Tulsa World: ORU to lay off 100 employees

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ORU to lay off 100 employees

An aerial view of Oral Roberts University in 2007. TOM GILBERT/ TULSA WORLD File

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Published: 11/17/2008 12:20 PM
Last Modified: 11/17/2008 1:05 PM

Complete Coverage: Catch up on previous stories, documents and videos related to the ORU lawsuit.

Oral Roberts University will lay off about 100 employees early next year, the university announced Monday.

This action, along with steps to enhance revenue, are intended to help ORU be fiscally sound, school officials said.

"These are tough economic times for us all," Interim President Ralph Fagin said in a news release. "Like any business , a university cannot spend more revenue that in collects. We have a responsibility to the ORU family to be good stewards of our resources."

The employees losing their jobs will be notified in January and will then continue to be employed for 60 days. The university will offer job placement support for the employees.

ORU is no stranger to economic turmoil. It revealed it was $55 million in debt last year after a downward spiral beginning when the university was sued by three former professors for wrongful termination.

ORU received a $70 million donation from Yukon businessman Mart Green earlier this year. About $30 million was put toward repaying the debt and another $32 million has gone toward long-deferred maintenance project, increased financial aids and technological upgrades.

"The annual budget must be balanced," Fagin said in the release. "Reducing costs through a reduction in force is

a difficult but necessary step. We must make these tough decisions for ORU to achieve economic sustainability." By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment jude77, (11/17/2008 1:40:09 PM) ORU cutting jobs is not God's fault. It sounds like those managing the finances since Richard Roberts left would rather cut jobs than decrease pay on themselves and everyone else. I think the management needs to reconsider its actions. They should consider cutting their income and others income to allow someone else keep their job. Another question is who decides what jobs get cut? All I know is it sounds like those still loyal to Richard Roberts are the ones losing their jobs. One thing I like about Richard Roberts is if ORU got in a tough time he wouldn't cut employment. He would come on TV or travel to meetings to raise support for ORU. I believe cutting jobs will result in ORU losing revenue. Less students come to universities that are under staffed. We are less likely to come to stores and restaurants that we know are understaffed and longer lines. The solution is decrease pay until ORU makes it through this tough time.
	Report Comment Nunya Business, (11/17/2008 1:45:09 PM) Don't you just love how TW makes it sound as if this is a result of the lawsuit? "Complete Coverage: Catch up on previous stories, documents and videos related to the ORU lawsuit." As if...
	Report Comment golfwife, (11/17/2008 1:52:08 PM) There are many, many private businesses cutting employees so why should ORU be any different......they are private and these are hard times. Now if they were a public university they could just stick it to we taxpayers, ouch....but they could.
	Report Comment ORUalumnus, Broken Arrow (11/17/2008 2:06:58 PM) How many employees does ORU have?
	Report Comment Skyhawk, Downtown Tulsa (11/17/2008 2:12:36 PM) ORU is the most dysfunctional school I have ever seen. Layoff's Soup line! I will hold them a place in line! Sounds like Mr. Hobby Lobby is making a difference.
	Report Comment TulsaTanMan, TULSA (11/17/2008 2:19:56 PM) Dave Ellsworth, the shief financial officer ( and Richard's right-hand man ) should be the first one fired. I went to school at ORU with Ellsworth back in the early 70's. FIRE HIM!
	Report Comment Bluebird of HOPE, Osage County (11/17/2008 3:11:35 PM) Lord Have mercy. Now, I'm not of this ORU faith. But it is obvious to me that if you all want to pay a man $400,000.000 and then let go 100 people with families in this time of depression... If I were the alumni, I would be very upset. This is a Theology school right???!
	Report Comment Nunya Business, (11/17/2008 3:35:30 PM) ORUalumnus, Broken Arrow (11/17/2008 2:06:58 PM) "How many employees does ORU have?" There are about 775 names in the staff directory. I don't know whether that is everyone or not. Also, a fair number of those will be Tenured Professors (but I don't know offhand how many) and they cannot be fired (except for insubordination...and we all saw where that went).
	Report Comment insider9909, Cushing (11/17/2008 3:54:54 PM) So now, Richard can take his golden parachute, while 100 employees are put out into the cold. Just remember, Greed is Good. I'm still looking forward to the day that place is dozed into a parking lot. It is a disgrace and a monument to all of the charlatans who pretend to be ministers but really are con artists. Roberts, Tilton, Hinn, Dollar, Robertson, Bakker, the whole motely crue who steal the pennies from widows and orphans in order to live lavish lifestyles.
	Report Comment chase, (11/17/2008 4:06:27 PM) BLUEBIRD OF HOPE,I JUST READ YOUR PROFILE PAGE,AND I AM VERY DISTRUBED TO HEAR YOU ARE LEAVING,YOU WILL BE GREATLY MISSED,YOU AND GRAYCHIN ARE THE ONLY INTELLIGENT COMMENTORS, HOPE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND AND RETURN FOR ALL OF US,THANKS YOU,LOVE THE DOGS.
	Report Comment Tank, (11/17/2008 4:38:03 PM) No, it is not a theology school, it has a theology school. It also has nursing, education, business, science, etc.
	Report Comment whodathunkit, (11/17/2008 4:40:05 PM) Jude77 you typed... "One thing I like about Richard Roberts is if ORU got in a tough time he wouldn't cut employment. He would come on TV or travel to meetings to raise support for ORU." Is that why ORU was 55 million in debt and had long deferred maintenance/remodeling issues? Richard was raising funds? For whom?
	Report Comment ORUalumnus, Broken Arrow (11/17/2008 4:58:00 PM) "You must be logged in to post a comment or review. Report Comment Nunya Business, (11/17/2008 3:35:30 PM) ORUalumnus, Broken Arrow (11/17/2008 2:06:58 PM) "How many employees does ORU have?" There are about 775 names in the staff directory. I don't know whether that is everyone or not. Also, a fair number of those will be Tenured Professors (but I don't know offhand how many) and they cannot be fired (except for insubordination...and we all saw where that went)." I checked a list of Tenured Professors and their are 45. The last number I could find on the number of faculty members (including tenured) was 197. Doing the math, that leaves 578 that are not faculty.
	Report Comment pm, (11/17/2008 5:38:29 PM) I admire Mr. Greene for running ORU like a business. He is doing what any business man would do to run a business. Also I admire Mr. Greene for not blaming anyone in particular he is just running a business. I am glad that RR is not at ORU it is my opinion he should not have ran ORU in the first plce. Also like the accountant said from the earlier article it is right for RR to get paid something and also if you read the article RR has to pay back money he owed in 2004 and he has to pay rent from the time he resigned to the time he moved out of the house. You have to figure a house that size the rent would be at least a thousand dollars a month, he was still in it at least for 4 or 5 months plus how much he owes the university for 2004, he is not getting all of that money back what he owes and the rent is beind deducted from the amount they are doing to pay him to the amount quoted in the article is not what he is getting back. He will be getting back less than what they quoted him.
	Report Comment lildab, (11/17/2008 6:25:40 PM) roberts got a 440000$ payoff, The roberts family and all the other better than you do gooders have been looting the school for years. Its high time someone comes in to clean house and get the school back to solvency. The roberts should give back all the millions of $'s they took and help the laid off people and the current people. God Bless Mr. Green and his familys' efforts to restore some "cents" to this corruption!
	Report Comment DesertSally, (11/17/2008 7:08:14 PM) Wow! Wait until those graduates of ORU find out that the degrees they got mean little in the "real world" as employers are looking for people who graduated from real universities.
	Report Comment wilson, (11/17/2008 7:31:48 PM) "Wow! Wait until those graduates of ORU find out that the degrees they got mean little in the "real world" as employers are looking for people who graduated from real universities." DesertSally...are you one? I know several ORU graduates who have had no trouble finding work in the "real world" I just don't get why so many of you like to make jokes about things like this. Do you really think the university wants to get rid of people just to make their life miserable? I believe pm has it right and that the current leaders will get the ship righted. I'm just sorry that it has to cost some people their jobs.
	Report Comment Greatnorthern, (11/17/2008 8:45:47 PM) A few months ago, the employees of ORU were thrilled to hear that they were getting raises. Where did they think the money was going to come from? It always happens that way. Some get the benefits of more money, & some have to go. I also question the excessive expenditures on things this summer, like each dorm room getting a refrigerator-microwave, & a gazebo built by the lake. Some updates/rapairs were necessary, but many were just frivolous. The items I mentioned were totally unnecessary. College students need to spend some time "doing without" while they're in college. They're not even making a living or supporting themselves yet. Such a sense of "entitlement".
	Report Comment cherry74129, Tulsa (11/17/2008 9:19:18 PM) Wow, Roberts gets paid and the employees get laid off. I'm waiting for Bell's to move in and then we can all call it, Six Flags on Lewis!!
	Report Comment TulGal, Tulsa (11/17/2008 9:45:45 PM) Hey Jude (77)....Don't make it bad....just how does the story indicate those still loyal to Richard are the ones losing their jobs???????
	Report Comment Hugh, 3rd of Five, (11/17/2008 10:31:14 PM) Jude is onto something here. While this appears "bad," as in RR gets a fat golden calf, at the expense of a lot of lower-level employees, there are other interpretations.....
	Report Comment Few Clothes, Austin, TX (11/17/2008 10:33:30 PM) Doty, Joe-Allen, TULSA (11/17/2008 9:27:57 PM) When I stayed in an undergraduate Men's dorm during the 1st 4 semesters at ORU in the 1970s, the room only had daybed type beds, built-in desks and a closet with built in chest of drawers. It had no other furnishings. I had my own phone in the room and I paid for it out of my own funds. It was not furnished by ORU. The 1st semester of the school Term of 1977-78, I was in a 2-bedroom apartment in "ORU" graduate and married housing to the West of where Walmart is now. It was fully furnished but, no electronic devices were included The word "I" is in here 4 times. Is this not the most self centered man in the universe? Who cares, Doty, who cares?
	Report Comment Rudolph, (11/17/2008 11:03:41 PM) Ho, ho, ho...! Hah, hah, hah.... Jude's post gave me a merry ole chuckle. Just like the old days, when RR could walk on water, when he could fire intimidated employees without a moment's pause, when faculty knew their place, when Regents worshipped the ground he walked on, when no one dared mention "HER" name..... Yah -- THAT one. :-} Elfin good fun. Makes my nose glow. My, Jude knows something indeed. He (she?) protesteth too much.... Paranoid in paradox? Sure she knows.... (S)he knows that Santa Mart has been making a list, and checking it twice. finding out who's been naughty and nice, Santa Mart is comin' to town.... He saw you when you're sleepin' He knew when you're awake He knows if you've been bad or good So be gone for goodness sakes. henchmen better watch out hatchets better not shout Santa Mart is comin' to town.

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