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Trustee Encourages Alumni Involvement
By Rachel Wegner 07
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When Lynette Lewis graduated from ORU, she left with not only a whole-person education, but also with a keen appreciation for diversity within the body of Christ. Over the years since, she has drawn on those lessons time and time again as she has taken on the business world and become the wife of a pastor and a stepmother to four young men. And now, she is putting what she learned at ORU into practice on the university's behalf as a member of the new Board of Trustees.
"Diverse," "educated" and "amazing" are some of the words Lewis used when describing her colleagues on the board. While they may not always think alike, she said, they all share an unwavering commitment to the vision of ORU.
"I'm honored to be one of them, to see everybody come together and so quickly be on the same page, having such a heart for ORU," Lewis said.
The board has met on several occasions to prioritize the university's needs and put to use the $62 million gift from the Green family, which ORU received in January. Extensive projects are underway all across campus this summer, including upgrades to buildings, grounds and academic departments. The search for a new president has also begun. The board announced a $25 million matching gift campaign, called Renewing the Vision, in February, and agreed to match every dollar ORU raises, up to $25 million. Trustee dollars will go toward retiring ORU's remaining $25 million debt. A quickly growing number of alumni and donors have responded enthusiastically to the Renewing the Vision campaign, making gifts and pledges of more than $3.4 million (as of late May).
With nine alumni occupying seats on the Board of Trustees, and four of those chairing committees, Lewis is confident that they represent the heart of ORU. For example, when a topic such as "spiritual life" comes up for discussion, she said that the alumni board members are the first to speak up.
"My encouragement to the alumni is to be hopeful, that these are men and women that God has appointed for such a time as this," Lewis said. "We all share the same uncompromising commitment to the DNA of ORU."
She also said that Mart Green, the board chair, takes into account the wisdom and perspectives of the board members.
"Mart is a brilliant leader," Lewis said. "I've been on many boards around some of the top corporate people in the world, and Mart Green is truly one of the finest. He's very much a consensus builder, but at the same time he's a visionary. His gift is bringing together the right people with the right ideas for the right time. He's a steward, he's faithful, he's diligent and he's God's man for the hour."
As the ORU community as a whole is looking forward, Lewis took a moment to look back and express her deep appreciation and respect for the university leaders that went before her, counting their work and impact as priceless. Then, returning to the present, she noted that opportunities abound for alumni and friends of the university alike to get involved.
"There are changes in the areas that need changing, and stability and security in the areas that should never be changed," Lewis said. "In so many ways these are the days we've dreamed about for years. It's going to take every one of us to bring about the next levels of success we long to see. There's no time to waste. Now is the time to get involved!"
