Contact: Carissa Bratschun, Oral Roberts University, 918-495-7337
TULSA, Okla., June 14, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- 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; and Dr. William M. Wilson, ORU president.
About Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University is a world-renowned Christian university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, ORU serves students from 48 states and over 60 countries, representing over 40 denominations. ORU offers more than 60 undergraduate majors, 14 master's programs and two doctoral degrees, plus NCAA Division I athletics. ORU recently elected their fourth president, Dr. William M. Wilson. For more information on Dr. Billy Wilson, visit www.oru.edu/drbillywilson.
