ORU's Digital Showcase Celebrates 7th Anniversary of Global Scholarship

 

Approaching 1 Million Downloads, ORU’s Research Repository Showcases the Intellectual-Spiritual Activity of ORU

Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 10, 2024—Totaling over 7,000 papers, Oral Roberts University’s (ORU) Digital Showcase page combines ORU faculty and student research and writing, plus historical archival, and creative works on the Spirit-empowered movement. This initiative, aimed at preserving and providing global access to ORU’s academic publications, was established in 2017 by Dr. Mark Roberts, Senior Professor of Bible and Culture. Since its inception, the Digital Showcase has been an academic resource for scholars and researchers around the world.

Accessible from ORU's J.D. McKean Library, the Digital Showcase offers a diverse collection of scholarly, creative, and historical works. It serves as a platform for working papers, published articles, conference papers, presentations, senior theses, and a variety of other works. Dr. Roberts highlighted the significance of this endeavor, stating, "Through this world-facing platform, we are showcasing the intellectual-spiritual activity of ORU to the global audience.” 

The Digital Showcase readership map

With the milestones achieved over the past seven years, the Digital Showcase has disseminated downloads that showcase student research and supported scholarly consultations, such as Empowered21 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The expansive reach of the Digital Showcase has added to ORU’s growing reputation for global engagement, international enrollment, and borderless education.

"At the time of its inception, I was the Director of ORU’s Holy Spirit Research Center, and we wanted to make our items more accessible," Dr. Roberts said. “The Holy Spirit Research Center, founded in 1962 by ORU's founder, Oral Roberts, aimed to archive materials related to Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. With a mandate from the Board of Regents to extend access globally, our team embarked on a journey to realize this vision.”

Dr. Angela Sample, Associate Dean of the J.D. McKean Library and former Director of the Digital Showcase, shared, “As director, it was an honor to help showcase globally the scholarship of ORU’s faculty and students. I was especially thrilled to see the first nursing papers downloaded around the world. In our Nursing Undergraduate Work collection, there have been over 31,000 downloads.”

Acknowledging the collaboration behind the Digital Showcase's success, Dr. Roberts extended his gratitude to ORU Provost Dr. Kathaleen Reid-Martinez and Michael Mathews, ORU’s Vice President of Global Learning and Innovation. 

Mathews, who contracted with bepress.com to build the Digital Showcase, shared, “The Digital Showcase laid the groundwork for a big goal which was to fill the Earth with knowledge of the glory of God. The Digital Showcase is spreading God's Word and is living proof that we are fulfilling this goal.”

For more information, please visit the Digital Showcase at digitalshowcase.oru.edu.

UNIVERSITY BRIEF

ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 15 years 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 158 nations from 2019 to 2024 to be whole leaders for the whole world.

The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #8 university in the nation for student experience and one of America's Best Colleges (2024). This new category rates the best colleges in the U.S. to have a great experience while attending. This ranking is powered by one of the largest ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the United States. Niche recognizes ORU as one of the top 25 most diverse colleges in America, # 1 best Christian college in Oklahoma, and # 1 in Oklahoma for diversity. Princeton Review ranked ORU as the best regional college, and College Raptor ranked ORU as a Hidden Gem in the Southwest.

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.