The Summit League ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
after leaving its former conference home,
Southland Conference The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it ...
, 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 In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...
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 The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
s. ORU's
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
is Eli the
golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
, who hatched out of his
papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...
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 An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for education, life skills and integrity. Notable players include:
Max Abmas Maxwell Abmas ( ; born April 2, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for four seasons at Oral Roberts. High school career Abmas attended Jesuit College Preparatory ...
(men's basketball), Jose Trevino and Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez (baseball), Kevi Luper (women's basketball), Jeffery Gibson (track and field), Jack Whitt (track and field), and Austin Hannah (golf).


Basketball

The women's basketball team has appeared in four NCAA tournaments in the past eight seasons. In 2018, former NBA player
Lee Mayberry Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
was appointed as assistant coach for the women's basketball team. Paul Mills has been the head coach of the Golden Eagles men's basketball team since 2017. On March 19, 2021, the ORU men's basketball team defeated the #2 seed
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in the 2021 NCAA tournament as a #15 seed in the first round. This was the first time a #15 seed won an NCAA tournament game since
Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...
defeated
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
in the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament. ORU then defeated #7 seed
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. It is only the second #15 seed to ever reach the Sweet Sixteen, after Florida Gulf Coast in 2013. Player
Max Abmas Maxwell Abmas ( ; born April 2, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for four seasons at Oral Roberts. High school career Abmas attended Jesuit College Preparatory ...
was named the Summit League Men's Basketball Player of the Year in March 2021.


Baseball

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 (1998 to 2009).


Notable alumni


References


External links

*
Oral Roberts University athletics website
{{authority control 1963 establishments in Oklahoma Educational institutions established in 1963 Education in Tulsa County, Oklahoma Evangelical universities and colleges in the United States Private universities and colleges in Oklahoma Liberal arts colleges in Oklahoma Private universities in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Tulsa, Oklahoma Evangelicalism in Oklahoma Opposition to same-sex marriage Googie architecture Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Christian universities and colleges in the United States