John Korstad

Oral Roberts University

I always wanted to be a teacher. My role models were my mother and father who are both retired teachers. Sally (my wife) has a Master’s degree in Education from ORU and teaches first grade. My greatest desire is to have an influence on my students so that they desire to be excellent in spirit, mind, and body. I often equate my job to that of a pastor-teacher.

Since joining the ORU faculty in 1980, I have been honored as the Arts and Sciences Outstanding Faculty Member for 1982-83 and 1999-2000, Scholar of the Year in 1988-89, Carnegie Foundation College Professor of the Year for the State of Oklahoma in 1997, and Ruth Swearingen Award winner for outstanding ORU faculty member for 1999-2000. I am currently the faculty advisor for the Environmental Stewardship Club and Director of the Honors Program. I also chaired the committee that coordinated the Oklahoma Academy of Science Technical Meeting that was held on the ORU campus in November 2001. Cal DeWitt, founder of the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, was our featured speaker.

I have always been an outdoors person. I love to go on field trips and marvel at God’s beautiful creation. One of the highlights of the past 18 summers has been teaching the Limnology course at the Au Sable Institute in beautiful N. Michigan. I’ve learned much more from the staff and students than I’ve imparted to them!

My family and I spent two sabbatical leaves in Norway, funded by a Norwegian post-doctoral fellowship in l987-88 and a Fulbright Fellowship in 1993-94. We are active in the Norwegian Club of Tulsa, where I served as President in l995. Other campus activities include co-leader of the Early Morning Prayer group, Athletic Advisory Committee, and various other ORU Committees.

My wife and I are past Advisory Board members for Mend Crisis Pregnancy Center and Young Life. We are active members of Immanuel Lutheran Church, where I served as an Elder for over 15 years, member of the Evangelism team, and Bible teacher.

Sally and I are the proud parents of four daughters; all graduated from ORU and are married (2 son-in-laws also graduated from ORU). We currently have 8 grandchildren and one more due in Mar. 2014.

I’ve always been passionate about being a student and steward of God’s magnificent Creation. Ps. 19:1 (“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands”), Ps. 24:1 (“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters”) speak Truth to me and resonate in my spirit and soul! I see Ezekiel 34:17-19 as a clear call to not be ignorant of our influence on the environment as humans, but rather care enough to be a good stewards of God’s Creation: “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. ⁱs it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?”