LeTourneau University

Infobox University


name = LeTourneau University
established = February, 1946
motto = "Faith brings us together. Ingenuity sets us apart."
type = Private
head_label = President
head = Dale A. Lunsford
city = Longview
state = TX
country = USA
undergrad = 3,606
free_label = Longview Campus Undergraduates
free = 1,316 [http://www.letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Admissions/quickfacts.html LeTourneau University Quick Facts] ]
postgrad = 458
postgrad_label = graduate
faculty = 325
endowment = USD $5,152,884 [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_3584_brief.php USNews.com - America's Best Colleges: LeTourneau University] ]
campus = Suburban
mascot = Yellowjacket
sports = 13 varsity teams
sports_label = Athletics
website = [http://www.letu.edu/ www.LETU.edu]

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

History

" publisher Carl Estes and other Longview community leaders for one dollar with the conditions that for the next 10 years, the U.S. government could reclaim the 156 acres (631,000 m²) and 220 buildings in the event of an emergency and no new construction or demolition could occur. The United States government also insisted that LeTourneau establish a vocational school for war veterans on the premises.

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

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

, during which time he oversaw the accreditation of the school's mechanical and electrical engineering programs by the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (now the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) and supervised nine major construction projects, including the Trinity Dorms and the school's aviation facility at the East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County.

.

In the spring of 2006, Austin announced that he would retire from his position as university president in June 2007 and assume the newly-created role of university chancellor. On March 8, 2007, Dr. Dale A. Lunsford was announced as the new president of LeTourneau University. He assumed the office on July 1, 2007. Prior to accepting the job as university president, Lunsford served as the vice president of student affairs and external relations at the University of Texas at Tyler. [ [http://www.letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Other-Resources/presidents_office/news/presAnnouncement.html LeTourneau University Names New President] ]

Academics

At the core of LeTourneau University is the undergraduate program of 1,316 traditional students at its main campus in Longview. LeTourneau boasts a diverse pool of undergraduates, representing 49 states, 22 countries, and over 40 denominations. The average undergraduate SAT score is 1170 (149 points above the national average) and LeTourneau undergraduates have an average of 3.5 high school GPA. Named one of About.com's top 10 Christian Colleges and Universities, LeTourneau ranks annually in U.S. News and World Report's top tier for Master's/Comprehensive Universities and was cited as a "Best Value" in the 2006 rankings.Fact|date=August 2008

The school offers numerous undergraduate degrees, most of which are focused on engineering, aeronautics, computer science, business, and education. A smaller liberal arts program serves to balance the largely technical (and male) student population. The school also offers extensive business and management graduate classes in Houston, Dallas, Tyler, Austin and Longview. [ [http://www.letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Admissions/what-sets-us-apart.html LeTourneau University - What Sets Us Apart] ]

Demographics

Of traditional undergraduates enrolled at the Longview campus in the Fall of 2006, fully 74 percent are male, with an average age of 21. Three percent are international students; 54 percent come from other states. Homeschoolers account for nearly one in five Longview students. At LeTourneau's satellite campuses, which are exclusively used for nontraditional students, women outnumber men with 70 percent of the total enrollment.

Caucasians make up 64 percent of the student body across all campuses. African-Americans are the largest minority group, with 23 percent. Eight percent are Hispanic, one percent are Asian, and half a percent are Native American. [ [http://letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Other-Resources/_Community-and-Media/about-letourneau/Profile/index.html LeTourneau Profile - Enrollment] ]

Location

Longview, Texas is located about a two-hour drive east of Dallas and about a one-hour drive west from Shreveport, Louisiana. The main campus itself is located on the south side of Longview, two miles north of Interstate 20 (exit 595B). Most of LeTourneau University's 1,500 traditional students live on campus, as the school requires all unmarried students under the age of 22 (who aren't living with parents or relatives) to live in residence halls, on-campus apartments, or apply for a special waiver to live off-campus. [cite web|url=http://www.letu.edu/opencms/export/download/student-life/Handbook05-06.pdf|title=LeTourneau University 2007-2008 Student Handbook|pages=19] While Longview is home to a variety of neighborhoods, both in age and economic circumstance [ [http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/texas/longview CityTownInfo.com - Longview, Texas] ] , LeTourneau is located in the middle of the highest poverty (26.1 % below poverty line based on 2000 census) and lowest income (median of $26,308 as of 2000 census) compared to 10 surrounding ZIP codes. [ [http://zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=75602 ZipSkinny.com - 75602: Longview, Texas] ]

Life at LeTourneau

Chapel services are held three times weekly, with frequent additional services being held at various points in the semester. Chapel attendance is mandatory as students are required to attend thirty-eight of the fifty to seventy services held in a semester.

Short 5-10 minute devotions are typically held before each class by the professor or a student.

The campus is completely networked, with wired Ethernet connections available in all residence halls and wireless access available in all academic buildings and most major residence halls. Internet access is also available in computer labs located in the Glaske Center, Longview Hall and the Margaret Estes Library. Access to the internet, however, is hampered by strong security and filtering practices, bandwidth limits, and a saturated internet connection at times.Fact|date=August 2008

LeTourneau students maintain a unique culture that is heavily influenced by LeTourneau's predominantly technological concentrations and majority male population.

Athletics

The LeTourneau YellowJackets compete in seven women's sports and six men's sports in NCAA Division III athletics in the American Southwest Conference. These sports include men's and women's soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, men's baseball, women's softball, and women's volleyball. The school's mascot is "Buzz" the yellow jacket and the colors are royal blue and gold. LeTourneau Athletic Director Duane Trogdon has overseen an improvement in LeTourneau Athletics in recent years, with multiple teams achieving playoff berths, many for the first time in over a decade.

In contrast to official university sports, intramural competitions in soccer, football, volleyball, ultimate and basketball are highly valued and widely popular. Somewhat unique to LeTourneau is the extensive amount of student pride and residence hall unity known as "floor pride." Every floor in the residence halls has its own student-created name, logo, and t-shirt and it is these floors that field the teams that compete in intramural events.

Floor system

LeTourneau has a housing system similar to the House System, with the use of numerous (roughly 30) individual floor assignments as opposed to four houses, which is closer to the House System at Caltech. Housing is gender-segregated by building except in years where housing space is limited and then there are one or two residence halls where housing is gender-segregated by floor. Freshmen are placed into floors based upon building preference and the order in which the application and deposits are received. While they may request a particular floor, most are unaware of this option until they arrive on campus and are placed at the discretion of Residence Life. Most students remain on the same floor until they graduate from the university, typically leaving to move off-campus or to on-campus apartments rather than to join another floor.

LeTourneau's "Greek" Societies

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

Other student activities

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

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

Every Spring the traditional Hootenanny variety show brings together the majority of the student body, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community for a dose of original comedy, music, and talent. The event is put on by individuals or groups of students who have auditioned in the weeks leading up to the show. 2005 marked the 40th anniversary of the Hootenanny production. Traditionally, members of the school faculty and administration have also participated at the student's request, often in satirical roles. Hootenany 2007 marked the end of using the Belcher Gym as the performance venue, with the new S.E. Belcher Chapel and Performance center slated as the new home for Hootenany in the 2007-2008 school year. Because of this transition, the well-used rotating stage was destroyed.

Each Fall, Homecoming weekend is highlighted by a talent show that allows the student body, faculty, and staff to present various talents of music, comedy, and showmanship to visiting alumni and the campus body. While similar to Hootenanny, the talent show is a newer event and focuses more on talent than humor.

ee also

*R.G. LeTourneau
*Longview, Texas

References

External links

* [http://www.letu.edu LeTourneau University (Official website)]