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ORU Presidential Search


TrueBlue82

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Never heard of him..... |(  :sweat:  :?:

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Just checked him out....sounds like a reasonable guy....no complaints from TheEagleman...give him a shot.... :nerd:

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Mart Green...just guessing...giving over 100 million pretty much ensures that you get to pick the president.

 

I agree he might be the perfect choice, but why the charade of hiring a national search firm.  I hope he realizes that ORU is full university and not just a school of theology.

 

I think Alum is closest on the reason and thoughts that I have heard.  Mart has known Billy for over 20 years and is comfortable with him.  Billy's selection ensures that Green money will be available to ORU for the foreseeable future.

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I spoke to someone tonight who said that Wilson deeply understands ORU's distinctiveness as the preeminent charismatic/Pentecostal liberal arts university. He also recognizes importance of ORU's status as a D-1 athletic program - and the notoriety & publicity it creates for the school. Wilson is very focused on ORU becoming (more) global in reach. This person did not think Wilson would speak as much in chapel as Rutland has - probably employing more guest speakers.

I listened to part of his short address this afternoon and he came across as very humble. He emphasized servant leadership and the importance of prayer. He also said he wants to initiate a 'listening tour' so that he can hear from faculty, staff and students - as well as alumni.

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I think Alum is closest on the reason and thoughts that I have heard.  Mart has known Billy for over 20 years and is comfortable with him.  Billy's selection ensures that Green money will be available to ORU for the foreseeable future.
 

That is a very plausible and satisfactory reason for the hire. I do somewhat agree with alum that it seems that the whole selection process was just going through the motions if ultimately that was how the decision was made. But so be it. I'm good wid it!

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My sentiments echo many that have already been posted, so I won't rehash.

 

At this point, I'll just have to trust that Mart (being a smart business man), knows what he is doing.

 

And, I hope what Terry says is correct about him understanding the importance of (D-1) athletics to ORU...

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Mart Green and Dr. Rutland as well as the members of the Board of Trustees have had many interactions with William "Billy" Wilson over the last few years since William was on the Board of Trustees and since ORU was heavily involved in the Empowered 21 Conference.

When I read that William's role with Empowered 21 and as the Executive Director of the International Center for Spiritual Renewal allowed him to forge relationships with over 250 denominations/para-church ministries (of which I assume the vast majority are within the pentecostal/charismatic/non-denominational realm) I thought this was a perfect hire. He already has standing relationships with the key organizations/denominations from which ORU pulls their largest segment of students.

So when I came on this board and heard the negativity, I was really surprised. This guy sounds to me like another Mark Rutland, and I dare to say that Mark Rutland has been a perfect fit over the last 5 years. Before Mark Rutland took the role of President at Southeastern, his resume probably looked very similar to Billy Wilson's.

I see it as a huge positive that since Mart and Mark have gotten to know Billy over the last several years, they have probably come to realize that he is extremely well-spoken, intelligent, a networker, humble in spirit, a true leader, a visionary with a global outlook, and after seeing the best that the search firm had to offer, they realized that already on their Board of Trustees was someone who would better understand and articulate the vision of ORU than any of the candidates the search firm found/recommended. Who knows, perhaps Billy Wilson ended up being who the search firm recommended anyway, we will probably never know.

ORU is unique, and the role of President at ORU is unique as well. He or she has to be as comfortable in an academic setting as he/she is in a pulpit. He has to clearly understand and believe in the vision of the university and have very strong character. Also, I found it interesting that he was quoted as saying that he hadn't specifically pursued the position or even necessarily wanted the position and had just 4 months before built his dream home in Tennessee. In other words, he isn't the type of person who wants this position because of the "power" that a university president has. This reminded me of Mark Rutland who had to be asked 3-4 times whether he wanted the job because at first he kept saying "No". That is exactly the type of person you want in this role because they will be motivated to do what is right rather than continually seeking their own "power base" and self-interests.

It says a lot already about him that one of his children is a full time missionary in Paraguay and the other is planting a church in KY. I am very excited about this choice and look forward to learning more about him this weekend.

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Thanks for the positive input on Billy Wilson, Jason. Well thought out, and I have to agree with everthing you say.

We'll just need to give him the opportinity he deserves to make his imprint on campus. I've ben told that he was THOROUGHLY vetted by the selection committee and was unanimously selected by them. He also has the full support of Mart Green, which speaks volumes as well.

FWIW, my posts were not intended to be negative - my point was that there was very little known about him (by us) at the time of his selection. Even his bio said little about why he would be chosen for a relatively powerful position (at least in our world) which requires a pretty specific skill set.

But at this point I'm willing, and even eager, to give him a chance and see what the future brings. God's hand has undeniably been on this university - no reason to think He'll fail us now.

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Mart has known Billy for over 20 years and is comfortable with him.  Billy's selection ensures that Green money will be available to ORU for the foreseeable future.

At the end of the day, this is probably what matters most.  There probably would not still be an ORU without the Green family and if this is who they think can best lead ORU, so be it.  I wish nothing but the best for Dr. WIlson and my alma mater.

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