The Oral Roberts University board of trustees announced a historic agreement that retains Dr. William M. Wilson as president of ORU for the next 10 years. This long-term agreement gains the commitment of strong and able leadership for the future of the university as the board and the University Planning Council work in conjunction with the president to address the challenges and opportunities of higher education both now and in the year 2030.
"ORU has seen amazing growth in the past few years. That kind of growth doesn't happen without great leadership. The significance of this decision should not be underestimated," said Dr. Mike Rakes, Chair of the ORU board of trustees. "The board wanted to lock in the positive momentum of the last five years under the capable leadership of President Wilson. This agreement provides long-term stability for the university and sets it on a trajectory to be firmly established as the premier Spirit-empowered university around the world."
Dr. Rakes went on to say that the value of the degrees students earn while at ORU continues to rise with stellar reports from the Higher Learning Commission, as well as a faculty that excels at embedding God's Word through every discipline, strengthening the unique, Spirit-empowered ethos of Oral Roberts University. He also points out that the university is healthier than it has ever been with no debt, continued enrollment growth and new apartment-style housing on the way.
"With a great vision and mission, a strong board of trustees, a brilliant faculty, a rigorous academic engine, an amazing team of administrators, an exceptional host of alumni, a generous group of friends and donors, the greatest students in the world and God's abiding presence through it all, serving as ORU's president is a delight and lifetime blessing." said Dr. Wilson. "I am beyond honored at the invitation of our board of trustees to continue service at ORU into the next decade. Tulsa has become home and we appreciate the continued warm reception we have received here. The future of ORU has never been brighter."
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"As an alumna, I'm excited about the unity of the board on the agreement," said Holly Moore, vice-chair of the ORU board of trustees. "The board is thrilled to have Dr. Wilson's visionary leadership as we prepare to launch IMPACT 2030, a long-term envisioning project that will answer the question of how ORU can have a maximum global impact by the year 2030."
Dr. Wilson served on the ORU board of trustees for five years before becoming president on June 1, 2013. Under his leadership, ORU completed a $50 million comprehensive development campaign, helping build the Global Learning Center with its augmented and virtual reality learning as well as the ONEOK Sports Complex, which has already held its first Summit League track championship, with ORU athletes setting several records. Dr. Wilson also led the university through several years of enrollment growth, strong student retention rates and an all-time record high student placement rate.
"We've also seen a number of improvements on campus, most of them related to our significant, five-year, adaptive plan," said Dr. Wilson. "The five-year adaptive plan is a shared governance instrument that ensures maximum participation from a wide variety of constituents including faculty, administration, and the Board of Trustees."
During the fall semester, the university will come together as a community to dialogue about IMPACT 2030, a vehicle that will continue ORU's history-making growth with significant global impact.
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