Presidential Task Force on the Globalization of ORU Created

During his first days on campus, Oral Roberts University President Dr. William M. Wilson announced the formation of a Presidential Task Force on the globalization of ORU. The task force will seek ways to fulfill the global mandate of ORU by expanding access to a whole person education to students worldwide.

“Oral Roberts University is a globally recognized brand. Since 1965, Students from over 115 countries have sacrificed greatly to travel to Tulsa to earn an ORU education,” said Wilson. “The vision for the next era of this institution is to take that same excellent, spirit-empowered education to the doorstep of every inhabited continent. With the seismic technological and socio-economic shift throughout the world, ORU is poised to become a world leader in Christian higher education.”

The global need for education continues to grow. According to the U.S. Department of State, there were over 4.1 million international students worldwide in 2010, a 10.8 percent increase over the previous year. Total international student enrollment in the U.S. increased 6 percent in 2011/12 to a record high of 764,495 international students. The government agency also reported new international student enrollment increased 6.5 percent to 228,467 students.

There are a number of concepts that are key to the globalization of ORU. Partnerships with major ministries and churches around the world will be critical to the success of this initiative. In the next 10 years, ORU has a goal to increase the university’s presence to include every inhabited continent. Online learning will be a crucial piece of this new effort. There will also be a greater focus on recruiting students from outside of the United States to get their degree in Tulsa.

Task force members include:

Kim Boyd
Dean, College of Education

Nancy Brainard
Vice President of Enrollment Management

Neal Bratschun
ORU Board of Reference and former program manager of the Afghanistan Information Management Services under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Program

Chris Busch
ORU Alumni Board Association vice chair and founder and CEO of LightQuest Media, Inc.

Chad Causey
Vice President of Global Ministries at OneHope

Edward Decker
Professor of Christian Counseling in the ORU Graduate School of Theology and Ministry and president of ORU’s Faculty Senate

Tessie DeVore
ORU trustee and executive vice president of Charisma House Books at Charisma Media

Steve Greene
Dean, College of Business

Mark Hall
Dean, College of Arts and Cultural Studies

Kay Hiramine
ORU trustee and catalyst for the Humanitarian International Services Group (HISG)

Rob Hoskins
ORU Board of Trustees vice chair and president of OneHope

Feb Idahosa
President of Benson Idahosa University

Kenda Jezek
Dean, College of Nursing

Lori Kanitz
Assistant professor, College of Arts and Cultural Studies

Sophie Liu
Professor of Engineering

Thomson Mathew
Dean, College of Theology and Ministry

Ossie Mills
Executive Vice President of University Advancement

Chadwick Mohan
Senior pastor and founder of New Life Assemblies of God Church in Tamil Nadu, India

Debbie Sowell
Vice President of Academic Affairs

Eric Watt
CEO at mPOWR

Ken Weed
Dean, College of Science and Engineering

Mark Weimer
CEO at New Life America

Dr. William M. Wilson
ORU President