Tulsa, OK – In the midst of a pandemic, business is booming for Oral Roberts University’s (ORU) aspiring entrepreneurs. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Vast Bank, the stage is set for the ORU Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship’s (SC4E) second annual start-up competition: The Launch.

Emmy award-winning media entrepreneur and bestselling author of The Ultimate Gift, Jim Stovall, donated his time to mentor teams and host monthly meet-up events to help students prepare for the pitch competition at his alma mater. Students also benefited from the expertise of SCORE, a thriving community of entrepreneurs and executives who provided mentoring and workshops for competition participants.

The first round of competition kicked off on February 6 at ORU’s Global Collaboration Hub in the SC4E; nine teams pitched their business ideas in front of a panel of entrepreneurs, investors, and high-level executives. Judges selected the following six teams to advance:

Ichthus, a social enterprise that provides opportunities for low-income, local fishermen in Guatemala by marketing and selling the fishermen’s products to citizens near Guatemala City.
Red Halo, a company that develops and markets low-cost, energy-efficient mechanical equipment for respiratory support.
Sweet Freaks, a frozen sweet treat company that offers guilt-free alternatives to traditional ice cream options.
Prosper Student Services, a K-12 tutoring service that connects college students with parents who need a tutor for their children.
My Neighbor, a concierge service that performs a wide range of out-of-office, routine tasks for corporate clients.
Joyosity, a peer-to-peer video-based technology platform that offers students online music classes with a specially matched instructor from any connected device worldwide.
The SC4E will host the final round of The Launch competition on March 13 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at ORU’s state-of-the-art Global Learning Center. The top three winners will be awarded a combined total of $10,000 in cash prizes by Vast Bank.

The judges for the event are Brad Scrivner, President and CEO of Vast Bank; Meisha Smith, Assistant Vice President Commercial Lender for Prosperity Bank; Teresa Knox, Entrepreneur and Real Estate Developer; John Curzon, Founding Partner of CCK Strategies, PLLC; and Sean McCroskey, Associate Investor at Atento Capital.

ORU is grateful for the contributing sponsors and partners, which include Vast Bank, Prosperity Bank, SCORE, and the ORU College of Business.

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ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

ORU is an interdenominational Christian, Spirit-empowered university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Under the leadership of Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing its students spiritually, mentally, and physically to be whole leaders for the whole world. It offers over 150 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs ranging from business and biology to engineering, nursing, ministry, and more.

The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #5 university in the nation for student engagement, which measures interaction with faculty, collaborative learning, critical thinking, how the university supports students applying what they learn to the real world, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether they would recommend the school to others.

ORU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as

#1 Best Value Regional College in the West
#1 in Undergraduate Teaching
#3 in Best Colleges for Veterans
#5 in Best Regional Colleges in the West

For more information, visit www.oru.edu.

Recognized as one of 2020's Most Inspiring Global Thought Leaders, ORU President, Dr. William M. Wilson, has led the University to its 12th consecutive year of enrollment growth and a global footprint that includes 116 nations and all 50 U.S. states. Read more here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/Excelligent-12-20

Tulsa, Oklahoma – The Oral Roberts University Board of Trustees acted to name the business graduate school “The Fenimore Fisher Graduate School of Business.” The proclamation marks the first naming convention in the College of Business. Oral Roberts University President Dr. William Wilson stated, “The College of Business is a cornerstone of ORU. Our business students consistently rank in the upper percentile of National Field Tests.”

ORU graduates Rick Fenimore and Terry Fisher donated $2.5 million toward the graduate school. Wilson added, “We are truly grateful for Rick and Terry’s personal experience and belief in ORU’s education model, which is demonstrated by their significant gift. This gift enables ORU to continue equipping future generations to change their world.”

Fenimore and Fisher met while students in the MBA program at ORU, where the vision of becoming future business partners began. Fenimore and Fisher are founders and managing partners in Trinity Chemical Industries/TCIX Rail. They acknowledge their education at ORU played a vital role in their professional success.

Dr. Julie Huntley, Dean of ORU’s College of Business, expressed appreciation for Fenimore and Fisher, stating, “This investment demonstrates a confidence in the ORU College of Business to prepare industry-relevant graduates for the forefront of their field. I appreciate Rick and Terry’s generosity helping us to continue the tradition of excellence and professionalism that characterize our programs at ORU.”

An official opening and launch of the Fenimore Fisher Graduate School of Business will be announced by ORU later in the spring of this year.

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ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

ORU is an interdenominational Christian Spirit-empowered university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Under the leadership of Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing its students spiritually, mentally, and physically to be whole leaders for the whole world. It offers over 150 majors, minors and pre-professional programs ranging from business and biology to engineering, nursing, ministry, and more.

The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #5 university in the nation for student engagement, which measures interaction with faculty, collaborative learning, critical thinking, how the university supports students applying what they learn to the real world, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether they would recommend the school to others.

ORU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:

#1 Best Value Regional College in the West
#1 in Undergraduate Teaching
#3 in Best Colleges for Veterans
#5 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.

At only 28-years-old, ORU alumnus Assa Makanika recently became the youngest member of the Tanzanian Parliament. Running on a pledge to boost agriculture and transform raw goods into finished products, Makanika, a political science graduate, was elected last November to represent his hometown of Kigoma.

Early Years

Assa Makanika spent his early years helping on his parents’ farm in Kigoma. After completing his secondary school studies, Makanika moved to Dar es Salem, where he studied Tax Management at the Institute of Finance and Management. From there, a scholarship took Makanika to Wuhan, China, where he learned Mandarin and studied International Trade and Business.

“The culture was totally different,” Makanika said. “Although the social system was kind of similar with Tanzania since Chinese people like to socialize with others, adjusting to the food was very hard for me.”

Transition to ORU

While at Wuhan University, Makanika started listening to sermons by the late Myles Munroe and considered the evangelist, an ORU graduate, his mentor.

“I found out that he went to ORU,” Makanika said, “and wow, I was so impressed. I felt led to get a Spirit-empowered education.”

Makanika was searching for a God-centered education that had not been available to him in China or Tanzania. He wanted to grow professionally but also learn how to be guided by God in his future career. To fulfill these goals, Makanika transferred to ORU in 2018, seeking a degree in political science.

Entering the Political Field

Assa MakanikaIn December 2019, Makanika graduated from ORU and moved back to Tanzania, where he began interning at the Office of the Prime Minister. There, he learned that Chama cha Mapinduzi, also known as the Revolution Party, was recruiting people to run for office.

“I decided to just try,” Makanika said. “Even if I lost, there was nothing I would be losing, because it was my first time. ORU gave me the foundation to understand that the only person I can believe in is God. So, whatever I do I cannot fear anyone or anything for I know I have God.”

Makanika focused his policies on boosting agriculture since most people in the region are farmers. He blended his background in economics with his understanding of politics to inspire the voters to believe that transforming their raw goods into finished products would earn them greater revenue.

To his surprise, Makanika won the election, and in November, the 28-year-old took the oath of allegiance to represent the Kigoma North constituency, making him the youngest parliamentarian in Tanzania.

“I was really shocked,’ Makanika said. “All my life, I had admired the great leaders of our nation like the prime minister, president, and ministers. It was overwhelming to think that I was going to sit with them and discuss national issues.

Learn more about Spirit-empowered education and ORU, one of the largest and most influential Christian universities in the world. At ORU, Spirit-empowered leaders do more than “stay” in their faith … they GROW in their faith. Check out ORU https://oru.edu/

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Tulsa, OK – For the twelfth consecutive year, Oral Roberts University announced continued enrollment growth with a 5% increase from Spring 2020 to 2021. ORU continued to expand as one of the leading diverse universities in Oklahoma, with a student population comprising 17.4% African-American and 13% Hispanic.

“The students that come to ORU are amazing young men and women,” said ORU President Dr. William M. Wilson. “We are continually amazed and grateful at the number of ORU students that come from across the globe. Our faculty and staff remain diligent providing both in-person instruction and optional virtual engagement. This level of dedication to the learning experience enables these students to become whole leaders for the whole world.”

ORU again welcomed students from all 50 states and served students from 120 nations during the academic year. The top countries represented at ORU are Nigeria, China, Brazil, Mexico, and India. Along with the international expansion, ORU experienced new student enrollment in online and graduate degree programs.

“ORU provides a safe, healthy, and engaging learning environment. This, coupled along with the University being ranked a number one Best Value Regional College in the West, makes ORU appealing to students and parents,” said Dr. Nancy Brainard, Vice President of Enrollment Management.

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