LeTourneau's Tyler Site Benefits Working Students
(Staff Photo By Mark Roberts)
Roderick Russell looks at his textbook during class at LeTourneau University on Thursday in Tyler.
By BETTY WATERS
Staff Writer
Christina Larrick wanted to study for a bachelor's degree and eventually apply to law school, but sandwiching courses at a traditional university into her life while working fulltime as a loan officer was difficult and taking a long time.
Then a friend's husband told her about accelerated degree programs offered in Tyler by Longview-based LeTourneau University. "I looked into it. It fit my schedule, and I signed up. It was so easy to apply. They send you your books in the mail, and you are set and you go on your way. I really have enjoyed everything about it," Ms. Larrick said.
The flexibility of LeTourneau's Tyler Educational Site also attracted Blake Moser, who enrolled in upper level courses after earning an associate degree from a community college. "They offer a great schedule for people who work full time," said Moser, co-owner of an employment services company with his wife.
In mid-December, LeTourneau will award both Moser and Ms. Larrick, now seniors, a bachelor of business administration degree.
At that time, they will be among almost 500 adults who have earned a college degree by taking an accelerated and non-traditional route at LeTourneau's Tyler Educational Site while continuing to work and fulfill family and other responsibilities. The exact number so far is 486.
The facility houses LeTourneau's working adult program, officially named the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, which is designed to fit needs of older adult learners, rather than traditional 18- to 22-year-old college students.
Its acronym, "GAP," denotes that the program fills the gaps in higher education for adult students, whether they are starting from scratch, going back to college to complete a degree started earlier or preparing to change careers.
LeTourneau opened its Tyler location in 1990, expanding local higher education opportunities beyond offerings of The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler Junior College and Texas College.
That first year, there were 34 students, and enrollment has increased to 132 currently.
The program has grown to the point that LeTourneau now has three full-time student services staff members stationed at the Tyler site who act as counselors and advisers in working with current and prospective students. They provide information about the applications process, collect transcripts, assist with schedules, answer questions about financial aid and student accounts and give other assistance.
In addition, several adjunct (part-time) faculty drive to the facility from Bullard, Athens, Palestine, Longview, Carthage, Kilgore and other places to teach classes from a Christian perspective. They must have a master's degree and a minimum 18 graduate hours in their discipline.
"One thing I think is great about LeTourneau," Moser said, is that "not only do they hire professors with an academic background, they also have been in the workforce and have real-life professional experiences. It's a great combination."
SEVERAL SITES
The Tyler location is one of several GAP educational facilities LeTourneau University set up across the state specifically targeting working adults. Others are in Austin, Bedford, Dallas, Houston and at its main campus in Longview, which primarily serves traditional, college-age students, as well as working adults. GAP classes are also conducted in Pittsburg, mostly for employees of Pilgrim's Pride Corp.
LeTourneau serves approximately 2,000 students in its six adult educational sites, in addition to approximately 1,700 traditional college students at its Longview campus and 483 online students.
Dr. Ray Thompson, director of East Texas GAP programs in Tyler, Pittsburg and Longview, said, "Our students are adult learners. They are working students. They have families. These adult learners have gone out into the real world. They've got a taste of what it's like to earn a living and all the responsibilities and they want to improve their lives. They come to the conclusion there's got to be something better."
Thompson added, "LeTourneau University steps forward and we say we can offer that to you (through the GAP program)." LeTourneau provides the education, integrated with a strong emphasis on Christian faith, Thompson said.
In recognition that working adults find it hard to set aside time to go to class to earn a college degree, LeTourneau University tailored the GAP program around their schedules to help them juggle work, family and study, Thompson said.
At the start, enrollees decide which night out of the week they want to attend class and join a "cohort" - a group of students who will be together as they progress through all the courses required until they earn a degree. Classes for several cohorts often are conducted simultaneously Mondays through Thursdays.
More than 1,170 cohort groups totaling 16,000 students university-wide have completed their degree through the GAP program.
GAP students usually take one course at the time, attending class four hours one night per week, from 6-10 p.m. for six weeks. Many times, students leave their job at the end of the work day, grab a meal at a fast food restaurant and head over to the Tyler Educational Site, where they settle in for a class or to work in the computer lab.
It is a "streamlined, compacted" approach to the same coursework covered in a traditional program by college students attending classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or Tuesdays and Thursdays in a subject for a full 16-week semester and taking multiple subjects at the same time.
Upon completing a course, LeTourneau students start another one while pursuing a graduation plan already mapped. "It's lockstep. It just flows," Thompson said of the process.
The Tyler program occupied space in the Woodgate Office Complex on Loop 323 its first five years, then moved to American Bank. Three years ago, the program relocated to the first floor of a financial office complex with a higher education atmosphere at 501 Shelley Drive, where it has five classrooms, a computer room and three offices.
Classrooms for all of LeTourneau's educational centers across the state are equipped alike as far as furniture and technology. Since adults function better at tables instead of student desks, several tables with padded chairs in a horseshoe arrangement face the front of the carpeted classrooms. There is a dry erase board on the wall, a projector and a screen for VHS, DVD, CD and PowerPoint presentations.
There is also a Bible in every classroom since LeTourneau is a non-denominational, faith-based institution. Instructors open every class with a devotional and prayer.
"Students have remarked how that time of spiritual emphasis has changed them and for some, it's been the lift they have needed," Thompson said. "It's not uncommon for students to share what's going on in their world and want to pray for somebody."
For Ms. Larrick, attending LeToureanu's Tyler site was her first experience at a Christian University. "It's been an enjoyable experience," she said. Moser said one reason he chose LeTourneau is because it is a private Christian university. "They really promote Christ in the classroom. It's refreshing to be able to go to school and talk about following Christ as well as about incorporating that into your business as well," Moser said.
Another feature is LeTourneau's student advocacy emphasis - a commitment to students to help them find answers and services they need within 24 hours after asking for help without them being shuffled around. "We recognize we need to provide assistance to help them. We want these students to not only enter the program, but to stay in the program and we want to see them graduate," Thompson said.
Most students follow a "blended" track by attending classes at the Tyler center and also taking some courses online, according to Verlan Young, assistant coordinator of student services.
Currently, the Tyler center offers a bachelor of business administration degree and the TEACH (Training Educators to Accept the Challenges) program, in which students earn a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and are prepared to take the state's teacher certification exam.
"I have to brag on our teaching program; we have one of the strongest teaching programs you will find anywhere," Thompson said.
LeTourneau is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its business program also is accredited through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. Its engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering and Technology Accreditation Commissions of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
Staff Writer
Christina Larrick wanted to study for a bachelor's degree and eventually apply to law school, but sandwiching courses at a traditional university into her life while working fulltime as a loan officer was difficult and taking a long time.
Then a friend's husband told her about accelerated degree programs offered in Tyler by Longview-based LeTourneau University. "I looked into it. It fit my schedule, and I signed up. It was so easy to apply. They send you your books in the mail, and you are set and you go on your way. I really have enjoyed everything about it," Ms. Larrick said.
The flexibility of LeTourneau's Tyler Educational Site also attracted Blake Moser, who enrolled in upper level courses after earning an associate degree from a community college. "They offer a great schedule for people who work full time," said Moser, co-owner of an employment services company with his wife.
In mid-December, LeTourneau will award both Moser and Ms. Larrick, now seniors, a bachelor of business administration degree.
At that time, they will be among almost 500 adults who have earned a college degree by taking an accelerated and non-traditional route at LeTourneau's Tyler Educational Site while continuing to work and fulfill family and other responsibilities. The exact number so far is 486.
The facility houses LeTourneau's working adult program, officially named the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, which is designed to fit needs of older adult learners, rather than traditional 18- to 22-year-old college students.
Its acronym, "GAP," denotes that the program fills the gaps in higher education for adult students, whether they are starting from scratch, going back to college to complete a degree started earlier or preparing to change careers.
LeTourneau opened its Tyler location in 1990, expanding local higher education opportunities beyond offerings of The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler Junior College and Texas College.
That first year, there were 34 students, and enrollment has increased to 132 currently.
The program has grown to the point that LeTourneau now has three full-time student services staff members stationed at the Tyler site who act as counselors and advisers in working with current and prospective students. They provide information about the applications process, collect transcripts, assist with schedules, answer questions about financial aid and student accounts and give other assistance.
In addition, several adjunct (part-time) faculty drive to the facility from Bullard, Athens, Palestine, Longview, Carthage, Kilgore and other places to teach classes from a Christian perspective. They must have a master's degree and a minimum 18 graduate hours in their discipline.
"One thing I think is great about LeTourneau," Moser said, is that "not only do they hire professors with an academic background, they also have been in the workforce and have real-life professional experiences. It's a great combination."
SEVERAL SITES
The Tyler location is one of several GAP educational facilities LeTourneau University set up across the state specifically targeting working adults. Others are in Austin, Bedford, Dallas, Houston and at its main campus in Longview, which primarily serves traditional, college-age students, as well as working adults. GAP classes are also conducted in Pittsburg, mostly for employees of Pilgrim's Pride Corp.
LeTourneau serves approximately 2,000 students in its six adult educational sites, in addition to approximately 1,700 traditional college students at its Longview campus and 483 online students.
Dr. Ray Thompson, director of East Texas GAP programs in Tyler, Pittsburg and Longview, said, "Our students are adult learners. They are working students. They have families. These adult learners have gone out into the real world. They've got a taste of what it's like to earn a living and all the responsibilities and they want to improve their lives. They come to the conclusion there's got to be something better."
Thompson added, "LeTourneau University steps forward and we say we can offer that to you (through the GAP program)." LeTourneau provides the education, integrated with a strong emphasis on Christian faith, Thompson said.
In recognition that working adults find it hard to set aside time to go to class to earn a college degree, LeTourneau University tailored the GAP program around their schedules to help them juggle work, family and study, Thompson said.
At the start, enrollees decide which night out of the week they want to attend class and join a "cohort" - a group of students who will be together as they progress through all the courses required until they earn a degree. Classes for several cohorts often are conducted simultaneously Mondays through Thursdays.
More than 1,170 cohort groups totaling 16,000 students university-wide have completed their degree through the GAP program.
GAP students usually take one course at the time, attending class four hours one night per week, from 6-10 p.m. for six weeks. Many times, students leave their job at the end of the work day, grab a meal at a fast food restaurant and head over to the Tyler Educational Site, where they settle in for a class or to work in the computer lab.
It is a "streamlined, compacted" approach to the same coursework covered in a traditional program by college students attending classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or Tuesdays and Thursdays in a subject for a full 16-week semester and taking multiple subjects at the same time.
Upon completing a course, LeTourneau students start another one while pursuing a graduation plan already mapped. "It's lockstep. It just flows," Thompson said of the process.
The Tyler program occupied space in the Woodgate Office Complex on Loop 323 its first five years, then moved to American Bank. Three years ago, the program relocated to the first floor of a financial office complex with a higher education atmosphere at 501 Shelley Drive, where it has five classrooms, a computer room and three offices.
Classrooms for all of LeTourneau's educational centers across the state are equipped alike as far as furniture and technology. Since adults function better at tables instead of student desks, several tables with padded chairs in a horseshoe arrangement face the front of the carpeted classrooms. There is a dry erase board on the wall, a projector and a screen for VHS, DVD, CD and PowerPoint presentations.
There is also a Bible in every classroom since LeTourneau is a non-denominational, faith-based institution. Instructors open every class with a devotional and prayer.
"Students have remarked how that time of spiritual emphasis has changed them and for some, it's been the lift they have needed," Thompson said. "It's not uncommon for students to share what's going on in their world and want to pray for somebody."
For Ms. Larrick, attending LeToureanu's Tyler site was her first experience at a Christian University. "It's been an enjoyable experience," she said. Moser said one reason he chose LeTourneau is because it is a private Christian university. "They really promote Christ in the classroom. It's refreshing to be able to go to school and talk about following Christ as well as about incorporating that into your business as well," Moser said.
Another feature is LeTourneau's student advocacy emphasis - a commitment to students to help them find answers and services they need within 24 hours after asking for help without them being shuffled around. "We recognize we need to provide assistance to help them. We want these students to not only enter the program, but to stay in the program and we want to see them graduate," Thompson said.
Most students follow a "blended" track by attending classes at the Tyler center and also taking some courses online, according to Verlan Young, assistant coordinator of student services.
Currently, the Tyler center offers a bachelor of business administration degree and the TEACH (Training Educators to Accept the Challenges) program, in which students earn a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and are prepared to take the state's teacher certification exam.
"I have to brag on our teaching program; we have one of the strongest teaching programs you will find anywhere," Thompson said.
LeTourneau is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its business program also is accredited through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. Its engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering and Technology Accreditation Commissions of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
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