Oral Roberts University to lay off 100 employees

Thanks to Brad who directed me to this story and the accompanying articles, saying:

‘ORU to lay off 100 employees SO WHAT HAPPENED TO ORAL ROBERTS PROSPERITY PREACHINGS ABOUT GOD BEING THE SOURCE OF YOUR TOTAL SUPPLY’? 

Indeed. But it is hardly the first time a tele-evangelist has contradicted himself and cannot live out what he promises to others – in return for their financial seeds of course. Maybe this dishonest bunch of faith scammers should have pulled the ‘God has said if I do not have x million by x, I will die’  stunt like Oral Roberts famously did on TV. But wait, I think the public are wise to that one now and the message needs tweaked a bit for the modern audience. Hmm. Maybe the public will believe one of Richard Roberts’ new ministering angels ’speaking’ {see here for an article about them] that apparently accompany his ministry trips now, that Richard Roberts invented to keep up with the latest charismatic fad and the proverbial Jones’s. Like Bob Jones. Ugh!

Article By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Nov 18th 2008 from here

“Oral Roberts University will lay off about 100 employees, days after it agreed to a near-$450,000 separation agreement with its former president who resigned amid a spending scandal.

The layoffs represent roughly 10 percent of the university’s work force, but the school did not specify which departments would be targeted.

“You can’t spend more than you’re taking in,” said ORU interim president Ralph Fagin. “This is the last choice you want to make because we have such great employees.”

The school, with a budget this fiscal year of about $91.8 million, is more than $17 million in debt. Last year, it revealed it was more than $50 million in the red.

It has since whittled the figure down thanks largely to billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green, who took the reins at ORU in January after donating $70 million and pledging to restore the public’s trust in the school.

The announcement of layoffs comes days after the evangelical school completed a separation agreement with former president Richard Roberts, who stepped down last year amid allegations he misspent school funds to live in luxury.

Under the terms released Friday, ORU will pay Roberts his $223,600 annual salary for the remaining term of his appointment, which was to run through November 2009.

Before the separation agreement became final, Roberts also had to pay back $23,179 in personal and travel expenses incurred before 2004 that had not been billed to or paid by Roberts, the university said.

Roberts, the televangelist son of school founder Oral Roberts, was accused along with his wife, Lindsay, of spending money on shopping sprees, home improvements and a stable of horses for their daughters at a time when ORU was badly in debt. Both have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Fagin said Roberts’ payment package and the layoffs were unrelated issues. “The reduction in force is necessary regardless of what happened in any separation agreement,” he said.

Fagin said he anticipates cutting 100 employees will be enough, but refused Monday to rule out additional budget cuts. “It always is a moving target no matter what business you’re in,” he said.

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ORU to lay off 100 employees

by: SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
11/17/2008 12:00 AM

Complete Coverage: Catch up on previous stories, documents and videos related to the ORU lawsuit. http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/oru-lawsuit/default.html

Oral Roberts University will lay off about 100 employees early next year, the university announced Monday.

This action, along with steps to enhance revenue, are intended to help ORU be fiscally sound, school officials said.

“These are tough economic times for us all,” Interim President Ralph Fagin said in a news release. “Like any business , a university cannot spend more revenue that in collects. We have a responsibility to the ORU family to be good stewards of our resources.”

The employees losing their jobs will be notified in January and will then continue to be employed for 60 days. The university will offer job placement support for the employees.

ORU is no stranger to economic turmoil. It revealed it was $55 million in debt last year after a downward spiral beginning when the university was sued by three former professors for wrongful termination.

ORU received a $70 million donation from Yukon businessman Mart Green earlier this year. About $30 million was put toward repaying the debt and another $32 million has gone toward long-deferred maintenance project, increased financial aids and technological upgrades.

“The annual budget must be balanced,” Fagin said in the release. “Reducing costs through a reduction in force is a difficult but necessary step. We must make these tough decisions for ORU to achieve economic sustainability.”

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20081117_1__OralR51254
TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Oral Roberts University announced Monday it would lay off about 100 employees, days after it gave nearly a $450,000 severance package to its former president who resigned amid a spending scandal.

Employees whose positions are affected will be notified by mid-January, the school said.

School leaders hinted at the possibility of layoffs and other budget reductions earlier this spring.

On Friday, the evangelical school completed a separation agreement with former president Richard Roberts, who stepped down last year amid allegations he misspent school funds to live in luxury.

Under the terms, ORU will pay Roberts his $223,600 annual salary for the remaining term of his appointment, which was to run through November 2009, for a total of $447,200.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=9364290

Last month, ORU reached a settlement with two former professors who sued last year, claiming they were forced out after uncovering financial and ethical wrongdoing by Richard Roberts and his family.

The confidential settlement with Tim and Paulita Brooker came at the end of a court-ordered mediation session.
The Robertses still face a lawsuit brought by Trent Huddleston, a former senior accountant at ORU, who is suing for wrongful termination.

He alleges he was ordered to help “cook the books” by hiding improper and illegal financial wrongdoing from authorities and the public and directed against his will to falsely list thousands of dollars as expenses rather than assets to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Richard Roberts resigned days after Huddleston’s suit was filed.

http://www.thekansan.com/news/x1751716845/Separation-agreement-for-Roberts-OKd

Tragedy Has Stalked Oral Roberts Life Even Though He Says God Is A Good God And Is Bigger Than The Devil? http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/oral_roberts_tragedy.htm

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See also http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/richard-roberts-lindsay-roberts-oral-roberts-university-scandal/