ORU Breaks Ground On New Media Arts Center

Oral Roberts University is adding yet another new building to its growing campus.

The Tulsa-based university held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a new Media Arts Center (MAC) with construction set to begin in early December.

The MAC will sit on the north side of campus and house the music, theater, dance, and digital media programs. Construction on the 72,000+ square foot building is expected to finish in April 2024.

This is now ORU's fourth groundbreaking of 2021, along with the new library, welcome center, and athletic facility. The MAC will hold production studios, a music performance hall, a 450-seat theater, Black Box theater, practice spaces, and much more. ORU President Dr. William M. Wilson said it will be two stories tall with a price tag of $38 million -- none of that coming from tuition.

His hope is that this new space will equip students with the best technology to make them leaders in their field.

"In other words: we don't want to just send someone full of the Holy Spirit to perform on Broadway. We want to send someone to Broadway who will write Broadway plays that will change the world and make an impact for the glory of God."

Doctor Wilson also announced Wednesday that ORU recently got the results from its job placement rate. He said it found that more than 99.5% of May 2021 graduates either have a job in their field or are enrolled in graduate school.