Yesterday I had the chance to back and visit my alma mater, Oral Roberts University for the first time since graduating in May of 2004. A lot has changed in the last couple years with the resignation or Richard Roberts as president and the generous donations made by Mart Green, the owner of Hobby Lobby, and countless others. In what can only be described as a miracle, the school has been turned around and is expected to be in the black financially next year.
Chris and I took advantage of the beautiful day to walk around campus and photograph some of the updates that have been made. These photos may not mean much to anyone who has not visited ORU, but trust me, the renovations that have taken place are making an enormous difference. Everything was falling apart when I graduated in 2004 and it was devastating to student morale. We were paying $20,000+ per year, but conditions kept getting worse. It was encouraging to see updates being made to the more dilapidated portions of the University. Remodeling work will continue and I hope this continues to create optimism for the future. As anyone who has attended ORU can tell you, what’s happened at the school goes far beyond dollars and cents. The renovations represent a reversal of the mismanagement of the school that left us confused, frustrated, and cynical.
In some of these photos, nothing has changed and they’re merely for my own memory’s sake. But many of them show updates to the campus and the encouraging progress that is taking place. Hopefully many ORU alumni will have the chance to see these.
The Graduate Center
The unique architecture of the Graduate Center
New welcome desk area in the GC
New chairs and artwork in the halls. There's also an updated color scheme throughout the building.
New carpet as seen in the famous Hall of Mirrors
An updated bookstore
A beautiful student admissions welcoming area. Very modern and great for prospective students.
Admissions viewing area for prospective students
Lettering above admissions welcome desk
Downstairs of the GC. Still not pretty, but much better due to new carpet & doors. Large lecture hall has also been remodeled.
The Prayer Tower & Gardens
An ORU and Tulsa icon, the Prayer Tower was constructed in 1967 and stands tall in the middle of campus. Admittedly, the only other time I had visited the building was during my college weekend visit prior to attending the school. However, today it was really nice to see the newly renovated Prayer Room and the tranquil environment it fostered. It would have been nice to have had such an area when I was living in the noisy dorms. Outside the Tower are two large garden areas that have also been updated.
No matter what updates are done, it will always look like a space ship
Looking up from underneath the Prayer Tower
The underside of the observation deck
Entering the Prayer Tower
View from the observation deck
Inside the new Prayer Room
To the right of the room
Wall decor
The centerpiece of the room, a wooden cross
Holes in cross for written prayer needs
Lots of prayer requests
Chalk for writing more public prayer messages on black boards
Outside of Prayer Room
Updated landscaping for garden area
Christ Chapel
Christ Chapel surrounded by construction
The iconic tent shape seen from the main entrance
Same shape from inside
Balcony view
Lower level view of remodeled stage
The beautiful daylight flooding in
The ugly gold remains, but the upholstery is better
The towering windows of Christ Chapel are my favorite feature of the building
The call upon which ORU was founded
Student Areas
The Eagle's Nest now has a Chick-Fil-A Express and the seating has been redone
Zoppelt Auditorium has new seating. The ugly gold and old tables are gone!
"Towers" - My dorm was on the far left
A newly opened section of the "Fishbowl" that used to be a dorm director's residence
New seating in the "Fishbowl." Other updates include flat screen TVs, pool table, air hockey, and vending machines
Separate dorms are still in effect
Fred Creek
They’re currently working to redo the sidewalls of Fred Creek. The stone looks beautiful! While I can’t remember what was there before, this is a huge improvement. A new pedestrian bridge leading to the Mabee Center has also been built.
New bridge connecting campus & Mabee Center
View when facing 81st Street
View when facing Lewis Avenue. Old pedestrian bridge seems tiny.
New stone along Fred Creek
View of the GC from the new bridge
Thoughts
It was encouraging to see the variety of improvements taking place on the ORU campus. While they may not appear overly impressive to those that have attended nicer looking schools, I was blown away by the work being done. Renovations have also been made to other facilities, including some dorm rooms, but I didn’t visit these areas. Hopefully my next visit to campus will bring even more surprising changes. The school is turning a corner and let’s pray it continues.
