Hello! Welcome to the LeTourneau University Web site. Spend some time here, and imagine yourself as part of the unique LeTourneau experience.

Want a comprehensive university? We offer more than 85 academic programs for both graduate and undergraduate students in a variety of fields.

Want something more than just sitting in class and taking notes? At LeTourneau University, it is our vision for every student to impact the world for Christ in every workplace and every nation. Our programs provide students with real life, problem-solving opportunities through internships, co-ops and design projects. Our students travel the world each year on mission projects that are life changing.

Want programs that fit your busy life? Are you an adult going back to college? We offer online and on-ground degree completion programs so you can finish your degree in a format that works for you.

It is our desire to glorify and honor God by integrating faith, learning and living that sets LeTourneau University apart.

I look forward to meeting you!

 

Dale A. Lunsford, PhD

PresidentsOffice@letu.edu
903-233-3100
 

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LeTourneau University President
Celebrating a Year of Achievements

More than 500 LETU graduates will proudly walk across the stages at Belcher Center in Longview and Houston's First Baptist Church to receive their degrees during these next two weeks. Adoring family and friends will watch the commencement services and celebrate these graduates' notable achievements. 

This year, we as a university have some notable achievements which we, too, can celebrate.

This year, we will award our first two Master of Science in Engineering degrees, and several new graduate programs have been approved for launch in the fall: marriage and family therapy, healthcare administration and school counseling. All of these degree programs help us expand as a university. And let's not forget that we began this academic year reaching over 1,000 in our online programs for the first time in our history.

LETU students excelled in so many ways this year, making us proud of them and of our university. One of our mechanical engineering students finished in the top 10 in a 3D computer modeling competition. LETU aviation students won First Place at the 2012 Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) competition-for the second consecutive year. Our "Sting" Precision Flight Team won First Place at regional SAFECON competition, qualifying to compete nationally. Our engineering students recently competed in IEEE robotics competition and won first place for designing, building and testing a robot to harvest energy. Four LETU business students presented research at 2012 Economics Scholar Program conference sponsored by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Our scholar-athletes also excelled. The men's soccer team qualified for post-season play. Men's golf placed second in the American Southwest Conference. Softball had notable wins over three nationally ranked schools. Women's basketball missed the conference tournament by only one game. We held our first nighttime games in the history of the university and have seen an increase in awareness and of and attendance at LETU sporting events. And we started a new tradition of turning the bell tower lights blue to celebrate home game wins.  

We can all take pride in our faculty member Becky Teerink being named 2012 Teacher of the Year by the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance. And we all have reason to celebrate that two of our biology graduates were accepted to medical schools for the fall. Several students this year competed and won valuable scholarships, such as Whitney Brouwer who won a $4,500 NBAA scholarship, Noelle Linstad who won an NSF grant to study green chemistry in India this summer, and Joy Cooper who won a $5,000 airbus leadership scholarship.

Also this year, we opened South Hall to its first residents. We renovated our Kielhorn welding/materials joining lab to make it the largest stand-alone facility of its kind in the country. We expanded the Glaske Building to provide much-needed faculty offices. And we completed and dedicated the Joyce Family Athletic Village to serve our intramural and intercollegiate athletic teams.  
  
For the third consecutive year, we continue to produce more classroom teachers than any other private school in the state. And we continue to enjoy a top tier U.S. News ranking as one of "America's Best Colleges," and are listed prominently among the 2012 best engineering schools and up and coming universities. The website www.TheBestColleges.org ranked LETU as the top online Christian university in the nation this academic year, and ranked our Master of Arts in Counseling as the 8th best in the nation.

There are numerous reasons to celebrate what God is doing at LETU, and at May 2012 graduation ceremonies, we will witness over 500 additional displays of God's good favor upon us.



Posted by LeTourneau University

Trust in God

I recently returned from Washington D.C. where it was my honor to lead a Longview Chamber of Commerce delegation. It was an opportunity to learn and also educate federal officials on issues of significance to East Texas: oil and gas, transportation, and small business.

It is a difficult time in Washington. We are in the midst of a passionate debate about the scope of federal government and how we should pay for the government we want. On a special visit to the floor of the House and Senate on Monday, I saw that it is physically impossible for our legislators to do their work without seeing the nation's motto "In God We Trust" above their heads as they speak and deliberate in their chambers. It feels to me that we need this guiding principle now more than ever.

Trust in God is something we understand at LETU. One of our honors students, Julia Thurber, writes in her blog post on CaringBridge.org that she is trusting God to heal her as she undergoes chemotherapy for Stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. She writes that she misses her friends at LeTourneau and that there are days when she's scared, but she trusts that God is always in control and is taking care of her.

Julia knows she is not going through this struggle alone. Several LETU students shaved their heads last week and Skyped with her to show their love and support. They even donated their cut hair to the same nonprofit that provided Julia with a free wig. If you haven't seen this story on our local TV station news, you can see it here.


Throughout all of our daily struggles, whatever they are, we are encouraged to live our lives trusting in God, as Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."


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Unveiling the Joyce Family Athletic Village
Today we celebrate a special moment in the history of the university. We have the opportunity to thank some generous donors for making an investment in the lives of the university that will directly benefit our students and the athletic programs now and for many years to come.

We are unveiling the new Joyce Family Athletic Village, which includes more than $1.5 million in renovations over the past two years, including improvements to grading, irrigation and drainage for all of the athletic fields used for soccer, baseball, softball and intramurals. Improvements also included new scoreboards, new brick field backstops for baseball and softball, expanded seating for spectators, ornamental fencing and monument gates.

One of the most significant upgrades included lighting the fields which enabled LETU teams to play their first home nighttime games in the school's 65-year history. Because the lighting allows us to schedule games at night, we have been able to reduce the number of hours that student-athletes have to miss classes for games.

These new fields have already served hundreds of student-athletes, as well as more than 700 outdoor intramural participants this academic year.

We are grateful to Joe Bob Joyce and his wife, Lou Ann, and their family for their generosity in providing a significant lead gift, but also for encouraging the many others who have provided this much-needed funding for this project. Without their leadership, this project would not have been possible.

Our gratitude also extends to Eastman Chemical, after which we are naming our intramural fields as The Eastman Intramural Fields.

Others who have partnered with us significantly on this project include Joe and Paula Nowiczewski, Texas Bank and Trust, Bill Hibbs of Hibbs Hallmark Insurance, Trey Patterson of Patterson Nissan, AEP/Southwestern Electric Power, Community Bank, East Texas Mack Sales, Nancy and Al Mendez and Dean and Brenda Waskowiak of Encore Multimedia.

To all of these donors, we say thank you!

Posted by LeTourneau University

Eternal Impact
Business owner Bill Job may have studied philosophy in college, but a short conversation with him reveals an entrepreneurial and self-made engineering mind in the mold of our founder, R.G. LeTourneau. It was an honor to have Bill visit LeTourneau this week. He came here hoping to find an engineering intern for his composites manufacturing company.

He believes business should have an eternal objective. Yes, profit and job creation are important, but something much more is possible. We call it "eternal impact" in our LETU vision. Bill sees the potential of Christian love demonstrated in workplace relationships to change eternity for those involved. It is his personal story. He became a Christian while serving in the U.S. Navy. As he tells the story, his "drinking buddy" in San Diego eventually led him to a church where he experienced genuine loving relationships he had never known. Relationships in the workplace changed Bill's eternity, and he wants that for others.

This vision led him to China where he was one of the first to create a business that demonstrated Christian principles. This short video shows images of Bill's work there.

Bill's business in China did not escape the worldwide economic collapse of 2008. He told me of the pain of saying goodbye to many of his Chinese workers whom he could no longer employ. God taught Bill in these tough economic times that the love of God continues for his former employees even after Bill can no longer love them in his workplace.

And now Bill is recreating his business in China with a new manufacturing process. That's what brings him to LETU: in hopes of finding engineering students with an interest in applying their LETU ingenuity in China. I have always had a special love for the Chinese people. I am amazed to see what God is doing there. What might God do with Bill's visit to LETU this week?

As you read this, I'm traveling to Seattle where I will meet with LETU alumni and spend time on the campus of Seattle Pacific University. I will have to miss the fun at LETU's 2012 Homecoming events this weekend as we welcome the 50th reunion of the Class of 1962, our "Golden Jackets." Other reunions include those who, over the years, sang in LeTourneau choirs and bands, as well as Tau Kappa Delta, Delta Sigma Psi and Club. There are many activities planned. A complete schedule of events is located here. 

I hope you will all take a moment to welcome our returning alumni when you see them, and let them know how glad we are that they are returning to their alma mater this weekend.




Posted by LeTourneau University

He is Risen

As servant leaders in so many churches throughout East Texas, many of you have been busy preparing for Easter Sunday.  

There will be special music and messages. In some churches, there will be additional services. Pews will be crowded and parking will be at a premium. The Luby's cafeteria will have a long wait for lunch this Sunday.

And mothers will have the treat of being surrounded in church by children and grandchildren who have come from far and wide to share this special day. For some, Easter will be the only time this year that their spouse joins them in worship and prayer. This Sunday will be the only Sunday this year for many to step into a community of believers.

Our neighbors and friends will be in church this Easter, but where will they be Monday morning? For those not connected with a church family, where will they find family and friends?  For those not blessed to experience the Word of God regularly, where will they seek wisdom for life's challenges?

As crowded as our churches will be on Sunday, workplaces on Monday will be even more crowded. As intentional as we will be to greet visitors Easter Sunday, we can touch even more lives in our work during the other 364 days of the year.

What if we prepared for our daily work in the same way we prepare for Easter Sunday? The same God who seeks to touch hearts this Sunday, also seeks to redeem lives Monday through Friday.  

I dream of what God might do with an army of Christ followers who begin each and every workday with a heart fixed on the truth that "He is risen. He is risen, indeed!" I know the workplace where most people seek friendships, wisdom for living, and self affirmation would be a changed place.

View my special Easter message to the LeTourneau Nation here.  

Posted by LeTourneau University

Faith & Fanciful Footwork

As a large organization, LETU makes a significant economic impact in East Texas. However, I believe an even bigger impact is made by the servant leadership of our staff and students. Take Melanie Roudkovski, Pat Mays and Jeninne McNeill for example. They serve on the board of directors of East Texas CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. CASA volunteers are adults in the community who are trained to be advocates in court for abused and neglected children facing foster care placements. For more information on East Texas CASA, see their website: www.easttexascasa.org. 

With respect for the sacrifices Melanie, Pat and Jeninne were making at CASA, I had to say 'yes' when they invited me to be a 'celebrity dancer' in an upcoming fundraiser. This has required me to step outside my comfort zone and learn something about ballroom dance.

Here are a few lessons I've learned from ballroom dance:

  • Dancers keep their eyes in a window as they move around the floor. No, real ballroom dancers don't get lost in the eyes of their partners. Instead, they are fixed on a window over their partner's shoulder that allows them to move without bumping into others.  
  • While the feet and even the arms may be moving quickly, the core of the body remains steady and strong. 
  • The audience wants to see a big smile even more than fancy footwork.

Perhaps I shouldn't be searching for life lessons in this new experience for me, but the above does seem to ring true of the dance floor as well.  

We are all more resilient when we keep our eyes looking ahead rather than at the ground below us. We can't afford to stop thinking about where we are going. Especially when things are moving quickly around us, we need a stable center, a core of values that we know to be true. This is one of the most wonderful parts of our Christian walk: the knowledge that real truth exists and that our Christ holds all things together. Finally, I've been reminded that a smile goes a long way in reaching out to those around us.

The CASA event Saturday night is a sellout, which means much money is being raised to support abused and neglected children in East Texas. I will really need to smile BIG, because my footwork will be far from fanciful.

Posted by LeTourneau University

Professionals of Ingenuity and Christlike Character
Last week, Marsha and I spent several days with LETU friends in San Antonio and Austin. I really enjoyed sharing dinner with LETU alumna Amy Davis. When Amy came to LETU in 2002 as a freshman from Boerne, Texas, she had plans to be an engineer but credits LETU with helping her find her true calling in the legal profession. 

After earning her undergraduate degree in history and political science from LETU and serving as LETU student body president, she earned her law degree from the University of Texas in 2010, where she was editor in chief of the Texas Review of Law and Politics. Today she is an attorney with Cox Smith Matthews in San Antonio.

Amy talked to a group of LETU friends about how much she valued her LETU education. She talked of the encouraging mentoring of professor Paul Kubricht who opened her eyes to law school. She reported how well prepared she was for law school. Extensive research papers and oral presentations required of her at LETU gave her an advantage over other new law students.

Amy is wise to understand that the LETU experience must include both Christ-centered spiritual growth and academic excellence. As we say in our vision statement: our graduates are professionals of ingenuity and Christlike character.

Tom Leppert has also noticed the quality of our students. As mayor of Dallas, he honored our MBA students in 2009 for their work for a nonprofit organization in Dallas known as the Ferguson Road Initiative.

Our LETU business students provided valuable strategic analysis and outcomes assessment studies that were useful in the organization's successful proposal to acquire a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Justice. The grant helped the organization expand its neighborhood clean-up program and ensure long-term economic growth and a better quality of life.

Leppert visited campus yesterday to speak in chapel to students about his experience integrating his Christian faith and his professional work in business and civic service. His visit was organized through our Center for Faith and Work, which continues to promote the value of integrating these vital areas of our lives and to see our work as a holy calling with eternal impact.





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The Hopefulness of Spring
I've traveled three of the last four weekends. Today, I head south to visit with alumni, friends and trustees in the San Antonio and Austin area. A number of us from campus will be in San Antonio for what looks like a rainy retreat of nearly half our Board of Trustees.

The Longview downtown Rotary Club invited me to speak this week. They were interested in hearing my perceptions of our students. I told the group that this generation is very different than mine. This "iY Generation," as author Tim Elmore labels them, is overconnected, overserved and overwhelmed.

I also find that while struggling with worry to be sure, our students are willing to serve, to lead and to face the problems they inherit from my generation. Their optimism makes me hopeful.

We must be hopeful as we watch over 100 of our students leave on Friday for Spring Break Missions trips around the country. We have groups going all across the country to help where their talents and interests can be used to assist ministries all working to expand God's kingdom. Two new trips this year through Buckner International will take our students to South Texas where they will help a local church build a home for a needy family, and another group will conduct a church sports camp to teach leadership, sportsmanship and share the Gospel with local children. Friday's chapel commissioning service will be a great send-off.

Next weekend I'm staying home to enjoy the budding azaleas all around my yard! Our God, the creator of the universe, who makes all things new is demonstrating rebirth for us again this spring. It's a great time to live in Longview, Texas!

Posted by LeTourneau University

The Integration of Faith & Work
I'm traveling today to Washington, D.C. with our Center for Faith and Work director Bill Peel. We will spend the weekend with a group of men very interested in this goal of integrating their professional lives and their faith lives. The New Canaan Society is a network of men committed to living pure, speaking truth, righting wrong, and worshiping the King. People like Tim Keller and Bob Buford will be there to speak. I'm looking forward to learning more about how our Center can serve men who have been ministers in their workplaces.

A reminder that the integration of faith and work is a timely issue came in the news yesterday. Northeastern University in Boston announced that Chick-Fil-A restaurants would not be allowed to come to campus as part of their renovated student center. The Student Senate at Northeastern voted against inviting Chick-Fil-A because the company has been funding anti-gay organizations. The "Equality Matters" website reports that the restaurant and its WinShape Foundation gave $2 million to anti-gay groups like the Marriage and Family Legacy Fund which is seen as being against gay marriage.

We've been honored to have Chick-Fil-A founder Truett Cathy on campus. His son Dan, who is now president of the restaurant, responded that Chick-Fil-A is not anti-anyone.

For the record, if anyone from Chick-Fil-A is reading this, LeTourneau University would be more than happy to have you on our campus. Come on! We would be happy to be associated with a great organization that seeks business excellence with faithfulness to God and His institutions like marriage.

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The Joy of Learning With Students

It's been such a long time since I taught my first college class. That first lecture was given in August 1985 to a Principles of Marketing class at Oklahoma State University. For someone who had graduated from a small, private university, it was intimidating to lead a typical OSU business class with over 200 students. I felt very inadequate and was convinced my new career was over before it started when I realized that the daughter of the Governor of Oklahoma was one of my students. Certainly, she was with her Dad on the weekends complaining about that graduate student teaching her marketing class!

Somehow I managed to get through that first semester without a call from the Governor. Eventually, I discovered that I loved to teach and had a God-given talent for it. This semester, I'm teaching my first class at LETU and rediscovering the joy of learning with students. It's been a joy interacting with our fantastic students in a new way.

The Marketing Research class I'm leading this semester has nothing in common with that 1985 class at Oklahoma State. I have 23 students this term rather than over 200. In that first course, I focused on being an effective lecturer and exam writer. Now, I see myself much more as a facilitator or learning coach. Most of the learning in the course happens in the context of a marketing research project being designed and implemented for Texas Bank & Trust. As is the great historical strength of an LETU education, it is a hands-on class of learning by doing. Perhaps in 1985, students needed me to serve up facts. Students today have phones in their pockets that can serve up the facts. What they lack is the experience in using the information. That learning experience is what I can orchestrate.

The student groups presented their research proposals to Texas Bank & Trust marketing executives Wednesday, and each of the four groups that presented were impressive! With the feedback they received at the bank, they will complete their research in the remaining weeks of the term. With a few lectures and much more coaching, I am enjoying teaching these students much more than I enjoyed that first intimidating class so long ago.



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