Oral Roberts University Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Foundation and early years=== [[File:Praying Hands at the main entrance to the campus of Oral Roberts University.jpg|thumb|Main entrance to campus and The Billy Joe Daugherty Circle]] Ground was officially broken for Oral Roberts University in 1962 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The university received its charter the following year from the State of Oklahoma and Oral Roberts University officially opened in 1965 with an enrollment of 300 students and seven major completed buildings.<ref name="dingman.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dingman.com/oru_history.pdf|title=History of Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK)|date=August 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821223800/http://www.dingman.com/oru_history.pdf |archive-date=August 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The university was founded by Oral Roberts "as a result of the evangelist Oral Roberts' obeying [[God in Christianity|God's]] mandate to build a university on God's authority and the [[Holy Spirit]]. God's commission to Oral Roberts was to 'Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well pleased'."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/downloads2/391722.pdf?ATCLID=1335882&SPSID=87170&SPID=10340&DB_OEM_ID=17000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722161436/http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/downloads2/391722.pdf?ATCLID=1335882&SPSID=87170&SPID=10340&DB_OEM_ID=17000|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 22, 2011|title=ORU Table of Contents (PDF)|access-date=September 20, 2014}}</ref> Roberts placed special importance on the [[Prayer Tower]], even though the concept of a building specifically dedicated to prayer at the center of the campus caused considerable tension, as some academic leaders were afraid the school would be unable to receive accreditation with such a building. But the tower, designed by architect Frank Wallace, was completed in 1967 at a cost of $2 million, a further source of contention. After its completion, Roberts called for a three-day period of prayer and fasting.<ref name="dingman.com"/> At the university's dedication ceremony in 1967, the evangelist [[Billy Graham]] was the keynote speaker.<ref name="dingman.com"/> The first partial graduation took place in 1968 and the first full graduation in 1969.<ref name="dingman.com"/> In 1971, Oral Roberts University was [[accreditation|accredited]] by the North Central Association.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oklahoman.com/article/3174463/oru-timeline/|title=ORU timeline|date=2007-11-28|website=Oklahoman.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-04}}</ref> ORU was accredited in 1971 by the [[Higher Learning Commission]] of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.<ref>[http://admissions.oru.edu/accreditationfacts.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004184134/http://admissions.oru.edu/accreditationfacts.html|date=October 4, 2006}}</ref> It is also accredited by the [[Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada]].<ref>[http://www.ats.edu/member_schools/oralrobt.asp Member Schools<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407101739/http://www.ats.edu/member_schools/oralrobt.asp |date=April 7, 2007 }}</ref> During the first decade of the school's existence many of the campus's iconic structures were completed, such as the Howard Auditorium, the Graduate Center, the Mabee Center, and Christ's Chapel.<ref name="dingman.com"/> The [[O. W. Coburn School of Law]] opened in 1979. In 1986 the university "shut down its ailing law school and sent its library to [[Pat Robertson]]'s Bible-based college in Virginia", which subsequently founded the [[Regent University School of Law]].<ref name="Scandalspotlight">{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/08/scandal_puts_spotlight_on_christian_law_school/?page=full | title=Scandal puts spotlight on Christian law school| publisher=Boston Globe | date= April 8, 2007| first=Charlie | last=Savage | access-date = April 8, 2007}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page