A community that engages a complex world with boldness, compassion, and preparedness at the intersection of faith, science, and technology. A community where both Christian conviction and vocational preparation are pursued, nurtured, and celebrated every day.
The Kinesiology research team, lead by Dr. Jordan Schools, presented their research in New York City at the Major League Baseball Headquarters.
SCAC-Bound ‘25: Invitation, Accepted
LeTourneau University will be the 10th school to join the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
First Look: The Proverbs 3:5-6 Performance Laboratory
Get a first look at the latest Solheim Recreation & Activity Center refresh: a weight room expansion built to cultivate strength & conditioning in the pursuit of discipleship & excellence.
YellowJacket Athletics Update
Check out the latest reasons to ‘fear the sting’: championships, history-making, and passing the torch.
Know Struggle, Know Progress
President Steven Mason, Ph.D., and Josh Brake, Ph.D. (EE ‘13, MSEE ‘14), discuss the pursuit of progress in a convenience-driven world and how to find & foster connection in the age of A.I.
Introducing some of the newest faces in our campus offices, serving students and viewing their discipline as a higher calling.
A LeTourneau Built Legacy: Three Generations of University Life & Leadership
Reflections on a rich, lifelong connection to LeTourneau University: Get to know Ladina Wingert, grad (’86), mom, and current University Board of Trustees Alumni Representative. 78 Class Notes
Lasting connections & legacy—celebrate and honor classmates & fellow alums.
Student Voices
Snapshots from a new series of roundtable discussions with current students—in this issue: Computer Science and Theology students drop in the studio to talk about what they’re picking up through their polytechnic experience.
Honoring the Graciousness & Giftedness of Stan Coppinger, Ph.D.
Dean, professor, writer, and friend: Celebrating years of dedicated, loving service.
During the annual Hootenanny weekend this spring semester, our community enjoyed reconnections and fellowship, cheering on go-karts, and even trying their luck with bull riding!
PRESIDENT
Steven D. Mason, Ph.D.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Roger Kieffer, Chair
Patrick Bertsche, Vice Chair
Tom Burt, Secretary
James Schreder, Treasurer
Phil Burks
Michele Charles
Dan DiFrancesco
Curt Fitchett
Gene Frost, Ed.D.
Loren Leman
Dale Lunsford, Ph.D.
Bud McGuire, Trustee Emeritus
Larry Mercer, D.Min.
Michael Moss
Jason Muehlhoff
Nikita Mumphrey
James Nolt
Cy Oatridge
Rogers Pope, Jr.
Julia Reed
John Ross, D.D.S.
Mike Schutt
John Solheim
Wayne Steege
Bob Walker
Ladina Wingert, Alumni Representative
NOW EDITORIAL CONTACT INFORMATION:
WEB: www.letu.edu
EMAIL: NOW@letu.edu
ADMISSIONS OFFICE
PHONE: 800-759-8811
ALUMNI OFFICE
PHONE: 800-259-5388
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
PHONE: 800-259-LETU
LeTourneau University is the Christian Polytechnic University offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across a wide range of disciplines online and at LETU’s 196-acre residential campus in Longview, Texas, located 120 miles east of Dallas and 60 miles west of Shreveport, Louisiana. Academic majors include aviation, business, communication, computer science, criminal justice, education, engineering, human services, kinesiology, the liberal arts, nursing, psychology, the sciences and theology.
LeTourneau NOW is published by LeTourneau University, 2100 South Mobberly, Longview, Texas 75602. Sent free upon request to Editor, P.O. Box 8001, Longview, Texas 75607. Postmaster: Send address changes to LeTourneau NOW, P.O. Box 8001, Longview, Texas 75607. Email us at NOW@letu.edu.
Ladina Wingert (BBA ’86) is the owner of Covenant Wedding & Event Designers, LLC., and a Business Advisor for Prusik Media. Previously, she was a founding Board Member, Administrator and an Instructor at Covenant Academy, a college preparatory homeschool cooperative. While still a student at LeTourneau, she partnered with three other alumni to establish a consulting engineering and manufacturing company, where she was the Managing Director. Ladina serves on the Administrative Council at her church and has been involved in Awana for more than 30 years. She currently serves on the LETU Alumni Advisory Council and as the Alumni Representative on the LETU Board of Trustees, since 2023. Her husband, Doug, is a ‘83 aviation graduate and employed by UPS. Their oldest son, Andrew, graduated from Asbury University (’13) with a degree in media communications/production. Their daughter, Rhetta Clevenger (’17), and youngest son, Zachary (’24), graduated with mechanical engineering degrees from LeTourneau University.
Gary serves as a reference librarian and archivist for the Margaret Estes Library and R.G. LeTourneau Museum & Archives. He has worked as a writer, photographer and editor for more than 45 years and has a rich history in Longview with numerous ties to LeTourneau University. His parents moved from New Hampshire to Longview in 1968 when he was nearly 13. The family lived on South Twelfth Street, directly behind the LeTourneau campus. Bill and Betty Kielhorn were their next-door neighbors. Gary spent many hours as a teen on campus, using the outdoor swimming pool, playing touch football and visiting the library. His passion and God-given talent is for writing. He has published four books and writes for various publications, most recently Texas Highways. Borders has spent hundreds of hours in libraries doing research and considers it a blessing to serve as a reference librarian. When not working, he is an avid reader (of course) and a committed CrossFit athlete.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Donald K. Egle, Ph.D., APR, ABC
MANAGING EDITOR
Kate Day
CREATIVE DESIGNERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS
Sara Bryan
Karen Sanchez
CONTENT TEAM
Grant Bridgman
Jake Hall
Ronnie Holcomb
Nathan O’Day
Briahnna Williams
COPY EDITORS
Jake Hall
Erin O'Day
Mark Roedel
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS
Josiah Baker
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS
Albert Brandt
Grant Bridgman
Jake Hall
Jeremiah Shepherd Briahnna Williams
PRINTING
Midway Printing Press
As the Associate Director of Athletics for Communications at LeTourneau University, Andrew manages all communications for the athletics department, including all social and digital media, all athletics news media relations, and of course, the supervision of the data and sports information related to every athletic team. Andrew holds an undergraduate degree from Covenant University and a master’s degree in sports administration from Belhaven University.
Mark Moland, now Dean of the School of Education, Arts & Sciences, joined LeTourneau in Fall 2015 after a 21-year career serving the United States Coast Guard. After teaching at the US Coast Guard Academy, Mark realized that his true calling was to the classroom. His greatest desire is to equip students “to work for the good of the city" to which they will be carried upon graduation. Mark's research areas have focused on mass maritime migration, immigration policy and disaster response. Mark met his wife, Shana, in Geneva, Switzerland, and they have been married for 11 years. Mark and Shana have three daughters, a son, and three dogs. They love books, game nights, Awana, Scouts BSA, and serving in their local church. Mark is also an avid cake decorator.
Greetings to our LeTourneau University family,
In my role as President of LeTourneau University, I have the regular and extraordinary blessing of interacting with quite a wide range of constituents who love this institution. They continually encourage me with their belief in LeTourneau and its world-changing impact. I receive notes from people who are praying fervently for us. I share lunch with faculty and staff who are dedicated to their craft and to their students. I hear from alumni who developed during their time at LeTourneau not only skills and knowledge but also a God-given purpose. I meet with donors who are so passionate about what God has called us to that they give generously from what God has entrusted to them. This time of year, I get to witness the joy of hundreds of graduating students and their loved ones at our May Commencement ceremonies, who celebrate and testify to their accomplishments and the difference LeTourneau has made in their lives.
I also have the privilege twice a year of writing a letter to more than 30,000 of you in NOW Magazine, our award-winning publication that showcases God’s ongoing provision for this university and its mission. Each president’s letter is a moment for me to pause and reflect on the previous season, but also to imagine the future with great expectation. Savoring in this way God’s grace that has gone before us, and surely his leading us into the future, is a refreshing part of the academic cycle for me. And I hope, in turn, that it is an encouragement to you!
I wrote my first NOW president’s letter in the Fall of 2021 as we gave thanks for 75 years of academic ministry at LeTourneau University. That letter recalled God’s ongoing faithfulness and the remarkable, world-changing, eternal legacy of LeTourneau University. In the Spring of 2022, NOW celebrated the power of generational connectedness. I reflected on the history, vision, and calling we all share as a LETU family and the blessing of being in this work together. The legacy that connects us through the decades also underpins our emerging national leadership in our areas of institutional giftedness, at the confluence of science, technology, and Christian faith. While sharing remarkable news about our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I was stirred in my Fall 2022 letter to reflect on those unique gifts and LeTourneau's strategic role within higher education. We are specially equipped and called to expand our nationally trusted voice as a distinctly Christian thought-leader, even amid a chaotic and rapidly changing world. My letter in the Spring of 2023 highlighted the successes, talent, and energy of our students and staff that position us for an even brighter future. And in my letter last fall, I showcased LeTourneau’s opportunity and responsibility to broker public discourse related to human flourishing and the role of technology in our lives. This is important work, and it's my privilege to be part of it!
As I pause again with my “pen” in hand in May 2024, I have never been more excited about LeTourneau University and what the Lord is doing here. The reasons are many, but they converge on this powerful truth: We are built for this! For these extraordinary times, God has
authored an extraordinary university. These times call for courage and clarity, imagination and insight. They require us as the Christian polytechnic university to pursue the world’s most pressing questions about advancing technology without trepidation, in turn offering confidence and courage to others for the work to which God is calling them. We are built for today’s student. We are built for today’s scholar. We are built for community. We are built for spiritual formation. We are built for integrating faith, teaching and learning. We are built for ingenuity. We are built for service. We are built for God’s calling and purpose.
In the pages that follow, you’ll read about how LeTourneau has been built for this and how God is building us for what comes next. You’ll read about dozens of students, faculty, and staff who are primed for the exciting work to which God has called them. We’ll look back at campus landmarks and look ahead to new initiatives and a future that’s just unfolding at LeTourneau University.
I’m encouraged that God has brought each of us together at this time around LeTourneau University and our shared work. Thank you for standing beside us and for your ongoing prayers and support for this university and God’s work through it.
The best is yet to come!
With Gratitude,
Steven D. Mason, Ph.D. PRESIDENT,
The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast Ep. 382
Transforming Lives: How Organizational Health Shapes the Christian Higher Ed Experience:
With Host Al Lopus, Co-Founder of the Best Christian Workplaces and author of the book Road to Flourishing.
Dr. Steve Mason, President of LeTourneau University, shares about how to navigate cultural challenges while staying true to your mission, fostering trust in leadership, and cultivating a workplace that thrives with engaged employees.
Sponsored by Best Christian Workplaces, a ministry dedicated to helping Christian organizations and Christian-led businesses increase their Kingdom impact.
This May, after a five year hiatus, LeTourneau University once again returned to the SAE National Baja competition in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, represented by our Renegade Racing Baja team.
“The objective of the competition is the challenging project of introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market, including all design, planning and manufacturing tasks. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project (SAE International).”
Out of 102 competitors from all over the nation, the Renegade Racers ‘Blue Phoenix’ placed 42nd overall! The whole team had a wonderful experience, saying:
"A big thank you to our amazing team, sponsors, and supporters for making this return to competition possible! We can’t wait to come back stronger next year!” Congratulations to the whole team!
Congressman Nathaniel Moran speaks at LeTourneau's 2024 Commencement ceremonies.
Graduates and families celebrate May the 4th — also known as Star Wars Day. It was also acknowledged during the ceremony by Dr.
and
This spring, we pursued intentional, individual conversations with academic leaders on our campus. In these discussions, we asked them a series of questions about what matters most at a place like LeTourneau University—at The Christian Polytechnic University. What are we built for? Why are we here? How do we build love and trust as an organization with a higher purpose, in service to humanity? How are we helping to heal a broken world? How are we distinctively and authentically Christian, not in name only but in action?
Common themes emerged faster than you can say ‘R.G.’ We paid attention to the patterns. To the tone. And to the recurring truths: That this is a special
place where there are greater things at play than learning. Where the aim is more than just a career. Where wisdom is not only sought but defined as the combination of knowledge and Love. Where biblical roots are non-negotiable, and the soil of relationship is tilled as frequently as the sprouts of talent and skill are nurtured. Where there are solutions to every problem, and the greatest of these is Love. Where courage, conviction, and commitment meet true and genuine compassion. Where reconstructing, rebuilding, rediscovering, and redefining are just as important as building, discovering, and defining in the first place. Where science & technology is a given, but reliance on God guides the use of it.
We welcome you to sit down, drop in, and join us in this ongoing conversation as an alumnus, a faculty or staff member, a parent, or a human being considering similar questions of your own—or the question of a Christian college in particular—together exploring what it means for us to communally participate in God’s calling in this space. This piece is the first of several exploring the thoughts and responses of campus faculty and staff committed to our university mission to engage learners to nurture Christian virtue, to develop competency and ingenuity in their professional fields, to integrate faith and work, and to serve the local and global community.
As we’ve explored in previous issues, we are, together, finding spiritual hope in a societal tsunami.
According to a PRRI survey on Religious Change in America released this March: Church attendance among Americans is down and fewer Americans say religion is important; most Americans who attend religious services do so to feel closer to God; most unaffiliated Americans are not looking for a religious or spiritual home; and “unaffiliated” is the only major religious category experiencing growth.
Pew researchers found that 80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking, which is as high as the sentiment has ever been in previous surveys. The study found that adults, in many ways, yearn for the positive impact traditionally associated with religion. Many, however, including nonreligious Americans, feel what they believe or do not believe puts them in conflict with mainstream culture.
“Overall, there are widespread signs of unease with religion’s trajectory in American life. This dissatisfaction is not just among religious Americans. Rather, many religious and nonreligious Americans say they feel that their religious beliefs put them at odds with mainstream culture and with the people around them,” write Pew researchers Michael Rotolo, Gregory A. Smith, and Jonathan Evans.
These particular societal shifts are unsettling and are just one aspect of the broken world in which we live, operate, go to the grocery store, raise children, attend school, and participate in commerce, worship, and community. This requires spiritual guts and grit. They say life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage, and the biblical antidote to fear is clear: “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear” (1 John 4:18, NLT). We, at The Christian Polytechnic University, are collectively wrapping love around the experience of higher education to further its reach in the workplaces, classrooms, hospitals, hangers, and research labs of the future.
Our conversations affirmed the ways in which our faculty, staff, and students are boldly seeking, finding, creating, and sharing hope—and God’s love—in all of these spaces. The greatest act of courage is to love in a world that's constantly trying to make us hate. When we thoughtfully respond to any situation with love, we broker
peace—the peace of restoration. We’re built to rebuild. And we are certainly built for this moment. Built to stand firm amidst the cultural waves of concern and ‘post-Christian’ perspective. Built to model Christ’s example of love and light in darkness. And built to contribute to Christian higher education—and God’s Kingdom—like only we can, together.
"We’re built to rebuild, & we are certainly built for this moment."
Kelly Liebengood, Ph.D., Dean of LeTourneau University’s School of Theology & Vocation, speaks to the biblically-rooted core of life and perspective at The Christian Polytechnic University:
"We offer a biblically faithful understanding of who we are, why we’re here, and Who we belong to. We’re asking questions of belonging, identity, and purpose. We’re being entrusted with a biblically faithful response, and we deliver. Parents are always fishing around to see whether we’re a ‘real Christian’ university. They’ll find the answer: ‘Unequivocally, yes. These people are intentional, faithful, and I can entrust my student to their care.’
We are in the business of rightly identifying the brokenness—versus pre-packaged answers, politically or otherwise. Of forming and equipping missionaries, participants in God’s mission of restoration and reconciliation. Of culture- and industry-building work for the good of our neighbors in both professional and non-professional vocations. Of whole-life mission & transformation.
We’re trying to help students see beyond the superficial diagnosis of problems and get past the surface systems. Part of how we do that is to help them see more clearly what God is actually up to in the world and to help them develop
courage to actually engage faithfully in what God is up to in the world. That requires clarity & courage."
"Curricularly, we emphasize helping students find their place in the Biblical story and accepting this story as their story. This prompts questions such as ‘how does your calling fit within what God is doing in the world?’ and ‘Imagine, what does it mean for you personally to participate in God’s working world regardless of whatever realm or vocation you’re going into?’
The church has spent a lot of time cultivating the truth that God’s work happens in the body of Christ. So many of these concepts and the resulting impact flow out of this identity as a people and as a body living together in our calling. But there are still barriers to developing the individual courage that living out this faith requires, and one of the biggest barriers is a lack of clarity The clarity in understanding is crucial. Clarity, or seeing rightly, is what provides courage. There is still so much confusion amongst our students… 'What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be faithful?' It’s common to hear, 'How come I never saw that, how come I never learned that...?'"
"In our post-Christian culture, so much of our Christian calling is framed as something against… but might we ask, rather, what is it, what are we, for? What are we positively aspiring to impact? What does it mean to lean into the calling of God? What are we standing ‘for’ versus standing ‘against’? We’re constructing. Our curricular design gives students a coherent constructive understanding of what it looks like to join God and what he’s up to.
That builds coherence. Most of our students are not Theology majors, but they learn to make sense of their story as a coherent calling that God is calling them to join to shape culture, versus passively being confused by culture.
We perform a technology audit in Bible classes that brings to light the connection between technology and loneliness, isolation—about how
we use our devices as a buffer, relying on digital tech as a substitute for personal connection.
We explore barriers to calling and connection to build a life of cultivation, versus sitting back on the sidelines of life. Our biblical theology courses already incorporate these ideas, and we are in the beginning stages of developing a class about calling & technology—to further critically reflect upon how we become techwise, and explore ways tech impacts our desire, interactions, and well-being."
"We prepare students for a world that has one unescapable reality: the reality of technology. There are ways in which technology has contributed to the degradation of the human experience. We are prepping students to understand the impacts of that, individually, on our lives, and in our communities, and how to respond to that in our world. We’re trying to develop tech-wise students across all disciplines. The advantage of coming to LeTourneau University is that students are actually going to have extra touchpoints of engaging and thinking about the impact of the technological age and what that means for their organizations, congregations, and communities.
When you think about our theology majors, the pastors-to-be, and when you think about the most pressing issues in congregations and communities, technology is front-and-center in our lives. What better place as a theology student than The Christian Polytechnic University to learn how to be a servant in the church in this technological age? Here, you’ll be swimming in these issues.
We define theology as ‘learning how to faithfully participate in the life and mission of God for the sake of the church and the world.’ It’s not just learning about stuff. It’s learning how to participate in God’s life for the world. It’s not just for knowing things. All LeTourneau students study Trinitarian theology—which is rare in Christian higher education—studying who God is and then what He’s doing in the world. Here, vocation is way bigger than just a career."
"We describe vocation as ‘hearing and faithfully responding to God’s word in all spheres of life, including but not limited to one’s profession or work.’
We talk about two layers of vocation: “big V” Vocation and “little v” vocation. “Big V” Vocation refers to the aspects of our calling that we all share with one another by virtue of our union with the “Caller”: attentive listening, gratitude, generosity, wonder, delight, hospitality, humility, wisdom, reconciliation, faith(fulness), hope, and love. (Which Christians are exempt from those postures and practices?!).
“Big V” vocation reminds us that “calling” is not limited to a few who have a special word from God to devote their lives to professional ministry. Instead, it affirms that no matter what our job, no matter what stage of life we are in, no matter what our lot in life is, we all have a calling.
“Little v” vocation refers to the way in which that “Big V” Vocation gets worked out in our individual lives, influenced deeply by our talents, stage of life, place and community, resources, passions, and opportunities. Once we comprehend the intentions of the “Caller,” and once we become aware of the ways in which we are being conformed to the patterns of this world (the Western story), we then find ourselves in a place where we can fruitfully ask such questions as: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I to do with my life? How ought I live in this world? What do I want to become?
In this regard, vocation or calling can also be understood in terms of mission: we are being sent to participate in God’s mission in and for the world. And part of discerning that calling is to ask how your work, your profession, your academic training can enable you to faithfully contribute to God’s work of reconciliation and redemption, how your work and your academic discipline can foster gratitude, wonder, and delight. This way of thinking about calling or vocation reminds us that our appropriate posture in life is not to ask ‘How can I get God to help me in what I am doing?,’ but rather, ‘How can I participate with God and what He is doing in the world?’"
This shared commitment extends to every area of campus. In the School of Psychology and Counseling, for example, it starts with the mission: to engage students in an environment of excellence, service, professionalism, and transformational faith. Students are committed to spiritual, personal, and professional growth and wellness, academic success, and integrity in vocation. Graduates enhance the quality of life for individuals, couples, families, and communities through holistic integration of psychology & counseling and the Christian worldview.
In the words of Vicki Shaefer, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Psychology and Counseling, “Our commitment to the integrative approach is steadfast. We’re not going to waver from that commitment. We’ll continue to have world-class faculty with experience who care about their students’ experience, both inside and outside the classroom. We’re not going to compromise on issues that the world would want to bring to our doorstep, but we’re going to talk about how to build bridges in our broken world. Our faculty lead by example, and bring students along in action—in service, compassion, and not compromising the truth we stand on.
The one constant in our world is change. But Hebrews talks about how God is the same today, tomorrow, and forever. We’ll grow and adapt, but people can trust what we won’t change.” According to a 2023 article from The American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology (Vol. 54 No. 8), entitled “Can religion and spirituality have a place in therapy?" experts say yes: Most psychologists have little training on addressing spirituality and religion in therapy, but these resources can be a source of strength during challenging times. More than 70% of U.S. adults say religion is important in their lives, and most patients want the chance to discuss religion or spirituality during therapy (Religion, Gallup Historical Trends, 2023. Oxhandler, H. K., et al., Religions, Vol. 12, No. 6, 2021). But when surveyed about their expertise, up to 80% of practicing psychologists say they received little to no training on addressing spiritual and religious issues during therapy (Vieten, C., et al., Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2016).
Malinda Fasol, Ph.D., Program Chair of Graduate Counseling Programs and Professor of Counseling, reiterates, “The faith integration in our program is here to stay and won’t change. We’re adaptable and flexible in a changing world. Take COVID, for example. We adapted our curriculum to include instruction about how to utilize Telehealth, ascertain what is in the best interest of the client, explore ethical and technical ramifications, etc. However, we want to make sure we’re on the forefront of changes in the field without compromising the integrity of our ethics, faith, and profession.
We are in the business of helping hurting people, families, and communities—of working in a diverse world to impact positive change. Isaiah 61:1-3 serves as the foundational verse for our counseling program, which prompts us to ask, ‘How do we bind up the brokenhearted and release the prisoners from darkness?’ ‘How is everything we’re doing instilling hope and pointing people to Christ as we remember and honor God’s redemption?’"
Fasol continued: “We have to build bridges with the world and meet people where they are. Half of my clients have been non-Christians, but they are still created in God’s image. A non-Christian client doesn’t mean I turn off my Connection. God still shines His Light. I’m still praying to myself in a session when I get stuck. I’m weaving in biblical principles without calling them biblical principles.
Families want to know how we teach gender. The real question is: How do you speak the truth in love? It’s truth alongside understanding, rather than condemnation. You have to speak it in love, or you have no place at the table. It’s a huge responsibility and can be overwhelming, but Proverbs 2 reminds us of God’s promises as they relate to wisdom, and we rely upon God’s promises.”
Kimberly Quiett, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Nursing, also knows a thing or two about
meeting people where they are, human-tohuman: “It’s pretty easy to see a broken world in people. But we have to keep in mind biblical concepts of equality and justice. As nurses, we have to see the value and the worth in what we’re doing—and the person we’re doing it for. God’s love is an applied approach to faith, and we see God’s image in every one of our patients. We’re not just teaching our students to be Christ followers. We’re teaching them to be Christ-like. For us, it’s a ‘heart and hands’ connection; more demonstrating than describing."
Brent Baas, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Computer Science, and Professor of Computer Science, reminds us: “Our story is our virtue. There’s an end-goal here that cannot be destructed by the advances in technology, your ability to live with purpose and meaning that’s deeper than any of the ‘things of today’ can offer. There are a lot of places that can teach you coding, but here we teach you craftsmanship— more stable, long-term, functional things. Because of the foundational skills that they’re learning here, because we are teaching the craft of disciplines, students can go out and be adaptable as the world is changing.”
Bob Roller, Ph.D., Calvin Howe Professor of Finance, talks about faith integration in the School of Business: “The School of Business expounds upon the foundation set up well by Theology: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration… this four-part Gospel. As business practitioners, we’re heavily involved in restoration, in bringing God’s creation back where it’s supposed to be. For example, our students have a heart for things like poverty alleviation. Neither the government nor the charitable world can create wealth, and that’s the first step to solve poverty. It all comes down to business, eventually. We’re responding to the broken world by being agents of restoration. And in this work, we are interdisciplinary in our efforts. A large percentage of students here have family-owned businesses, and our
Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Leadership offers a touchpoint place to connect. You don’t do business in a vacuum. It has to have a context, and the context is industry. We tend to think cross-disciplinarily because of this, because it’s natural to be in a business setting (healthcare, aviation, engineering, etc.). We business professionals are salt and light in every kind of organization in the world. We address the broken world by having students graduate and go out to some of the darkest places on the planet. Sometimes it’s board rooms. Sometimes it’s factory floors. Every student is called to fulltime Christian service in ways that shine Christ’s light into the world.”
Michael McGinnis, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology: “When I look out into the world, I see relationship brokenness, depression, anxiety, lack of belonging, and a technologytakeover. For engineers, we don’t immediately think about connecting with people. We quickly get into problem-solving mode when it comes to topics like heat transfer, resistors, and Artificial Intelligence. But at LeTourneau University, the Christian Polytechnic University, we intentionally view things through a crossshaped lens at the intersection of technical and relational development. God is in all of that. Practical answers to brokenness vary by engineering discipline. But in every discipline, we foster a caring environment that focuses on how engineers connect with other people, and how we as faculty and staff care about students as a whole person: spiritual development, academics, career… all of it. Faculty are here because they want to be disciple-makers. And we refuse the false choice between Christian and technical excellence. So often we think things are either/or. We should be a both/and kind of place. It’s authentic and real. My own faith has grown since working here. Engineering is integral to the founding of LETU from day one, and for the thriving of LETU for the future. We’re not a bolted-on program. We are THE program.”
In every conversation, it surfaced in countless ways. We’re both ‘x’ and ‘y.’ This continuous litany of juxtaposition. Of refusing the ‘either/or’ mentality. We’re THE University where you don’t have to choose: faith integration and academic excellence; career and spiritual development; technical and relational; conviction and compassion; knowledge and wisdom; industry-respected and deeply caring teaching faculty; spiritually like-minded and intellectually open-minded; tech-wise and heartled; theologically sound and practically grounded; adaptable and unwavering; Vocation and vocation; innovative and faithful… the list goes on.
Why does this stand out? We live in a society that teaches us to think in opposites: this or that; either or; yes or no; black or white; win or lose. And yet, ‘both/and’ has been a way of life at LeTourneau University from the get-go. R.G. LeTourneau was both a minister and businessman. Our first graduates were both students and plant employees. Our foundation was both practical and theoretical,
technical and relational. Our labs have always been gritty and grand opportunities to learn.
A Harvard Business Review Press offering by Wendy K. Smith and Marianne W. Lewis discusses the importance of ‘Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems.’
Acknowledging polarization and either/or thinking has historically dominated Western culture, perpetuating tension, conflict, and discord, they explore what’s possible when we shift our thinking from being highly polarized to embracing paradox: “Creative geniuses developed their breakthrough ideas by bringing together opposite ideas.”
Perhaps that’s what the world needs more than anything? Generations of Christ-like believers who are so rooted in biblical truth, so participatory in God’s story and what He’s up to around them, so clear about their beliefs, so courageous in their participation in the good life, so bright that they shine in darkness, and so committed to living out their vocation and Vocation, so fervently agents of God’s love, that they can solve the world’s toughest
problems by holding space for ‘both.’ More people who are so expansively living out God’s calling that prove you don’t have to choose.
The unwavering commitment to our organizational calling and convictions allows us to hold two opposites in a higher place, and in turn hold a higher perspective. It affirms this powerful truth, in the words of President Mason: “We are built for this! For these extraordinary times, God has authored an extraordinary university. These times call for courage and clarity, imagination and insight. They require us as the Christian Polytechnic University to pursue the world’s most pressing questions about advancing technology without trepidation, in turn offering confidence and courage to others for the work to which God is calling them. We are built for today’s student. We are built for today’s scholar. We are built for community. We are built for spiritual formation. We are built for integrating faith, teaching and learning. We are built for ingenuity. We are built for service. We are built for God’s calling and purpose.”
1 John 4:7-19 (NLT)
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love— not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
Ina world marked by increasingly diverse needs for young professionals, there is a growing desire for true academic growth, vocational prep and personal formation. For many, such a vision follows a pathway through a specific version of higher education.
This journey holds the allure of endless possibilities, where aspirations and ambitions are transformed into wisdom and practical experience. However, as this narrative unfolds, the path forward can appear obscured by uncertainty, presenting itself as a maze of choices lacking a clear endpoint. Many among us experience the pull—a compelling force urging us to refine our skills, to master a particular craft that could pave the way towards a prosperous career. Yet, beneath the surface, lies
a profound yearning, an insatiable hunger for something beyond mere success—a longing for genuine, meaningful connections and a community that resonates with our deeply held values. Common knowledge dictates a dichotomy between practical utility and ideological alignment, implying a trade-off between the two. However, in a world where unprecedented demands are placed upon students, professionals, families, and communities alike, perhaps uncommon circumstances necessitate uncommon experiences.
The following testimonials embody the essence and impact of a journey rooted in faith and innovation. Here, practical skill-building and the cultivation of character are not opposing forces but rather interwoven threads in the fabric of eternity.
Armed with knowledge and propelled by faith, this community embraces the daunting task of sculpting the future, fortified by the knowledge that they do not walk alone. Together with their peers, they stand ready and equipped to traverse the hills and valleys of life, navigate the intersections of faith, science, and technology, eager to empower others and affect change in ways that transcend individual efforts.
This pursuit is not a solitary endeavor; it is a shared journey—a journey characterized by uncommon experiences, unexpected community care, and uncompromising faith. The future is never certain, but we can be sure that there will always be new joys and new challenges, God will always be faithful, and together, we are Built For This.
Mechatronics Engineering
Like many other LeTourneau students, Abraham experienced the unique relationship between professors and students.
“My favorite thing about the LeTourneau engineering program is the intentionality of the professors.”
“When you have a relationship it impacts your academic studies, the way you prepare for exams, the way you do your homework,
everything. When you have a relationship with your professors, you don't want to let them down.”
Being intentional not only impacted his relationships but also his academics. Abraham gained a new perspective on how putting in effort builds character. Experiencing this in a distinctively Christian environment set the tone for his future.
"My favorite thing about the LeTourneau engineering program is the intentionality of the professors.”
“Studying at a place like LeTourneau brings a whole new nature of work ethic, it impacts your academic integrity. I might be tempted to take the easy way around assignments and tests, but I would think, ‘Would God want this?’ or, ‘Am I glorifying Him?’ The world is in need of more intentional people and I’ve been enabled for a greater purpose that can impact the world.”
Business Marketing
At the beginning of her college journey, things were difficult for Mirabella. "When you are first starting out on your degree path and in a new environment, it can be intimidating. I was very nervous.”
Confidence may have been one of the last things on the mind of Mirabella Mendoza when she started out as a freshman at LeTourneau, yet that began to change as she stepped into who she was becoming.
"I started making connections with professors and with other parts of the campus community. There are so many different types of people and they all come from different backgrounds, different situations, but we're able to come together and learn and grow in this environment and I have no doubt those connections can last a lifetime.”
The more she connected, the more she felt herself developing both personally and
In February 2021 when many Texas cities experienced a severe snow storm, LeTourneau students were challenged to grow with the community around them on campus. Cody Zastrow, 2023 alumnus, connected with his community in a unique way.
“My favorite LeTourneau memory was Snow Week of 2021. It was absolutely incredible! I got to hang out with a lot of friends that entire week… it was nice to be able to have that even though buildings
lost heat and electricity… we didn't have much food at the Corner Cafe, but we got creative. That week truly emphasized the importance of community and a big reason why so many people, students, faculty, and staff are drawn to LeTourneau.”
Cody did not realize at the time that this small event that impacted his college experience would later effect him in the future.
“Loving my community on a deeper level while in school helped me to step out of
as a competent pre-professional. She would say the foundation that she has built is a credit to the community around her.
"I have grown so much, and when I step back and look at my college journey I can say confidently that the ways I have been pushed have helped shape me in both my business training and in my faith. And this growth has not only benefited me, but also I hope it’s a benefit to everyone I encounter in life and work.”
my comfort zone when I started working. I felt comfortable asking questions and being willing to learn and actually hear what someone else is advising me to do. I also learned how to communicate more effectively and that is very important in the workplace.”
Cody’s experience during college equipped him to be successful with his community in the workplace.
AsChief Flight Instructor, and with a resume that includes training commercial airline pilots and with numerous FAA awards and certifications received, it would seem that Mr. Wooden (as he is known by his students) must have had a smooth go of things. That is not the story Brad will tell you, however:
"I was not a good flight student. I struggled through this. I did all the wrong things, so I totally understand when the students are struggling, and I'll pull out my log book, and I'll say, 'Look, here was my attempt number five on this flight that you're struggling with.' Flight training is
largely learning a physical skill, and there's challenges with that. For some people that comes easy, for some people it's more of a struggle, and it's in that struggle that we as instructors are able to come alongside you. When you're broken, when you're beat down, and you're like, ‘I'm not getting this’, and I can see that pain, I can see that frustration, that's when I can come along and say, 'Look, I've been there.' I can share with students there before the flight, after the flight, saying, 'Okay, this is hard. It's not easy, but I'm going to help you do that.'"
There are few things as valuable as authentic relationships, and Brad is an
example of how we can meet people where they are, especially in the hard lessons of life, and perhaps that is more of a priority in our workplaces than we realize.
"For whatever reason the story God has given me is one where I am not afraid to share my own failings with my students, and I am actually passionate about that, I ‘get’ to be here in it, with them. I may spend a day or a week where I don't get to fly an airplane, and come Friday afternoon I'm not asking, 'Did I fly this week?' Because, you know, that's secondary to the relationship building I am called to do on a day-to-day basis.”
Mathematics teaches us the value of knowing and fighting for the truth.”
Dr. Deborah Blevins has had a deep appreciation for the study of mathematics long before entering the world of teaching, yet her interest goes far beyond numbers or equations. She believes that “mathematics teaches us the value of knowing and fighting for the truth.”
She backs up this powerful statement with an approach to her math instruction that views the discipline from a macro view, including our place in God’s work to restore this broken world.
"I view mathematics as one of the
languages that the Lord uses to teach us about His world and how He created it and communicate about the world to us.
So by understanding and learning about mathematics, I think we can understand more about the world, which certainly would help us to discern more ways to partner with His work if we understand the language that He's speaking in.”
In terms of the daily practice of such communication, Dr. Blevins responds to the perception that mathematics is too much of an individualistic work.
"I think that math is such a collaborative subject. It kind of gets a bad rap for being this individualized thing, but it's very collaborative. It actually can help us to work with others. It helps us learn to fail in front of people and get back up again. It's very difficult, so it teaches us persistence and perseverance. All of those things are important when seeking out the truth, and they are all very necessary when it comes to joining in the redemptive work that God is up to in the world.”
As Cara nears the end of her academic journey, she is excited to pursue her dream of working as an LPC at a college or university. She has an intentional heart for underserved communities stemming from her understanding of the importance of the family unit on every community.
"When I started this journey, it was to provide services to communities that may not always see therapy as a resource. I believe the family unit is the cornerstone of society. Therefore, helping the family, in turn, strengthens the community.”
As she looks ahead to how she can guide others in their growth, Cara also reflects on how her recent journey has required her to draw on her knowledge of growth and mental health for her own personal wellbeing and success.
"One of the biggest lessons I learned was how to care for myself. This journey took a lot of sacrifices, but the real lesson was balancing the sacrifices with boundaries. There were times I had to say no to things to protect my own mental health. Looking back, I am proud of how I have grown as a person.”
Whenit comes to being a college student, there are many different things to do while getting a degree. For Kyle, he was an engineering student and student athlete. These two areas required him to develop multiple skills.
"It's very helpful being able to communicate effectively especially during the presentation portion of our projects.
Through it all, Cara emphasizes the importance of extending compassion to yourself, and how being there for others often starts with a healthy understanding of our own need for grace.
"Some of the biggest lessons I learned came from making mistakes. If we were perfect, then we would not need Jesus. And I don’t know about you, but I know I need Jesus, Amen!”
Projects at my job now where I have to talk to clients in our engineering department daily have been effortless because of how LeTourneau prepared me.”
Managing what Kyle does now as an Applications Engineer required time management to be able to tackle different assignments in a timely manner.
"Time management is the biggest thing
because I'm being pulled in different directions all the time. J-W is a smaller company which means I get to do a lot of everything. I've experienced the sales side, the engineering side, and others. Being able to delegate your efforts is definitely what prepared me during my time LeTourneau.”
In an industry filled with many who are bent on self-serving success and climbing a very specific ladder, how do young professionals in aviation orient themselves toward a particular version of personal and professional flourishing? Rising senior Sammy Shim believes that to be a pretty straightforward answer:
"People here truly care about you and want you to succeed. They want your success becoming a pilot, a captain, or a F.O. But beyond the technical, they want to help you mentally and and even more importantly, spiritually. The point is it’s all about people. I think we all
need people in our lives. I know I need relationship in my life. I think about this LeTourneau community, and how there is such a genuine care about your existence.”
However, Sammy knows that there are also tough parts to the choice of being in authentic community, even one that is pursuing your best interest:
"As an international student, when I first came here, the language barrier was really exhausting, because whenever a professor was answering a question, I had to ask them to break it down even more from a language perspective. It’s also a
tough program academically, but the community gives you a push - in a good way - to help support you, to build you up when you are struggling.”
What does re-defining success look like for this future aviation professional?
"It's community. This place is a picture of the goal that we all should share. Surround yourself with those who have a similar vision and values. They're here. They’re there for you. They love Jesus and they love flying. They love doing maintenance and they love doing management. They love you.”
The first week of May, we navigated our way through the Belcher Center with many other eager families to secure a spot at graduation. Our immediate family and “bonus family” all gathered to celebrate our youngest son receiving his engineering degree. In that single moment generations of family, faith, community, and future all converged.
So many emotions and memories flooded my mind in the few minutes we waited for the commencement to begin. We were sitting here seven years ago to celebrate the graduation of our daughter and future “sonin-love”. Looking around, I wondered if my parents felt the same way as they watched
my sister’s graduations in ‘89 and ‘01, mine in ‘86 and my future husband’s in ‘83. Then, we weren’t in the beautiful Belcher Center but sitting in the hard plastic chairs in the Assembly Hall, where chapel, car shows, concerts, and commencements were held. My mind pondered what my dad’s graduation in 1955 would have been like. Collectively, our 3 generation family represents a variety of majors: Aviation, Business Administration, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and a few minors in Business, Industrial Management, Marketing, and Math. For my family, LeTourneau Built an educational legacy but it all began with a church service.
My connection with LeTourneau started when my dad, Lloyd Molby, heard R.G. speak at church. After high school, he told his parents that he belonged at Mr. R.G.’s school. He drove onto the campus of LeTourneau Technical Institute sight unseen. He graduated, got married, served in the Army, and began a career as a Mechanical Engineer. He returned to Longview to work for R.G. As long as I can remember, my dad was active in the alumni association, spoke in chapel, taught as a guest lecturer, served on the Board of Trustees, and supported the college. He employed as many students as possible in his businesses until complications from a car accident and a traumatic brain injury took his life in ‘97. My parents “adopted” LeTourneau students so I grew up with a living room full of “bonus brothers” every Sunday afternoon for lunch and to watch football games. My parents taught us to continue investing in what built you. Due to this unique LETU family, I have precious connections with alumni that graduated more than 55 years ago. That is one of the joys of being the Alumni Representative. I love hearing stories of early LeTourneau life. They are the building blocks that make us unique.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LADINA WINGERT
During my freshman year my faith was challenged in a beneficial way. I wrestled to decide what I believed from primary doctrine to tertiary issues and then write papers, for a grade! The varied denominational backgrounds and discussions in our Bible classes made me search for Scriptural evidence and foundational truths. Although challenging, I took every Bible class that would fit in my already crammed schedule. Completing a major, double minors, and working up to 30 hours a week was daunting. The faculty and professors were so dedicated to conveying the love of Christ through classroom devotions and study of His Word. At a recent alumni gathering, we were remembering Dr. McKinley, his grocery list quizzes in every class, articles he distributed about a cashless system, electric vehicles, a one-world society and how influential he was to so many. I’ll never forget the professors, like Ms. Arnold, Mr. Alexich, Ms. Knouse, Dr. Kubricht, Mrs. Fletcher, Uncle Mel, Joe Gaiser and so many more who prayed with me and for me when life seemed overwhelming, when I needed direction, stressed over my grades, better time management skills or jobs. As I talk to our current students, I realize these
are all still relevant prayers for them. Even though decades have eclipsed and names have changed, the intentionality of our professors and staff is God-directed. When visiting Corner Cafe, ASC or walking across campus, I love hearing our students yell out, “Hey Mom or Hey Zach’s mom” and come over to chat, get a mom hug, or share their concerns. They are our future and I want them to know their alumni care, pray, and desire to connect with them. This foundation and continual building of faith makes us unique.
I’m sure it took some kind of mutual decision for the 22 guys at Auto Society to welcome me into their domain of cars, bikes, and antics. They willingly accepted me but probably first needed to make sure I wouldn’t disclose the crazy things they did. The first verse I recall memorizing besides John 3:16 was a pledge requirement, 1 John 1:9, which inspired me to begin memorizing more passages. That pledge was an easy one since some of the others were to sandblast a car firewall, design, build, and paint new car show stands, and help raise funds for the “new building”. Good thing I learned to weld from
Mr. Kielhorn and Mr. Glass — the skills came in handy during those projects and life.
Forty years later, the Auto Society brothers and a few sisters still try and get together once a year for some type of reunion, inviting all the new guys and our faculty sponsors, too. We’ve met from all over the US and Canada for the Ohio Mile Speed Trials, Detroit Dream Cruise, and the Corvette Museum and Track in Kentucky. Even now, we have a guest room for “my brothers” who pass through Louisville. The friendships I made in college last a lifetime which is another reason I’m so grateful for the community at LeTourneau.
We’ve been active in helping with the “We’re Back” go-kart races connecting with alumni, students and even getting Dr. Mason and Bonnie in karts. Working on karts again and racing with my kids is reminiscent of learning from my “bonus brother, Gary Martin” and racing in college. A few years ago, my daughter’s fiance blew an engine west of Midland, Texas and was stranded in a rest area about dusk. I texted Damian Barrett, one of my Auto Society brothers, who drove an hour and picked him up. The Barretts arranged a place to store his car, invited him to spend the night, fed him, and drove him to pick up a rental car the next morning. That's
the networking connection of the LETU community and one of the things that makes us unique.
Several years ago, Doug and I volunteered to help with the alumni area at AirVenture in Oshkosh, which has turned into an annual vacation for us. We assist with connecting friends who stop by the booth looking for other alumni and the dinner. We also engage curious students and parents in conversation about LETU. As parents of a student and a graduate, we bring a current viewpoint of the opportunities at LETU. We engage with questions like “how to prepare a high schooler for transition to college life, is the education worth the expense, how do you pay for college, and what’s campus culture like?”
One of the frequent questions is, “What does Christian, in The Christian Polytechnic University truly mean?” My answer definitely makes us unique. LeTourneau originated on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and continues to stand solidly on that declaration today. As other universities are wavering in their beliefs and bowing to shifts in culture, we are even more intentional in our proclamation of faith. We share how our professors, staff, and coaches invest in our students. I’m able to tell them about strolling from classroom to classroom overhearing devotions and praying for each of those professors and their influence in student’s lives. The impromptu prayer time I’ve witnessed happening between classes or standing on the sidewalk is so encouraging. For students that need support in their faith walk, the dorms/floors have Spiritual Life Advisors, Peer Groups, Chapel, and a Counseling Center. I’m able to relate that students are accepting Christ and following in baptism. They are intrigued to hear the Board of Trustees meets virtually each month to pray and seek God’s guidance and protection for LeTourneau. We embrace our uniqueness, look forward to God’s building plan, and desire to walk in obedience.
One of my favorite ways to connect with other alumni is to ask about their story, “How did you hear about LeTourneau?”
Many respondents say from friends, family members, someone in their church, or alumni who shared their education and spiritual journey. When I talk to students or recent graduates, they have some of the same answers but add Google searches, sports recruitments, dual credit, and college fairs. I still believe one of the best ways to share about LeTourneau is through your own story! As the Alumni Council Chairperson, I want to challenge you to find other alumni in your area, connect with them and build your LETU community where you are. If you need help finding other alumni, please reach out to Lara Rose, Director of Alumni Engagement, or connect with us on social media. I’d encourage you to reflect on the way LETU impacted your family, faith, community, and future and how you can continue to build LeTourneau’s future. As God gives us opportunities to share with prospective students and their parents, family, friends, co-workers, youth groups, etc., we should always be prepared to share how LETU can build a unique future.
The Kinesiology research team, lead by Dr. Jordan Schools, was invited to present their research in New York City at the Major League Baseball Headquarters for the Professional Association of Athlete Development Specialists symposium. This symposium is attended by all professional athletic organizations as well as the NCAA. The goal of the symposium is to promote new and innovative ways to enhance performance and provide holistic care to athletes. Dr. Schools’ presentation, titled Enhancing Athlete Performance and Mental Focus through Virtual Reality, was a summary of the research that has been underway within the kinesiology department. We are excited about the future of this research and how it will benefit our community!
Top: Jordan Schools
For Stephanie Stroud, nursing is about much more than physical care. It is deeper and richer than solely administering aid for acute physical situations.
"When I think of nurses entering the healthcare field, I know it can be a very intimidating environment, especially now patients are a lot sicker and their situations are a lot more acute. I think hope is a really good word to remember. Having hope is really important for patients but also for nurses. Knowing there's a shortage of nurses and the hours are gonna be long and tedious and hard with the level of patients they're caring for, hope is what we offer. And we have the very real opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those patients,
providing care and hope in that moment, in some of the darkest times those patients experience.”
While the end goal is eternal hope through Christ, sometimes simply practicing the hope required to learn and grow through obstacles is an effort well worth intentionality. Stephanie shares how such a practice is woven into her instruction to her students.
"The hands-on experience is not only the learning component, but also how did it make them feel, where did they reflect that they did really well, because we can learn a great deal from reflection. Cultivating a habit that cares as much about our own mindset as we care about our patients. Not just, “how did I mess up?”, but perhaps, “how could I approach
Compassion is at the very center of true nursing care." "
this differently next time. Not better, just different.”
This mindset becomes all the more necessary when nurses are placed in situations that require mental toughness, clinical acumen, and softness of heart.
"It's all about care and compassion in our interactions with others. You're providing care for them, and you're having that as an experience, showing how you love and care for others above all. The skills and the knowledge and the critical thinking and clinical judgment are gonna come with it, but to be excited about nursing, about truly helping people, that’s what keeps you going. Compassion is at the very center of true nursing care.”
Are engineers supposed to be practiced at interpersonal communication or even conflict resolution? If you ask Dr. Davis, he would tell you that it’s not only helpful, but in his experience it is essential.
"One of the best things about a lab environment is even if you make a really good lab, sometimes it doesn't work. Wires get unplugged. Tubes get disconnected. Stuff happens in your labs. And having students and faculty work together on something that’s not working is really, really valuable for helping people learn how to adapt to unforeseen situations or solve problems that they weren't expecting. It helps prepare people when they're dealing with those difficult situations. Dealing with conflict resolution or a difference of opinions or particularly strong personalities
is exceptionally helpful when we're doing that in a classroom or a lab or a project based environment. People utilize those skills every day in industry. Everywhere you go, there's going to be unforeseen situations that you're not planning for. "
How one deals with those situations says a lot about the kind of person they choose to be now and the kind of professional they aspire to be.
"I've started asking students, ‘how are you growing?’ I ask this question because as we move through life and work one of the main areas we tend to not pay as much intentional attention to is how we interact with teammates or clients. How we grow relationally and how we strengthen those abilities is just as important as how we learn and grow technically.”
How we grow relationally and how we strengthen those abilities is just as important as how we learn and grow technically.” "
Dr. Davis sees this approach all throughout the engineering department and believes in the deeper spiritual connection within intentional relational building. How the human element of engineering becomes world-changing when informed by our faith.
"Mechanical engineers have the specific opportunity to mend the brokenness in our world by solving certain problems. I find that as we are training students and future engineers and future leaders, we have people that are seeking to both identify and fix problems, and when that desire and technical expertise is paired with and driven by a Christian perspective, we get to join in God’s restorative work in the world in very tangible and incredible ways. “
Early on, Kylee noticed the deep connection between the techy and the “fuzzy” (soft skills) degree disciplines, especially on a campus that is so rooted in the mechanical, scientific, and technological areas of study.
"I love that you get to experience the very analytical, problem-solving perspectives of engineers, but then get to discover that they also need to think about more philosophical stuff. We all have a unique focus and different callings, but we can still connect and contribute across academic boundaries with deep conversations.”
Feeling called to federal law enforcement, Kylee understands the importance of strength of character in developing authentic relationships to better care for and serve her community.
“I think that integrity is really important. It’s really important for any aspect of life, but especially in politics and law enforcement, when it’s your job to serve and protect people. As an image-bearer of God, how can I best serve, protect, and love all those who I encounter?”
Although she is familiar with the "science” or “method” through which
justice and societal support is usually carried out, Kylee approaches her vocational calling with a perspective that blends those methods with some practical needs of every community.
“The Lord gives us freedom, and through His wisdom and discernment we can approach this work knowing that there isn’t necessarily one 'right' way. We can explore different areas, open new doors, and ultimately seek to be a bridge between that working world and my faith. And when I don't have the answer, then I can be open and available to the process.”
WhenRebekah Gambrell finished her undergraduate degree at LETU, she was hopeful that she would be equipped for the high caliber industry she was stepping into. Her experience stepping up to the plate in her first position was deeply affirming as she began to realize just how ready she was to participate in meaningful work from day one.
"When I graduated from LeTourneau
and got my first job in aviation, I was far more prepared for the industry than many of my co-workers who had been working there for several years. I already had such a deep foundation and a breadth of knowledge from the courses and experiences that were part of my education. This gave me such a confidence, to feel as if I was ahead of the game right from the start.”
Nursing
From a young age, Rachel enjoyed nurses. With many family members in the field, it sparked her interest to becoming one in the future. "I've always believed it's such a tangible way to be Jesus to people when they're in need.”
Nursing is not just taught to students at LeTourneau, but they learn a biblical perspective on how to care for patients.
"Nursing as ministry is a really big deal at LeTourneau… we are encouraged to think about it as more than a vocation, it's a calling.
It's something we incorporate Jesus in. When I think about Jesus, and how he dealt with people, he was so hands-on. He dealt with the whole person: their body, soul, and spirit… The faculty encourage that in us, to look at the person as a whole, not just their body, but their mind. And also them as a person, as a soul. They encourage us that every time we interact with a patient, we have an opportunity to be Jesus to them."
As an adult nursing student, Rachel didn’t know what to expect coming back to school.
Welding Engineering
LeTourneau prides itself on the hands-on experience that students receive. Mason gained hands-on experience both with his academics and relationships with his classmates.
“The welding engineering community is really cool because it's really tight knit. We are all in the same classes. There's typically eight to ten of us in the same class. We grew up with each other, so to speak. It's been a
"I was nervous about coming back to school. I thought, 'What are all these people going to think about me?'… I have been so surprised and so blessed that the student body is welcoming. The faculty and students are devoted to helping you. I knew I wanted to pursue nursing in a place that was going to stretch me and prepare me to be the best nurse I could be. I knew that it was at LeTourneau, and that was the place to be.”
really personal experience, and I’ve really enjoyed that.”
As Mason goes off to work as a quality engineer, he takes with him the work and knowledge that he received as a student that will follow him throughout the entirety of his career. “Knowing the background knowledge of how metallurgy works, how welding works, and having a very good relationship between our classwork and
our lab work and for a lot of the classwork, we would learn and understand the science behind what's happening and then we'd go do it in lab. It really helped me because I'm very much a hands on person. I need to see it happening. So learning about it and then seeing how it happened really helped solidify what was going on.”
Welding Engineer, Consolidated Nuclear Security
In high school, Jason Trosen found a passion for welding engineering and knew exactly what he wanted to major in when he began his undergraduate career. His time at LeTourneau allowed him to polish his gift and use it for his career.
"I've been involved in engineering for 16 years now and what I learned as a student is definitely still useful for the work I do now.”
Jason continued his journey to becoming a welding engineer. Although it was not easy, his commitment serves as an example for students with their own God-given gifts and passions.
"Working with welding codes is a big part of what I do now [Welding Engineering] and I learned how to do that in the labs, classrooms, internships I worked as
an undergraduate student. I am just as passionate for welding engineering as I was in college and it only grows as I continue down my path. I truly acknowledge the role LeTourneau played through professors, friends, and pastors that helped me stay committed to my calling.”
Biomedical Engineering
Addie began her college journey during the fall of 2020, knowing that she couldn’t manage the weight of that year’s struggles alone.
"When I first arrived on campus I was filled with uncertainty. I was unsure of my place here for the better part of the first two months. I then took a step into a community of friends and felt myself thrive from the love I experienced--a love that made me lighter. I immediately wanted to offer that experience to others."
Addie began to find ways to offer the same experience that she received to other students.
“I have spent a couple years volunteering with new student orientation, and that has honestly been one of the biggest highlights of my LeTourneau career… I got out of my comfort zone the first time I volunteered, and then I fell in love with the students and freshmen… I have had an amazing time pouring into people in their first moments on campus, witnessing their first immersion into our culture.”
As she began taking her higher level biomedical engineering classes, Addie initially found her vocation that she would
Education & Theology
ToHaniah McKurtis, it's clear: "You can see all over campus that we're Christian and we say we're Christian. It's not just a label. It is a lifestyle of the leadership here and that's evident in every area of the school.”
Haniah experienced firsthand the unifying culture at LeTourneau. Not just students, but also faculty and staff and how they come
pursue after college: helping people in the medical field.
"I would love to do research, specifically in diagnostic and preventative care... I want to enhance the overall quality of life for people, to provide a more full and unique existence for them rather than just seeing them as medical patients. LeTourneau consistently equipped me with the academic and interpersonal skills to be able to help medical patients and provide them with adequate care.”
together to lift one another up.
“I think the LeTourneau community really embodies iron sharpening iron: the people here encourage and challenge me in every area of my life, in my academics, in my walk with God and the way I care for my friends, in the way I approach school and the way I love my family, in each of those areas I have friends that are spurring me on.”
With majoring in both theology and education, Haniah gets to truly go out into the world and reach people for the kingdom of God. She built her community on campus and knows what it means to be the body of Christ through her studies, outreach opportunities, and roles she contributed to on campus.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Software Researcher at Cherith Analytics
During Bruk’s years as a student, he spent most of his extracurricular time enjoying the campus community through YAC, the International Student Club, missions trips, and other student activities. He would say that those groups helped him to relax and more deeply connect with others outside of day-to-day academics. When it comes to the nuts and bolts, Bruk feels like his preparation was exactly what he needed to enter the workforce.
"A lot of the work I did at LETU required me to learn systems and structures from the ground up. Now in the field, I understand that having a deep understanding of your work makes you a better employee and helps you create better tools and projects for those who need them. In the case of my job, I work on researching and creating software that ministries can use.”
As important as the practical career preparation was, Bruk says that the most important part of his experience was the impact made through the LETU faith community and the way that it helped form him even during difficult times.
“I can testify that God has used every struggle, stress, and burden that I went through during my 4 years at LETU to prepare me for what He has called me to do in my career and future relationships, and He still prepares me now. As an international student, I often struggled to make ends meet every semester to pay for tuition.
However, every single time, without fail, God provided a way for me to continue my education and then eventually earn my degree. I believe my time at LeTourneau was worth it because I learned that God provides for everything that he has called his people to, even when it seems impossible. As Romans 8:28 (ESV) states, ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.’”
This spring, LeTourneau computer science students organized an Intercontinental Innovo Quest (ICIQ) - a 24-hour battle with CS students at Dayananda Sagar University (DSU), a partner school in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, to creatively solve problems for social good.
Coined a “hackathon” by students, the competition did not involve hacking but was focused on innovative solutions and sharing ideas across universities and, in this case, borders. The time limit added a unique dynamic, as students had to brainstorm both a problem and a solution, develop a plan for implementation, carry it out, and present their work, all within a 24hour timespan. Navigating time zone
differences was another obstacle as India is 10.5 hours ahead of Texas.
The hackathon also fostered business and communication skills: teams presented their work to faculty judges from both universities at several junctions of the competition, even developing their own logo and marketing materials.
Anuj Dwivedi, a semester exchange student at LETU, developed the idea for the hackathon after participating in similar events at DSU. “In my experience, I’ve learned more from hackathons than I could have learned from multiple computer science degrees. Because of the time limit, it forces me to work with other people and ask them for help with skills I don’t have.” Anuj added, “It was an incredible
opportunity to share my experiences and expertise in driving innovation and cross-cultural collaboration.”
LETU students hope to build on this success and run another ICIQ next year. Scan the QR code to watch highlights from our roundtable discussion with them:
Scan here
Who am I? Why am I here? Who do I belong to? Answering these questions is central to identity formation for every young person, and the School of Theology & Vocation is helping students find those answers in light of our Creator.
As part of our Student Voices series, three theology majors recently sat down in our studio to discuss what they’re learning, unique faith challenges of their generation, student leadership roles on campus, and more.
Michael Tan (Theology & Biology, 2026), Gillian Moore (Theology, 2024), and Haniah McKurtis (Theology & Education, 2024) are passionate about pursing Christ at a deep level and letting that permeate all facets of their lives.
Here’s some of what we heard: “Some Christians see theology as just head knowledge or academic knowledge, but done rightly, the study of theology leads to deeper intimacy and right relationship with God and worship of Him.”
"Jesus was fully present on earth in
human form; he was here with people, and he walked with them through life. So, in my daily life, I want to be fully present in every moment, whether that’s with school or friends or anything I do.”
Watch the entire conversation here!
Scan here
“Technology
is THE dominant story of the modern world…we are more powerful than any human generation in history, but we do not seem to be more happy, more healthy…”
-Andy Crouch
Last year’s feature documentary, written, directed, and produced in-house by the LeTourneau University Marketing and Communications team, has recently received national award recognition. Thanks to the visionary work of team members Jake Hall and Nathan O’Day, the documentary was recognized by the Telly Awards (honoring excellence in video and television across all screens) and the Communicator Awards (recognizing excellence, effectiveness, and innovation across all areas of communication).
Created in partnership with the Faith, Science & Technology Initiative and told from the firsthand perspective of LeTourneau students and faculty, you don’t want to miss this compelling video experience.
A Conversation between Steven D. Mason, Ph.D. and Josh Brake, Ph.D. (EE ‘13, MSEE ‘14)
Dr. Brake is a tenure-track assistant professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, where he has served since 2019. In addition to receiving undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees from LeTourneau University, he holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. His specific research experience is in the field of biophotonics. He also authors The Absent-Minded Professor, a weekly Substack outlet for manifestos on technology, education, and human flourishing through the lens of a prototyping mindset. He believes that with a little bit of curiosity and the right systems of iterative improvement, we can live more fully and help our neighbors to do the same.
LeTourneau University president, Dr. Steven D. Mason, recently sat down with Dr. Josh Brake to discuss ideas of technology, education, and human flourishing, the value of struggle, the automation or augmentation of A.I., and finding the good life in our digitally-saturated society. Here are some highlights from the conversation.
Dr. Steven D. Mason: I have really enjoyed really staying current, Josh, on a number of things by keeping up with your writing and have found it tremendously helpful in getting a good solid perspective on this crazy world of advancing technology. We could devote a conversation to any one of the topics in your weekly Substack newsletters, but for starters, will you tell our audience a little bit about where you're from and how you ended up at LeTourneau?
Dr. Josh Brake: I grew up in Connecticut, about an hour outside New York City. My initial connection with LeTourneau was through my dad. He went to LeTourneau back in the 80s. So, when I was looking at colleges coming through high school and was starting to think about where I wanted to spend those really formational years, and was looking at engineering as a major, LeTourneau was already on the list. When I visited campus, I really felt that LeTourneau was where God had me in that next season, and I felt a real peace about that. Now, almost a decade after graduation, I’ve seen the way that God has used the seeds He planted during my time at LeTourneau in really rich ways that I'm so grateful to be able to steward.
Mason: We recently featured you in our NOW magazine, which goes out to thousands of people, our own alums, but others as well, friends of the University. And in that article, you gave us a little snapshot of your time here at LeTourneau and what that was like for you. I loved it. If you would share just a bit about how did LeTourneau shape you, now as a professor but also, more broadly, as a person.
Brake: I think it's hard to overstate the influence that my time at LeTourneau had on me both as a person and even more as a professor. In that piece, I wrote a lot about the impact that [LETU Engineering Professor Emeritus] Dr. Bill Graff had on me. There really is no way to put it into words. The thing I keep thinking about as a professor, every day I'm coming into work, is people—above all else. And that's something that Dr. Graff really put at the heart of who he was, in all the different ways; something that really shaped my way of thinking. And I think, even more broadly than that, the thing I learned most at LeTourneau was that education primarily needs to be about relationship. That's the most impactful thing. When you talk to people about what the most influential piece of their education or upbringing is, they very rarely talk about a specific class or a specific thing they learned. Even if they talk about a class, it's not really about the class and the course material as much as it's about the person who is teaching them. That has shaped a lot of how I think about the way that I'm looking to live my career as an educator, as a professor, is to be about people before everything else. It's not that those other things aren't important, but the big thing is recognizing that these people that we have in our classes and that we work alongside and that are teaching us—those relationships are really what matter most.
Mason: I can only imagine the impact that you're having at Harvey Mudd because of that. The famous Maya Angelou quote comes to mind:
“At the end of the day, people won't remember what you said or did; they will remember how you made them feel.”
I’ve seen that bear out when I think about my own mentors and how they inspire me to be a certain kind of person and to make a certain kind of impact on the world. Just by reading what you write on a regular basis, I can tell that's the way that you care for your students—on top of caring intensely about the course content, which is obviously part of a prerequisite of being a great professor. I'm sure you're making the kind of impact that Dr. Graff has made on generations of people here at LeTourneau.
There are so many things that we could dive into, Josh. I want to read, for our audience's sake, the little short paragraph that you put in your weekly Substack newsletter, The Absent-Minded Professor, that sort of describes what you're after: “This newsletter is my weekly outlet for manifestos on technology, education, and human flourishing through the lens of a prototyping mindset. I believe that with a little bit of curiosity and the right systems of iterative improvement, we can live more fully and help our neighbor to do the same.” What do you mean by prototyping mindset?
Brake: The idea of a prototyping mindset is really inspired by the Stanford Life Design Lab, which was started by William Burnett and David J. Evans. The kind of idea that they take there, in a very Stanfordesque way, is to say, ‘what if we take the engineering design process, which we typically think about as these five steps of designing new technology or engineering solutions—where we first empathize with the user, understand what their problems are, then we define those problems, ideate solutions, prototype those and test them’—and ‘what if actually we took that kind of mindset and framework and thought about it outside of the traditional realm of engineering as a field and actually applied these more broadly to our life?’
That really resonated with me as an engineer. That's something that I see and use all the time in my technical work. But I think it's true of people in a lot of different fields, whether it's a professor or somebody working in industry and tech, or a filmmaker. These kind of things really translate across different areas. For example, comedians are always prototyping. Every time they go out, they tell the joke in a slightly different way. And then they're taking notes. They're doing these kind of design processes. Anybody who's telling a story or, you know, founders of companies— entrepreneurs are famous for this type of thing—are always tweaking things a little bit: ‘Let's test it. Let's try something new. Let's see how this lands.’
And what I think is really important about that perspective is that it's really focused on the audience and communication: ‘how are we adapting what we're thinking about to resonate with an audience and form a connection about this relationship piece?’ So, the prototyping mindset is really just this way of me trying to think about approaching
the problems that we face in our lives, or the things that we aspire to, in a framework that allows us to get traction. The idea is just to start with a small prototype and then iterate, build on that, and really embrace failure as a prerequisite for eventually succeeding.
The kind of analogy or the mental image that I keep in my mind is this: you’ve probably been to these parking garages with the spiral ramps. And if you look at that from top down, it looks like you're going in circles. But then if you look at it from a three-dimensional perspective, you see that going in circles is actually going up. You're iterating and improving. That's what I see when I think about the design cycle. It’s not just this two-dimensional thing going on. It's a three-dimensional process that if you do it right, you can keep moving, keep moving toward your goal.
Mason: You write a lot about how engineering education is about more than producing a sort of technical skill. You’ve talked about ‘learning how to learn,’ about producing curiosity and wisdom. You’ve mentioned how there's a relational nature of education in places like Harvey Mudd and LeTourneau. You bring to bear the relational nature of technology, or what technology is trying to do at its best. Would you say a little bit more about how to balance technical skills with some of those, let's call them, ‘higher order aims,’ even in the classroom?
Brake: I think a perfect place to start on this is what I tell the engineering sophomores in the experimental engineering course that I teach along with four of my colleagues. It’s this cool team talk class where they do these experiments with underwater robots, and it's pretty amazing to see the way that this course really shapes them. What I tell them is this: “you come into this class as a student studying engineering. But we want you to leave this class thinking of yourself as a budding engineer.”
And so from that perspective, there's really two buckets that I think about when it comes to that. One is the technical skills piece. You have to know how to do the thing, right? You have to know how to design an experiment, how to design the instrumentation, how to capture the data, analyze it, and understand what's going on. But then there's this other piece of it, that I think we often lose sight of in the technical sciences, or when we're thinking about the hard sciences. And that is this: who you are and what you bring to the table as a person doing this thing really matters. So, the other big learning outcome that we explicitly talk about in that class is about identity formation. This is about helping you to become an engineer and all these other aspects that play into that: ‘Who are you as a person? What are your core values? What's your mission and vision? What does the good life look like to you? What do you care about in the world? What are the things that you want to have an influence on? And then, how do you work? How do you work on a team? How do you embrace failure?’
All of these pieces are really the nutrients that surround the technical work that we're doing and that our students will be doing in the future. How do we actually think of ourselves [as institutions of higher learning] as less of an assembly line, Henry Ford style, turning out new graduates? Like stamping them with some kind of stamp. What's actually happening is much more like gardening, or cultivating, or pruning—creating the
right soil, the best blends for that plant to really flourish and grow. It’s the perspective to know that every student that comes out of our programs is not some widget, in a kind of engineering sense, but is a person and unique in the way that they approach the world. That actually is a huge strength that we want to draw out and really embrace in our students.
Mason: I love that. That is so well put. It’s sort of embodying a call, rather than just trying to get something done. And it's so holistic. It's who we are. And one thing I've learned at being at LeTourneau now, at the close of my 18th year, is that there is a culture where students say, ‘I am an engineer; I’m not just studying engineering.’ We are trying to help our students think about what they do as part of who they are and not separate from that. In the same way, in my field, biblical studies, some might consider us, let's say, professional theologians. But everyone is a theologian. Everyone has some perspective on God or a higher power and what He's doing in the world—what problems our faith might be trying to solve, what the end or goal of humanity or all of creation is. We all bring that to bear, and it's probably better for us all to think about ourselves in one form or another as a theologian. But I love the way that you're relating this concept to such a technical area. Engineering involves analytics and mathematics and physics, and so many other elements, but there is something that animates it all. And there's something important to us as people, as human beings made in the image of God, that means it's more than just ‘doing engineering.’
The relational nature of education, but also just practicing your giftedness, is crucial for what's become a sort of buzzword phrase: human flourishing.
Brake: I kind of see this as another instance of this one-pot system idea that Dr. Graff was so adamant about. We humans always say, ‘Okay, let's compartmentalize this thing.’ And ‘what I do as an engineer over here is separate from what I do as a human, or what I do as a Christian on Sunday,’ or what have you. And I think that fundamentally that's such a limited way to see the world. I think it also is at the root of a lot of the things that we're starting to see when it comes to, let's say, Artificial Intelligence, or technology at large in our culture.
We have this way of thinking that ‘we're just developing technology,’ as if this doesn't have anything to do with the broader picture of what the good life looks like and what we think that is. When, actually, it's very, very deeply grounded in a vision of what we think human flourishing looks like and what the vision is we have of the world. So, to try to reintegrate those things is a constant battle and struggle, because it's just natural for us as humans to try to disentangle and separate things. But it's really important for us, if we're going to design technology that's actually going to help humans, to be always thinking about how that connects with not only our own personal identity and who we are, who we bring to the table—but how it affects our neighbors, too.
Mason: Artificial Intelligence is, of course, so profound and pervasive in our world as a whole. I'm really curious to get some of your latest thoughts, because it's developing and growing and advancing in all
sorts of ways. I know you've been thinking about A.I. in large language models and their use and their impact on our society. Obviously higher education in general is wrestling with how to wrap it’s arms around A.I.—wondering ‘how are we going to harness, if you will, A.I. for the sake of education?’ What do you think the near future holds for us in this way? Do you see A.I. as an important element of higher education?
Brake: It's so interesting to me that some of the best stuff I've read about A.I. was written four years ago. It’s interesting that we think this is new, and in some ways it is. There are aspects of A.I. that are new, but one of the best things I've read in this vein is this series of lectures by a Canadian physicist, Ursula Franklin, a Canadian metallurgist, research physicist, author, and educator who taught at the University of Toronto for more than 40 years. She gave these 1989 CBC lectures called “The Real World of Technology.” She highlights a couple of different things that are really important and that really resonated with me. One of them is that technology is never created in a vacuum.
Whenever you create something, it's in the ecosystem. There's always this ecosystem. So you introduce A.I. into a classroom, and it doesn't just change the classroom in some very predictable way. There are all of these intersecting pieces that get put into this feedback loop of how the culture is set in the ecosystem. And it's very hard to predict all of the different potential avenues for the way that that actually will work itself out. The other thing that I thought was really prescient when she's talking about the impact of technology more broadly is that we often think about technology in the situation where a single user uses it or a small group of users use it. We don't think about it more broadly when it reaches mass adoption.
It’s one thing to think about how the car impacts your ability to go somewhere. It's a whole other can of worms to think about how everyone having a car, and roads all over the place, impact and shape our society. Part of the challenge, I think, with technologists at large, is that we're not very intentional about thinking down the line and trying to see where in history we've seen these types of things happen, and trying to draw the parallels. Then, we must try to imagine how this technology plays out. How does this influence us when it's not just the teacher using A.I. or a single student using A.I. to help them with something? How is this impacting the culture of the classroom when all the students are using A.I.? What does that actually do to the relational fabric of the classroom and of an educational institution?
I'm not anti-technology. Obviously, I'm an engineer and I love technology. But at the same time, we often really don't think about the way that technology impacts us beyond just the positive aspects. Take medical interventions, for example. If you watch an ad in the Super Bowl for the latest drug, all these side effects that get listed that the regulatory agencies essentially make them include. But we don't do that when we think about new apps, like Instagram. It's going to connect you to all your friends and you're going to see all these pictures of what's going on. And oh, by the way, you're going to become addicted to dopamine hits
"IF WE'RE GOING TO DESIGN TECHNOLOGY THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP HUMANS, WE MUST ALWAYS BE THINKING ABOUT HOW THAT CONNECTS WITH NOT ONLY OUR OWN PERSONAL IDENTITY AND WHO WE ARE, WHO WE BRING TO THE TABLE—BUT HOW IT AFFECTS OUR NEIGHBORS, TOO."
-DR. JOSH BRAKE
and just need to scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll and feel this loneliness and all these other deep things. We don't have really good, healthy ways of talking about that. That's another thing I think, as an engineer, that we need to factor those dynamics into the way that we think about technology as we're building the technical aspects of it. All these other aspects need to be built alongside that, not just as some kind of aftereffect, to do no harm with this thing after you make it. It's much more complicated than that.
Mason: What a balance to strike. You talk about the delightful uses of technology. And, you know, there is something maybe even godly, so to speak, of pressing into the potential of humanity and creation, and where the two meet. And yet there are threats, if you will. We’ve started to see real fears of what technology can do unmitigated and mentions of the A.I. apocalypse, which is really fascinating.
Some of the same people that are developing the technology and are pushing the limits are also the ones saying we need to have some real guidelines on emerging technology. And of course, the question is always, even if I'm sort of behind that in principle, ‘who says what is good, right and beautiful?’
What are your thoughts on the threat that technology might control us, rather than humanity controlling technology? How do we know if technology is inadvertently doing more of the dictating than the other way around?
Brake: Part of the challenge with this whole thing is that it plays on, I think, our natural human impulse to see the positives and downplay the negatives. We do that in the marketing of these technologies, the design of these technologies, and the use of these technologies. It's very easy for us to think about all of the great things that our phones and computers and all of the other devices around us enable for us.
But there's some real downsides to that. I think part of the problem is that we don't really see or think about those things unless we can somehow disconnect ourselves and separate ourselves from the technology in a way, because part of the deception of the technology is to say that you require it.
"THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IS PERSONAL, NOT PERSONALIZED. PERSONALIZATION HAS THIS MIRAGE OF RELATIONSHIP THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH IT. YOUR NEWSFEED IS PERSONALIZED. YOUR TWITTER FEED IS PERSONALIZED. WHAT YOU SEE ON THE INTERNET IS PERSONALIZED FOR YOU. IT IS DESIGNED TO GIVE YOU THE IMPRESSION OF RELATIONSHIP WHEN THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP THERE... WE REALLY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THAT SAYS AND WHAT WE BELIEVE LIFE IS ABOUT. FOR ME, REALLY, THE HEART OF IT IS THAT RELATIONSHIPS ARE WHAT ARE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND MEANINGFUL TO US AS HUMANS."
-DR. JOSH BRAKE
It becomes such a part of our natural rhythm of life that we just can't even imagine what it is to live without it. What would it be like to live without our phones or even go on a walk without our phones? Heaven forbid, right? Like somebody needs us. It’s these lies that we tell ourselves. The companies and the developers are not off the hook for this. They're certainly all about engaging you and trying to grab your attention. There's so much of this that's tied up into the economic and political and historical aspects of how these technologies were designed and developed, and the fact that all these social media companies know that the way that they make money is by keeping you engaged. But the ultimate irony is that the question is not whether you're engaged. It's ‘what are you engaged in?’ And ‘is that thing actually useful? Is that valuable to you? Does that actually help to cultivate the things that you want to be as a person?’
I think if we take some time to separate and really answer that question for ourselves, we'll find out that the answer is ‘no, not really.’ We're so often actually in service to someone else's agenda. And these things are not really aligned with what we want or what we need—with what our vision of the good life is. We've got to find a way to think through that. Finding the middle path between optimism and pessimism around technology is to really try to get at the heart of things: ‘What's the thesis statement of these technologies? What's the purpose? What is the vision of life that this technology says is good?’
These are things we don't often talk about as engineers. We often just consider: ‘here's a problem; let's solve it.’ We make this thing easier, or more efficient, or faster—or make more in less time. And that essentially is what we view as the ultimate good. But efficiency and productivity are not fundamental human values. Whether you do something faster is not actually important. It's about whether or not it’s valuable to do in the first place. And then, maybe, there's value in doing it faster or more efficiently. But those are not the things that are going to lead to lasting flourishing and joy for us as humans. We've been deceived in many ways. And we've deceived ourselves, unfortunately, in many of these ways that we think about technology. I think we need to find some better ways to think about it, both as designers and as users.
Mason: One topic that stuck out to me in a number of places in your writing is the idea of struggle. So much of our life, it seems, in our modern world is trying to eliminate struggle. There's something, I guess, natural about that. We don't like to be sidetracked or delayed or set back. And you talk about the difference between pain and struggle, which I thought was so well put. I'd actually never thought of that, but there is quite a distinction there to be made.
For example, A.I. is one way to avoid the struggle. Not long ago, if you didn’t know what a word meant, you had to go to the dictionary and actually look it up. Now, we can all Google something and just get the definition. Something may be lost there. Do you ever think about the same process as an educator in terms of struggle and what role struggling plays in learning?
Brake: It's so important and it's so interesting to think about pain versus struggle because struggle has this very negative connotation for us, I think. We think that struggle is bad, almost in the same way that we think of friction being bad in an engineering situation. Friction or resistive losses, like losing energy to heat or reducing the amount of energy that we can deliver to the output, is viewed as waste. In some cases that's certainly true. Friction is not getting us anything productive. But, if you're going to go into the weight room and try to get stronger, you have to struggle. If you go in there and don't push yourself at all, you're not going to grow. The way our bodies work physically is to experience a stress and then recover from that stress and then recovering from that stress, we become stronger.
I think there's something really true there about learning, too, that if we just see the same information, or we just encounter the same concepts over and over again, we're not pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone. If we don't do that, we're not going to learn. We're not going to grow.
At the heart of it is this fear of failure. This is big, especially for students and engineers—or really for anybody. We're really scared of failing. And we really have these unhealthy ways of thinking about struggle or failure. If you look at the people who are the most successful, the number one thing that you could correlate with their success is the number
of times they fail. This gets back to the whole prototyping mindset. Scott Witthoft, an author and former Standford professor, talks about prototyping as embodied questions. The idea is when you prototype something you are trying to answer a question, and you're embodying that in some form or fashion. When you view it in that perspective, the goal of every prototype is to fail. But in the failing, you learn something, and then you iterate from that and you improve on that. That really connects this idea of friction with learning and education.
What I try to tell my students, and remind myself, too, is that in the ways that we're learning, we have to be embracing failure. It's not even enough just to say, ‘Ah, we'll tolerate it.’ Failure is a very positive thing if we do it in the right way, and if we're learning something from it. It means that we're actually pushing ourselves beyond our limits, of where we kind of see the extents of our knowledge and understanding in our skill. I think of myself, as an educator, more and more like a coach in a lot of scenarios—where my goal is to help you to understand how to unlock your potential and encourage you to push beyond that.
In the same way if you're lifting some heavy weights in the gym, you're going to want a spotter there to be able to help you if you are not able to make the lift and not have the bar on your chest, right? If you're trying to bench press too much, you have a spotter there. You have a coach. You have somebody who's walking alongside you in community, in relationship, to actually encourage you to push yourself and then to be there to help you, when inevitably you're going to fail. And if you're not pushing yourself to failure, you're not going to grow to your fullest potential. There's a real tension there, but I think it holds a lesson I want students to understand—and for all of us to understand, really—is that failure is not the enemy here. Failing poorly is the enemy. Friction is not always the enemy, either. We have to embrace the struggle.
Mason: Phil Burks, who’s become a really good friend of mine (he's a trustee, a graduate of LeTourneau, and a successful entrepreneur) has written a book called "How to Eat a Failure Sandwich." And it's to that very point, about the struggles along the way that have helped him become who he is and do some really amazing things over his career. Our current generation sometimes gets a bad rap for a lack of resilience, or lack of grit. That probably goes for almost anyone now, no matter their age or generation. And I've wondered: ‘How does technology impede our resilience and grit by providing the quick fix, entertainment, distraction, or escape? How has that impacted our ability to struggle, and to struggle well?’
Brake: Andy Crouch, whom you’ve interviewed before, authored a book before this generative A.I. stuff really hit the fan that talked about the life that we’re looking for—about asking ourselves, ‘what are the things that we actually care about?’ This idea of technology promising superpower really resonates with me. I just read a great piece by MIT’s Ford Professor of Economics, Dr. David Autor, recently, and one of the things that he sets forward is the idea of technology in an augmentation versus automation frame—or rather, whether technology is extending
the abilities we already bring to the table as humans, or whether it is somehow replacing us.
And now, we’re back to the struggle. It's uncomfortable to struggle, whether we're climbing a mountain or working at a work gym or running. Whenever we push ourselves a little bit beyond our limits or push ourselves to the limit, we feel that discomfort. And the allure of technology is to say, ‘don't worry, you don't have to struggle anymore.’ ‘There will be abundance.’ ‘We'll automate these things that you don't like to do.’ It’s not to say that automation is bad in all situations. And yet, we have to be really careful there. It’s not necessarily just about the work and the way that we're doing it, but actually the way that it is forming our view of what it means to work and to live a full life.
Mason: As professors at universities like LeTourneau or Harvey Mudd, we get to engage with really bright people who are looking for jobs where they'll be paid for using their gifts to build or to sustain technology. How do you help them understand the tension between the positive value of technology and the dangers that come with applying technology in certain ways? What are some tips or pieces of wisdom that you give them as they go out and want to make a difference in the right ways?
Brake: I think the first thing is just to encourage them to bring a curious questioning lens to all of these problems. My hope is that as we continue to have these conversations and these questions get more embedded into our context, that we start to think differently. I think the first thing is to pay attention to the language of the stories that are being told. For example, what's the narrative that Apple tells you about the new Apple Vision Pro? I got to try it for the first time first last weekend. It's an amazing piece of technology. I mean, in terms of the fidelity of this thing, it is just unbelievable how crisp and clear it is.
The optical engineer in me is amazed at what we can do now. But then what does this do to us as humans? What does it say about what our vision of the good life? We literally are going to pay $3,500 to put blinders over our eyes and see our entire world mediated through cameras and overlaid with apps and screens and whatever else. It's a whole different vision of what reality is. And the language here is really, really important as we even talk about augmented reality or mixed reality. There's a lot of freight being carried there that we're just not paying attention to. It's very easy to just drink the Kool-Aid without even realizing you're drinking the Kool-Aid. And again, this is not to say that I'm anti-technology, but back to Andy Crouch. He's just such an insightful thinker on these ideas, including the prompt: ‘Are we using our technology for a very specific purpose in the way that we would use a scientific instrument or a musical instrument? Are we using it in a way that actually and deeply extends our humanity? Or are we outsourcing our abilities and our lives to devices to allow them to control and influence and put us in a certain direction?’ He calls it the ‘innovation bargain.’ Of course, there are trade-offs to advancing technology, and we more quickly recognize the benefits.
Mason: At LeTourneau, we talk a lot about the question, 'just because you can build it, should you?' Or to put it in Paul's language, not
FUNDAMENTALLY,
I CAN'T HELP BUT SEE THE PARALLELS BETWEEN THE AGE OF A.I. AND THE GOLDEN CALF IN THE STORY OF EXODUS, WHICH IS TO SAY, "EVERYBODY COME AND BRING ALL OF YOUR RICHES AND LET'S BUILD THIS THING AND MAKE IT OUR GOD.” TO ESSENTIALLY WORSHIP IT IN A WAY THAT SAYS, "WE'RE PUTTING THE CREATED IN THE PLACE OF THE CREATOR."
-DR. JOSH BRAKE
everything that is permissible is beneficial. Is there anything that you might offer when it comes to that question?
Brake: Silicon Valley comes to mind. I think that this is the idolatrous vision of artificial general intelligence. So the idea about artificial general intelligence or A.G.I. is really the end goal of a lot of these A.I. startups right now. The idea is not to use artificial intelligence as a tool or an instrument, but to essentially create a machine that has what they would try to say is human level intelligence, whatever exactly that means. And whether or not you think this is possible or not is one question, but I think it really is a great question for us to be asking, 'Okay, let's say just for argument's sake that we can build this. Should we build this?' And I think fundamentally I can't help but see the parallels between the Golden Calf and the story of Exodus, which is to say, "Everybody come and bring all of your riches and let's build this thing and make it our god.” To essentially worship it in a way that says, "We're putting the created in the place of the Creator."
One of the things that has been most exciting to me in the conversations I've had over the last year or so about A.I. is it brings so many of these questions—about what it means to be human and what we're all trying to do here to begin with—to the forefront in ways that other technologies don't do as clearly. It's not as clear to consider your phone and say, "Well, what does this mean for me, for a human? How is it shaping me?" But when we talk about artificial general intelligence, it's right there. We are literally trying to create a machine that is, in some sense, indistinguishable from a human, even beyond what a brain analysis would try to create.
Mason: Can you speak to the role of the liberal arts and humanities and help us imagine or examine what the boundaries might be or how we go about weighing ‘is this the right thing?’ ‘Is this a good thing?’ What might you have to offer and say about the importance of the liberal arts at STEM institutions?
Brake: I have this phrase in my mind: 'History may not repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.' This kind of idea as engineers that we have A.I. now and deep learning and all these things that are in some sense fundamentally new. On the one hand, there is some truth in that. It is really innovative. There are new things here that have not yet been
discovered in the history of humanity. And yet, we can actually learn from history and the way similar things played out. Take the industrial revolutions: steam, electricity, the internet age, and the age of A.I. The nature of a technological evolution is not totally independent from a technical revolution of the past.
It doesn't often take very much technology to really make a significant impact. Think about the impact of something as seemingly trivial as the spur or the stirrup. What simple technology enables is pretty profound.
Mason: What might you say to us here at LeTourneau in terms of wisdom and encouragement in fulfilling our calling?
Brake: Y'all are going to think I'm a broken record by the end of this, but the basic line is that for me, the future of education is personal, not personalized. And what I mean by that is to say that personalization has this mirage of relationship that's associated with it. Your newsfeed is personalized. Your Twitter feed is personalized. What you see on the Internet is personalized for you. It is designed to give you the impression of relationship when there is no relationship there. And so I think as we have artificial intelligence or technologies—whatever is next, even after A.I.—we really need to pay attention to what that says and what we believe life is about. For me, really, the heart of it is that relationships are what are most are influential and meaningful to us as humans.
When you are thinking as an educator about the way that you teach students, and for students, the way that you're learning from your mentors and how you're interacting with your peers, how you're interacting with your professors, how you're interacting with the staff that are coming alongside you and helping to support the mission of a university or a learning experience, we really have to think about the value of relationships. That's what we have to cultivate. And what ultimately is going to be the thing that lasts in our in our lives. It really shapes us and makes a difference.
Mason: We're just delighted to be in relationship with you, Josh. We’re so proud of what you're doing and admire the way that you are impacting not only your students, surely, but also all the people that are reading the things that you're sharing. You are encouraging us to think fully about the great goods and services that technology can provide and extend the human endeavor—in all the ways that God would would see fit. And yet, you equally and appropriately caution us about what what guardrails need to exist and what needs to be taken into account as we attempt to live our lives to the glory of God.
To learn more about some of Dr. Josh Brake’s inspiration to teach, read ‘Partnering with God,’ a reflection he contributed to the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of NOW Magazine. He will also be in attendance at LeTourneau University’s Fall Homecoming in October, where he’ll present a lecture on technology and human flourishing in partnership with the university’s Faith, Science, and Technology initiative. In the meantime, you can keep up with Dr. Brake's writing by subscribing to The Absent-Minded Professor Substack at: joshbrake.substack.com
Welcome to the Built For This podcast! With a rich organizational history and a tradition of blending theory with practice, we seek to build up a world that often seems focused on tearing down. Join us as we delve into dynamic stories, engage in conversations with thought leaders, and explore how we can fit into and meaningfully engage with both present and future problems. The future might not always be crystal clear, but thanks to our innovative founder, exceptional students, impactful faculty and alumni, and perhaps even you, the listener, we can boldly say: Together, we are built for this.
Being Human: The Built for This Podcast Ep. #04
Built for This • May 10, 2024
Dr. Steven Mason joined Dr. Jonathan Pennington, author of Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life, to discuss how the Bible communicates a robust philosophy for life and human flourishing.
The Anxious Middle: The Built For This Podcast Ep. #03
Drs. Todd Ream and Jerry Pattengale, authors of The Anxious Middle: Planning for the Future of the Christian College, talked with LeTourneau University President Dr. Steven Mason about how institutes...
Dis-Integrated: The Built For This Podcast Ep. #02
In this episode, LeTourneau University President Dr. Steven Mason was joined by Andy Crouch, prolific Christian author and a partner for theology and culture at Praxis, to discuss the ways that technology...
The Stakes: The Built For This Podcast Ep. #01
On today's episode of the Built for This podcast, Dr. Jim Denison of the Denison Forum was in our studio for a fascinating conversation with LeTourneau University President, Dr. Steven Mason, about what he calls...
“Two years ago, I became a grandfather for the first time, though I had four other precious ones who called me Papa Z. and my wife Jiji. At that same time, I heard Larry Fowler speak for the first time; the only thing going through my mind was, “you have a huge responsibility to these children.” I had always wanted to lead into our annual LeTourneau University homecoming with some type of conference, and after hearing Larry speak I thought an intentional Christian Grandparents Conference could be a great initiative for an inaugural event.
I am completely humbled and honored to have such amazing talent presenting over these two days. Each of these folks has bought into this vision and sacrificed to participate and share from their vast and personal experience. They are content experts who live in these spaces that will help us understand ourselves and youth of today. If you are a grandparent or soon to be grandparent, you will not want to miss this!”
—Dr. Terry Zeitlow, Conference Coordinator and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at LeTourneau University
FOWLER DR. CRAWFORD LORITTS
Founder, Legacy Coalition Pastor, Author, & Radio Host
DR. KATHY KOCH
Founder & President, Celebrate Kids, Inc.
Miss USA, Child Life Champion
TV Executive, Film Producer, Author Comedic Impressionist, Producer, Author
BY
LARRY SARAH ROSE SUMMERS SQUIRE RUSHNELL LOUISE DUART RUSHNELL MIKE HARPER PHOTO KAREN SANCHEZ
Asa part of our ongoing strategic plan and vision for creating a destination for exceptional hospitality and deeply meaningful and developmental student and employee experiences, LeTourneau University is committed to recruiting and retaining top talent. We are especially dedicated in our pursuit of employee engagement and well-being as partners with Best Christian Workplaces (BCW). Our efforts continue as a certified Best Christian Workplace to develop our values of fantastic teams, life-giving work, outstanding talent, uplifting growth, rewarding compensation, inspirational leadership, sustainable strategy, and healthy communication.
In a recent communication to faculty and staff, President Mason reminds us:
“As I think about our shared work of investing in students, I’m reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, where he says, ‘We care so deeply for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our very lives because you had become so dear to us. ’ Like Paul’s, our work entails a certain intensity, but that intensity brings forth a community of lives shared so that the gospel of God will take deep root and bear fruit years into the future. What a joy to be in this Kingdom work together!”
We’d like you to join us in welcoming a few recent additions to the LeTourneau University community that further this work and shared commitment:
Lori Beaty joined LeTourneau University in late Spring 2024 as Vice President for Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In this role, she directly oversees the university’s budget and finances in addition to many other important operational areas, including Financial Aid, Human Resources, Payroll, Accounting, Auxiliary Services, Facilities, Student Accounts, Information Technology, and Conference and Events Services.
Prior to her move to Longview, Lori served at Tarleton State University, starting in 2011 as a grant accountant. She moved through the ranks to become the university’s first female Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration in 2019. In this role, she provided leadership to Business Services, Employee Services, Strategic Financial Planning, Campus Operations, Information Technology Services and Compliance. She served as a
member of the President’s Executive Cabinet and as a liaison with external entities for university. Lori is passionate about transforming the role of finance and administration from a functional necessity to a strategic partner. A native of Pittsburg, Texas, she holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University-Commerce, a Master’s in Business Administration from Tarleton State University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Texas A&M University.
Lori is a Certified Public Accountant and spent a number of years working in public accounting and small business management prior to finding her way to higher education finance. Along with her husband, Michael, Lori is a proud parent to William (Tarleton '21), Lauren (Baylor '22), Matthew (MCC '24), and Bradley (Tarleton '27).
After long-time leadership in LeTourneau University’s Criminal Justice & Political Science programs and serving as Associate Dean, Dr. Mark Moland has now assumed the role of Dean, College of Education, Arts & Sciences at LeTourneau University. Before coming to LeTourneau, Dr. Moland served in the United States Coast Guard for 21 years and retired at the rank of Commander. Notably during his career, he served as a Special Assistant to the Deputy National Incident Commander during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, where he led an intergovernmental team preparing the daily White House briefings to the Gulf Coast Governors. He is a Colson Fellow. His research focuses on immigration, justice, and homeland security. Dr. Moland and his wife, Shana, have four children and live in Henderson, Texas, where they are active in church, Scouts, and minister to foster families.
Dr. Moland leads the faculty and staff of the College of Education, Arts & Sciences (CEAS) in living out LeTourneau University’s unique saga as the Christian Polytechnic University. He oversees six academic departments which offer 40 degrees both in person and online, leads the General Education committee, and is a key leader on the commission revising our Core educational program. Once finalized, he will collaboratively lead the implementation and assessment of the revised general education curriculum. He also leads the university’s Dual Credit program, which teaches over 1,700 students through 72 partner schools and 100 adjunct instructors across the United States. Dr. Moland engages with the community, alumni, and friends of the university to explore and enhance Christian Polytechnic
education at LeTourneau and beyond. He leads CEAS in assessment and accreditation efforts at the university and also serves as a Title IX adjudicator.
"My vision for CEAS begins with our unique organizational saga. This resonates deeply with my own academic and faith journey. Decades ago, as a cadet majoring in Government at the United States Coast Guard Academy, I studied extensively in the sciences and engineering. This formative experience and my subsequent career taught me the value of an education well-grounded in the liberal arts, the sciences, and engineering. Later, as the Coast Guard Academy’s Assistant Dean of Academics, I saw firsthand how the various academic majors, student life, and athletics came together to shape graduates to meet the missions of the service. While serving in academic leadership at one of our nation’s premiere service academies is an honor, serving at LeTourneau is a greater honor. Here we bring together our disparate disciplines, with our faith at the very core, as we shape our graduates for the mission of taking the Gospel to every workplace, in every nation.”
Leadership principles that have guided and continue to guide Dr. Moland include: “Leadership is you, influencing & inspiring others to achieve a goal” (USCG); “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33); “Seek the Shalom of the community to which you are called” (Jeremiah 29:7); “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” (Stephen Covey); “Collaborate—we are one body with many parts; and “Transparency breeds self-correcting behavior” (Thad Allen).
Dr.Welsh joins LeTourneau University as Associate Vice President for Accreditation and Assessment. She also serves as an Associate Professor of Psychology and is a SACSCOC Institutional Accreditation Liason. She is an experimental social psychologist, having earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University, respectively. She has served on the faculty and in administration at both small private and large public universities and has extensive experience in grant management and institutional effectiveness. As Associate
University Registrar
Associate Vice President for Accreditation and Assessment
Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Data Analytics at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCUHS), Josie oversaw academic computing, institutional research and reporting, assessment and program review, faculty development, accreditation and compliance, and curriculum management. Josie serves as a team chair for the Peer Corps of the Higher Learning Commission and as the Accreditation Liaison Officer for SCUHS. She also serves as President of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE).
Danielle serves as LeTourneau University’s Registrar. She and her family moved from California to East Texas in May of 2023. Danielle has been in higher education since 2015 and served in various roles in enrollment, advising, and registrar. She has served as University Registrar at Fresno Pacific University and now, with LeTourneau. No matter where she’s planted, she has a passion for service. Danielle loves spending time with her family. She and her husband
have two children, Jacen and Jaina. They also have two rescue dogs, Finn and Trooper. They love to explore the outdoors, visit new places, and play lots of Legos. She has been a devoted Wonder Woman fan since she was a small girl.
She was initially drawn to LETU for being The Christian Polytechnic University, but after further research, Danielle fell in love with the sense of community.
Upon his retirement, the Board of Trustees of LeTourneau University has named Dr. Stan Coppinger Professor Emeritus, in honor of the significant contributions to the University and to the world. The formal emeritus resolution cites: Dr. Coppinger is a tenured professor who has faithfully served at LeTourneau University as faculty, associate vice president for academic affairs, and dean for seventeen years. He has served as dean of the College of Education, Arts, and Sciences for three years, stepping in to provide leadership in a time of transition and on the eve of a global pandemic. He has led the dramatic expansion of LeTourneau's dual credit program to a nation-wide virtual campus of over 1,700 high school students. He has served on and led numerous and consequential committees during his tenure at LeTourneau University, including serving on the Associate Provost Search Committee, the Honors Committee, the General Education Committee, the QEP Committee, the Accreditation and Assessment Committee, and the Compliance and Certification Committee. He has been an active scholar, presenting at numerous scholarly conferences and winning awards such as George Nixon Award for Best Prose at the Conference for College Teachers of English. He has demonstrated excellence in the classroom, teaching a wide range of courses such as Composition, American Literature, British Literature, Advanced Grammar, History of the English Language, Reading the Bible as Literature, Narrative Technique in the Modern American Novel, and Novels of the American South. Students especially laud him for his impassioned teaching of C.S. Lewis and the craft of creative writing. His teaching, scholarship, and service to LeTourneau resulted in his colleagues recognizing his merit and awarding him the Robert H. Selby Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has exhibited a mature and contagious faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit that has been demonstrated in various positions at his church such as Adult Bible Study Teacher, Pulpit Supply, Adult Education Committee, Church Growth, Evangelism and Discipleship Committee.
Plain and short, he is simply beloved by the LeTourneau University community. Below are reflections upon Dr. Coppinger’s leadership, service, and deep love and care for his colleagues, students, and the Lord—from Dr. Mark Moland, incoming Dean of the College of Education, Arts, & Sciences, and a selection of Dr. Coppinger’s students.
Iam deeply honored to serve as Dr. Coppinger’s successor as Dean of Education, Arts & Sciences. He is a leader of character, compassion, and faith.
When I was hired as faculty in 2015, Stan was returning to teach literature again at LeTourneau. As a returning faculty member, Stan was
a part of the new faculty formation class with me. A seasoned faculty leader, he was a source of wisdom and insight for all of us in that class. Throughout my time here, he has been both a Paul and a Silas to me. He has modeled for me how to lead and teach as a Christian academic. He has been a trusted guide as I entered positions of academic leadership. In these last few months as we began the transition from his deanship to mine, he has been my closest friend on campus. He is always available to advise, encourage, and pray.
Stan is uniquely gifted in encouraging students of all ages. I shared with Stan a poem my son wrote about the color yellow for his thirdgrade class. Stan loved it and sent him an encouraging note. In response, my son wrote a whole book of color themed poems with a special dedication to Stan.
Even in the midst of doubt and struggle, he clings to the goodness of God. Stan has shared publicly about moments of doubt while experiencing the series of health crises he has faced over the years. Even in doubt, his faith shines brilliantly. He is a man who knows God’s goodness and grace and clings tightly to Him in every season.
Stan is a master teacher and beloved by students. Here are some comments from past students, a mere sample of the glowing comments from generations of students:
“This class was legitimately my favorite LETU class I have ever taken. Dr. Coppinger is an amazing and incredibly fun professor to have. I have never learned so much in a course while also having this amount of fun ever before.”
“Dr. C always managed to get me engaged in his class by utilizing his charismatic qualities. I can tell he is genuine in what he does and says. It is also very apparent how much he cares for his class and each student that comes his ways. Wonderful example of a teacher.”
“Dr. C, I really enjoyed having you this semester for English Composition 1. This was my favorite class of the day, and it was because of your enthusiasm and passion for wanting to help me succeed while simultaneously pushing me to improve. Thank you for being on my side and being available when I needed help.”
“The way that Dr. Coppinger explained assignments and helped us with them was an absolute blessing. He also is a man of affirmation, and that is so critical, especially in the English writing world. It made me push myself to do above what I thought was my best, and I enjoyed that.”
“Take advantage of Dr. Coppinger's office hours! He is so willing to meet with you and help you fine-tune a writing assignment, and I don't
know of any other college professor who makes themselves as readily available as he did.”
“Dr. Coppinger, you are an amazing professor. I so enjoyed and looked forward to having your class each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! You are such an inspirational man, with how even through your cancer, I've seen you be so open, honest, vulnerable, and willing to strive towards pressing into Him each day. The way you encouraged me, asked how I was doing, etc. made such an impact on me. Your continous words of affirmation on my assignments helped me to not feel as discouraged about a B. You pushed me to do my absolute best, and you made me want to my best.”
“Dr. Coppinger is a great teacher and a better man. He was very sick this semester but still showed up to class to push his students. Dr. Coppinger, through his love of the Lord and love for writing inspired the class to work harder and improve.”
“Dr. Coppinger, You have been a light in this college. Thank you for pursuing God in all you do. I cannot even begin to express how many times I stumbled in on a Monday morning discouraged from the previous week, and then you opened with a passionate love for the Lord as you shared scripture. Your zeal and fire for the Lord has inspired me in all areas of my life. There are many things to be thankful for, and you as my professor is something I thank God for daily.”
“You are always in my prayers. Thank you for all you do.”
“Keep the faith! May the power and strength of Christ be with you, always.”
“Dr. C. is one of the best teachers at LeTourneau. He came to class and helped us often the day after he received his chemotherapy. He is one of the most dedicated teachers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He often felt bad but he was always cheerful and made us all feel welcomed. I strive to have the same work ethic in my professional career.”
“Dr. Coppinger is a great guy. Besides an excellent professor, he is a man of God.”
Earnestly he sits, perched on the table, Smiling and sharing, for as long as he is able. Before him sits a small class, Joy seems to be one of the forecasts.
In each word, or stroke of a pen, He shares what he’s seen, and where he’s been.
All telling of God’s grace in his life, Of lessons learned, amidst pain and strife.
Despite it all, he still smiles, Gleaming, like freshly washed tile. In his chair as dean of Arts and Science, He lives a life of divine reliance.
LeTourneau University has accepted an invitation to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
"I am thrilled to announce LeTourneau University's transition to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference -- for our student-athletes and coaches especially, but also for our entire campus and the greater Longview community. The SCAC is an ideal fit for LETU as one of the premier NCAA Division III conferences in the country. It has
built a long tradition of athletic success across a range of sports, and its member schools embrace an academic profile that supports our culture and the holistic experience we provide our student-athletes.
We're glad to be joining a conference that's growing from strength to strength, and we look forward to partnering with our fellow members in the SCAC and to making our own mark in the conference," said LeTourneau University President Dr. Steven Mason.
Themove to the SCAC will become official on July 1, 2025.
LeTourneau will remain in the American Southwest Conference through the 2024-25 academic year and be eligible for conference championships during that time.
"This is a significant moment in the history of our institution as it aligns our athletic department perfectly with other like-minded institutions that are committed to providing a phenomenal student-athlete experience while pursuing excellence," said LeTourneau University Vice President for Athletics Dr. Tim Sceggel. "It is a joy and privilege to be counted among these elite academic institutions."
"Adding LeTourneau University makes a ton of sense for us," said SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "From both a geographical and a sports sponsorship basis, they will fit seamlessly into our current structure. I'm excited that LeTourneau viewed our league as a preferred destination for their student-athletes. We look forward to the opportunity of growing our relationship with the institution beyond the fields and courts."
Currently, the SCAC has nine full members, but the conference will look a bit different when LeTourneau joins. Current SCAC members that will remain in the league in 2025-26 include: Austin College, Centenary College, Colorado College, University of Dallas, Schreiner University, University of St. Thomas, and Texas Lutheran University. McMurry University, Concordia University Texas, and University of the Ozarks are current ASC members that will join the SCAC in 2024-25 and LeTourneau will reconnect with those institutions in 2025-26.
LeTourneau began the transition to NCAA Division III in 1998 and has called the American Southwest Conference home ever since. The YellowJackets have won eight conference championships in the ASC.
Sceggel continued, "Additionally, we are incredibly thankful for the last 26 years of membership in the American Southwest Conference and will be eager to see those friends continue to thrive."
LeTourneau unveiled its new 6,000-square-foot Proverbs 3:5-6 Athletics Performance Laboratory in the spring. The new space is set to fully open during the summer of 2024. Funded by generous donations from the John Solheim family, the Athletics Performance Laboratory offers state-of-the-art equipment for strength and conditioning for LeTourneau in the middle of the Solheim Recreation & Activity Center. Combined with hiring Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Lucas Mason, the Athletics Performance Laboratory is another example of how LeTourneau Athletics seeks to cultivate disciples and pursue excellence.
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS.
Proverbs 3:5-6
The lab dedication and ribbon cutting was held April 4, 2024.
It was another historic season for the LeTourneau men’s golf team in 2023-24. For the first time in program history, the YellowJackets captured the American Southwest Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for a second consecutive season. Under head coach Paul Leslie, the YellowJackets claimed the conference crown in dramatic fashion as Noah Summers drained a birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat UT Dallas.
The championship gave LeTourneau an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships, where the YellowJackets placed 21st overall.
LeTourneau had four named to the All-ASC team, including sophomore Kaiden Schneider who earned coGolfer of the Year honors. The YellowJackets won four tournaments during the season and ranked nationally as high as 19th.
The climb to the top is never easy, but the reward is worth every minute."
Following his historic season, LeTourneau baseball senior Dane Jones earned All-America recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com.
Jones was a second team honoree with the ABCA and a fourth team selection for D3baseball.com. He becomes the first LeTourneau player since 1990 to collect AllAmerica honors on the baseball diamond.
Jones, a senior from Keller, Texas, broke a program-record with 20 home runs on the year to go with 47 RBIs, a .401 batting average, a 1.392 OPS, 55 hits, 40 runs scored, and an .883 slugging percentage. Jones led the ASC in homers and was fourth in Division III. He set a program game record with three home runs against Hardin-Simmons on April 19. His 41 career homers also broke an all-time program record.
Jones was fifth in Division III with his .883 slugging percentage, which also set a program season record. He led the YellowJackets with 17 multi-hit games, 11 multi-RBI games and had a 16-game reached base streak during the year. Jones had walk-off home runs against Concordia Texas (March 17) and against Lyon (March 19).
Jones was a two-time ASC Hitter of the Week honoree during the year. He earned D3baseball.com Team of the Week accolades and was the NCBWA Division III National Hitter of the Week once. Jones is the first player in program history to earn four AllRegion honors in a career.
LeTourneau University alum Macey Mize (’19) has been named the new head coach for the Women’s Softball program and the 8th head coach in program history. Mize takes over the program after serving in various assistant coaching roles over the last five years.
Mize was a two-time All-ASC selection in her career at LeTourneau, earning first team in 2019 and third team in 2018, while she batted .349 with 151 hits in her four years. She ranks in the top-10 in several program career records including batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs, runs scored, and slugging percentage. In 2019, she hit .421 with a program-record-tying 10 home runs as she earned first team All-ASC to lead the YellowJackets to a then-program-record 24 wins.
"LeTourneau Athletics' mission statement is 'Cultivating Disciples and Pursuing Excellence', and I will do both by using my coaching platform to share Christ with the players I coach while pursuing a culture of excellence both on and off the softball field," said Mize.
"LeTourneau Athletics' mission statement is 'Cultivating Disciples and Pursuing Excellence', and I will do both by using my coaching platform to share Christ with the players I coach while pursuing a culture of excellence both on and off the softball field."
Longtime head softball coach Stan Wells announced his retirement following the 2024 season. Wells finished his tenure in 2024 leading the YellowJackets to a 24win season, marking the first back-to-back 20-win seasons in program history, and a deep run in the ASC Tournament. "I'm so
thankful for the work that Stan has done on campus over the last 10-plus years," said LeTourneau Vice President for Athletics Dr. Tim Sceggel. "He has led the program to new heights and sought to love his teams and Jesus well. We will miss his joyful presence on the field and on campus."
71
John Corneby (’71, ME) died at the age of 75, after a long battle with dementia on March 6, 2024, in Genesee, Pa. He was a member of Alpha Omega and was pleased to receive the highest honor in engineering at his graduation in 1971. He is survived by his companion/caregiver, Kim Glidden; daughter, Elisha Colder; grandson, Warren; and other family members.
60
Ronald A. Davis (‘60) died June 1, 2023, at the age of 89. In addition to his degree from LeTourneau College, where he played basketball and was a tenor in the quartet that traveled with R.G. LeTourneau, Ron earned a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Oklahoma. A resident of Middlesex, N.Y., Ron served as a long-time junior-senior high school principal and retired from Document Reprocessors of New York. He also served as interim director at LeTourneau Christian Conference Center, in Rushville, N.Y., an organization for whom he served on the Board of Directors for several decades. Ron loved music and rarely missed watching a Texas Rangers baseball game. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Carol, and many deeply loving family members.
55
Frank M. Deal, Jr. (‘55) died at the age of 89. Frank graduated from LeTourneau College with a bachelor's degree in engineering. He attended Thrive Church and Christ United Methodist Church, both of Westfield, Ind. Frank was a former Scoutmaster for Westfield Troop 107. He was a former member of the Jaycees, volunteered on the logistics team for the Indianapolis Air Show, and enjoyed being part of the Solo Seniors Group. Frank retired from the State of
Indiana, was a seasonal tax preparer for H&R Block, and loved working for the safety patrol team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for over 40 years. He loved being able to help people and especially loved spending time with his family.
65 Bob Flaming (’65, ET) died October 20, 2023, in Fairbury, Neb., ten days away from his 90th birthday. Bob and his wife, Sara Ann, served as missionaries to reach many for Christ with Transworld Radio (TWR) during the years after his graduation and until retirement. After his death, Sara Ann joined Bob on February 2, 2024. They are survived by their children, Rachel Armer, Saralyn May, Victor Jr. (Gwen), and Bob Jr. (Michelle); eight grandchildren; and three great-granddaughters.
68
Dave Hillis (‘68, BI) died April 1, 2024, after a prolonged illness. His commitment to faith and service during his lifetime included establishing the Word of Life Camp and Bible College in Sydney, Australia, and leadership roles as dean of students at Washington Bible College and vice president for Concerned Women of America. David’s pastoral heart guided him through various pastorates until his retirement in 2013 to Mason, Ohio. He also served as chaplain for Holland America cruises and was involved in Call of Love Ministries in Cincinnati. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary; sons, Stephen (Christina), Daniel (Melissa), and Mark (Carla); nine grandchildren; two greatgrandchildren; and extended family.
84
Daniel Holland (‘84, ME), president/owner of Clearspan Components, Inc., in Meridian, Miss., died suddenly at home in Daleville, Miss., on
January 17, 2024, the day before his 62nd birthday. He was a man of deep faith and gentle humor, with an easygoing nature, who reveled most in his family. Daniel is survived by his wife, Lisa; sons, James (Amanda) and John (Iro); five grandchildren; and numerous extended family members.
71
Daniel “Dan” Larsen (‘71, MT) died March 31, 2024, shortly after a cancer diagnosis. Dan had a full work life, from roles in the U.S. Air Force and at Volkswagen, to teaching mechanical technology and engineering at LeTourneau University, to 24 years of instruction at Master’s Mission. In retirement, he happily drove the LETU bus, carrying aviation students back and forth to the airport and sports teams to their games and events. His kind words and sweet smile will be missed by many! Dan is survived by his wife of 64 years, Nonie; sons, Lester (Sylvia) and Robert (Elaine); six grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
98
Dan Lumis (‘98, BBM) died March 13, 2024, at home in Granbury, Texas. He served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and received two Meritorious Service Medals. He specialized in aircraft electronics repair/maintenance and worked at the Bell Helicopter test facility after the military. In retirement he enjoyed fishing, teaching, and RV-ing. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Pat; children, Steven (Cat), Brian (Tara), and Debbie (Jarman); six grandchildren; and other family members.
16
Joshua Beck (‘16, ME) and wife, Sarah, welcomed their son, Micah, in
June 2023. Joshua is a Development Engineer at SitelogIQ, in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
03
Andy Carter (’03, ASAE) and his wife welcomed Lillian Mae on June 3, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. She joins siblings: Avery (15), Macie (13), Jayla (10), Adaline (7), and Silas (5).
20
Colton (’20, AAMM/TSBS) and Jessica (Cleveland) (’20, COM-BS/ CMBS-BS) Gehmen welcomed the birth of their son, Ezra, on September 16, 2023.
21 Kolton (’20 FIBB-BBA, ‘21 MPSYMA) and Emilee (Anderson) (’22 Nursing) Eberlan married Dec. 3, 2022. Kolton is working as a teacher and coach at Lufkin ISD in Lufkin, Texas.
15 Joshua Bailey (’15) and wife, Lauren, married in December. Josh works as a chemical operator at Eastman in Longview, Texas.
16 Mitchell (’16 CVE) and Andrea (Long) (’15, MGHR) Henry were married in 2022 and purchased their first house in June 2023. Mitchell is a licensed Professional Engineer and works as a bridge inspector.
December 14, 2023. While at A&M, he met Abigail, who is currently a researcher pursuing her Ph.D. in Curriculum Instruction with a Literacy emphasis.
19 Carissa Pitman (‘19 NYRS-BS) and Jacob Rohan were married on October 21, 2023. The couple lives in Austin, Texas, where Carissa is a NICU nurse.
16 Jacob “Jake”(’16, BBA) and Marissa (Anderson) (‘17 BSMEBS) Simmons married in December 2018 and have two children: Natalia, age 2, and Aribella, 8 months.
21 Sidney Struckmeyer (‘21, MJE) and Lauren Prior were married on April 15, 2023. Sidney works as a welding manufacturing engineer for Great Plains Manufacturing in Salina, Kan.
11
Daniel Alexander (‘11, PSYC) took the position of executive director with the Angel Reach Organization on January 15, 2024. He and his wife, Anna, and their three children live in The Woodlands, Texas.
87 Kenneth (‘87, ATBS) and Sherry (Coy) (’88, ATBS) Eaves celebrated Ken’s recent promotion to major general in the Missouri National Guard, Barksdale AFB, La.
85
Richard Eschenbach (’85, ET) retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2020 as the Civilian Director of Public Works.
00
Keith Fletcher (’00, BBM) has been honored for his outstanding work during his 20 years of service at Austin Bank, in Marshall, Texas. He is a senior vice president and serves as the bank’s security and facilities manager.
96
Kelly Harris (’96, MBA) is an accounting consultant with ERP Consulting, Dallas, Texas.
19
Samuel Hodges (’19, CVE/CVGR) graduated with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering in December 2023 from the University of Arkansas and is an assistant professor at Christian Brothers University, in Memphis, Tenn. He and his wife, Rebekah (’17 ISE1-BS), and children Silas (7), Abigail (5), Johanna (3), and Charlotte (10 mos.), live in Memphis.
23
Donavan Hoekstra (’23, EE) has taken the position of engineer electrical 1 with Network Nervous System (NNS), in Newport News, Va.
82
21 Caleb LaQuey (’21, BSME) and Abigail Bristow were married on December 10, 2023, in College Station, Texas. Caleb began working at BakerRisk, San Antonio, as a blast effects consultant in August 2023. He then graduated with his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M on
98 Danny Alexander (‘98, BBM) is retiring after more than four decades in law enforcement. He has spent the last 15 years as the Police Planning and Research division manager for the city of Plano, Texas. Prior to that, he served as police chief in Texarkana and Bullard, Texas, and deputy chief in Tyler, Texas. He earned numerous commendations throughout his career, including a Chief’s Unit Award and a nomination for Civilian Supervisor of the Year in 2011.
John Holmes (‘82, WT) retired from John Deere in January 2020. As of January 2024, he and his wife, Deb, headed to Curaçao to be “Hands for God to Use” with the Assemblies of God World Missions group.
14
Skylar (Willingham) Koreis (‘14, CMSY) has taken the position of care coordinator at CompassMes, Orlando, FL.
09
Ben Luckert (‘09, ACCT), CPA, was recently promoted to senior vice president, fund/client accounting manager, at
BNY Mellon in Fort Worth, Texas. He and his wife, Mandy, and their children, Nora (8) and Juliette (6), live in Hudson Oaks, Texas.
16
Amy (Cutting) Mitchell (’16, BBSM) is a major fundraising event planner/ coordinator for Mosaic Health. Mosaic is a Christian pro-life pregnancy center serving the women and babies of the Metro East Area, Granite City, Ill. Amy and her husband, Justin, and children, Liam (8), Lincoln (6), and Luna (5), live in Scott AFB, Ill.
21
Katerina Patterson (’21, ISE1-BS) is a 4th grade reading and social studies teacher at Kilgore ISD. She lives in Longview, Texas.
11 Joseph “Joey” Ramos (’11 Kines) and wife, Gayla, have two children: Brady, age 12, and Bailey, age 6.
04
Sarah Randow (’04, HIPL) received a Ph.D. in History from Liberty
University in December 2023. Her dissertation title was “Who Should I Trust: Dynamics within Hitler’s Inner Circle.”
97
Michael Shepherd (’97, ET) and teammate, Jonathan Whitson, were assigned a patent for a system called “BioTelemetry Extraction from Online Sessions.” The system can synchronize the bio-telemetry data of the respective users based on the respective second clock times. Michael works for Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, Texas.
84
Lynn Showalter (MT, WT '84) received the "Engineer of the Year" award from the Peninsula Engineers Council at the annual awards banquet in February. (Pictured Left to Right Dave Conley, Ron Murray, Lynn Showalter, and Dr. Rob Gies).
09
Christopher (’09, ISBS) and Mary Lauren (BSIS) Tampke are married and have two children, Ashtyn, age 7, and Avery, age 10.
20
Max Tovar (’20, GMMB-MBA) recently became the manager of East Texas Regional Airport, in Gregg County, Texas, and is also a master sergeant in the Air Force Reserves.
66
Kent Wilson (’66, WE) was honored on January 24, 2024, for having left his mark on the community at GallupMcKinley County Day at the New Mexico State Legislature in Santa Fe.
87
Edward “Ed” Wolbert (‘81 MI/ ATBS) retired after a 39-year career in nuclear power. He then went from volunteering part-time to full-time for Samaritan’s Purse in Ill. In June 2023, he and his wife followed God’s call to Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in North Carolina, where he is now the staffing operations manager.
The loss of a loved one, friend or colleague often inspires us to ensure that their memory lives on. Many people find that supporting LETU is an ideal way to honor someone who has passed away. Gifts made "in memoriam" offer lasting honor to a loved one while providing family and friends with the satisfaction of knowing they have helped others.
If you would like to give a memoriam to LETU, please call 1-800-259-5388 or donate online at letu.edu/give The family will be notified of your generosity when a memoriam is made.
The Psalmist in Psalm 119 tells us that “God’s testimonies are wonderful, such that our soul can observe them,” and that the “unfolding of His words gives us light, granting us understanding"—insights that we can share with others. The LeTourneau University Foundation has been carefully structured so that we can be a resource to you when it comes to sharing your story (His “testimonies”) to its fullest impact. With proven and time-tested tools and resources, we can then help you surround the many moving parts of your unique estate and legacy aims. Call upon us for the support and assistance we can provide—as a ministry to you and your family.
We can be reached at leavealegacy@letufoundation.org or by phone at 800-259-5388
If R.G. were here today, he would comment upon the changes but hastily add, ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’
–Nels Stjernstrom
“The largest construction project in the school’s history up to this time was the $1.3 million R.G. LeTourneau University Memorial and Student Center. Five days after R.G.’s death [June 1, 1969], the Board had called a special meeting and voted unanimously to erect an R.G. LeTourneau memorial building on campus. The board wanted to symbolize the founder’ great qualities and characteristics. Construction on the building began during [Heath] Hardwick’s presidency, but was completed under Richard LeTourneau’s second presidency. The dedication service was held on April 4, 1976, with Trustee Justin Longenecker as master of ceremonies and Dr. Grady Wilson as the featured speaker. Nels Stjernstrom, R.G.’s assistant and traveling companion during his last few years, said that R.G. had never sought to build a memorial to himself, it was fitting that such a monument now existed on the campus of the college which he founded. During Stjernstrom’s speech, Barney Barnwell, R.G.’s pilot, flew over the campus in a World War II A-26 bomber, the same type Barney piloted as he flew R.G. to his weekly speaking engagements. After the fly-over, a tape recording of R.G.’s traditional introduction to his speeches was played for the crowd: ‘Friends, I am just a sinner that has been saved by the grace of God. Just a mechanic that the Lord has blessed. The Lord blessed me and I thank Him for what He has done for me. Seems like the least I can do is to go out and tell a little of what the Lord has done for me.’ It was a very touching tribute, especially those who had ever flown with R.G. in the A-26. Stjernstrom also remarked that although the campus changes were beyond what anyone could have imagined, they were not beyond what R.G. could have imagined. 'If he were here today,' Stjernstrom said, 'he would comment upon the changes but hastily add, "You ain’t seen nothing yet."'
The excerpt above is from LeTourneau University’s First Fifty Years, by Kenneth R. Durham, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of History. Dr. Durham passed away on May 16, 2024, and we as a campus community honor his memory. He and his wife, Jeanette, came to LETU in 1964. Over the 37 years that followed, Dr. Durham served as a distinguished professor of history and political science and impacted thousands of students through his teaching, hospitality, and mentorship outside of the classroom.
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