(Guardian) - Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts asked the school's board of regents for a leave of absence Wednesday amid accusations of lavish spending at donors' expense and illegal involvement in a political campaign.
The 58-year-old son of the evangelist who founded the school said he would continue in his role as chairman and chief executive of Oral Roberts Ministries.
``I don't know how long this leave of absence will last, but I fully trust the members of the Board of Regents,'' Roberts said in a statement released by the university. ``I pray and believe that in God's timing, and when the Board feels that it is appropriate, I will be back at my post as president.''
An Oct. 2 lawsuit filed by three former ORU professors says they were wrongfully dismissed and accuses Roberts of misspending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodels and a senior trip to the Bahamas for one daughter on the ministry's dime.