ALUMNI AWARDS
Nominations for each year's awards must be submitted by March 1 for consideration; those received after March 1 will be considered for the following year. Scroll down to read more about the program.
The Alumni Association will present the 2023 Alumni Awards to these alumni at the November 11 Homecoming Banquet:
- John (92) and Sarah (Roehl-90) Bolin, Distinguished Service to God
- Dr. Daniel Amen (82-M.D.), Distinguished Service to the Community
- Johnie Hampton (91), Distinguished Service to the Alma Mater
- Dr. Nicholas Makrides (82, 86-D.M.D.), Distinguished Service “In Every Person's World”
- Bobby Baehr (13), Rising Servant Leader
John (92) and Sarah (Roehl-90) Bolin, Distinguished Service to God
While serving as youth pastors at a Colorado church, John and Sarah Bolin created “The Thorn,” a play for young people that illustrated how much God valued them and how much their choices mattered. Over the past 26 years, “The Thorn” has gone from that single-church production to a Cirque du Soleil-style Passion play that tells the Bible’s story—from Creation to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Professional dancers, actors, martial artists, and aerialists from around the world present the play in megachurches and performance halls across the country. About 1.5 million people have seen the live show. The gospel message comes through loud and clear, and in a way that ultimately draws in audience members of all ages. When the pandemic made it impossible to go on tour, John and Sarah decided to put “The Thorn” on the big screen. The film version was in theaters beginning in March of 2023. The Bolins and their production company also partner with organizations like Compassion International. That partnership has resulted in about 15,000 children worldwide being sponsored. John has authored several books—fiction and nonfiction—including a “Thorn” devotional. In addition to serving as executive producer of "The Thorn," Sarah is a certified Momentum Coach, through Bridgehouse Coaching.
Dr. Daniel Amen (82-M.D.), Distinguished Service to the Community
Dr. Daniel Amen is a physician, adult and child psychiatrist, and founder of Amen Clinics, with 11 locations across the U.S. He is the founder of BrainMD, a fast-growing, science-based nutraceutical company, and Amen University, which has trained thousands of medical and mental health professionals on the methods he has developed. Dr. Amen is one of the most visible and influential experts on brain health and mental health, with millions of followers on social media. In 2020, Dr. Amen launched his digital series, Scan My Brain, featuring high-profile actors, musical artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and influencers; it airs on YouTube and Instagram. He has also produced 17 national public television shows about the brain and his online videos on brain and mental health have been viewed over 300 million times. Dr. Amen is a 12-time New York Times bestselling author whose books include Change Your Brain, Change Your Life; The End of Mental Illness; Healing ADD; and Change Your Brain Every Day.
Johnie Hampton (91), Distinguished Service to the Alma Mater
Johnie Hampton has been in the creative industry for 22 years, focusing primarily on development and fundraising design. His resume includes stints at Impact Productions (Creative Director and Tour Director for Toymaker’s Dream) and at Church on the Move (National Affiliate director for the Oneighty Youth Program). He founded Hampton Creative in 2002. Since then, the agency’s work has helped raise millions of dollars for national and international organizations. This alumnus has also made his mark at his alma mater: guest lecturing in classes; serving on the College of Business Advisory Board; creating a new logo and branding for ORU Athletics; producing fundraising materials for the ORU Sports Park, scholarships, the Annual Fund, and other projects; transforming the annual Homecoming Banquet with an entirely new design aesthetic; and serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors—including the top job of Board Chair.
Dr. Nicholas Makrides (82, 86-D.M.D.), Distinguished Service "In Every Person's World"
After graduating from ORU’s dental school, Dr. Nicholas Makrides was commissioned in the Public Health Service and accepted a job in a federal prison in El Paso, Texas. During his time there, he decided to make dental public health a career. He earned two master’s degrees (Health Care Management and Public Health [Community Health]) and completed a residency with a specialty certificate in Dental Public Health. In all, he spent more than 31 years in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service: 16 years of clinical practice, Chief Dental Officer at three prison facilities, and Regional Dentist for the South Central Region of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). In 2001, he was selected as the Chief Dentist of the BOP, headquartered in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the management of the BOP’s 119 prisons. During his time in Washington (2001-2018), Dr. Makrides engaged in public health initiatives at a Federal level. He served and chaired numerous committees for both the BOP and USPHS. In 2014, the Surgeon General selected Dr. Makrides as the Public Health Service’s 19th Chief Dental Officer, and the Secretary of Health confirmed his nomination in September 2014. Dr. Makrides was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General. As Chief Dental Officer of the USPSH, he was responsible for providing leadership and coordination of dental professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and the Assistant Secretary of Health. He was the lead dentist of the USPHS and had oversight over USPHS Commissioned Corps assets (Dental) in the United States Coast Guard, Indian Health Service, Immigration, National Institutes of Dental Craniofacial Research, Centers for Disease Control, and Health Resources & Services Administration. He has received numerous awards and authored publications that address institutional dentistry. At the time of his retirement from the USPHS, in 2018, he held the rank of Rear Admiral (Upper Half).
Bobby Baehr (13), Rising Servant Leader
As a student at ORU, Bobby Baehr promoted student attendance at basketball games, primarily through the “O Zone.” He was also on missions teams to Ghana, Brazil, and Puerto Rico, and took part in community outreach to the Dream Center. During his senior year, he worked in Athletics, where he was in charge of the department’s communication with the student body and assisted with ticket sales. Later, he was an account executive for Athletics and helped drive up sales of baseball and basketball season tickets. While working on his master’s degree at Northwestern University, Bobby was once again working in Athletics ticket sales, and managed over 800 supporters of the sports teams. Returning to ORU in 2017, he served as executive director of the Golden Eagle Club for four years. He helped raise significant support for the annual fund, which provides scholarships for student-athletes. He also headed up the Varsity Club, reengaged members of the 1978 College World Series team and the 1974 Elite 8 basketball team, and increased interest in Hall of Fame Night. Most recently, he has led the sales team at an insurance agency and is now an account executive at Nomi Health.
THE ALUMNI AWARDS PROGRAM
In 1998, the Alumni Association Board of Directors established an Alumni Awards program. The first awards were handed out in 1999. In 2014, a new award was introduced for Distinguished Service "In Every Person's World." (Note: In 2015, as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, ORU presented 50 Lifetime Global Achievement Awards to alumni, friends, and other notable individuals. Alumni Awards were not presented in 2015.)
In 2020, another new award -- the Rising Servant Leader -- was presented for the first time.
The categories and criteria for the Alumni Award nominations are as follows:
Distinguished Service to God
Excellence in fulfillment of Oral Roberts' vision for students to go into "every person's world" through full- or part-time ministry in a church, missions organization, or other ministry.
Distinguished Service to the Community
Excellence in serving the community and society, including those outside the Kingdom of God, by bringing God's voice, light, and power into their world; and excellence in meeting unique challenges presented by their environment.
Distinguished Service to the Alma Mater
Excellence in their field of service, contributions to the total life of the university, and spiritual impact on students, the ORU community, and fellow alumni. Nominations based in part on outstanding or faithful financial support of ORU are welcomed, but this is not a prerequisite for the award.
Distinguished Service “In Every Person’s World”
Excellence in carrying out ORU's founding vision through service and achievements in non-ministry/non-missions fields, and by representing Christ in their particular corner of "every person's world."
In these four categories, quality and longevity of service and ministry will be considered. Those who have served "quietly and faithfully" will be on equal footing with those who are widely recognized for their work. Each nominee's life and conduct should reflect Christ's character as revealed in scripture.
The Rising Servant Leader Award
At their November 2019 meeting, the Alumni Association Board of Directors voted to create a new award: The Rising Servant Leader Award. This annual award will be granted to a young alumnus or alumna who has received an undergraduate degree from ORU within the last ten years, and who has shown exceedingly outstanding, Christ-like character.
As with the annual Alumni Awards, nominees for this award will be evaluated based on the information submitted by their nominators, and through the references that must come from a mentor, a pastor, and a peer. The nominator’s information on the nominee, and positive impressions from the references, must provide verifiable evidence of the nominee’s Christ-like conduct, and the fruit of his or her outstanding character.
This award is intended to empower and acknowledge younger alumni within their first decade out of school—to honor them for being of unimpeachable character in representing ORU. Board members want this award to be reminiscent of how Paul empowered Timothy “to lead and continue to press on in the good fight.” The board wants to acknowledge young alumni and their accomplishments while commissioning them to fight the good fight of faith by representing ORU through their service to God, service to the community, service to their alma mater, and service in every person's world.
For more information on these awards, contact your board representative or the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@oru.edu or 918.495.6610.