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Embattled Crook Oral Roberts "University" Pres Resigns
Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit
Embattled Crook Oral Roberts "University" President Resigns
AP - Nov 24, 2007
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ORAL_ROBERTS_SCANDAL?SITE=ORBEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Embattled Oral Roberts president resigns
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS
Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- The president of Oral Roberts University, facing
accusations he misspent school funds to support a lavish lifestyle,
resigned on Friday, officials said.
Richard Roberts' resignation is effective immediately, according to a
statement e-mailed from George Pearsons, chairman of the school's Board
of Regents.
Roberts and the evangelical university have come under fire since three
former professors sued last month, alleging wrongful termination.
The lawsuit includes allegations of a $39,000 shopping tab at one store
for Richard Roberts' wife, Lindsay, a $29,411 Bahamas senior trip on
the university jet for one of Roberts' daughters, and a stable of
horses for the Roberts children.
Roberts, son of school founder and televangelist Oral Roberts, had been
on temporary leave from the university, fighting the accusations
against him. The Board of Regents had ordered an outside probe of the
school's finances.
In a recent interview, Roberts and his wife denied wrongdoing. He has
said the lawsuit amounted to "intimidation, blackmail and extortion."
On Friday, he said in the statement that he loved the university, of
which he became president in 1993.
"I love ORU with all my heart," he said. "I love the students, faculty,
staff and administration and I want to see God's best for all of them."
The school will not provide additional comment until next week,
spokesman Jeremy Burton said. A message left for Roberts' personal
attorney wasn't immediately returned.
Gary Richardson, the attorney for the three professors, said, "Those
who have seen what we have seen won't have any surprise about the fact
that Richard has stepped down." He later said, "There was no option,
period."
One of the plaintiffs, John Swails, said Roberts "could have spared the
university and the students by going ahead and stepping down and
admitting his wrongdoing."
The professors also alleged in their lawsuit that Richard Roberts
required students in a government class to work on 2006 mayoral
candidate Randi Miller's campaign.
Roberts publicly endorsed Miller, but said then that he was doing so as
a private citizen and not as an ORU representative. He has denied the
lawsuit's claims that he ordered students to work on Miller's campaign.
Professor Tim Brooker, one of the lawsuit plaintiffs, accused the
school of forcing him to quit after he warned Roberts that requiring
students to work on Miller's campaign jeopardized ORU's tax-exempt
status.
In the weeks since that lawsuit was filed, others have cropped up,
including one from a former senior accountant who alleged that the
Robertses ordered him to help them hide improper and illegal financial
wrongdoing from the authorities and the public.
"This is good news for the university," said Donald Vance, a professor
of biblical languages and literature. "It's time for the Board of
Regents to step forward with a strong choice, and I hope they will
involve the tenured faculty in the process."
Two weeks ago, Vance joined the majority of tenured faculty in a vote
of "no confidence" in Richard Roberts as president, regardless of the
outcome of the lawsuit.
Cornell Cross II, a senior government major, said the resignation is
"an excellent step to fix the university," but believes the school's
most trying days lie ahead.
"This is not over, there a lot of things that need to continue," Cross
said. "The culture of fear that has been allowed to fester at ORU has
to be looked into.
"We still haven't heard any admission of wrongdoing or any kind of
humility or contrition," he said.
The school's regents will meet Monday and Tuesday to determine action
in the search process for a new president, Pearsons said in the
statement.
Executive Regent Billy Joe Daugherty will assume the president's
administrative responsibilities, working with Oral Roberts until the
regents' meeting, the college said.
Former ORU Regent Harry McNevin, who quit the board in 1987 because of
the misspending he alleged he witnessed, called the resignation
"inevitable."
"You can't take the sacrifices of God's people and use them any old
way," he said. "It's been 20 years that they've been doing the same
things that I became aware of."
(c) 2007 The Associated Press.
=================================================================
NY Transfer News Collective A Service of Blythe Systems
Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
Our main website: http://www.blythe.org
List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
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Hash: SHA1
Embattled Crook Oral Roberts "University" Pres Resigns
Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit
Embattled Crook Oral Roberts "University" President Resigns
AP - Nov 24, 2007
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ORAL_ROBERTS_SCANDAL?SITE=ORBEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Embattled Oral Roberts president resigns
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS
Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- The president of Oral Roberts University, facing
accusations he misspent school funds to support a lavish lifestyle,
resigned on Friday, officials said.
Richard Roberts' resignation is effective immediately, according to a
statement e-mailed from George Pearsons, chairman of the school's Board
of Regents.
Roberts and the evangelical university have come under fire since three
former professors sued last month, alleging wrongful termination.
The lawsuit includes allegations of a $39,000 shopping tab at one store
for Richard Roberts' wife, Lindsay, a $29,411 Bahamas senior trip on
the university jet for one of Roberts' daughters, and a stable of
horses for the Roberts children.
Roberts, son of school founder and televangelist Oral Roberts, had been
on temporary leave from the university, fighting the accusations
against him. The Board of Regents had ordered an outside probe of the
school's finances.
In a recent interview, Roberts and his wife denied wrongdoing. He has
said the lawsuit amounted to "intimidation, blackmail and extortion."
On Friday, he said in the statement that he loved the university, of
which he became president in 1993.
"I love ORU with all my heart," he said. "I love the students, faculty,
staff and administration and I want to see God's best for all of them."
The school will not provide additional comment until next week,
spokesman Jeremy Burton said. A message left for Roberts' personal
attorney wasn't immediately returned.
Gary Richardson, the attorney for the three professors, said, "Those
who have seen what we have seen won't have any surprise about the fact
that Richard has stepped down." He later said, "There was no option,
period."
One of the plaintiffs, John Swails, said Roberts "could have spared the
university and the students by going ahead and stepping down and
admitting his wrongdoing."
The professors also alleged in their lawsuit that Richard Roberts
required students in a government class to work on 2006 mayoral
candidate Randi Miller's campaign.
Roberts publicly endorsed Miller, but said then that he was doing so as
a private citizen and not as an ORU representative. He has denied the
lawsuit's claims that he ordered students to work on Miller's campaign.
Professor Tim Brooker, one of the lawsuit plaintiffs, accused the
school of forcing him to quit after he warned Roberts that requiring
students to work on Miller's campaign jeopardized ORU's tax-exempt
status.
In the weeks since that lawsuit was filed, others have cropped up,
including one from a former senior accountant who alleged that the
Robertses ordered him to help them hide improper and illegal financial
wrongdoing from the authorities and the public.
"This is good news for the university," said Donald Vance, a professor
of biblical languages and literature. "It's time for the Board of
Regents to step forward with a strong choice, and I hope they will
involve the tenured faculty in the process."
Two weeks ago, Vance joined the majority of tenured faculty in a vote
of "no confidence" in Richard Roberts as president, regardless of the
outcome of the lawsuit.
Cornell Cross II, a senior government major, said the resignation is
"an excellent step to fix the university," but believes the school's
most trying days lie ahead.
"This is not over, there a lot of things that need to continue," Cross
said. "The culture of fear that has been allowed to fester at ORU has
to be looked into.
"We still haven't heard any admission of wrongdoing or any kind of
humility or contrition," he said.
The school's regents will meet Monday and Tuesday to determine action
in the search process for a new president, Pearsons said in the
statement.
Executive Regent Billy Joe Daugherty will assume the president's
administrative responsibilities, working with Oral Roberts until the
regents' meeting, the college said.
Former ORU Regent Harry McNevin, who quit the board in 1987 because of
the misspending he alleged he witnessed, called the resignation
"inevitable."
"You can't take the sacrifices of God's people and use them any old
way," he said. "It's been 20 years that they've been doing the same
things that I became aware of."
(c) 2007 The Associated Press.
=================================================================
NY Transfer News Collective A Service of Blythe Systems
Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
Our main website: http://www.blythe.org
List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
=================================================================
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