10 Reasons Why the Allen Student Center Rocks

1. The media lounge

It has multiple screens and comfy couches so you can hang out with your friends while watching Captain Kirk and Khan battle it out.

2. The conservation water fountains

It may seem like a minor detail, but these things will have a major(ly good) impact on the environment.  

3. The Hive

It's new. It's improved. And apparently, has very comfortable booths.

4. The video game room

The whole building has screens everywhere - but this room takes the cake. You've got plenty of options to get your game on.

5. The commuter lounge

Hear ye, hear ye, commuters: No longer must you suffer dragging your belongings around with you all day or eating a squished, plastic-bagged sandwich for lunch. Stash your stuff in a locker, take advantage of the kitchen and couches for a meal and relaxation in between classes.

6. The fire pit:

We're waiting for you to gather 'round with your guitar. Or just warm your hands. It's up to you.

7. This giant booth

Have room during for every single one of your friends for lunch or a homework session, because we estimate this booth can seat about 47 people. Ok, not really, but it's super big and we think that's cool.

8. The prayer room

Take a moment away from the hustle of college life to spend in prayer in this serene room with a beautiful view. 

9. The campus store

Like The Hive, it's new and improved and your one-stop-shop for awesome LETU merchandise. (Shopping tip: they're currently having a grand opening sale!)

10. It's not even supposed to be open yet! Original plans had the building opening Fall 2014, but LETU fast-tracked it so seniors could enjoy it during their final weeks of college.

But don't take our word for it! Check out what these LETU students had to say about this awesome campus addition:

Never been to the LETU campus before? Check out admissions or schedule a visit.

Incredible Legacy: Mary Jackson

Her friendly smile and kind words have been staples at LeTourneau for years. As we close Women of Aviation week, LETU would be amiss not to honor one of the women who has helped so many of our aviation students succeed over the past several decades.

Mary with the Student Wives Club, 1968

Mary Jackson came to LeTourneau from West Virginia in 1966 with her husband, Mike, who enrolled as a student to study chemistry. She then started working as a secretary in the maintenance department.

They lived in married student housing, and she recounted their first days:

“We lived on campus in a small trailer. We bought it sight unseen. It was very, very small, and we came here with a baby. We made it work – it was 100 degrees out in the middle of July with no air conditioning. At that time there was a swimming pool outside where Solheim is now and so we just lived at that pool.”

Jackson recalls “Mom and Pop LeTourneau” with fondness.

“Mom LeTourneau had a lot of us gals over. She would always have, several times a semester, the students in for visiting.”

“It was really neat for me, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve hopefully had that same sort of influence on the younger gals here.”

Jackson was asked to start working at the School of Aeronautical Science in 1982 as Academic Secretary. She officially retired this past January, but still works part-time. She’s seen quite the growth in the department; when she first started, there were four instructors and 18 students.

She says of working with LETU students over the years; “I’ve just loved the students. I love them a lot and that’s probably why I’ve stayed so long. I’m not in the middle of them right now, but it’s been a joy of mine to work with them.”

She describes the students as “top-notch.” There’s pride in her voice when she talks about their academic and career success.

“It’s not an easy program, especially with all the other classes they have to take, but they’ve done so well.”

She also said she enjoyed giving baby and wedding showers for students and student wives, or simply inviting them into her home.

“It’s just been fun to have them to over to the house and get to know them on a different level than just seeing them when they’re here for classes. It’s just been a joy.”

Incredible Women In Aviation

For Victoria and Ainsley, it was no ordinary Thursday. Instead of attending school, they ventured into the sky in a Cessna C-172R.

The sixth-grade girls had never considered aviation as a career option, so in honor of Women of Aviation Week, LETU flight instructor Lee Foster introduced them to the thrill of being a pilot.

Both girls each got their own ride in the pilot’s seat, with Foster as their co-pilot.

“The neat thing about taking kids flying is that they’re not limited,” Foster said. “I took each of these young ladies on a flight, and I let them fly the aircraft.  I showed them that learning to fly an airplane is possible for them. “

Before flying, Victoria expressed that she wanted to grow up to be an architect. After landing, she bounded out of the Cessna exclaiming; “I think I want to be a pilot now!”

Foster even let the girls land the aircraft themselves.

“It’s the most difficult part,” Foster said, “but they asked if they could, so I let them.”

In what is usually considered a male-dominated field, both LETU female aviation students and instructors alike feel it’s imperative to make sure young girls are aware of their options in the field.

"There's so much you can do in aviation that's not just maintenance or not just flying," senior aviation student Grace Peterson said. "So it offers a lot of different things that can fit you and what you're good at."

“I still remember the first time I saw a female airline captain," Foster said. "I didn’t know women were allowed to be commercial airline pilots until I saw her. I realized that there were commercial pilots who were female, just not very many of them.  From then on, I knew that it wasn’t just a job for men.  Hopefully that’s what we showed these young ladies.”

Incredible Students: Student Body President Avery Cheeley

The votes have been cast, and LETU has announced the 2014-2015 student body president as Avery Cheeley.

Avery Cheeley, LETU's '14-'15 Student Body President

Cheeley, a junior mechanical engineering major, feels his sociable nature will help him be an effective president.

“The biggest thing that student body president does is have a gauge of student opinions and I think I can do an effective job at that because I know students and administration. I can be a good advocate for students,” Cheeley said. “My skills are geared toward people. It’s who I am.”

Cheeley has built his reputation for being an effective leader this school year as YAC president – an experience he described as “awesome.”

“It’s been a great year,” he said.

While Cheeley fully plans to support academics and student life, his aim is to encourage the spiritual lives of LETU students as well.

“One thing I’m really passionate about, and I would pursue regardless, is discipleship and creating small groups on campus for people who are seeking growth – that they would have a way of going about that. Student led, student run.”

He said wants to enlist interested students in starting small groups that branch out beyond being limited to specific floors.

“Mentorship, discipleship, seeking God – that’s something I think is necessary,” he said.

Dean of Students Corey Ross is confident in Cheeley’s new position and as an efficient voice between students and administration.

“Avery has done a great job this past year as the leader of student activities. I know him to be a strong leader who is not afraid to ask difficult questions and who genuinely seeks to learn from his conversations with students and administrators.  He will not hesitate to share, respectfully, what is on the students’ minds and hearts, but he will also do a great job communicating back the perspective he is gaining along the way.”

Incredible Female Engineers

Today is “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.” It's been more than half a century since American women picked up wrenches in factories across the United States and helped support the war effort as their husbands, fathers and brothers headed to Europe and Asia. That catalyzing event began a change in course for women in the workforce that continues today. Despite how far we've come, we still have strides to make. Today, women only make up about 15% of the engineering industry according to the National Society of Professional Engineers, but LETU women engineering students don’t let the statistics stop them. 

LeTourneau University offers one of the most rigorous engineering programs in the country, and while the field used to be exclusively male-dominated, the LETU female engineering student counts grow each academic year. LeTourneau University is a place where there are no glass ceilings, and success is limited only by how hard our students work. Our female students are integral members of all of our STEM majors, as well as aviation.

Spring 2012 graduate Lorrin Quinn, currently employed at Rockwell Collins as a Systems Engineer, refused to be daunted by those who discouraged her from engineering: 

“As a woman whose most obvious skill set lies in communication, I was regularly told by others that I would be better suited to a different field than engineering. My engineering professors and parents were among the only ones insistent I would make a great engineer.”

Quinn found her differences from the male engineering population were actually an asset to her career.

“After finishing college, I found that I was highly sought after in the industry because the combination of technical knowledge and strong communication, writing, and personal skills is rare in the engineering field and greatly desired.” Quinn said. “What others considered to be reasons I shouldn’t be an engineer turned into my greatest strengths in the industry. So, just because you're not like the boys going into engineering doesn't mean you don't belong. Your differences make you valuable.”

Kristy Raley, another recent LETU alumna, just graduated in Fall 2013 with a degree in biomedical engineering and is already employed as a Design Engineer at Ulterra. She’s obviously passionate about her profession.

“I love computational modeling. I love using math to predict how parts will behave before they are even built so we can change and avoid problems. I did that in college and fell in love with it, and I am happy that I found a job that lets me do that.”

Raley makes her alma mater proud – she’s an advocate for encouraging young girls to enter technical fields, her interest in engineering stemming from attending a computer science camp for girls in high school.

“At that camp I learned I was really good at problem solving and working in group projects. We built an NXT robot that followed a flashlight through a maze,” she said.  “I loved the collaboration and how we all added our skills to the group to make our project the best,” Raley said, then quickly added, “My team won the race!”