62 minute read
Innovating & Claiming a Future of Co-Creating
Faculty Snapshots: School of Business
Kathleen Mays, D.B.A.
Dean, School of Business | Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship
Dr. Kathleen Mays earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Anderson University and a Master of Business Administration in Management at Troy State University. She returned to LeTourneau in 2019. “Entrepreneurship is the running theme, the mindset, that all of our business students are introduced to, in year one. Engaging with them, and the entire business faculty, as they explore the entire creative business process, from ideation and trial & error, to actual business creation, and making the pitch, is incredibly rewarding. Having worked at LeTourneau for years, and returned, it feels like home—and it’s more ‘LeTourneau’ than it’s ever been.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of working with a cross section of LeTourneau business & engineering students in our entrepreneurship classes, so I get to see the inspiration and legacy of R.G. LeTourneau come to life in such a modern, tangible way. Our engineers are exposed to foundational business principles as applied to tech-based companies, and nothing is more ‘Christian polytechnic’ than seeing the lightbulbs go off in a fresh way as they begin to see the path to bringing inventions to the marketplace."
Beverly Rowe, Ph.D., C.P.A.
Professor of Accounting
“The Bible says, ‘Acknowledge Him in all your ways,’ and at LeTourneau, I can freely acknowledge Christ in everything I do. Not only freely, but I am expected to do that. That gives me great joy and lets me walk the path that God has called me to walk. It allows me to use the gifts that God’s given me to build things here, to serve him.” Dr. Beverly Rowe holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science in Management from Purdue University. Her undergraduate background is in theatre. She returned to LeTourneau in 2016. “I do a whole lot more than teach accounting. Yes, I teach accounting. Yes, I prepare accounting students to get ready for a career. I help them find internships, I help them guide into those careers, but more importantly, I am called to help them learn more about how to walk with Christ, how to mature in the Lord, how to follow Him, how to trust Him when they really don’t have a clue what’s going on, and God has let me live that out. I can speak it with experience—my pathway looked pretty zig-zaggy, but God had a plan, and it was a pathway. I can honestly say to them, ‘Don’t be really concerned about whether God’s going to use this or do that or you have to do it this way because He doesn’t waste anything. There is nothing that will happen in your life that will ever be wasted.’”
Business is inherently tied to the historic foundations of LeTourneau University, and today's School of Business is leaning into its entrepreneurial heritage now more than ever. The current suite of programs runs the gamut—accounting, business administration, finance, management, and marketing—but shares a unifying thread, all led by a team of faculty experts who truly 'get' that entrepreneurship is more than just a gig. It's a mindset that supersedes sectors of service, and a creative vehicle for a tangible, relational brand of business where earnings and engagement co-exist for kingdom glory. Nothing more 'R.G.' than that. These pages give a glimpse into the hearts of our full-time core business faculty, and touch on some of their ongoing contributions to business at LeTourneau.
Meet the full suite of instructors at letu.edu/business.
Karen Jacobs, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business
“I love the fact that LeTourneau is faith-based. I get to preach to my classes about who I am and what I do. I mean, when I get to pray for students, they tell me that things are going on and sometimes it’s really hard stuff. But the cool thing is, I get to sit and pray with them, encourage them. Students have lived with me, students have traveled with me. We’ve gone through births, we’ve gone through deaths, gone through divorces with some... and the undercurrent is always the same: the fact that God is there.” Dr. Karen Jacobs has a Ph.D. from Northcentral University as well as Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University. She began teaching at LeTourneau in 2002.
“Part of what we do is research, which means we go into the community, we talk to business owners, we see what they do in their business, and we get to make suggestions. Small class sizes; there’s a benefit. So, students get to know the businesses, get to know the owners, get to understand why faith is important to them and what they do, and then hopefully, make those connections they’ll use the rest of their lives.”
Robert H. Roller, Ph.D.
Calvin Howe Professor of Finance
“I want my students to see how the Bible speaks to their situation, how the Bible speaks to economics, how the Bible speaks to finance, [and] how the Bible speaks to business ethics. Now, part of the reason we feel that it’s important in the School of Business is because we see business as a high and holy calling.” Dr. Bob Roller has a Ph.D. in Strategic Management & Organizational Theology and Finance & Research Methods from Oklahoma State University and an MBA in Finance from Oral Roberts. He returned to LETU in 2019. “We see business as a place where our graduates can go into the world and make a difference, not only by being excellent in terms of business, but by being a light in a place that’s often very dark, being a voice for the kingdom of God, being an example to others of how life should be lived to its fullest, how people can flourish.”
M. Isabella Cavalcanti Junqueira, Ph.D.
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Marketing
“I have always enjoyed my experiences of growing up in a family business. Our discussions around the dinner table revolved around business concepts coupled with conversations about art, history, classical music, and creativity. Over time, all these themes unfurled across the weaving threads of our stories. For this reason, I became fascinated with the study of entrepreneurship and marketing with a concentration on strategy. My commitment, therefore, is to foster sound research, strategy, and entrepreneurial mindset practices in the classroom." Dr. Isabella Junqueira joined the LETU business faculty in the Fall of 2021. She received her Ph.D. in Management from the Lancaster University Management School, in the United Kingdom, and her Master of Science in International Business Development from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Dijon-Bourgogne (Burgundy School of Business, in France). "I aim to provide learning opportunities for my students that inspire curiosity, analytical thinking, ethical actions, trust formation, and transformative faith-based experiences. Drawing on the example of Jesus Christ and His great love for people, we follow the entrepreneur and customer journeys through quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In this respect, I purposefully apply a scriptural perspective to the entrepreneurship and marketing curriculum to engender novel academic, professional, and faith-based discussions, and proficiencies.”
Innovating & Claiming a Future of Co-Creating
by Grant Bridgman
If necessity is the mother of invention, creativity must certainly be its father.
What does it mean to be a creator? Does our world need more creators? If we are called to some aspect of original creation, how do we incorporate that into our lives and vocations? How does a Christian university respond to this need in the world?
According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, the U.S. has declined in its overall percentage of patents filed over the past three years for the first time since 2009, while other countries show high percentages of patent filing growth. This statistic, however, is not necessarily an indication of a drop in creativity or innovation since it doesn’t account for the inventions or creations that were never submitted for patent status. Or is it? Is there a kink in the hose of ideation? Is it a resource in limited supply? Where's the source?
As Christians, we have a specific understanding of what it means to be creators, and why every person is designed to feel the urge to create something out of nothing. While there may be moments where creation is mandated by a job or a relationship of some kind, the deeper desire to create must certainly have been placed on us long before any external expectations came onto the scene. Creativity, perhaps, is hardwired into our DNA, as a gift from our Creator. As computer science professor and LETU inventor Dr. Glyn Gowing, states:
“As Christians, especially as people working in the field of technology, I feel that by inventing and creating, we are even more so reflecting the image of God, and representing the image of God by doing the things that God does: Loving, caring for people and creating. Because, you know, God created all of this. And as a scaleddown version, ultimately, no, we're not creating universes and all that; but we are also creating and innovating, making new things just like God did when he created the universe.”
So what does that mean for us in the context of intellectual property? Should we claim intellectual property? Wouldn’t the Christian approach be to create something to share with the world without claiming “rights” to the creation, in the name of service? Or would it?
Besides his work as professor of chemistry, LETU faculty member Dr. Gary DeBoer is the on-campus champion for faculty intellectual property as founder of the LeTourneau Innovation Center, and he is licensed to practice patent law. Addressing these types of questions, Dr. DeBoer believes that if we are called to be in every workplace in every nation, that realm includes intellectual property, and intellectual property law. He shares the following anecdote to further address these questions:
and that’s not always the best thing to do."
"When we lived just north of campus, there was a vacant lot where our teenage boy and all his buddies played airsoft, and nobody cared. You know, we’re all happy to see the kids playing and have a good time being outside. We made sure the local police knew that they were playing. It was all good. Everybody had a good time. On the other hand, nobody wanted these teenagers playing airsoft in their house, right? That’s why we’re all happy for them to play in the vacant lot. The difference here, is we’ve invested in our house. So the point is if you have an invention that takes investment to bring it to a market, people aren’t going to invest unless they can exclude others from using it. You’re not going to buy a house if people can just walk through it without your permission. In order to claim the intellectual property, we need to know what the "rules" are, otherwise the work will never get to market. People will never build a house if they can’t exclude other people from using it. We need to know all the differences between a vacant lot and, you know, building a house. For Christians, we’ve been thinking everything’s a vacant lot, but everything is not a vacant lot, right? And we just need to educate ourselves as to what’s the best way to bring these things to people to better their lives. That’s sort of the bigger picture. There’s this Christian thought that we should just give our stuff away, and that’s not always the best thing to do."
DeBoer helps LeTourneau faculty and students pursue patent filings, most recently working with Dr. Gowing, and Mathematics Professor Dr. Curtis Wesley.
Gowing invented a circuit trainer device which is able to test circuits and read/ compare target output values. “I came up with the idea of this device because I knew enough about electronics because I've been playing with microcontrollers for years. So I knew enough about these things like, ‘Hey, these things can read voltages so we can use this, you know, you do a circuit instead of the old fashioned way where you go and put your multimeter and test the circuit. Just connect it to the inputs and have it read the values and see if the circuits are right and have it put up lessons or assignments; engineers can just press the button and it tests to see if it's right.”
Gowing’s device allows computer science students and engineering students to engage in hands-on work related to their courses, even during times when classes might be held remotely. In the spirit of the cross-discipline collaboration that is so prevalent around LETU, the beginnings of this invention stemmed from an engineering faculty member reaching out to Gowing. "Dr. Hoo Kim contacted me one day and said ‘I have an interesting problem, and I wonder if you can help me figure out a solution.’ And he said ‘I want to find a way to be able to take electronics courses, like your basic circuit courses, and find a way to teach them online where they can still do hands-on labs."
Gowing expressed his enthusiasm for inventing and creating, his passion for exploring new ideas, and how meaningful it is to him personally to "take simple things, put them together, make them more complex...make them more useful, make them more beautiful."
As Gowing takes the simple and makes it more complex, Wesley strives to take something stereotypically complex and simplify it.
Wesley invented a card game that is meant for introducing mathematical principles to all
make them more beautiful."
make them more useful,
different kinds of people, especially children, as young as seven years old. This game is intended to be simple and intuitive. Knowing he had to do away with 'scary sounding' mathematics words, Wesley utilized basic shapes and colors on cards and created a game. The goal of the game is simply to build different combination of shapes/colors from different cards, and position the cards in different ways, to achieve the value of one.
In addition to the basic goals of playing the game, Wesley highlights a deeper potential outcome of the game.
“Many people approach math and say, oh it’s about equations, or about numbers, or about graphs, etc. But math is actually a language. Not only is it a language for communication, but a language which gives us a way to write out a story of how one thing can relate to another. This is what I wanted to convey in the card game. When you play this game, you are expressing an idea. It’s not about the symbols on the cards. It’s about the idea that’s conveyed."
In discussing these deeper meanings of language and communication as they relate to our role as co-creators with God, Wesley went on to say: “There are mathematical relationships throughout our lives. There is an inherit logic behind all that we do. We get that logic from God. God breathed in us the breath of life, and gave us the ability to create, think, and discover. We can think deeply about our world, and our place in the world."
With the guidance and expertise of Dr. DeBoer, Drs. Wesley and Gowing have provisional patents on file for their inventions, and plan to keep moving forward in the patent process. Their work individually, but even more-so, collectively, showcases the culture of innovation and cross-discipline collaboration that are distinctly 'LeTourneau'.
Necessity drives many practical outcomes, but DeBoer, Gowing, and Wesley lead us to conclude that the creativity, logic, and beauty behind every valuable idea is ultimately a result of how we were created. They exemplify how leaning into this part of our make-up could result in more Christian involvement and influence in the innovation voids and creative solutions in our world.
Certainly our world is ever in need of new ideas and perspectives, and ingenuity and logic, for many of its problems. A certain amount of brokenness in our world will only be redeemed at the return of Christ; however, some redemption may take place through the work of the Creator in us, through our own creative solutions. Some of these solutions may actually need to be ‘claimed’ in order to reach their fullest potential and have the widest impact. As DeBoer states, "it’s not just about bringing in revenue. It’s about teaching students about the application of intellectual property and claiming the value in what you do. And where better to do that than at a polytechnic university? At the Christian Polytechnic University."
Heritage P on u HeritageLeTourneau’s 75th, Longview’s 150th, and texas Forever
by kate day
Certain people are drawn to LeTourneau University. They skew curious, intentional, grounded, and practical. They know how to get from point A to point B, but are sure likely to pick an inventive way to get there. They know how to fix things. They’re familiar with effort, working hard and praying harder. They connect with a calling and aren’t in it for more than the satisfaction of a job well done—one done for a much higher purpose than what meets the eye. But this isn’t news to you. If you’re reading this, odds are you’re one of those certain people.
Eyeball the lot of us, and you may not be able to see it by looking. The unique personalities, perspectives, areas of interest, and experiences are all over the map. But start to listen, and it’s clear. The ‘who’ may vary, but the ‘why’ is consistent. There’s an unspoken commonality, and it’s the magnetizing force that brings us together. The draw is in the drinking water, inherent from the get-go—a quality that flowed from R.G. and surfaces constantly to this day. A distinct thread linking the people who return, and the people who stay.
As a Longview native, I sure didn’t mean to. Funny how that happens. Grew up here, and figured I’d get away. Went off to college, moved back home, and took a job working in LeTourneau’s marketing office. Thirteen years later, this university feels as much my home as Longview does.
There’s a subtlety to this place. It isn’t flashy. It won’t coddle you, but it will care for you deeply. Christian conviction is the core of our common purpose, but that connection runs layers deep. It’s the bond of belief in practical solutions. That a spark of an idea might just ignite and turn into something that makes a difference. That the path from ideation to tangible invention is a traversable one, and that ‘back to the drawing board’ is a sacred destination.
You can sense this unspoken manifesto in labs, at lunch tables, even in overheard conversations: “I believe in solutions. I believe in getting the job done. I believe there is something bigger at play here than what meets the eye. I believe that this is meaningless without God guiding and being at the center of it.”
There’s a concentrated intentionality to those drawn to Christian polytechnic education. People don’t end up here by accident. R.G. and Evelyn sure didn’t. And neither did you or I.
Whenever I meet students, alumni, or new employees, I have a perpetual habit of asking them how they found LeTourneau University. In my years on staff, I’ve asked hundreds of people, and there is a curious congruity to most answers.
For some, the logistical guide was Google. But for most, a seemingly coincidental introduction to the school feels like divine direction: “I stumbled upon Mover of Men and Mountains at my grandpa’s house,” or “My mom’s colleague had heard of it,” or “My cousin’s best friend went there and the way they spoke of it struck a chord.” Much to my grateful chagrin as a marketer, the Lord works in much more mysterious ways than advertising.
A Time, Place, and a Purpose
LeTourneau University itself didn’t end up here by accident—neither in existence, nor in a particular spot called Longview, Texas. Our home, and tens of thousands of students’ temporary home-away-from-home, celebrated 150 years since its founding this past year.
It all started in 1870 when farmer Ossamus Hitch Methvin, Sr., convinced the railroad to come through his neck of the good ol’ pine curtain. Rail expansion was continuing westward after the Civil War, and with it followed the same thing that’s always lured folks west: promise. Methvin sold 100 acres to the Southern Pacific Railroad for one gold dollar to persuade them to build their line in the direction of the land he owned. A town site was assembled in advance of track construction, and that town was dubbed Longview. The heart of this initial outlay was near Center and Tyler streets, and the original 100 acres granted by Methvin is today the city’s downtown One Hundred Acres of Heritage. And yes, the town moniker was inspired by Mr. Methvin’s view atop his homestead, Rock Hill.
Three quarters of a century later, along came an evangelizing industrial inventor with blueprints that would forever change not only south Longview, but countless lives—with jobs, education, and a faith that resonated because it worked.
There’s nothing like a good origin story, and you know our part in this one: how Robert Gilmour and Evelyn LeTourneau came to town when they visited East Texas on the hunt for the site of their new manufacturing plant. Harmon General Hospital had recently been abandoned after serving its purpose, and 25,000+ GIs, as a World War II U.S. Army Hospital. It captured the eye of ‘Mom’ LeTourneau. Why not a school, in addition to the plant?
With the help of Longview News publisher Carl L. Estes and other local civic leaders, the deal was made. Our founders purchased the 156 acres and 232 buildings of Harmon General from the United States government for, guess what? One dollar. LeTourneau
Peaches & Cream.
sure, they traveLed extensiveLy, but
made east texas, and LeTourneau university, home. The Dean of Earthmoving
University has now been around for half of Longview’s existence, celebrating 75 years in 2021.
The LeTourneau Way
From there on out, The LeTourneau’s did what they always did: they dug in and built. They dug into the lives of the men in the alter-day program, making an education work for weary veterans after an era of the unexpected. As we know, Mom’s hospitality was legendary, and Pop’s make-it-work mentality was seemingly limitless. They built the legacy that is now LeTourneau University and was LeTourneau, Inc., inherently knowing the two—knowledge and practical application—went hand in hand.
The Longview Daily News headline read “LeTourneau Plant Dedicated at Diamond Jubilee: Industrialist Stresses Need to Merge Education, Practical Work.” It was Tuesday, April 13, 1948, two years after ground broke on the LeTourneau plant, and 18 months after the first bulldozer rolled off its line.
“To get production know-how requires a combination of two things which are like peaches and cream,” Mr. LeTourneau asserted. “Each is good, but they are far better together. We need the combination of the academic and the practical education in order to do the job. Nobody could relish living for years on peaches, nor does the idea of several years on a cream diet appeal to many. But I’ll bet I could live a long time in a rowboat on both of them together.”
He and Evelyn also dug into Longview. Literally, in some cases: Lake Cherokee was developed in the late 1940s by private interests, and the right man was on hand to get the forest clearing and excavation job done (all while testing the latest heavy machinery forged at his factory).
Some Things Change, But Some…
It was a time of expansion—for the postwar nation, for East Texas with its oil & gas boom, and for LeTourneau. Things literally started to take flight around here with the dedication of the Gregg County Airport in the summer of 1947. Longview’s population had tripled in the 1930s and was on track to hit another big growth spurt in the 1950s. LeTourneau Technical Institute grew right along with it, welcoming female students in 1961 and beginning a decades-long journey toward becoming an increasingly comprehensive university, drawing students from around the nation and embarking on the next chapter of working adult education, from VHS correspondence course tapes to fully online classes. Campus has transformed over time, but there’s something about LeTourneau that will always be recognizable.
The way our 75 years have unfolded seems to have surprised no one. The fact that there used to be go-kart races on campus and students built their own out of whatever scrap was laying around? Nope. That students helped run and maintain the city’s ambulance service? Not that either. That as a wider variety of majors were offered, the heart of them all continued to be that faith-driven practicality? Not in the slightest. The decades of storied pranks, mattresses skidding down the berm, first solo flights, ingenious senior design projects, epic dorm lore… the list of nearly 30,000 individuals’ memories, proud moments, and unforgettable connections is beyond capturable.
This university history of ours is short—a mere lifetime. The magnitude of transformation in this flash of time is remarkable, both for our alma mater and our
backyard. And Longview, Texas, is a gift of a location, perhaps now more than ever.
Location, Location, Location
Texas entered 2021 as the world’s ninth largest economy, according to data from the International Monetary Fund, and a recent Forbes report ranks Texas first in the nation for its growth prospects. Consult the myriad articles citing reasons people are relocating families and businesses to the Lone Star State, and common themes appear repeatedly: job opportunities, affordable housing, reasonable cost of living, diversity, family-friendliness, recreation aplenty, manageable traffic, and proximity to some of the largest cities in America with the highest standard of living. The same opportunity and practical promise our municipal and university founders saw are alive & well, and make East Texas, more than ever, a desirable launchpad for our grads.
The Longview plant was R.G.’s last to establish. His previous manufacturing facilities were in Peoria, Illinois; Toccoa, Georgia; Rydalmere, New South Wales, Australia; and Vicksburg, Mississippi. But it was here in Longview that R.G. & Evelyn chose to root. Sure, they traveled extensively, but ‘The Dean of Earthmoving’ made East Texas, and LeTourneau University, home. It’s a great choice, in my biased opinion.
Growing up here, so many of the historical figures in this city’s past were names I knew from signs around town: Methvin, Estes, and Pegues (the first postmaster). I ‘met’ LeTourneau as a kid, jumping in the new Solheim pool for a birthday party here and there or being bussed over, past the domes, for the university’s annual invention contest for local school children. (Let the record show, I once won $5.00 for some rudimentary hand warmers, following in my older sister’s shadow after her toothbrush timer victory). Our family went to church on Mobberly Avenue, and countless members had their own origin stories that involved LeTourneau drawing them to Longview. Even in these initial experiences, it was clear. There was something different about that LeTourneau crowd. Little did I know, I’d become a part of it.
A portrait of R.G. hangs in my office. I’m honestly not sure of its provenance, but I get a kick out of his toothy grin and iconic glasses supervising my daily work. It reminds me of what I love about this place, its history, and of the thousands of divinely orchestrated details to shape the institution we know and love—in a town so aligned with equal promise.
LeTourneau University is a committed academic ministry that continues to lead within Christian higher education. Our unique organizational saga positions our university to confront some of the world’s most significant challenges and pursue opportunities that serve students and prepare them to engage their workplaces around the world for the sake of the Gospel message.
The university's new three-year strategic plan is a reflection of this aim—and critical needs required to meet it in ways only we can. Its creation is a culmination of months of hard work and engaged conversations with campus leaders and members of the Board of Trustees. As alumni and friends of the institution, you have helped build LeTourneau University into what it is today, and we value your engagement as we move ahead together.
Our new strategic plan embraces four mission critical objectives that guide the university’s key priorities and initiatives: Academic Excellence & Ingenuity; Financial Strength, Stewardship, & Growth; Diversity & Hospitality; and Campus Culture, Health, & Well-Being. Details of our plan and updates on strategic progress may be found at letu.edu/strategicplan.
Among these strategic planning resources is our institutional call to prayer. Developed by Dr. Pat Mays, Campus Pastor, this weekly prayer guide is based on the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer plan is also presented on the strategic planning webpage. Please join us in praying for our university, our students, our faculty, our staff, and our alumni.
God has called each of us to His work during this very tumultuous time in our world. We embrace this extraordinary responsibility with humility and pray for God’s wisdom, discernment, and blessing as we steward this incredible gift we know as LeTourneau University.
LeTourneau University has inherited a unique educational calling—a calling informed by our university identity as ‘The Christian Polytechnic University.’ This identity is a product of our distinct mission that articulates who we are and what we are called to do as an organization:
We are a one-of-a-kind institution of higher learning (The) because of our abiding commitment to the Gospel story (Christian) in offering a technologycentric (Polytechnic) education, where all academic disciplines and community practices align for the common good (University).
As we celebrate 75 years as an institution and embark on the next three, our priorities center upon this unifying identity and purpose. It guides our path, aligns our work, and presses us forward. With a solidified vision for who we are called to be, the future is clear. It is our obligation to flourish, to expand the ways and means through which God can use our campus community to impact His Kingdom.
The Strategic Plan of LeTourneau University expresses a vision developed in partnership with our faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and friends. It reflects our institutional values. Four mission-critical objectives emerged as our focus as we established our three-year goals—essential steps required to bring our collective calling to life. These four MCOs are an enduring charge, a collective compass that supersedes one planning cycle and articulates our abiding aspirations and commitments. While our tactics will vary and our goals will evolve, our future strategic developments and initiatives will adhere to these foundational themes.
We are confident in God’s proven, unwavering faithfulness and come together to own the next chapter in our institutional saga. LeTourneau University will be a community recognized for:
LeTourneau University will lean into its uniqueness as the destination for Christian polytechnic education, with an ever-deepening commitment to academic excellence & ingenuity. We commit to offering academic programs that fulfill our educational promises and advance our institutional identity. This requires continual reinvestment in an academic enterprise that offers students dynamic educational experiences—both commensurate with a changing world of technology & innovation and reflective of the identity & experiences of ‘The Christian Polytechnic University.’
Central goals include reimagining our general education curriculum to robustly reflect our identity through a thoughtful mix of technical & applied courses in the liberal arts & sciences, as well as a “Polytechnic Core.” We will also strategically invest in existing academic programs with the highest potential for enrollment growth.
LeTourneau University will be an organization known for financial strength, growth & stewardship, where thoughtful business strategies benefit students and set the institution up for future success. We will prioritize strategies that foster financial sustainability and independence to negotiate external threats to Christian higher education. Areas of focus will include initiatives to grow financial health in the areas of academic programs, auxiliary enterprises, and capital management & fundraising.
Central goals include establishing the largest comprehensive campaign in university history and strengthening the university’s financial position with annual net income gains. Campaign priorities will be informed by our strategic plan goals, as well as capital & facility needs, program needs, faculty support, & endowed scholarship needs.
LeTourneau University will be a multi-cultural community that values the diversity of God’s creation while answering Christ’s call for unity. Embodying hospitality toward diverse communities we seek to serve, we will prepare people, not just professionals, to love God and neighbor. Our students will know the theology of diversity and develop cultural competence. The entirety of our campus community will reflect the diversity of our region and experience a strengthening familial relationship with our Longview neighbors.
*Central goals include increasing ethnic diversity & representation of women within the university community. Guides in development will include a university-adopted theological statement on diversity, grounded in scripture, and a biblically-centered cultural diversity & cultural competence audit.*
LeTourneau University will be known for its efforts to address the health & wellness needs of students, faculty, & staff—a community where members band together to create a campus environment conducive to developing healthy people for a rapidly advancing technological world. It is well-accepted that young adults increasingly face significant mental health challenges; challenges that we will the resource and meet. We also aspire to be a workplace that pays close attention to organizational morale, health, and wellness, becoming a top workplace within the East Texas community and exemplifying the practices and behaviors that make it a career destination.
*Central goals include expanding resources to support & treat student mental health through campus education, awareness, engagement, and provision of services. Simultaneously, we will advance positive employee engagement with workplace improvements and faculty & staff development efforts.*
Crafted by Pat Mays
2021 is a banner year in the history of LeTourneau University. We are celebrating our 75th anniversary; we are making a presidential transition; we are initiating a new strategic plan; and we are launching the largest capital campaign in the history of the university. Any one of these events is significant. The confluence of all four indicate momentous and joyful opportunities. We also face uncertain and challenging times as a Christian institution, in a world with strong, opposing forces to our mission. These challenges and opportunities present a crucial moment to trust in the power and provision of Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, prudent for us as a Christ-centered community to answer an intentional call to prayer.
The three years that the disciples spent with Jesus in his ministry were intense. The entry of Jesus, God Incarnate, into the fabric of human history shook foundations and brought transformation both to corporate systems and individual lives. The disciples had a front row seat through it all. In the midst of those tumultuous times, Jesus prayed and taught his disciples to pray.
The prayer that Jesus taught, the Lord’s Prayer, has remained a constant in the practice and worship of Christ’s followers down through history. It has become a kind of rock, an anchor, when the joys and the troubles of this world have threatened to overwhelm.
As LeTourneau University boldly moves forward in faith, we place our confidence in the God who has led us in the past, leads us today, and will lead us into the future. Therefore, we, the people of LeTourneau University, are called to prayer for the 2021-2024 strategic plan. As was the case with the first disciples and with the historic church, we will be guided by the Lord’s Prayer.
There are many good resources on the Lord's Prayer that we encourage you to access to go deeper as we pray as a university community. One example is N. T. Wright’s book, *The Lord and His Prayer*. It is a short, yet thoughtful, reflection on The Lord’s Prayer and will encourage us as a community as we intentionally pray together. In it, he focuses on the Lord's Prayer in six summary sections as follows.
A Summary Outline of the Lord's Prayer
Using the Prayer Guide
Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4
I. OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN:
The Lord’s Prayer invites us with boldness to address our heavenly Father as the true God of the universe. The One who holds all creative and sustaining power of the universe counts us as children. With this comforting address, we bow in worship to the only God who is worthy of glory and honor.
II. THY KINGDOM COME:
This first petition is a prayer of integration. God’s kingdom, indeed, will come, and there is no human act that can stop it. The prayer, then, is an obedient act of the human will to participate with God’s redemptive activity in the world.
III. GIVE US THIS DAY:
God confronts human greed with His grace. The prayer for bread, and all that it symbolizes, is both a petition for and a recognition of God’s blessings that He graciously offers His children. Thus, all of God’s blessing should be received with thanksgiving.
IV. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES:
The plea for forgiveness is a reminder that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). The prayer reminds us that we are all prodigals, and God runs to us ready to offer forgiveness (Lk. 15:11-32). In turn, we should freely forgive others who have wronged us.
V. DELIVER US FROM EVIL:
The world is dark with temptation and evil. Christ’s followers are not called to remove themselves from the world, but rather to be sent by Christ into it so that theworld will know the Father (John 17). The need for protection from evil in this callingis real.
VI. THE POWER AND THE GLORY:
The concluding summation of the prayer clearly identifies that prayer is significant work that invites the establishment of the reign of God, a time and place in which creation is restored to its intended order. God is King, and He alone has the power to grant petitions, and He shall receive the glory.
The Strategic Plan Prayer Guide is set up on a work-week schedule and incorporates the six sections of The Lord’s Prayer. On Tuesday through Friday, one of the four Mission Critical Objectives (MCO) of the Strategic Plan will be highlighted each day. As you pray through each section of the Lord’s Prayer, we encourage you to reflect on the amplifications that are offered for each MCO. Please feel free to use these words and offer your own. For Mondays, we encourage you to pray for the university and the Strategic Plan in a broader scope, as we seek to be salt and light in our communities and in the world at large.
Monday: Our World, Our Nation, Our Community Tuesday: MCO 1 - Academic Excellence And Ingenuity
With both humility and boldness, we call on You, Our Father, the one, true, and holy God of the universe. As an extension of your love, You have created this world, and You sustain it in Your mercy and power. May Your name reign supreme in our world, our nation, and our community.
Your kingdom will, indeed, come. There is no earthly power or person that can stop it! Help us to be an obedient, insightful people, who joyfully participate where Your Spirit is moving mightily and who work for transformation in Your name where suffering and sin temporarily reign. May the leaders of our world, nation, and community be agents of Your kingdom values.
Give us this day our daily bread—
You are the Bread of Life, who provides us nourishment physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As we are blessed, empower usto be Your servants in our world, nation, and community, bringing food to the hungry and Your saving word to all.
Lord, You are the Good Shepherd who gave Your life for Your sheep. You did this while we were still sinners and prodigals, yet You ran to us offering forgiveness and freeing us from guilt and shame. As recipients of Your grace, help us in turn to be agents of Your grace in our world, nation, and community through our shared life and work.
Dear God, as followers of Christ, You send us into our world, our nation, and our community in Hisfootsteps. As we engage with the temptation and evil that is present in these places, we ask for Your divine protection so that Your light will overcome the darkness.
God, You are the King! May Your kingdom reign in power and glory in each of our lives, in every thought and every decision, as we seek Your intended restoration of our world, our nation, and our community.
We thank You that our university calling invites us to use all our knowledge and skill for Your glory. We pray You will help us and guide us to recast, formulate, and execute academic programs for the redemption and benefit of our students and all of Your creation.
We pray that You would inspire us to create academic programs that truly would enact Your kingdom on earth. Help us to build more than things. Help us also to build ideas, shape values, and mold lives that move this earth toward restoration.
Give us this day our daily bread—
We humbly ask for continued provision as we seek to recast a robust General Education program. We will need monetary and human resources to complete the task. Additionally, we ask for academic programs that will grow. May they grow in number of students, in influence around the globe, and in lives redeemed.
Please forgive us for being often ungrateful for the blessings we have received. We look to some institutions with jealously, and we sin. We look to other institutions, and we puff up with sinful pride because we have more. Lord, help us not only to be receivers of your forgiveness but also agents of your forgiveness to all who would seek to wrong us.
We pray that our academic programs will educate and enliven both employees and students of LeTourneau University. We pray that the outcomes and growth we hope for will shed light upon every workplace and every nation.
God, may our unique educational calling provide dynamic experiences for LeTourneau University to make Your kingdom a reality; bringing due attention to who you are as King.
Wednesday: MCO 4 - Financial Strength, Growth and Stewardship Thursday: MCO 3 - Diversity & Hospitality
We honor and worship You as the Creator of the universe and all the goodness that it holds. As we look to the future, we endeavor as Your children to continue to give You praise for the material blessings to come.
We pray that the way we budget and spend the monetary resources we receive will be used to extend Your restoration across this world according to Your pleasure.
Give us this day our daily bread—
We ask that LeTourneau University be blessed with financial health. As we strive to use skillful strategies to maintain financial sustainability, we also pray that You will move in the hearts of potential donors. We pray You will continue to stir the desire in us to use the resources to further LeTourneau University’s holy educational calling.
Forgive us for greedily loving money more than we love You. We too often think that financial abundance will be the solution to our problems, and we neglect to seek You as our true hope.
As we thoughtfully and intentionally engage the financial realm of this world, please protect us from our desires that lead us astray and from our enemies who seek to ensnare us. Let our desire for financial independence be a platform for continued engagement with this world rather than an effort to build a barricade between us and this world.
When, in Your will, You choose to grant our desires, we commit to use them for participation in Your redemptive plan for the world, and may all glory and power be Yours forevermore.
The multi-faceted complexity of human cultures is emblematic of Your amazing character, so rich and so robust. For this we honor and glorify Your name throughout all the world to all peoples.
May Your kingdom value of diversity reign on the campus of LeTourneau University, and may we be agents of Your kingdom in our world. We acknowledge this can only happen at the foot of the cross, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who is the only One who can reconcile people to God and to each other.
Give us this day our daily bread—
We need Your help to increase ethnic diversity and representation of women in our university community. We need Your guidance to pursue radical hospitality that extends beyond our comfort zones.
We have sinned because we have not loved our neighbors as we have loved ourselves. We are guilty of behavior that has built barriers preventing under-represented groups from equally sharing in the blessings You have bestowed on us. We pray that You will empower us to be extensions of Your forgiving love to all the peoples of the world, both across the street and across the ocean.
In the work of reconciliation and hospitality, we will encounter fear, distrust, and evil, both inside and outside our campus community. Help us to be bold when we face evil and untruth, and help us always to rely on You as our source of truth and goodness.
As with every person from every nation and culture, You are our Creator. In You we live, move, and have our being—for Your power and glory. With their voices, we join in their unending hymn: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Friday: MCO 4 - Campus Culture, Health and Well-Being
Help us at LeTourneau University—students, faculty, staff—to flourish in Your goodness through our work and studies. May we give You honor in all we do.
We ask You to be our King, the King of our mental and physical health. Help us to put aside our own willful choices, so that we may lean into Your will for our lives and for Your kingdom work in this world.
Give us this day our daily bread—
We ask You to provide the resources to meet our students’ mental health challenges and to make our workplace one where all employees flourish. As we strive toward mental, physical, and spiritual wholeness on our campus, please help us remember that You, and You alone, are the source of all truth and goodness.
Forgive us for not treating our students as whole people, thereby neglecting the mental anguish which many suffer. Forgive us, too, when we have contributed to poor morale by undermining and tearing down the LeTourneau University organization. As leaders, we are sorry for burdening our teams with unnecessary angst. As followers, we are sorry for shirking our responsibilities. Finally, we ask forgiveness for when we have made the concept of work an idol that speaks more about cultural values than godly kingdom value.
Please open our eyes that we may see the pain that many of our students and work colleagues carry. Empower us to be Your agents of healing. Use Your power and authority to rid our friends and ourselves of demonic evil, some that we have invited into our lives and some that have come uninvited.
We ask You to reign in us to bring healing and restoration to bodies, minds, and souls. We are faced with the question, “Who will you serve today?” May we always respond, “As for me, and my family, and my students, and my colleagues at LeTourneau University, we will serve the Lord.” May Your kingdom reign at LeTourneau University!
The smell of gasoline drifts through the cool fall air, melding with scents of rubber, metal, oil, and sweat. Drivers are poised and ready in the pit, waiting to run to their vehicles at the drop of the flag. Spectators crowd the road, pinned back by piles of rubber tires marking the track, pushing and shoving for the best view before the race begins. Excitement is in the air. A man in a bright blue and white shirt stands with arms raised high, a crisp, green flag in one hand and a small, shiny airhorn in the other. All eyes are on him. Suddenly, the airhorn blasts, and the flag drops; the drivers sprint to their vehicles, hop in their seats, and the engines hum to life. A loud, high-pitched “BUZZZZZZ” fills the air like an angry swarm of bees stirred from their hive, as the fleet of go-karts zooms out of the pit, bumping into each other and skidding onto the track, dust and fumes trailing behind as they race towards the front of campus. That’s right, go-kart racing at LeTourneau University.
The 1960s were a different era. Car manuals came with instructions on adjusting your own valves, asking YouTube how to change your oil wasn’t an option, and go-kart racing was a popular pastime. LeTourneau University was different, too, but in many ways, it was the same: an emphasis on practical, hands-on learning, a strong spiritual community, students who love to innovate and create. It was into this world that a campus relic was born: the LeTourneau University Automotive Society.
Founded in the 1965-66 school year by a group of student automotive enthusiasts, the Auto Society (AS) was created as a Christ-centered organization where members could grow in fellowship while furthering their knowledge of automobiles. Practically, it also provided students with tools, equipment, and space for car maintenance. The original shop space was a building so old and drafty that, “if we were inside and it was raining, you had to go outside to get dry,” jokes Dan Larson, an LETU alumnus ('71), former automotive tech professor, and AS faculty sponsor for many years.
As Auto Society grew during the 1970s, they began hosting several events that developed into campus traditions, including go-kart racing. Paul Long, a 1981 AS alumnus, won several races during his time at LETU, and it was a go-kart that drew him to the society shop for the first time. Relaxing in his dorm one day, Paul heard a loud noise zoom by outside. “I sorta followed the sound down to Auto Society and got to talking with the guys down there, and it went on from there. That was pretty much how I got introduced, was a kart flying by."
For twenty years, Auto Society hosted three go-kart races on campus: a fall sprint, a spring sprint, and an Enduro. The sprint winners were the karts with the fastest time, but the Enduro was a different animal, designed to test the strength and endurance of one’s kart over a grueling, six-hour marathon race. In addition, the go-karts were homemade. The rule of the Enduro was that every go-kart must be designed and built
completely on campus, which is where the unique LeTourneau ingenuity kicked in.
Poor college students grabbed whatever they could scrape together for parts: a Chevy 350 engine, a scrapped Apache aircraft frame, a motorcycle motor, a nose fork off a Cessna airplane. Anything was fair game, and any student or dorm floor could participate. Dorm 41 had a kart, AO and KZX each had their own, and a special kart was reserved for the females who participated. Hundreds of students lined the main Glaske Dr. each year to watch and cheer the competing karts.
The real test of the Enduro, however, was whether your go-kart engineering would last during six hours of racing the old, worn campus streets. Mark Stevens, AS alumnus ('78), describes it like this: “We had cracks and dips and potholes that we had to go through, and there were many times that go-karts would be driving along and hit a pothole and just break in half. So, they would have to pick up the go-kart and take it back over to the welding shop and weld it back up and then get back out on the race!"
People would slam into each other and bend tires, chains would fly off karts, wrecks were common, and someone even clipped a utility pole once, knocking it to the ground. LETU administration would not be excluded from the fun either, with former President Bud Austin driving a kart one year.
At a college known for its engineering program, the go-kart races were a perfect testing ground for the theories and principles being taught in the classroom. Paul Long describes the process of building a kart: "You just kinda went along and innovated...whatever you could scrounge, that was the budget. It forced a lot of innovation that I think was really good in terms of provoking you to think about engineering. How am I gonna do this with what I got?"
As the karts inevitably broke down, or hardware problems arose, students had to create solutions.
“It was a real engineering practical learning experience, where you had to figure out, 'well, this isn't working... I gotta do something different.' You have to face the results of what you did."
This particular, almost eccentric, style of learning within Auto Society extended beyond go-karting and continues today.
Most people probably think of AS as the building in the back of campus where a bunch of guys just hang out and work on cars, but digging deeper, one uncovers an intriguing atmosphere. Students from multiple academic majors gather to escape the drudgery of school by operating on personal projects. Whether engineswapping an old Porsche, prepping motorcycles for a weekend cruise, or practicing burnouts in the driveway, something is always happening. In this environment, students are also learning from each other.
Sam Hardin, a mechanical engineering student graduating in 2022, serves as the current Auto Society President. Hardin has been a member since his freshman year, and what’s impacted him the most are the people and the learning experiences. If he has a car question, he can ask other members, or they can physically work on the problem together. Moreover, AS members can take what they’re learning in academic labs and classrooms and apply it in a practical, meaningful way.
Hardin explains, “The abstract principles are what you learn in class, and it's really a wealth of information that until you apply, you'll forget about. That's been a huge thing that I've been able to see in my labs, but more specifically here (in AS): learning why these things are failing, seeing them actually fail, being able to rebuild, change materials and just learn what I can apply in different areas. So, whether that's my car that I've seen has failed or a tire has popped or something, wherever I work in the future...I can take those principles and use that."
Stevens elaborates, “The practicality (of LETU) is the idea that it's one thing to have book knowledge, but it's another thing to actually sit down there and actually make your hands and your brain do something that you learned in a book, and how do you adapt that knowledge and become a very practical person?" He took these lessons from his time in AS and applied them to his career in mechanical engineering, enabling him to work with confidence in any environment.
Another AS alumnus, Jon Woodworth ('90), is the current missionary-in-residence at LeTourneau, and the skills he learned in AS prepared him to live out his calling as a remote missionary in the Kenyan wilderness for 21 years.
“I built houses, I welded up water stands, I did DC electricity with all of our solar stuff; I mean there’s so much stuff that we’ve done because of what we learned there (at AS) and life, and hanging out with those guys.”
Within the greater LeTourneau community, this automotive society was shaping the lives of students, equipping them for a variety of careers, from the corporate business and engineering world to the African mission field.
The time spent learning, laboring, and living together also creates a deep bond among Auto Society members. Alumni gather at car shows and races around the country regularly, proudly waving their LeTourneau AS banner. Woodworth’s fellow members were at his wedding, wearing their
blue AS shirts. Local alumni stay invested in current students, helping with car shows and visiting the shop. Students and alumni alike tell a similar story: “I don’t think I would have stayed at LeTourneau if it wasn’t for Auto Society.” “If it hadn’t been for AS, I’d never have finished school.” “Auto Society has been the best decision I’ve made being here at school.”
Stevens was so impacted by the Christ-like community that it led him to salvation: “I credit my accepting Jesus as my Savior to the guys from the auto society because they lived a really good testimonial life to me. Here were car guys, and they loved God, they loved Jesus, and they really showed me that Christianity can be fun. You don't have to be straight-laced and follow all the rules. You just have to have a good heart, and that's what these guys did."
Clearly, this society has impacted the lives of many in the LeTourneau community, and the current members are working hard to maintain that heritage. The Car Show continues annually, a tradition now in its 45th year. Open House occurs each semester, with burnouts and free pizza drawing students from across campus to the society shop. Oil changes and other services are free for students and staff if they provide supplies and parts.
Asher Ord, a senior mechanical engineering student ('22), sees the society as a ministry; he encourages students to email him for help, and he’s a regular at the shop on the weekends, airing tires up for people or doing heavy work on a professor’s vehicle.
Hardin is focused on carrying the legacy of AS into the future: “All of the principles of the society, everything that the alumni have basically fostered and worked so hard to keep, if I'm not focusing on continuing to transition that, making sure that we're doing the same thing, that culture leaves.”
If you're reading this as a LeTourneau alumnus, you surely have your own cherished memories of your time on campus. You can probably recreate specific instances in your mind: the sights, sounds, and smells of significant moments in your college experience. A professor whose instruction challenged your way of thinking, a roommate who dropped everything to stop and minister to you in a time of need, a significant other you met and pursued here, an organization that molded you into who you are today.
Woodworth recalls, "I had a lot of good friends, but most of them were at Auto Society. I had a lot of good experiences, but most of them were at Auto Society. I learned a lot, but most of it was at Auto Society. LeTourneau helped me get a degree...but Auto Society formed me, it created me."
LeTourneau has always been a unique place where hands-on learning intersects with Christian community to shape and form lives; it’s in our DNA. The Auto Society has found its own distinct, unconventional role within that calling.
Return of the Go-karts?
Jon Woodworth and other AS alumni are hoping to host a race at Hootenanny Weekend next April. For more info, contact JonWoodworth@letu.edu. To keep up with current Auto Society adventures, follow @letu.autosociety on Instagram.
A Dean’s Perspective with Fred Ritchey, School of Aviation
Interview conducted by Kate Day and Grant Bridgman
In 1975, a small school in Longview, Texas, had just enjoyed its first decade of being “LeTourneau College,” after being known previously as “LeTourneau Technical Institute.” While the ‘technical’ may have been dropped from the name, the brochure’s depiction of hands-on training in a Christ-centered campus culture was enough to draw a certain young man to enroll, together with his father. This began a 40-year journey that would shape him into the man, and the School of Aviation dean, that we know today as Mr. Fred Ritchey.
HOW IT STARTED
Ritchey recalls his first semester as a new student, when his family moved to Texas from Pennsylvania and he, an aviation major, and his dad, a bible major, started classes as commuters at LeTourneau College. “My dad and I were in a few of the same classes, but in different sections. We were, however, in Intro to Chemistry and Physics together, and we were lab partners.” When he was finishing out his time in college, he married his high school sweetheart, Gail, and they moved into married student housing.
After graduation, Ritchey didn’t go far. He began work out at the
Gregg County Airport as a mechanic. Not long after that, he received a surprising phone call. “In the fall of 1984, the chair of the department of aviation, Floyd Bishop, called me. Lauren Bitikofer had moved out there as the director of maintenance, and they needed to hire someone to help. They wanted to know if I was interested in coming to work at LeTourneau College to teach and help. I had never considered it—it had never crossed my mind. The faculty I had as a student really stood out to me, but the one who stood out the most to me was Roger Carr. He was so relational and transparent about his life and struggles. He had teenage boys at home, a car that barely ran... Even though I was raised in a Christian home, that example really spoke to me as a student. So when I was on this call with Floyd Bishop, I thought 'wow, I could be like Roger Carr.'”
That lasting impact from an influential faculty member spurred him on this new path: a course with a singular heading - Christian Polytechnic
Education.
“So I picked up an application, filled it out and went to turn it in at the student center (current nursing building). Richard Berry was the Vice
President of Academic Affairs at the time. I’m on my lunch break. I mean,
I’m turning wrenches on an airplane; I’m in my blue uniform. I walk in and hand my application to the assistant, and she asked if I could talk to Mr. Berry. I said ‘I’m not prepared for an interview. I mean, I’m not dressed appropriately or anything.’ She said it was okay, that he totally understands. So, I walked in his office, and sat down and talked with Richard Berry.” Berry asked several questions, including whether Ritchey would be interested in grad school. The answer was yes, and that was that. He’d gotten the job.
THE LETOURNEAU HANGER AND CLASSROOM BUILDING AT THE GREGG COUNTY AIRPORT OPENED IN 1984 TO MEET AN INCREASING AVIATION ENROLLMENT.
CALLING OUT THE CONSTANTS HOW IT’S GOING
It goes without saying that Ritchey’s role has evolved since his days in the original hanger tuning up engines as Assistant Director of Maintenance and teaching the Propellers course. He has witnessed a tremendous amount of change over the course of his 35 years and counting at LeTourneau, but as he reflects, it’s striking what hasn’t changed:
“Our number one constant has been our absolute commitment to maintaining our Christian identity. We have not compromised on our faith. LeTourneau University as an interdenominational institution has done an excellent job in our strength of consistency in the core beliefs that make us truly Christ-centered. People say that you can lose your faith as an institution, one hire at a time. I know Richard LeTourneau knew that, Bud Austin knew it, Dale Lunsford knew it, and Steve Mason knows it. And this has meant so much to me.
Another constant is what we now identify ourselves as, THE Christian Polytechnic University. It reminds me of how in my day we were called ‘techos.’ We were proud to be ‘techos.’ No matter what, we knew we could get the job done. And that has been a hallmark of LeTourneau graduates. We find creative ways to get the work done. The creativity of our people, to find a way to make it work. We talk about ingenuity being in our DNA, and it’s true. There is just something in our culture...
Buildings can change, people on staff or faculty can change, many things can and have changed, but these constants always remain.”
There are inevitably numerous pivot points in an organization’s existence. Ritchey has been a part of half this organization’s history, experiencing more than a handful. When our institution’s current trajectory comes up, he speaks with an extra dose of confidence and conviction: “I am very optimistic about the future of LeTourneau University. For one, we have now embraced our identity as THE Christian Polytechnic University. You know, in the 70’s and 80’s we knew we were ‘techos’. Then, we went through a time when we weren’t sure who we were. That is not to speak ill of anyone or any decision that was made, but we did go through a bit of what I would call a ‘wilderness time’. We knew it in our gut, who we were, but it wasn’t something we were saying publicly, or confessing—I like the word confessing. Now, we have moved into a time where we are fully ‘confessing’ who we are. There is no one else like us. We are not better than everyone else, but we are different from everyone else. This, along with our position both geographically and within industry, is a very positive combination. God has orchestrated us to be in the space we are in. We are located in Texas, which we know in the world of higher education is the place you want to be. We offer the types of programs that are in demand, and are needed in our world. We have a track record of expertise and alumni within these industries that others dream of having. I may not be here for most of the fruit of it, but God has positioned us very well for the future of our world, and we are in a world that is desperately in need of graduates like ours who go into their “WE ARE NOT UNIQUE IN BEING ABLE TO PARTICIPATE communities and are salt and light.” WITH GOD IN HIS WORK, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THERE MORE OF GOD While our organizational calling is ARE FEWER AND FEWER COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES certainly unique, Ritchey’s personal call is very meaningful to him, and his WHO MAKE THIS A PRIORITY.” response to that call points to both his inspiration and his focus:
“We talk here a lot about calling. This work is a calling. For me personally, I have always felt like this work is allowing me to do something bigger than myself, like I am part of something eternal. Honestly, I feel really blessed to be part of this. I never thought I would be in higher education, and truly never would have thought I would be a dean. The privilege of being a part of something that God is doing has been inspiring to me. Even though there have been a lot of days where I have felt frustrated, on the whole the good days far and above outweigh the frustrating days. I try to remember that when I pray for this place. I am not practicing it perfectly, but I have been trying to pray through the Strategic Plan prayer plan for LeTourneau University.
I put the prayer plan in my calendar, and at times it is convicting. I pray for university leadership. I pray for all the folks here in aviation. And, I pray that we would be the institution that God wants us to be. I have my opinion of what it should be, but maybe that’s not what God wants LETU to be. No matter what we think our barriers are, or what the answers to our problems are, what we ultimately need is more of God.”
FRUITS OF A STEADFAST MINISTRY
“Jesus says ‘*…*If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NIV). Ritchey references these words as he expounds upon his and the university’s abiding commitments, and the impact that outlasts even memory:
“What this tells me is that I as an individual and we as a university cannot be who we were designed and called to be unless we remain constant in our Christian commitment. Without the power of God working through us, our words and works will be fruitless. By remaining faithful to our Christian mission and calling, we are in a position to be used by God and participate with Him in fruitful ministry and kingdom work. We are not unique in being able to participate with God in His work, but unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer colleges and universities who make this a priority.
Over the years, I have been blessed to meet with and get to know a lot of alumni. I have heard numerous stories of how God used LETU to bless them and set them on a God-oriented life trajectory. And they remember things that I don’t remember. ‘Mr. Ritchey, you failed me in your class’, and I don’t remember that. ‘Mr. Ritchey, I remember this one devotional you gave’, and I don’t remember the one they’re thinking of; but you know... I do remember Roger Carr’s devotionals.
What a blessing and privilege it is to be a part of this kingdom work. May God help us to remain constantly faithful to His calling and work.”
