oral roberts university

facilities are nice but staff and rules are very restrictive. no food or drinks can be brought in but LOTS of starbux and mcD cups. Tried to go upstairs to film the kids and was not allowed. limited seating, limited space, single bathroom for each sex. At a volleyball tourney and was told the kids couldnt practice or warm up in the long, empty halls on the backside of facility. no parking nearby. Girls had to go outside to eat their snacks even on cold winter days when they were hot and sweaty from playing. AND of course you are not supposed to wear your court shoes outside so some were shoeless when they went out into the cold. And we paid $350 per team for this privilege.

It is a relatively small campus and if you have a free hour, I highly suggest a visit here. My review and suggestion has nothing to do with religious feelings. The buildings are the most unusual of any college campus I've ever been on (at least 50). They remind me of what George Jetson would be building for a college campus (except on land and not in space). And the large praying hands at the entrance to the campus are overwhelming.

ORU is a cool university, but the hands statue at the front is the most memorable thing there. Check them out for a cool pic of an iconic Tulsa site.

In visiting and I have read about a lot of the buildings on the campus being DIFFERENT. They are very neat to see. Each building has its own architectural appeal. The parting hands are truly a sight to see. Worth a quick stop.

Open on the weekdays: There is a hidden secret (beyond the thousands unspoken) in ORU that I find a must see for gem and rock nerds. Paraphrase: Oral Roberts befriended a collector on his travels to Tulsa and if i remember right, when the collector passed, Roberts put the collection in his campus. HERE's HOW TO FIND IT. Go on campus.. and if your soul doesnt light on fire... you'll be okay. Find the burning river. Its the long gold and black building with the flame on the water (not the prayer tower with the flame). Go to the flame. You'll see stairs on the outside that go up and stairs that go down. Take the down stairs. Inside, You'll see book cases against the wall with gems and rocks. Head to the left. Theres a door on the left. Take it and the stairs down. you'll find yourself in rock heaven. (pun intended). Take a tour for the history and to see "the precious room". worth it!

ORU is a "Christian" oriented institution, but that is not what made it an attraction for me. The campus buildings are really something to see. I call it "George Jetson" architecture. This campus was planned in the 60's when futuristic buildings were in vogue (like those in Brazilia designed by Oscar Niemeyer). Some of the buildings look like they could be space ships or space stations and could take off at any moment. Interesting to see.

The campus here is very beautiful! There are a lot of walkways so you can enjoy the many things that it has to offer. The Mabee Center is a great venue for concerts as well!

Building are quite unusual, campus layout lends itself to future development. Student housing is exceptional, student center is very modern having a wonderful environment. I did notice a great deal of wind around all the building, I would suspect its very cold during the winter months walking between buildings.

This was very inspirational to me. Our family of five thought the artistry was very worth viewing. Beautiful campus, would also have loved to have visited the prayer chapel and the university. We drove through during student welcome back week, so that was not really an option this time.

My husband and I took a much needed break to go out of town and visit this university campus. We were so impressed by the landscaping and serenity of the gardens below the tower that are open to the public for free. The buildings are very unique. The tower is used exclusively for prayer upstairs and there is so much peace in the place that you won't want to leave. The campus was empty for the holiday so it was just the perfect quietness we needed to get refreshed.

Beautiful up close. Worth a visit for photo ops! Drove around campus area, very interesting architecture!

The praying hands are an amazing sculpture and so glad i decided to visit, but an additional bonus is to walk around the university grounds and enjoy the amazing architecture of this University. I have visited Harvard, Yale USA and Oxford and Cambridge UK Universities but ORU is the most amazing . Really worth a visit and spend time admiring the views.

This is truely a one of a kind place. Yes, they used to have problems. But the school is completely out of debt now and investing heavily in the grounds and facilities. Very clean and well maintained. We toured the whole campus and didn't even see a burned out light bulb or weed in a flower bed!The buildings reflect a different era. That's what makes it special. It's not one building. It's a collection of very eclectic architectural designs. Yes, it's a christian campus with enrollment increasing each year. Christian or not, a person should at least appreciate the fact that this architecture has endoured some very hard times and will celebrate 50 years of graduating classes next year. If you love architecture and/or have a christian heritage you will find this place interesting. Hey, if nothing else your kids will enjoy getting up close with the Canadian geese that seem to be everywhere on campus. :-)

The Praying Hands are a striking sculpture and the the buildings on the campus with their Googie influenced space age architecture are very nostalgic. The prayer tower is not to be missed. The university is very accepting of respectful visitors and are there is a distinctive absence of restrictive signage or intrusive security. The Praying Hands are good example of a feel good attraction. I've been there several times and almost always help tourists and visitors take pictures of themselves with their cameras.I have been all over the campus several times taking photographs of the buildings and have never been once hassled by anyone.I would recommend the Prayer Tower at the center of the campus. I find it a very beautiful and graceful structure.

We drove up to the most beautiful sight of praying hands then we walked the grounds so nice we went up the praying tower and took time to read the Oral Robert quotes and the chimes on the hour are so nice to hear a definite peaceful experience