Posted on 11/24/2007 6:42:14 AM PST by Zakeet
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — For many, the resignation of Oral Roberts University's embattled president, Richard Roberts, seemed to be a question of when, not if, amid the financial scandal that hit the school nearly two months ago.
Roberts, facing accusations in the lawsuit that he misspent school funds to support a lavish lifestyle, resigned Friday.
"Those who have seen what we have seen won't have any surprise about the fact that Richard has stepped down," said attorney Gary Richardson, who brought a wrongful termination lawsuit against Roberts last month on behalf of three of the university's professors. "There was no option, period."
His resignation is effective immediately, according to a statement e-mailed from George Pearsons, chairman of the school's Board of Regents.
Roberts said in a statement that he loved the university. "I love the students, faculty, staff and administration and I want to see God's best for all of them."
The school's regents planned to meet Monday and Tuesday to determine action in the search process for a new president, Pearsons said in the statement.
Executive Regent Billy Joe Daugherty will assume the president's administrative responsibilities, working with Oral Roberts until the regents' meeting, the statement said.
"This was an inevitable step that had to happen because of their arrogance," said former regent Harry McNevin, who quit the board in 1987 because of misspending he said he witnessed. "It's been 20 years that they've been doing the same things that I became aware of."
The recent lawsuit, filed Oct. 2, includes allegations of a $39,000 shopping tab at one store for Richard Roberts' wife, Lindsay, a $29,411 Bahamas senior trip on the university jet for one of Roberts' daughters, and a stable of horses for the Roberts children.
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.google.com ...
The large praying hands at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., are pictured Friday, Oct. 5, 2007.
The president of Oral Roberts University, Richard Roberts facing accusations he misspent school funds
to support a lavish lifestyle, resigned on Friday Nov. 23, 2007, officials said.
Do I remember correctly—isn’t this Oral’s son?
Also looked like he is raising over-indulged little offspring in the same way he apparently was raised by his parents.
The sculpture of the praying hands on the campus should be replaced by a tall needle with eye.
Leni
Yes it is. I have a couple of good friends that graduated there.
This could turn out to be the best thing that’s happened to the school in years.
Pseudominister’s!!
In the early days of ORU, they were criticized for spending so much on that praying hands statue, money that could have gone to help students pay tuition, etc.
IIRC, that praying hands statue cost some $84,000 — which was quite a sum half-a century ago when ORU was founded and that statue was purchased.
Everyone in Tulsa, (at least everyone who's paying attention), has known what's been going on all along.
One could say Richard Roberts saw the handwriting on the wall and decided to take his lumps like a man... OTOH, one might say that he saw the handwriting on the wall and opted to get out while the getting is good. If you live around Tulsa you know what I'm talking about.
It will be interesting to see what happens at ORU once it is run by hopefully competent people.
There's cause for optimism in the fact that this started as a faculty revolt and it was really pretty much all over once they got up the courage to take it to court.
What I'd say in defense of Richard Roberts is that he's a product of his upbringing: The son of Oral Roberts, who "hated poverty as much as he hated sin and the devil." He just grew up that way.
Some of the stuff that was ALLEGED to be going on that he wasn't necessarily involved with... that's what took him out.
Could be. My friends that graduated there are married and he’s a cancer surgeon. They’ve been following it closely and figuring out exactly what part the “donating alumni” are going to play in the future.
My family, my friends, and I will all be lumped in with this greedy man in the eyes of the left... even the *ahem* religious left. Yes, I have Christian-socialist friends who have said things like “How can you be a conservative when YOUR leaders, like Jerry Falwell, say blah-blah-blah.”
It will be interesting. How much you want to bet that this will be mentioned in the Dem debates.
Q: “Recently the president of Oral Roberts University did.... Sen. Clinton, what would you do to curb this type of activity?”
A: “Well, YouTube nation, these religious right universities are on a downward spiral. The federal government needs to step in to ensure that this type of impropriety and hate mongering that is taught by example at these ‘schools’ ends now. Blah, blah, blah.”
If ORU survives as a school it will succeed because it has built institutional structures which transcend personalities.
It's a dangerous time in any business when the founder, or his hand-picked successor, departs.
This could be a healthy "gut-check" for folks who are invested in the school.
I worked with a woman who used to be a high level staffer for Oral Roberts Ministries. She told me she was on the inside, and had been to his house many times. She said if people knew what really went on at the ministry and in their private lives, they’d stop supporting the ministry.
She would never go into details, however.
ORU TRUSTEES MEETING
June 1, 2008
AGENDA
1. Welcome new president
2. Change name of University
3. Strike the name “Roberts” from all plaques and inscriptions.
4. Remove photos of founder.
and now . . . PLEASE change the name of the school! How could a true man of God name a school after himself?? Maybe after a great saint who has past this life.
It is like my momma said. One generation makes the money, the second generation spends the money and the third loses the money. The idea works even for the money making preachers. The love of money is the root of all evil. Many fall for this love. I think the large mega-churches are going to hurt Christianity in the long run. Oh well only God knows. I perfer a small congregation of about 100. No get rich preachers would touch the ministry.
Do you have a picture of that tower that Oral climbed up and refused to come down until he raised a million dollars?
Here it is. It is beautiful, as is the rest of the campus. They spared no expense in building the entire school.
For what it is worth, I think Oral remained in the tower until he raised something like $14 million.
Does white smoke emit from the top of the tower when they elect a new President?
I was reading some blogs that Lindsey, Richard’s wife is also accused of spending a lot of time with a young student. Cell phone bills=*800 dollars a month, homes and clothes all billed to the college.
Richard was married previously and has two daughters that never get mentioned. In the late ‘80s I read an autobiography entitled Ashes to Gold by his first wife. She attested to the lavish and extravagant, spiritually devoid existence of living with the Roberts’ family. Also Oral moved to CA. to golf with potential wealthy donors, bought a big fancy house paid for by the University, but it was kept secret. Great TAx shelters available if one’s in the ministry.
Another guy said, it was really a family empire, and show biz....the Holy Spirit just isn’t exciting enough for these folks.
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