fall 2010 excellence for oral roberts university alumni and friends Mabee Center Banquet Room CONSTRUCTED Trash Compactor Fred Creek RELOCATED REHABILITATED (Thank you, city of Tulsa) Chemistry Labs REMODELED Landscaping Kennedy Chapel ENHANCED REVIVED The Same, Only Better! Thanks to the Green family’s multi-million-dollar gifts, ORU has completed more renovations and addressed additional deferred maintenance this year. The results? Breathtaking. (See page 5) your voice Our Story, by God’s Grace! “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD — and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:4-5). We alumni know what it is to go into every person’s world and we find joy in watching and supporting ORU as it continues to train and equip students to follow in our footsteps. Whether it’s in the mission field, the business arena, the arts, or the sciences, we know and have the experience to say with certainty that a degree from Oral Roberts University is the best preparation there is to go out from here and to change lives. (Just ask Freddy Boswell, who is featured in this issue.) I have the privilege of serving with Compassion International, a Alumni like Desmond Shepherd (in the yellow shirt, seen here with the children at a village Christ-centered child development school in India) are making an enormous difference in the lives of others. Read Desmond’s story on page 42. organization with a mission to rescue children from poverty in Jesus’ name. “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Our mission is to keep ORU alumni I also have the privilege of seeing Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! connected with the university as firsthand the changed lives of children Heir of salvation, purchase of God, well as recognize the amazing work who have overcome the lie of poverty alumni are doing as they go out from Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. that says there is no hope, no purpose, this university to serve God in every This is my story, this is my song, and no one loves them. Jesus is their person’s world. Praising my Savior all the day long; hope. By God’s grace, they understand Once again I must say . thank that God loves them, their life has This is my story, this is my song, you, alumni, for staying faithful by purpose, and they can be confident Praising my Savior all the day long.” praying for ORU and financially in the eternal life we have because of There are thousands of stories that supporting its God-given mission to Jesus. In John 5:24, we read these can be told of the work being done bring light to the world, all for God’s words of Jesus: “I tell you the truth, by our alumni all over the world. We glory. whoever hears my word and believes should really appreciate the words of him who sent me has eternal life and this song, as it reminds us all what we will not be condemned; he has crossed need to do each and every day. over from death to life.” I have been honored to serve RHAE BUCKLEY 80 CHAIR, ORU ALUMNI AssoCIATION These children have a joyous story as chairman of the ORU Alumni BOARD OF DIRECtoRS to tell of how they have broken the Association Board of Directors Editor’s Note: Rhae Buckley completed his cycle of poverty by God’s grace. They since 2005, and to serve alongside term on the Alumni Board this fall. Thank you, sing with heartfelt joy and gusto: great board members since 2000. Rhae, for your decade of faithful service! 2 | Excellence | FALL 2010 | http://alumni.oru.edu Key Contacts Jesse Pisors 96, 05-MA-Ed. Director Alumni and Ministerial Relations and Annual Fund FALL 2010 | vol. 22 no. 2 918/495.6610 [email protected] George Paul 69 Director Major Gifts and Development Services 918/495.7324 [email protected] YOU'LL FIND IT AT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY DEPARTMEnts PUBLISHER ORU Alumni Foundation 2 YOur VOICE EDITOR An ORU degree prepares us well. Debbie Titus 77 George 4 PrEsidENTIAL PErsPECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS/WRITERS ORU: A bundle of joy Rhae Buckley, Debbie George, Laura Hopkins, Sheila Ninowski, Danielle Parker, Jesse Pisors, 8 CAMPus CurrENTS I Ashley Powell (Class of 2013), Dr. Mark Rutland, • New chemistry labs Ciera Trisch (Class of 2013). • News from Nursing • ACFE scholarships PHOTOGRAPHY/PHOTOS PROVIDED BY John Bell, Freddy Boswell, Don Crane, Gerald • Lang and DaVinci Landers, Jeremy Loud, Mark Moore, Joe Ninowski, Alexandra Parker, Desmond Shepherd, Don • Hispanic Center opens Wilson, Michele Zamecnik, ORU Athletic Media • “Face to Face” Relations. ACFE photo used with permission of Fraud magazine. Pg. 45 photo courtesy of Daystar • Simon T. Bailey Television Network. • The ORU Timeline The main entrance of the campus has new flagpoles for the first time since 1969. Page 14 • Billy Joe Daugherty Circle COVER PHOTOS Mark Moore, ORU Photography FEATURES ART AND PRODUCTION Waller & Company Public Relations 5 SParKLING LiKE A DiaMOND Excellence is published and distributed to alumni The rebirth of the physical campus continues. and friends by the ORU Alumni Foundation. DIRECT INQUIRIES TO: 42 A CALL TO THE CHILdrEN ORU Alumni Foundation [email protected] From Jamaica to Canada to Tulsa to India . alumni.oru.edu 918/495.6610 Desmond Shepherd has been led by God to Facebook: www.facebook.com/orualumni change children’s lives. Twitter: www.twitter.com/orualumni ORU has two new state-of-the-art chemistry labs. MISSION STATEMENT MY ORU STORY Page 8 The purpose of Excellence magazine is to share 44 alumni stories and recent university news with What Sheila Ninowski appreciates about ORU. alumni and friends of ORU, thereby demonstrat- ing that the mission of ORU is being carried out 15 HONOR ROLL OF DONOrs on a daily basis all over the globe – “in every person’s world.” 3 8 CAMPus CurrENTS II Page 44 • Meet the Trustees • Commencement 41 THE ELI REPORT • Looking back at the ’09-’10 season. 46 LiFELONG LINKS • Homecoming 2010, 2011 A higher standard. • Alumni News A higher purpose. • Obituaries • Meet Jesse Pisors email: [email protected] | FALL 2010 | Excellence | 3 presidential perspective The Contradiction of Change Hardly anything in life is more exciting than a new baby. Cuddly, cute, a little swaddled darling. The arrival of that blessing is celebrated by the extended family, the church, and especially the overjoyed parents, whose lives are about to change in ways they never imagined. The New ORU is fun, exciting, rewarding and changing, rapidly changing. The core values of our culture are the nonnegotiables, but the nick-nacks, the “hows” and methods, our ways of doing things are changing. We are striving to create an atmosphere of ingenuity, The future looks especially bright for ORU engineering students like Aaron Allen (right) and creativity, and experimentation. business students like Ryan Kral. In this photo, they’re joining forces on an engineering project: a Formula racecar. Read more about it in the next issue of Excellence. (Or read more now on the We are prepared to try new things, ORU Web site.) fail at some, improve others, and 3. Our television network (Golden 6. In November, we had our on-site tinker with dials. Nomenclature is Eagle Broadcasting) is now on visit from the Higher Learning not sacred. Neither is style nor titles. DirecTV. This is huge. Please check Commission regarding our What is sacred is our commitment out “ORU Presents Enter In” on proposal to offer full-fledged to Christ, our faithfulness to ORU’s channel 363 Monday through degrees online. The visit went very founding values, and our indomitable Friday at 10:30 p.m. CST and let well, and we await final word on joy. us know where in the world you’re their decision. The NEW ORU is here . a watching it. 7. The campus is changing too. Good bundle of joy. Lots of late nights, 4. Our College of Theology changes. Beautiful changes. The some cleaning up required, changes received the official notice from Fred Creek project is finished, and everywhere, and some exhaustion. Is the Association of Theological all the campus renovations are it worth it? As Sarah Palin says, “You Schools that they are removing all gorgeous. The big news is that now, betcha!” notations. All questions raised by all dorms are wireless! Here are just a few exciting ATS during the painful transition Alison and I are delighted to be changes and new directions: (mostly financial and accounting here at ORU in this exciting new 1. We are under study on at least two issues) are now fully resolved. season of its life. We are enjoying new doctoral programs. Please 5. We just announced a campaign the journey, finding fulfillment, and pray for us as we proceed carefully. to endow the dean’s chair for the expecting miracles. We are changing. 2. Exciting new expansions are College of Theology in honor Rapidly. And there are still more ahead in our engineering program. of Dr. Jimmy Buskirk. He was changes ahead. That means the best is We are especially energized by the founding dean and remains yet to come. the vision of a beautiful new lab dedicated to ORU in a wonderful building for this college. way. More details will come soon. MARK RUTLAND, PH.D. PRESIDENT 4 | Excellence | fall 2010 | http://alumni.oru.edu campus feature Sparkling Like a Diamond The ORU campus has never looked better.