Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I posted a brief note about Richard Roberts resignation as president of Oral Roberts University, the school founded by his famous faith-healing evangelist father.
But how significant is that resignation? Here are a couple of paragraphs from today’s coverage on The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s website (subscription required):
Despite the controversies, Mr. Roberts has declared his intention to remain as chairman and chief executive of Oral Roberts Ministries, the central organization in the empire that includes the university.
Because of the ties between the two groups, Mr. Roberts’s resignation from the university will have limited effect on his ability to misuse its funds if he remains in control of Oral Roberts Ministries, Tim Brooker, one of the three former professors who brought the lawsuit, told The Oklahoman, a newspaper in Oklahoma City.
As the university’s regents search for a new president, and as candidates’ names are rumored about, it will become clearer whether or not they are heading in the direction of reform. The new president needs to have few personal ties to Richard Roberts, or the credibility of his or her administration will need to be established over several years of hard decisions.
And, apparently, ORU’s new president will have to make some tough decisions. More from the Chronicle:
The university, meanwhile, has reported itself as more than $50 million in debt. Much of the debt stems from the failure of the university’s City of Faith hospital complex, which was intended to combine modern medicine with a belief in the power of prayer.
