Oral Roberts U Elects New President

By Eric Young, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 29, 2009

Oral Roberts University has elected its next president, ending a 14-month search that began after the resignation of former president Richard Roberts amid allegations of misspending.

On Wednesday, the ORU Board of Trustees and Board Chair Mart Green announced the election of Dr. Mark Rutland as the school's next president following a board meeting that day on the school's campus in Tulsa, Okla.

"We are excited about the future under the leadership of Dr. Rutland," stated Green. "He has been selected as the result of a careful process and we are confident that he will take the university to new heights while continuing to uphold the mission and vision of Oral Roberts University."

It's been over a year since Richard Roberts, ORU's last president and the son of ORU founder Oral Roberts, resigned after he and his wife were accused of using university money for shopping sprees, home improvements and a stable of horses for their daughters at a time when ORU was more than $50 million in debt.

Three former ORU professors had filed suit early October 2007, claiming that they were forced out after uncovering financial and ethical wrongdoing by the school's former president and family. The suit was finally settled late October 2008 after a court-ordered mediation session, bringing to a close the scandal that engulfed the charismatic school.

Two months later, the committee behind ORU's search for a new president selected Rutland as a candidate to recommend to the school's Board of Trustees. Rutland, who is serving as the president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., was among the more than 130 presidential prospects submitted for consideration by Bruce Dingman of Dingman Company, Inc., the executive search and selection firm that helped with the search process.

According to Southeastern, Rutland will remain Southeastern's president until spring commencement on May 2 while Southeastern's Board of Regents will appoint a search committee to begin identifying presidential candidates. Rutland will assume the presidency at ORU in July 2009.