ORU Faculty Vote "No Confidence" In Richard Roberts
A quorum of tenured Oral Roberts University faculty voted “no
confidence” in President Richard Roberts and voted in favor of “greater
faculty governance and transparency of university finances” in a 3
1/2-hour meeting Monday night. The Tulsa World reports.
That's a damaging vote, I don't see how the university can keep RR in any position of power without the respect or confidence of the faculty.
Can Richard be forced out ...of ORU? Of OREA?
Absolutely. The interesting thing about this non-confidence vote to me is that the faculty have obviously felt this way for a long time, but never had the courage to act on it. Now, with the allegations, plus the Board of Regents pulling Richard temporarily, the faculty probably feels more empowered to act. I have a feeling that if they had felt this freedom earlier, this no confidence vote would have happened years ago.
Phil,
Your comments with regard to the faculty and the sense that this has been present for years, is spot on. I've maintained a cordial relationship with a few faculty for over 20 years who are still at ORU. It's not spoken openly, but that opinion has clearly been there for a long time.
This is actually a bit of a suprise to me, but really it shouldn't be. I know that I have shared before regarding PR in times of trial, and how it really starts with how you run your operation before you run into trouble. Here it is again. The faculty has had an opportunity to catch its breath, consider the entire situation, and realize that this is the best opportunity they have ever had to help repair their school. Many of these tenured faculty are brilliant, and are working where they are because they believe in the mission / vision of the school.
This is also explicitly a statement by the faculty that they don't believe that the BOR was really in touch with how they felt, since for so many years they have been forced to keep silent. It required a shake-up, and for them to all recognize as individuals, that they shared a commonality as a group.
The flip-side to this is that an administration which previously would deal severely with individuals that would challenge (even in the right way) leadership, now must be reeling at the realization of an almost unanimous "No Confidence" vote.
Unfortunately, I believe this is a step in the right direction for the School. Also, unfortunately, I understand that ORM / OREA somehow has some level of control of the Board of Regents at ORU. This could get worse before it gets better.
In this situation, what would be the best thing for the Roberts' family members to do? I think there are many options. I pray that they carefully consider their decisions, as well as how they are going to voice their decisions.
Forgot to mention... That this is tying in soooo tightly with the "attack" on mega-ministries. Since several of the ORU BOR have been picked out to report their finances, what are they to do with this vote of no confidence? If the school is to survive, the faculty must be shown respect - try re-building an entire faculty. But if they support the vote - will it be read that they disagree with the way that the school and its finances were being run? Will this appear to contradict their very own lifestyles which right now are on trial?
Don't under-estimate the effects of this tenured faculty vote when it comes to the many intertwined issues that are being uncovered in our mega-ministries.
I think you've nailed an important issue.
Does the BOR loyalty lie with the organization they are charged to oversee, or the Roberts family? Is there a difference between the two?
The issues of other outside investigations may lead them to band together in such a manner that they see this as something they collectively need to defend against in which case they would be equating their own personal ministries with the organization at ORU.
I hope they decide to put aside their own concerns, and elevate what is best for ORU above all, which is their responsibility to do. I suspect the faculty is way ahead of them in this regard however.
This will be interesting as it plays out.
Richard is easy to like. He really is. But he has never commanded respect, in part because his 80+ dad is still holding the reins to a large degree...and what OR doesn't control, Lindsay does.
But the BOR is made up of men who sit at the helms of other ministries. They enjoy all the same perks (for the most part). Several are being looked at by the Senate. If any one group bands together, this one will, I doubt RR will lose his spot at OREA.