ORU's Board of Reference Meets to Discuss the Future
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 13, 2018
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Stephanie Hill, Director of University Relations & Communications
Office: 918.495.7337, Mobile: 918.720.5548
sthill@oru.edu
Tulsa, OK – Thirty-three members of the Oral Roberts University Board of Reference
met April 10 and 11 to discuss what ORU will look like in the coming years. ORU President
Dr. William M. Wilson also updated the board on the current strength of the University,
while members toured the Global Learning Center.
Mart Green, Board Chair and Ministry Investment Officer for Hobby Lobby, serves as the Chair of the Board of Reference, while ORU alumnus Richard Fenimore, President of Trinity Chemical Industries in Tulsa, is the Vice Chair.
“We had very spirited discussions about upcoming trends in education, technology, politics, and careers,” Green said of the meeting. “Board members suggested a number of action items to pursue in order to ensure ORU’s continued enrollment growth, fiscal health, and preparation of students to make a meaningful impact on our world. There was also talk about the balance between on-campus and online education and how ORU can build on its success in both areas.”
“The key to preparing ORU for the future,” Fenimore added, citing comments from board members, “is maintaining our mission, offering a true Spirit-empowered whole person education, and infusing the ORU DNA in all of our students. This is how we will remain a global University that honors God and His Word—and how ORU can become not just bigger, but better.”
Fenimore also quoted board member Clifton Taulbert, who encouraged those in the room—and ORU as a whole—to “accelerate your imagination” and “dream of new possibilities” when it comes to considering ways to plan for the future.
“I appreciate the time this group gave to considering the future of ORU and what we can do to make the University’s whole person education even better,” said Dr. Wilson. “These are men and women of vision who are also attentive to the voice of the Lord and how He is directing this great University as it looks to the future.”
Established in 2008, the Board of Reference is made up of leaders from around the world who support the vision and mission of ORU. They endorse ORU and share news about the University with those in their spheres of influence, recommend ORU to prospective students, nominate students for ORU’s Quest Whole Person Scholarship, and encourage others to offer financial support.
“The Board of Reference was created to help spread the word that ORU is an excellent place for students to receive a Spirit-empowered whole person education,” Green said. “Because of the positions they hold in industry, ministry, government, nonprofit organizations, healthcare, and other fields, and the respect and influence they have earned, the men and women who serve on this board have the ability to tell the ORU story in parts of the world and to individuals and groups that we would not otherwise be able to reach.”