Enrollment hasn't slacked off at ORU
BY APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
2/11/08 at 11:32 AM
For more: Catch up on previous stories and documents related to the ORU lawsuit.
Months of turmoil have not
caused students to flee from
Oral Roberts University.
Enrollment this spring
dropped by 84 students from
the fall, according to ORU.
Similarly, the college lost 74
students between fall 2006 and
spring 2007. Students who
graduated in December are
partly to blame for the declines, and colleges every
where lose students between
semesters.
This spring's enrollment also is on par with last spring's.
ORU has 3,082 full- and part-time, graduate and undergraduate, for-credit students now,
which is 27 fewer students
than a year ago, according to
ORU. That is a drop of less
than 1 percent.
"This is a very encouraging
number considering what
ORU has endured this past
fall," Interim President Ralph
Fagin said in a press release.
"It speaks volumes to the character of the students and fortitude of the faculty and staff to
keep stability through the
storm."
Since October, three former
professors sued the school
and its leaders, President
Richard Roberts resigned,
ORU revealed it was $52.5 million in debt, an Oklahoma family offered ORU $70 million,
and a new governing board
has been appointed to take
over leadership of the college.
That was enough to push
Amanda Herrin over the edge.
After 3-1/2 years at ORU, she
transferred to Tulsa Community College this semester.
ORU's $17,000 annual tuition was too expensive, she
said, and she felt looked down
upon for not agreeing with all
of ORU's religious teachings.
"I'm a lot happier" having
left ORU, Herrin said.
Paul Plushko, a junior, left
ORU after one semester for
reasons unrelated to the
changes. He had been struggling academically, and he did
not have a scholarship for his
senior year. Mostly though,
he had prayed and felt like he
should go to Rogers State University, he said.
ORU is "a blessed place,"
said Plushko, whose brother
and sister attend ORU.
Twyla Reimer, a freshman,
said she decided when the uproar on campus began that
she would trust God.
"If I was to lean on my own
knowledge, it wouldn't have
looked good several months
ago," she said. Now, "there
are so many good things that
have come out of it."
April Marciszewski 581-8475
april.marciszewski@tulsaworld.com
