Tulsa World: ORU's top academic officer resigns

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ORU's top academic officer resigns

Mark Lewandowski

By APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer
Published: 5/28/2008 1:32 PM
Last Modified: 5/28/2008 3:11 PM

For more: Catch up on previous stories and documents related to the ORU lawsuit.

Mark Lewandowski, who offered to resign in November if Oral Roberts University's old board of regents kept Richard Roberts as president, said Wednesday he is resigning as ORU’s top academic officer this summer.

He will teach graduate business classes full time at ORU starting this fall and pursue corporate endeavors, he said.

"This was solely, 100 percent my decision," he said. "... This really is about the best fit for students and me personally."

He said he believes ORU's future has never looked so bright. Lewandowski gets along with ORU's employees and was only encouraged to stay in his position of provost, he said.

"I believe the university is in very good hands," he said.

Lewandowski came to ORU to be the business dean about 3 1/2 years ago and was named the provost last July. Former ORU President Roberts asked him to come to ORU from the business world, Lewandowski said.

"It's my alma mater — I love the place. It was the right thing to come and use my gifts at that time," he said. But he has realized "my natural giftings are teaching people, leading organizations and growing organizations."

His resignation will take effect June 24, he said.

He thinks he is better suited

for the corporate world than academic world, he said. He plans to help companies grow, get involved in mergers and acquisitions, and stay connected with Tulsa's business sector. Before working at ORU, he was the senior vice president of business development for National Medical Health Card, a company that made the Fortune 100 list for fastest growing companies.

Lewandowski has not continued his business work while he has worked as ORU provost, he said.

In November, after ORU had plunged into the national spotlight as a lawsuit filed by former professors accused Roberts of misspending ORU money, Lewandowski wrote a letter to ORU's board of regents, claiming Roberts' management style promoted a "culture of fear" and Roberts had not addressed ORU's debt.

Roberts accused Lewandowski of making a "power play" with the letter and said, "I am saddened to see that he wants to be president of the university himself."

Lewandowski thinks ORU faculty members were boldest of all during that time, in voting "no confidence" in Roberts as president, he said. It would be "unfair for me to take any credit when I have a safety net of corporate experience to fall back on," whereas the faculty members risked more.

The day after Thanksgiving, Roberts resigned without an explanation.

Former Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Ralph Fagin is serving as ORU's interim president while board of trustees members and other representatives of ORU constituencies conduct a presidential search.

By APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment AngeDeVie, (5/28/2008 3:32:22 PM) "The day after Thanksgiving, Roberts resigned without an explanation" there was an explanation, he said that god had spoken to him, and told him to resign. No Joke, I think he said it in ORU's chapel service.
	Report Comment Sheppard, Greenvlle (5/28/2008 3:49:11 PM) On Richard's resignation- God just can't make up his mind with the Robertses. One day he tells them to do one thing...then a month later he changes his mind. What's wrong with God? He is acting weird. Actually we all know what's gone on here. God is not the problem. OR & RR are the problems. They always have been. Their motto? "How can we fool 'em today?"
	Report Comment zorba, Sand Springs (5/28/2008 4:43:00 PM) I knew some Lewandowskis up in the Region. Hammond, Indiana. Could be a relation...they were die-hard Roman Catholics. He looks like he's a relation...maybe he's thinking of moving back to Chicago area. Not too many polish people down here...
	Report Comment Mark in Grand Prairie, grand prairie (5/28/2008 4:47:30 PM) Congratulations, Dr. Lewandowski on a job well done. Congratulations, ORU on great progress, and thank you Tulsa World for a balanced article, which cannot be said for the Oklahoman article on the same subject.
	Report Comment Pelagius, (5/29/2008 5:16:45 AM) Wonder if he was offered a job with Mart Green and Hobby Lobby? Whatever, I am glad he confronted Roberts and glad he gives credit to the faculty for their no confidence vote. And credit goes to all who filed the lawsuits to get this stuff out in the open in the first place. Or maybe he found out he wasn't getting the job of President and decided to move on. Who knows? Or maybe he was just burned out from the whole experience; the academy is full of people who can't function unless there is a crisis, and all the people who clean up the crisis are left exhausted. For the clean-up crew, the crisis management is no fun. I don't doubt the Oklahoman version of the story was nowhere near as balanced as the Tulsa World's. And Sheppard, I hear you; one minute God is telling Richard Roberts not to resign, and then the next thing you know, God changed his mind. That makes about as much sense as John McCain seeking out Rod Parsley's endorsement or John Hagee announcing from his (obviously not-well monitored) pulpit that Hitler was good for the Jews. Funny how many people there are who believe the First Amendment right to free speech gives them the right to a captive audience and the absolute lack of accountability. Those people are called evangelists!
	Report Comment OG, (5/29/2008 10:25:35 AM) Lewandoski's former employer, National Medical Health Card (NMHC), was a stock valued around $10/share in '02 with a high at around $40/share in May '04. It is now valued around $10/share on a volume of 0 in sales. SXC Health Solutions (SXC) is now in the process of acquiring NHMC at about $11/share. Pumping up a stock is good work...if you can get in and out before the fall.

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