ORU Alumni-Student Center to Open in February

The all-new Armand Hammer Alumni-Student Center will be dedicated on Feb. 1 at 1:30 p.m. Oral Roberts University students, alumni, faculty and staff are eagerly awaiting the opening of the first major building to be constructed on the ORU campus in over 30 years.

“The ORU community is thrilled for the unveiling of this beautiful new building,” said ORU President Mark Rutland. “I want to personally thank all of the alumni and friends of the university whose generous gifts made the construction of this facility possible.”

The dedication ceremony will include remarks from students, alumni and Rutland, as well as a formal ribbon cutting and a prayer of dedication. After the ceremony, attendees will have an opportunity to see the new state-of-the-art facility.

Visitors will find the ground floor of the center is a recreational area for students. It houses the Student Association Offices and features two dining areas, multiple gaming stations as well as the largest television in Oklahoma. The second floor is home to ORU’s Alumni and Development Offices and offers an alumni lounge as well as various conference rooms for alumni and donor events.

“Having the resources in-house to entirely pay for the Hammer Center is a testament to the commitment that our alumni and friends have for the vision of ORU,” said Ossie Mills, ORU executive vice president for University Advancement. “Our alumni and friends believe in this university and continue to show their support through giving their time, talent and treasure.”

ORU has experienced an unprecedented resurgence over the past several years. The university has successfully eliminated $55 million in long-term debt. Since 2009, it has also completed nearly $40 million in campus improvements to residence halls, Christ’s Chapel, the Learning Resources/Graduate Center, the Aerobics Center, the Mabee Center, the Prayer Tower and Timko-Barton Hall.

In addition to these on-campus improvements, ORU has experienced four straight years of enrollment growth. This past fall it welcomed the largest incoming freshman class in 10 years along with the third year of freshman retention over 80 percent.