Excerpted from the Associated Press (CBS11) story, "Scandal A Turnoff for Oral Roberts Students" :
As Oral Roberts University prepares to hand out diplomas to its Class of 2008, Anna Siebring, a junior, will be mailing out applications to transfer to another school. Siebring, a government major, is among many students having second thoughts about staying at Oral Roberts after six months of scandal at the evangelical Christian university.Will the Missouri Baptist Convention -- which claims to own and operate Southwest Baptist University -- and Missouri Baptists look back months and years from now and wish that they had gained some wisdom (see here) from the consequences of the mistakes at Oral Roberts University?
Siebring, a government major, is among many students having second thoughts about staying at Oral Roberts after six months of scandal at the evangelical Christian university.
She and others fear the furor will reduce the value of any degree they earn there. Some graduates worry that they will have to try twice as hard to market themselves to potential employers after Saturday's commencement.
"The reputation of the school means a lot," Siebring said. "I want to be proud of the school that I went to, but I could definitely not say that about the school right now.' ...
School leaders have urged professors to lean on students and encourage them to return in the fall. Billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green, who stepped in last year to save the school with a $70 million donation and became chairman of the board of trustees in January, said budget cuts and layoffs are possible.
... Green said it will take years to make necessary overhauls and begin rebuilding trust. He has already dissolved the old board of regents and established a new set of bylaws. ... See entire article here.
The current Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustees (listed here in earlier May 5 post) are meeting today (May 5) and tomorrow (May 6).
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS in the coming weeks ...
