LeTourneau University

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LeTourneau University is a private, nondenominational Christian university located in Longview, Texas with flagship programs in engineering, aeronautical science, business and education. The university also provides business and education programs for working adults in educational centers around Texas. Founded as LeTourneau Technical Institute in February, 1946 by R.G. LeTourneau with his wife Evelyn, the school initially educated veterans returning from World War II but has grown into a nationally-recognized master's-granting university, as ranked in "America's Best Colleges" by US News and World Report. Total enrollment of LeTourneau University is nearly 4,000.

[edit] History

Statue of R.G. LeTourneau near the front entrance of campus.

R.G. LeTourneau founded LeTourneau Technical Institute in February, 1946 on the site of the recently-abandoned Harmon General Hospital, a World War II hospital specialized in treating servicemen with neurological and dermatological issues. LeTourneau bought the site from the United States government with the help of Longview News publisher Carl Estes and other Longview community leaders for one dollar with the conditions that for the next 10 years, the United States government could reclaim the 156 acres (631,000 m²) and 220 buildings in the event of an emergency and no new construction or demolition could occur. The United States government also insisted that LeTourneau establish a vocational school for war veterans on the premises.

The State of Texas chartered the school on February 20, 1946, and classes were first held on April 1. At that point, enrollment at LeTourneau was exclusively male and predominantly veterans. For the first two years, LeTourneau provided an academy section to allow the completion of the junior and senior years of high school as well as a college section that offered two-year tradeskill programs and a four-year technology program. Students attended classes on alternating days; while one half of the students were in class, the other half worked at R.G. LeTourneau's nearby LeTourneau Incorporated manufacturing plant, thus satisfying the laboratory requirements of all of the industrial courses.

From 1946 to 1961, LeTourneau Technical Institute and LeTourneau, Inc. were one unified company under R.G. LeTourneau. In 1961, LeTourneau Technical Institute underwent a transformation into the co-educational LeTourneau College and began to offer bachelor's degrees in engineering, technology, and a limited number of arts and sciences. At this point, the college began to transition from the traditional wooden barracks buildings. The Tyler Hall Dormitory for men was erected in 1962, the Margaret Estes Library in 1963 and the Hollingsworth Science Hall in 1965.

The bell tower and mall at the center of campus.

The college continued to grow under the leadership of Allen C. Tyler in 1961 and 1962 and Richard H. LeTourneau (eldest son of R.G. and Evelyn) from 1962 to 1968. Harry T. Hardwick's presidency from 1968 to 1975 saw to the construction of the R.G. LeTourneau Memorial Student Center and the Longview Citizens Resource Center along with spearheading LeTourneau's accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Richard LeTourneau again assumed the presidency from 1975 to 1985, during which time he oversaw the accreditation of the school's mechanical and electrical engineering programs by the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (now the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) and supervised nine major construction projects, including the Trinity Dorms and the school's aviation facility at the East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County.

July 10, 2003 - One of the last WWII barracks being destroyed.

LeTourneau College became LeTourneau University in 1989 under the leadership of President Alvin O. Austin, who has served since 1986. President Austin has overseen the development of an MBA program and the expansion of programs in business and education into educational centers in Houston, Dallas, Tyler, Austin and Bedford. President Austin also has seen to the removal of all wooden barracks from the Longview campus, except for the historic landmark known as Speer Chapel, which is the only remaining WWII-era structure and is a popular place for weddings and ceremonies. Under Austin's leadership, the university's main campus has undergone considerable improvements including the construction of the university mall and Belcher Bell Tower, the Solheim Recreation and Activity Center, the Glaske Engineering Center, seven new residence halls, and a new 2,000-seat chapel and performance center which is currently under construction, slated to open in spring 2007.

In the spring of 2006, Austin announced that he will retire from his position as university president in June 2007 and assume the newly-created role of university chancellor. The school has established a presidential search committee with the goal of naming Austin's successor by May 2007.[3]

[edit] Academics

At the core of LeTourneau University is the undergraduate program of 1,316 traditional students at its main campus in Longview. LeTourneau boasts a diverse pool of undergraduates, representing 49 states, 22 countries, and over 40 denominations. The average undergraduate SAT score is 1170 (149 points above the national average) and LeTourneau undergraduates have an average of 3.5 high school GPA. Named one of About.com's top 10 Christian Colleges and Universities, LeTourneau ranks annually in U.S. News and World Report's top tier for Master's/Comprehensive Universities and was cited as a "Best Value" in the 2006 rankings.

The school offers numerous undergraduate degrees, most of which are focused on engineering, aeronautics, computer science, business, and education. A smaller liberal arts program serves to balance the largely technical (and male) student population. The school also offers extensive business and management graduate classes in Houston, Dallas, Tyler, Austin and Longview.[4][5]

[edit] Demographics

Of traditional undergraduates enrolled at the Longview campus in the fall of 2006, fully 71 percent are male, with an average age of 21. Three percent are international students; 54 percent come from other states. Homeschoolers account for nearly one in five Longview students.[6] At LeTourneau's satellite campuses, which are exclusively used for nontraditional students, women outnumber men with 70 percent of the total enrollment.

Caucasians make up 64 percent of the student body across all campuses. African-Americans are the largest minority group, with 23 percent. Eight percent are Hispanic, one percent are Asian, and half a percent are Native American.[7]

[edit] Location

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The LeTourneau University campus in 2003. Taken from the passenger seat of one of LeTourneau's very own Cessna training planes.

Longview, Texas is located about a two-hour drive east of Dallas and about a one-hour drive west from Shreveport, Louisiana. The main campus itself is located on the south side of Longview, two miles north of Interstate 20 (exit 595B). Most of LeTourneau University's 1,500 traditional students live on campus, as the school requires all unmarried students under the age of 22 (who aren't living with parents or relatives) to live in residence halls, on-campus apartments, or apply for a special waiver to live off-campus. While Longview is home to a variety of neighborhoods, both in age and economic circumstance, LeTourneau is immediately surrounded by lower income neighborhoods, with the exception of the neighborhood immediately north of LeTourneau, which is largely populated by professors and recent graduates.

[edit] Life At LeTourneau

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The school's mascot is "Buzz" the yellow jacket and the colors are yellow and blue. Chapel services are held three times weekly, with frequent additional services being held at various points in the semester. Chapel attendance is mandatory as students are required to attend thirty-eight of the fifty to seventy services held in a semester. The school competes in seven women's sports and six men's sports in Division 3 NCAA athletics in the American Southwest Conference.

Short 5-10 minute devotions are held before each class by the professor or a student. The campus is completely networked, with 100-Mbit connections available in all of the residence halls. Internet access is also available in computer labs located in Glaske and Longview Halls and the Margaret Estes Library, but physical network access within academic buildings is restricted to University-owned computers. Wireless access is available in all academic buildings and will be spreading to all major dormitories in the 2006-2007 school year.

[edit] Athletics

LeTourneau offers a wide variety of competitive men's and women's intercollegiate sports teams. Including: men's and women's soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, and cross-country running, men's baseball, women's softball, and women's volleyball. As members of the American Southwest Conference, LeTourneau Athletics is on the rise as Athletic Director Duane Trogdon has done an excellent job of bringing in coaches that are devoted to winning and earning the respect of opponents in the American Southwest Conference. YellowJacket basketball is currently making a run at the ASC Playoffs, sitting comfortably in third place under second year head coach Bob Davis. Women's Basketball is in a rebuilding year but is full of young talent ready to take it to the next level. Men's soccer finished up the 2006 season with a 12-5-2 record, narrowly missing their second straight ASC playoff appearance. while womens soccer wrapped up their year with an ASC playoff appearance for the second straight year with a 10-8-2 overall record. Baseball and Softball teams are also in the midst of dramatic change as both teams are under first year head coaches. Robin Harriss takes over on the baseball side this year. Harriss arrives after a coaching stint at Dartmouth University preceeded by a successful minor league playing career. Brad Bowser is stepping in this year as head softball coach. Both coaches are excited about their upcoming seasons. More team summaries coming soon.

[edit] Floor Spirit

One of the things that distinguish LeTourneau from other universities is the way that the students view their floors. Unlike at many universities, LeTourneau's floors are extremely unified. Floors often have rivalries and freshman "extended orientation" to build floor unity, reminiscent of a fraternity or a sorority. Many of these floors have policies to encourage social interaction and bonding, including an "open-door policy" when residents are in their rooms, residents’ being encouraged to eat meals together at the "floor table" in the dining hall, and residents’ attending chapel together. However, with such strong comraderie there are often tensions and rivalries between floors. Although this is generally only limited to small pranks, it can sometimes be an issue. Likewise, there are typically tensions between residence-hall floors and LeTourneau's Greek societies, typically stemming from what the floors feel is the societies’ "stealing" their members.

[edit] LeTourneau's "Greek" Societies

LeTourneau hosts a variety of Greek Societies on campus. Besides Greek Honor Societies, there are three independent Greek Fraternities and one independent Greek Sorority. Of those, the fraternities Kappa Zeta Chi (KZX), Alpha Omega (AO) and Lambda Alpha Sigma (LAS) have charters from the University and have residence facilities on campus, whereas the Sorority Phi Pi Delta (FPD) has a charter but no residence. These Greek Society Residences of KZX, AO and LAS are unique in that they are owned by the university but were built with donations from alumni and friends. None of LeTourneau's fraternities nor its sorority are part of national Greek organizations.

[edit] Other student activities

LeTourneau has a variety of student-led foundations and a representative body of elected students known as the Student Senate (senate seats are allocated by residence hall or living area). A portion of each student's tuition and fees is allocated to student senate each year to distribute to spring break mission trips, campus activities, on-campus clubs, and other projects. projects.

The Yellowjacket Activities Council (YAC), a university-sanctioned and funded student events committee, is responsible for planning and supervising several recreational "student life" activities each semester. Concerts, midnight festivals, movies, paintball, and Valentine parties are among the activities organized by YAC.

Every Spring the traditional Hootenanny variety show brings together the majority of the student body, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community for a dose of original comedy, music, and talent. The event is put on by individuals or groups of students who have auditioned in the weeks leading up to the show. 2005 marked the 40th anniversary of the Hootenanny production. Traditionally, members of the school faculty and administration have also participated at the student's request, often in satirical roles.

[edit] See also

• R.G. LeTourneau
• Longview, Texas

[edit] External links

• LeTourneau University (Official website)
• The Yellow Project Independent metablog and link center for LeTourneau-related blogs, websites, and photos
• The Sting Podcast Independent student podcast
• The LeTourneau Underground Humor site