ORU’s Historic Campus Expansion Continues: Grand Opening of the Mike Carter Athletic Center
Pictured front row (left to right): ORU Spirit team member, Mr. Ray Tulius, Mrs. Pat Case, Mr. Mike Case, ORU Men's Basketball Head Coach Mr. Russell Springmann, ORU Women's Basketball Head Coach Mrs. Kelsi Musick, Mayor G.T. Bynum, ORU First Lady Mrs. Lisa Wilson, ORU President Dr. William M. Wilson, ORU Athletic Director Emeritus Mr. Mike Carter, Mrs. Paula Carter, ORU Athletic Director Mr. Tim Johnson, ORU Board of Trustees Chair Ms. Holly Moore, Lead Donor Mr. Donne Pitman, ORU Spirit team members.
Tulsa, OK. — Oral Roberts University (ORU) opened the new Mike Carter Athletic Center (MCAC), a 45,000-square-foot facility that houses basketball practice courts, administrative and coaches offices, and a 10,000-square-foot indoor sports performance area. Located southeast of the Mabee Center, the new athletic center is also home to the ELI (Education, Learning, Integrity) Academic Center, which includes individual and group study areas and dedicated team rooms.
ORU President, Dr. William M. Wilson
“The Mike Carter Athletic Center is part of ORU’s ongoing commitment to excellence in academics and athletics,” said ORU President Dr. William M. Wilson. “This state-of-the-art facility is an inclusive opportunity for our student-athletes to elevate their achievements on the court, in the classroom, and in the arena of life. This new building comes at a historic time for ORU Athletics; men’s basketball has seen continued success in the NCAA Tournament, and ORU Baseball is one of the premier college programs in America. As one of the four new buildings in this phase of expansion, the MCAC will elevate ORU in all sports and prepare our student-athletes to thrive at both the collegiate and professional levels.”
The new three-story athletic center features two NCAA regulation courts for men’s and women’s basketball, an expansive strength and conditioning space, a stadium-style meeting room, 30 staff offices, and an ORU Hall of Fame presentation. This $15 million center is named in honor of ORU Athletic Director Emeritus Mike Carter, who now serves as Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations.
“I am humbled and honored that Dr. Wilson and the Board of Trustees would name the new athletic center after me,” said Carter, “But, the credit for this wonderful facility goes to the student-athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators who have served this University so well. The new athletic center will help our athletic programs grow, and I look forward to watching our athletes compete at a higher level.”
ORU Athletic Director Emeritus, Mr. Mike Carter
The ELI Academic Center, located in the MCAC, is the hub of academic services for all student-athletes at ORU. The center provides academic support and career advice and tracks student-athletes progress toward earning a degree and maintaining athletic eligibility. The ELI Center also features study and research aides to assist student-athletes with their academic progress.
Mike Carter Athletic Center weight room
“At ORU, we are committed to achieving excellence at the highest levels, both on the fields/courts of play and off,” said Tim Johnson, ORU’s Athletic Director. “This building will be nothing short of a quantum leap for ORU’s coaches and student-athletes! The past few years have seen Sweet 16’s, multiple championships, national rankings, record GPAs, conference/national awards, and NCAA Tournament success across all sports, but the MCAC will guarantee ORU’s best days are before it! We cannot thank our donors, staff, coaches, student-athletes, and President Wilson enough for their commitment and partnership in this endeavor to continue to ensure ORU Athletics not only keeps its current momentum but exceeds it.”
The MCAC is an expansion to ORU Athletics and an addition to other developments taking place at ORU through its Whole Leaders for the Whole World (WLWW) campaign. The campaign is part of ORU’s accelerated growth as a leadership university in the 21st century. It includes two phases, with Phase I completing its first building, the Welcome Center, and two more new buildings under construction: a Media Arts Center and the J.D. McKean library that houses the Center for Spirit-Empowered Research.
The MCAC’s opening comes at a time when ORU is experiencing historic growth. For 14 consecutive years, ORU’s enrollment has increased, and in the fall of 2022, ORU surpassed 5,000 students for the first time in history. The University’s innovative technologies, residential and online academic programs, and faculty resources continue to develop Spirit-empowered leaders for global engagement.
Mike Carter Athletic Center
ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with over a decade of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 145 nations (from 2019 to 2023) to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #4 university in the nation for student engagement. This ranking is based upon faculty interactions, collaborative learning, critical thinking, real-world applications of student learning, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether students would recommend a university to others. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the most diverse colleges in America.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.