LeTourneau University Development

08/21/2026

Long before arriving at LeTourneau, Mary Ann Otwell had already built a remarkable basketball career. She became the first junior college coach to win back-to-back national championships, was twice named NJCAA Coach of the Year, and helped shape women’s collegiate basketball at the national level.

Then, in 1993, her story brought her to LeTourneau.

Otwell eventually took the helm of the LadyJackets basketball program, leading LETU to two NCCAA national championships, producing five All-Americans, and compiling a 130–73 record. Across 15 years as a head coach, she never experienced a losing season.

But when she was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame, her own reflection had little to do with wins and championships:

“I just hope I have been able to help some young ladies with their lives and they will remember that the Lord was the most important person in my life.”

That may say more about her legacy than any record ever could.

For generations, LeTourneau has been blessed by men and women who saw their work here as more than a profession. They invested in students, modeled a life of faith, and helped shape the people those students would become.

Today, we remember one of them.

Thank you, Coach Otwell. 💙

LETU80

08/21/2026

Long before arriving at LeTourneau, Mary Ann Otwell had already built a remarkable basketball career. She became the first junior college coach to win back-to-back national championships, was twice named NJCAA Coach of the Year, and helped shape women’s collegiate basketball at the national level.

Then, in 1993, her story brought her to LeTourneau.

Otwell eventually took the helm of the LadyJackets basketball program, leading LETU to two NCCAA national championships, producing five All-Americans, and compiling a 130–73 record. Across 15 years as a head coach, she never experienced a losing season.

But when she was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame, her own reflection had little to do with wins and championships:

“I just hope I have been able to help some young ladies with their lives and they will remember that the Lord was the most important person in my life.”

That may say more about her legacy than any record ever could.

For generations, LeTourneau has been blessed by men and women who saw their work here as more than a profession. They invested in students, modeled a life of faith, and helped shape the people those students would become.

Today, we remember one of them.

Thank you, Coach Otwell. 💙

08/20/2026

More than six decades separate these two photos.

One captures LeTourneau students working on an airplane in 1962. The other captures students doing the same thing today.

The aircraft have changed. The technology has changed. The world our students are preparing to enter has changed in ways those students in 1962 could hardly have imagined.

And yet, there is something wonderfully familiar here.

Generations later, LeTourneau is still a place where students learn by doing—where knowledge and skill are developed alongside faith, character, and a desire to serve God through their work.

Through decades of change, God has faithfully used LeTourneau for the purpose for which it was established: preparing students to take what they learn here and carry it into the world for Jesus.

There is something deeply encouraging about seeing these two moments side by side.

Different generations. Different airplanes. The same faithful God at work.

08/19/2026

Today was a special day at LeTourneau University.

We officially celebrated the dedication and ribbon-cutting of the Athletic & Human Performance Air Dome—a remarkable new space that will serve YellowJackets for years to come.

We are deeply grateful to the donors, alumni, friends, partners, faculty, staff, and countless others whose generosity, vision, and hard work helped make this project possible.

This facility represents more than a new building. It creates new opportunities for training, competition, student development, and community—and it stands as another example of what can happen when people come together to invest in the future of LeTourneau and what the Lord is doing here.

Thank you to everyone who helped bring this vision to life.

08/18/2026

We’re not just building a new facility. We’re building what comes next.

As the ground is prepared for the Christian Polytechnic University Center, we’re looking forward to the life that will eventually fill it—students collaborating across disciplines, ideas moving from concept to creation, faculty mentoring through hands-on discovery, and spaces designed for learning by doing.

Most of all, we look forward to seeing how students use these opportunities to develop their God-given gifts and prepare to serve wherever they are called.

The building is part of the story, but what happens inside it is what we’re really building toward.

You can be a part of what comes next!
https://www.letu.edu/development/build/project-cpu-center.html

08/17/2026

Another year is starting!

Students are back on campus and ready to learn, grow, and discover what God has for them at LeTourneau University.

As a new academic year begins, we’re grateful for the many alumni, donors, and friends whose generosity helps provide the opportunities, experiences, and support that make an LETU education possible.

Here’s to another year of preparing students for lives of impact!

08/11/2026

Project Update | CPUC

Construction is moving forward on LeTourneau University’s future Christian Polytechnic University Center, and the first major phases of site preparation are taking shape.

As of August 6, excavation and import for the building pad are 100% complete, backfill and compaction of the north road are complete, and permanent sidewalks at both Gilbert Hall and South Hall have been finished. Stormwater work is also progressing across the west, east, and north portions of the site.

The scale of the work is already significant. To date, crews have logged 2,935 onsite man-hours, hauled away 1,056 truckloads of material, moved more than 14,000 cubic yards of earth, and placed 77 cubic yards of concrete.

Looking ahead, the next phase will include installation of rammed aggregate piers and an underground water detention system, rerouting west-side water and gas lines, beginning foundation layout, and continuing road-base work for the north and west fire lanes.

Each of these milestones brings us one step closer to a transformational new space designed for collaboration, innovation, and hands-on learning at LeTourneau.

Project completion is currently expected in July 2028.

08/07/2026

LETU is turning 80, and we remember that in 1980, Evelyn "Mom" LeTourneau celebrated her 80th birthday, honoring the woman whose love for students helped shape the heart of LeTourneau College.

Long before it was common to think of a university as a family, Mom LeTourneau lived that reality. She welcomed students into her home, cared for their physical and spiritual needs, and encouraged countless young men and women as they prepared for lives of service.

This reminds us of one of the university's most memorable moments: while flying over Longview in 1945, Evelyn spotted the former Harmon General Hospital and remarked that it "looked like a good place to start a school." That vision became LeTourneau College in 1946.

Whether opening her home to students, mentoring young people, or helping establish what would become LeTourneau University, Mom LeTourneau's influence extended far beyond the classroom.

Her legacy reminds us that education is about more than academics—it's about investing in people.

Nearly 80 years later, that same spirit of faith, service, and community continues to define the YellowJacket experience.

08/06/2026

At LeTourneau, engineering has always been about more than learning concepts in a classroom.

THEN
Students designed and constructed a solar water heating system as part of a Heat Transfer course, applying engineering principles to solve a practical challenge.

NOW
Students continue that legacy by designing, building, and testing everything from bridge structures to robotics systems in hands-on lab experiences that prepare them for the careers ahead.

Technology has changed. The commitment to learning by doing hasn't.

For generations, YellowJackets have discovered that the best way to become an engineer is to start building.

08/06/2026