Independence Day this year has a new meaning for Oral Roberts University, as the first person without the last name of 'Roberts' takes the helm. Today is Dr. Mark Rutland's official first day but he is already at work. "We are making some big strides in enrollment management. Admissions is one of our top priorities and I met yesterday afternoon with the admissions staff and then again today I am meeting with the finance group and we are restructuring finance and operations," says Dr. Rutland. He predicts the school will be slim and trim--- and sleek.

Just hours on the job, Rutland says changes are coming- beginning with the campus. "The students will return and find a shiny new look on campus," says Rutland. The school is spending $10 million this summer and most every building on campus will be impacted. The new president also says new landscaping will help make the campus sparkle. Other changes won't be readily visible from the street. Rutland says, "We are moving the admissions department into prime retail space when you come up the steps to the main building the first thing you see is the admissions department. In the past is has been a wee bit hard to find and we are constructing some new parking areas for visitors so prospective students and parents will know where to park, where to go and where, and where to find information."

Rutland says enrollment management is a priority as well- both retaining students and attracting new students. He is excited about the possibility of seeing an increase in enrollment for this upcoming school year and says he is looking at the numbers and believes despite recent school history and economy that it might be a real possibility. Rutland says while he is not ready to talk benchmarks for future enrollment, he plans to unveil his goals later this fall. But for the moment, his future plans are no secret. "Everything here is going to become growth oriented," says Rutland, "I think I have a good handle now on where the organization is and its history and we are ready... it is time we need to make some pretty aggressive steps toward the future." And this is from a man who has studied Oral Roberts University for the past several months and is ready to get to work.