Contact: Jeremy Burton, Oral Roberts University, 918-625-8021
TULSA, Okla., Dec. 5, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Oral Roberts University President Dr. William M. Wilson announces the appointment of Dr. Kathaleen Reid-Martinez as Provost. Following an extensive global search, which generated numerous strong candidates and involved broad input from the University community, Dr. Reid-Martinez emerged as the lead candidate and President Wilson put her forward to the Board of Trustees. The Board unanimously affirmed her selection and she will begin her new role at ORU on January 2, 2014.
"Dr. Reid-Martinez brings a vast wealth of academic prowess to the university and will be a key player in building the academic reputation and reach of ORU around the world," said Wilson. "Our faculty have always been a strength for us. To have such a trusted, Spirit-empowered scholar in Dr. Reid-Martinez as the chief academic officer will further strengthen our academic endeavors and make the whole-person education at ORU even more valuable."
Dr. Reid-Martinez comes to Oral Roberts University with more than 25 years of higher education experience including a strong background in academic administration, leadership and distance education. During her most recent position as Provost of Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, Dr. Reid-Martinez transformed the quality control of academic programs, as she worked with the president and other Cabinet members to rapidly grow innovative higher education initiatives including online learning for traditional and adult learners. During her term of service at Mid-America Christian University, the University's team initiatives resulted in more than 250% growth in student enrollment.
Dr. Reid-Martinez continues to engage in the acquisition, application, and integration of knowledge leading to the advancement of learning. Her most recent publication (in press) for the Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology (3rd ed.) titled "Constructivism as the Driver of 21st Century Online Distance Education" provides insight into her application of an academic background in communication to her current task of developing innovative learning experiences.
In 2004, Dr. Reid-Martinez received funding from the Government of Peru to serve as the executive director of a strategic leadership training program for the National Peruvian Youth Congress. She continues to focus her academic interests in the field of international leadership including a November 2013 presentation during the International Leadership Association Conference in Canada titled "Transformative Education for Resilient Leaders and Global Sustainability."
As an academic leader, Dr. Reid-Martinez's experiences include positions as associate professor of language arts and communications program coordinator at Lee University, executive vice president for administration and professor at the Church of God Theological Seminary, the dean of the School of Government at Regent University, vice president for nontraditional and experiential learning at Azusa Pacific University, and most recently as provost at Mid-America Christian University. Her experiences in developing systems for rapid growth in academic programs include faculty mentoring and recruitment, curriculum development, financial modeling, infrastructure development, systems integration, and quality control for improving processes and learning effectiveness.
Dr. Reid-Martinez has taught courses spanning a variety of topics including film criticism, intercultural communication, theories of leadership, and educational leadership. Through the encouragement of strong relationships between faculty and students, Dr. Reid-Martinez increased enrollment in the communications department at Lee University from six to more than 200 students. She grew traditional and certificate enrollment in the School of Leadership Studies at Regent University from 32 to over 525 students, including three graduate programs and an international student program in South Africa and Latin America.
Dr. Reid-Martinez received her B.A. in English from the University of Maryland, European Division; a M.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Denver; and a Ph.D. in Speech Communication from the University of Denver.
About Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University is a world-renowned Christian university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, ORU serves students from 50 states and more than 70 countries, representing over 40 denominations. ORU offers more than 60 undergraduate majors, 13 master's programs and two doctoral degrees, plus NCAA Division I athletics. For more information on ORU, visit www.oru.edu.
