Oklahoma-based Oral Roberts University canceled more than $500,000 of student debt from hundreds of accounts in line with the pandemic.
CBN News said that 646 qualified students of the Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa received notification that their school account has been reduced to zero and their debt eliminated due to the American Recovery Plan's financing of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The American Recovery Plan provided the emergency financial aid for students, universities, and colleges. This means that the said students now enjoy freedom from debt from their school so that they could continue their educational pursuits.
In a statement dated August 21, ORU President William Wilson expressed hopes that the financial benefit provided to the students will enable them to have a fresh financial start for the 2021 semester this Fall. Wilson revealed that the debt elimination was an additional government financial aid given them due to the pandemic.
"I am very excited to make this announcement to our amazing students at ORU. We were able to take over $500,000.00 of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds given to as institutional aid to directly help our students in this way. This is in addition to several millions of dollars ORU students have received from the government in other COVID relief funds over the last year," Wilson disclosed.
Wilson revealed that from his own experience he understands the burden student debt has for the youth such that the university is doing all it can to assist financially and aid them become "leaders for the world", which is in line with their campaign for the year. Wilson highlighted the relief erasing such a huge amount of debt has on the student and the school.
"We are always mindful of the cost of a college education, which is why at ORU, we are committed to the value of our educational model. We are grateful that we have this occasion to assist so many students in their journey to becoming whole leaders for the whole world," Wilson said.
"ORU continues to be one of the most affordable universities in the nation, and all of our capital improvements come from donations, not student tuition," he pointed out.
"As a person who has paid for multiple university degrees myself, I realize that student debt is a severe problem for many young people. We are doing everything we can to assist our students financially and we are thrilled to erase this over half a million dollars from student accounts owed to the university," he shared.
ORU Enrollment Management-Residential Assistant Vice President Alison Vujnovic echoed what Wilson said in line with how the students would feel on being recipients of such a great financial benefit.
"For these qualified students this was great news. This development came at a time when many students remained undecided about college. Now, this roadblock is removed, and they can continue their academic journey," Vujnovic stated.
ORU, renowned as one of the "most influential Christian" schools in the world, launched their "Whole Leaders For The Whole World Campaign" this year in its effort to redefine "leadership in the 21st century" that reflects and supports its "aggressive growth" in the academic sector.
Accordingly, the campaign comes out in phases with Phase 1 involving the "raising" of $75 million in three years to fund scholarships and new buildings. ORU highlights three "showpiece buildings" that will be constructed on their campus' western side, which are the Welcome Center, the "state-of-the-art" Media Arts Center, and "a new technologically-driven library."
The University, tagged as one of "America's Top Colleges" by Forbes, has recently opened a new Veterans Experience Office in May and has been conducting a campus-wide training on Veteran Education.
