Ceremony Participants

 Friday, May 3

Senior Breakfast: 9:30-10:30 a.m. (Allen Family Student Center). An invitation will be sent closer to graduation day. Please fill out the Senior Breakfast Reservation Form. Address questions to studentlife@letu.edu. Please R.S.V.P. by April 15th.

Servant Statue Ceremony: 3:00 p.m. (Belcher Center by the Servant statue). Hosted by Student Life. Attendance requested of all graduates. Graduates will be presented with their graduation gift which is a desk-sized copy of the Servant statue.

Graduate Reception: 3:30 p.m. (Allen Family Student Center Commons Area). No tickets required; guests welcome. You can R.S.V.P by filling out The Graduate Reception Reservation Form. Please R.S.V.P. by April 15th.

Nursing Pinning Ceremony: Please contact the School of Nursing for time and location.

 

Saturday, May 4

Non-Traditional Education Pinning Ceremony: Please contact the School of Education for time and location.

Cap & Gown Pick-up: All graduates must pick up their cap & gown and registration cards in AFSC Great Room at the time designated below for your academic school. Regalia cannot be provided earlier than this. Honors medals/cords will also be distributed at this time to anyone not able to attend the reception.

• 8:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. Aviation & Aeronautical Science, Arts & Sciences, Education, Nursing, Theology & Vocation.
• 12:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. Business, Engineering & Engineering Technology, Psychology & Counseling.

Student Line-up and Final Instructions: AFSC Great Room. Students must be in your chair and ready for the line-up and final instructions by the time indicated for your school:

• No later than 9:30 a.m. Arts & Sciences, Aviation & Aeronautical Science, Education, Nursing, Theology & Vocation.
• No later than 1:30 p.m. Business, Engineering & Engineering Technology, Psychology & Counseling.

Congressman Nathaniel Moran

Nathaniel Moran became a Texan just a few months before he turned two years old when his parents moved to rural East Texas with other families of faith to help start a small Bible College in southern Smith County.  His formative years were spent growing up in a single-wide trailer home on that Bible College campus, where he learned from his parents the values of hard work, service to others, and service to God.  Nathaniel spent most of his childhood exploring the woods around the Bible College, riding bikes on bumpy county roads, and shooting snakes with his BB gun along the West Mud Creek.  Nathaniel and his family eventually moved to Whitehouse, Texas, where Nathaniel attended Whitehouse I.S.D. and graduated in 1993, proudly serving as Senior Class President and Captain of the Wildcat football team.  It was during Nathaniel’s fourth grade year at Whitehouse that a love for public service rooted itself in his heart, as he—guided by his father—closely followed Ronald Reagan’s bid for re-election as President.  To this day, Nathaniel considers himself to be a Reagan Republican whose conservative values were shaped primarily by his father, President Reagan’s service, and by the strong, steady voice of Rush Limbaugh over the talk radio air waves for more than two decades.

After high school, Nathaniel attended the United States Military Academy at West Point for two years before transferring to Texas Tech University, where he ultimately earned a B.A. in Russian Language and Area Studies, an MBA, and a law degree.  It was at Texas Tech that Nathaniel also met Kyna, whom he married just one week before starting law school.  Upon graduation from law school, Kyna and Nathaniel moved to Tyler, where Nathaniel began practicing law and Kyna began teaching elementary school.  For the past two decades, Nathaniel’s civil law practice has focused primarily on business and commercial litigation and transaction work.  Nathaniel and Kyna have now been married for over twenty-three years and they have four school-aged children, who serve as a primary motivation for his service in Congress. 

Nathaniel began his elected public service as a member of the City Council for the City of Tyler, Texas from 2005-2009.  In 2009, just after being re-elected to his third term on the Tyler City Council, Nathaniel was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem, but resigned immediately to move his family to Houston, Texas for three years so that his oldest son could attend a specialized school for the Deaf.  The unexpected opportunity to relocate his family for this purpose led to the miracle of his son learning to speak by age seven, something they did not think was possible.  Upon returning to Tyler, Nathaniel returned to the practice of law and began giving back to his community through service with numerous non-profit organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Discovery Science Place, Cancer Foundation for Life, and Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce.  He also helped start an education foundation for Whitehouse I.S.D.  At varying times over the past two decades, he has also been a Sunday School teacher, church deacon, trombone player for the church worship team, and coach of his daughters’ basketball teams.

In 2016, Nathaniel was appointed as the Smith County Judge to fill a vacancy in that position.  As Smith County Judge, Nathaniel served as the presiding officer of the Commissioners Court, Chief Budget Officer, judge of the Constitutional County Court (which had original jurisdiction over probate, guardianship, and civil mental health matters), chair of the Juvenile Board, head of emergency management, and chief administrative officer of the County.  In 2018, he was elected to a full four-year term as County Judge and he continued in that role until he was elected to Congress in November 2022.  Because of his work in the area of mental health, Nathaniel was appointed to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health in 2021. Nathaniel is proud of his decades of volunteer and elected service to his community and looks forward to continuing to fulfill this calling of service in Congress.  Ultimately, Nathaniel seeks to fulfill the Great Commandment found in Matthew 22: 36-40.

 

If you have recorded and submitted your name pronunciation on the Intent to Graduate Application you do not need to call in

 

You can call in the pronunciation of your name so that it can be announced correctly at Commencement.

Call 903-233-3215 and repeat the following phrase TWICE after the recording:

“My Student ID is ______ and my name is ______.”

Do not exaggerate your name. Simply say your name as you would introducing yourself in a conversation. Overstating your name could change the way it sounds. Please call by the deadline of April 15th. 

Ceremony Regalia

All caps, gowns, and honors cords will be provided the day of the ceremony by the University through our vendor, Jostens. Regalia can only be provided on the day of the ceremony. You may keep all regalia.

Regalia Policy

Graduation stoles may be worn to highlight a student's academic or extracurricular achievement or to denote their affiliation with a particular group or field of study. Stoles should be respectful of the mission and ideals of LeTourneau University. 

Honors College

Seniors that are currently in the Honors College and want to be recognized at the ceremony with this distinction, please contact Dr. Johnson’s office.  

International Sashes

If you are a graduating international student, study abroad student, Global Service Learning participant, third culture kid (TCK), or missionary kid (MK), you are eligible to order an international sash that reflects the flag colors of your chosen country. Please fill out the International Sash Order Form by April 1st.

Veteran Cords

LeTourneau is proud to recognize graduating veterans and active-duty military personnel for service to their country by offering special red, white and blue cords to be worn with academic regalia during commencement. These cords are available through the Registrar’s Office upon verification of military status. Contact the Registrar (Registrar@letu.edu) for more detailed instructions by April 1st.

Professional Photography 

Juays Photography, a commercial photographer who operates independently of LeTourneau University, will provide a candid photography service at the ceremony. Each graduate will have his/her picture taken at the moment he/she shakes the president's hand, and directly after walking across the stage. These can be viewed and purchased at Juays Photography.

Livestream

A livestream of both ceremonies will be available on letu.edu/graduation the day of. A recording of the livestreams will be available for download free of charge afterward.