OVERVIEW
The person God has for this significant opportunity of service must have the right combination of organizational leadership, Christian faith, academic administrative experience, education, fund raising skills and vision casting.
Anyone feeling the Lord has prepared him or her in talent, experience and vision for such an opportunity is invited to contact Bruce Dingman (Bruce@dingman.com), who is assisting the ORU Presidential Search Committee.
THE OPPORTUNITY
As the only interdenominational charismatic university, Oral Roberts University (ORU) has a unique position and legacy. There is an incredible opportunity to give leadership to ORU, improve and increase its effectiveness, enlarge its scope of education of the whole person and to raise the bar of excellence to even greater heights.
Now is a “new day” and the continuing of the original vision at ORU. The opportunity is one where a style of servant leadership (humility, authenticity, and accountability), “shared governance” (a participative, inclusive management style) and a new board, will build a spirit of trust, mutual respect and community among the board, administration, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and supporters. This is a time for healing, rebuilding, re-energizing, and recasting of the vision with all the constituencies.
Simultaneously, it’s a time for a renewed vision for growth, expanded and enhanced effectiveness and a time to resolve problems. Tasks will include reestablishment of trust, development of a sustainable financial model, reduction of debt, elimination of the deferred facilities maintenance and the creation of a new ten year plan. The long term plan should include but not be limited to how the campus and programs will best serve future generations both in Tulsa and beyond.
Now is the time for the new leader to embrace the vision God originally gave Oral Roberts, build on his legacy and now hear the voice of God as he leads ORU into raising up students to hear God’s voice and going into every person’s world. See links toward the end of this document that give greater detail of how wonderfully large is the opportunity in front of ORU.
THE POSITION
The President is the chief executive officer of the University and reports to the Board of Trustees. The President will be responsible for guiding the direction of the University as it continues in its commitment to a quality Christian education of the whole person.
The anticipated President's cabinet is: Executive Vice President - Academic Affairs/Provost, Executive Vice President - Finance and Operations/CFO, Vice President - Enrollment Management, Vice President - University Relations and Development, Director of Athletics, and Vice President - Auxiliary and Contract Services.
FOUNDING VISION
Oral Roberts University is a charismatic university, founded in the fires of evangelism and upon the unchanging precepts of the Bible. The University was founded as a result of the evangelist Oral Roberts' obeying God's mandate to build a university on God's authority and the Holy Spirit. God's commission to Oral Roberts was to "Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is seen dim, My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased."
MISSION
The mission of Oral Roberts University-in its commitment to the Christian faith-is to educate the whole person in spirit, mind, and body, thereby preparing its graduates to be professionally competent servant-leaders who are spiritually alive, intellectually alert, physically disciplined, and socially adept. The university seeks to synthesize the best practices of liberal arts, professional, and graduate education with a charismatic emphasis to enable students to go into every person's world with God's message of salvation and healing for the totality of human need.
CORE VALUES
Christian Distinctiveness
We are a God-centered university that upholds a Christian worldview with a charismatic emphasis. We endeavor to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to become service-oriented leaders who go into every person's world with healing for the totality of human need.
Whole-Person Education
We seek to develop the whole person in spirit, mind, and body, thereby preparing ourselves and our students to be professionally competent leaders who are spiritually alive, intellectually alert, physically disciplined, and socially adept.
Excellence with Integrity
We strive to operate with, and instill in our students, excellence with integrity in all personal, academic, professional, and corporate endeavors.
Caring Community
We are dedicated to providing a safe, caring, and godly environment which encourages unity in diversity. We believe that all people have been created in the image of God and deserve to be respected.
PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS
The needed qualifications are many and no one will have them all.
Requirements
- Earned doctorate is preferred.
- The president must have experience from a significant leadership position in a fairly large, complex organization.
- The president must be a highly effective communicator, being able to reach multiple types of audiences through various media with an emphasis on oral communication. As the academic leader, the president should have earned or must be able to earn respect among the faculty for his or her valuing of education and research.
- The president must have already shown the ability to effectively cast a vision that enables the organization to excel through the unification and focus of energy and resources, which includes using an effective, inclusive strategic planning process.
- The president must be effective in developing strong relationships with major donors and will ensure that the University’s fund raising methods are effective.
- As the “face of the University,” the president must have shown effectiveness in public relations, for he or she will need to do so in Tulsa, the United States, the world and the Christian church.
- The president of the University should meet the qualifications of a deacon or elder as defined in scripture, setting an example of faith, honesty and integrity without compromise.
- The president must be a student of scripture and one who practices the basic disciplines of prayer, Bible study, giving and good works.
- The president must be a capable advocate of the gospel with the skills of an engaging speaker.
- The president must be a devoted Christian tuned to God through the inner working of the Holy Spirit, well-equipped to serve as the spiritual leader of the ORU community. The president is expected to be an individual who practices the prayer language.
- There should be sufficient evidence that the president is an effective team builder; teambuilding with members of the alumni community, students, faculty, staff and the administrative leadership team will be a focus of the president.
- The president must have shown a leadership style that values input from various constituencies, which helps to shape his or her decisions.
- The president must have at least five years to give to the role, and hopefully 10 years or more.
Desired:
- The president has served in a higher education leadership role.
- The president is active, having significant energy; the job is too large for a leisurely approach to the task.
- This leader should be inclusive (collaborative) as well as courageous (willing to make tough decisions) and decisive.
- The president should be effective at building alliances, to include continuing and strengthening ORU’s relationships with the many organizations such as the professionals represented by member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
- The president must be willing to travel to build relations that are as global as the university’s mission. Having cross-cultural experience and an accurate understanding of faith, politics and cultures around the world is needed.
- The president must be committed to academic excellence, demonstrating scholarly awareness of and past participation in academic and/or research activities.
- The president must be committed to fostering an environment that integrates faith and learning, thereby promoting academics and facilitating scholarship and research for faculty, staff and students.
- The president must meet the basic spiritual qualities for leadership (see 1Timothy 3 and Titus 1). He or she must be a person of wholeness and integrity, i.e., one whose thoughts, speech, actions, dreams and visions are consistent with the Word of God. He or she must be a good manager of family life and personal finances; possess a good reputation worthy of respect; and be faithful to the Lord and the Word.
- The president must be able to work with and lead faculty and should have experience in teaching and faculty governance. As leader of the faculty, the president is encouraged to teach (or co-teach) a minimum of one class per year, thereby enabling close contact with students and a realistic assessment of the challenges and opportunities faced by faculty.
- The president should be a person who will foster an environment of open communication and academic freedom, and dispel the climate of fear that has developed among the faculty and staff. He or she will need to associate with and relate to the students and faculty and win their hearts and trust in a Christ-like manner.
- The president should have wisdom, integrity and humility, and one who glories "only in that they know the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
- The president should embrace physical fitness and value a healthy lifestyle.
- The president should be a lifelong learner and value continuous improvement.
- The president should be able to show a contagious enthusiasm that comes from the heart.
- The president should know scripture well, “correctly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
- The president should readily confront problems yet do so with sensitivity.
- The president should have a special love and concern for students, ORU employees and stakeholders; showing care and genuineness.
- The president should pay attention to things like: faculty/staff/student morale, discipline, leadership training, commitment to vision and mission, and resources.
- The president should be committed to identifying and serving the “underserved,” such as graduate and commuter students, minority students, international students, student leaders and students with disabilities.
- The president should have a true passion for ORU’s founding vision and mission and be passionate about building a strong university.
- The president should not be denominationally focused, but rather inclusive.
- The president should feel called of God and anointed by the Holy Spirit for this role.
ORU DISTINCTIVES
There are four essentials to understanding life at Oral Roberts University.
SEED-FAITH is synonymous with Oral Roberts. The three cardinal points are based on Philippians 4:19, Luke 6:38; and Mark 11:24. The biblical pattern of sowing and reaping applies in all areas of life (e.g., time, friendships, relationships and finances). It is a fundamental tenet of the way life is lived in the ORU community.
HONOR CODE LIVING represents the commitments exchanged by ORU community members with one another to live lives “worthy of the calling.” The Honor Code is the central criterion of conduct for all who are a part of the ORU community. Foundational to Honor Code Living is a Christian worldview that instills an integrity of openness to God’s claim on one’s life along with a commitment to do one’s utmost to know and follow His will for one’s life.
PRAYER is an essential component of life at ORU. The Prayer Tower stands at the center of the campus and serves as a constant reminder of the value and need of prayer. The eternal flame atop the Prayer Tower brings to mind the Holy Spirit, who enables a believer to pray “in the Spirit”—with the “prayer language,” or in tongues—and then to interpret back for God’s response to his or her prayer.
EVANGELISM is an enduring part of the ORU experience. Many students, faculty and staff have participated in outreaches during the school year, on fall and spring breaks and in the summer. Teams have served and spread the gospel in the Tulsa community, the state of Oklahoma, the United States and around the world.
THE SEARCH AND SELECTION PROCESS
The Search Committee, made up of representatives from the Board of Trustees, faculty, students, alumni and staff, will select the person who will be recommended to the Board of Trustees for selection. The committee is assisted by Bruce Dingman, President of The Dingman Company, Inc. (www.dingman.com), an executive search firm which has a successful track record of numerous similar searches.
Mr. Dingman spent two days on campus meeting with many members of the administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni who wished to give insight regarding what they wanted him to know about Oral Roberts University, what they wanted to see in the next President, what they wanted to know about the search/selection process, or to suggest a name for the position.
With a collaborative document created by faculty and trustees, input from the Search Committee and information from the on-campus meetings, this document was created, edited by the committee and sent out to many people who might either be potential candidates or who might suggest potential candidates. Since hundreds of people are being contacted using this opportunity profile through advertisements in selected periodicals and suggestions by individuals, many people will be considered. The search firm will establish whether the person has an interest in the position and then conduct telephone interviews.
The anticipated search process for those holding strong promise for candidacy will include the recruiter conducting personal interviews and then thoroughly checking their references. In collaboration with the search committee, the list of candidates will be reduced to probably four people who will then be interviewed comprehensively by the search committee. Maintaining confidentiality will be an important part of the process.
Next, the preferred candidate and spouse will be interviewed by the Board of Trustees. If that meeting goes well, the candidate and spouse will be invited to the ORU campus to get acquainted with all campus constituencies, with the message from the Board of Trustees being, “This is who we are thinking of hiring; please get acquainted.” Assuming everything has gone well, the Chairman of the Board will extend an offer to the candidate.
If everything goes as planned the new President will likely assume the position around July 1st, 2009 and the official inauguration will occur in the fall of 2009.
Please refer to the following links for additional information relevant to understanding Oral Roberts University:
History of Oral Roberts University
President’s Position Description
Faculty, Staff and Alumni
Mission, Basis of Faith and Core Values
Challenges and Opportunities
A Changing External Environment and Emerging Future Trends
Goals and Aspirations for the Coming Decade
Facts About ORU
Financial and Organizational Status
Honor Code |
