News Releases 2009
LeTourneau University Names Dr Wayne Jacobs as New Education Dean
Wed, Feb 4 2009
LeTourneau University has
named Wayne Jacobs, Ph.D., as the new dean of the School of Education effective Feb. 3, 2009.
Jacobs has taught at LETU since 2001, serving as a professor of kinesiology, chair of the
Department of Kinesiology and most recently as the interim dean of LETU’s School of
Education. He will lead the school in program development and new initiatives.
Prior to joining the
faculty at LeTourneau University he served as a professor for health and physical education and as
a director of intramurals at Louisiana College in Pineville, La. He has also taught science
and coached swimming at Nacogdoches High School. He also served as an instructor at his alma
mater, Stephen F. Austin State University, for five years.
Jacobs earned his Bachelor of
Science degree in biology in 1985 and his Master’s of Education degree in Kinesiology in 1988 from
SFA. He earned his doctorate in Health Education from Texas A&M University in
1994.
“We conducted a national search
to find the best qualified candidate for our dean of Education,” said Robert W. Hudson, LETU
executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “And we are pleased to announce that the best
candidate was already here. Wayne Jacobs has done a superb job as the interim dean for our
School of Education. His experience as an educator and administrator and his commitment to quality
Christian higher education will help build upon LeTourneau University’s strong foundation of
academic excellence and move us forward in our vision to impact every workplace in every nation."
During the past two years,
Jacobs provided oversight for a redesign of the kinesiology department’s curriculum and consulted
on an initiative for the university to begin offering a Master of Education degree. As the
new education dean, Jacobs plans to work with LETU’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies to
implement a new Master of Counseling degree at LETU.
“I hope to create
new initiatives with LETU’s Office of Admissions to foster stronger relationships with the School
of Education and our LETU sites around the state,” Jacobs said. “My main goal is to grow the School
of Education to make a significant impact on the world around us.”
Jacobs’ research
publications and presentations center on active learning, from improving reading through
brain-based instruction to offering technology tips for teachers to become more effective. He
also writes about adult learning, childhood obesity and the effects of health, exercise and
nutrition on learning. In 2005-2006, Jacobs received LETU’s coveted Robert H. Selby Teaching
Scholar Award.
Jacobs is currently
involved in a research project with Windridge Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Longview to study
the effects of hippotherapy on cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Hippotherapy is a form
of physical therapy that uses horses as treatment tools. Jacobs is also leading LETU’s
involvement in Longview Mayor Jay Dean’s Get Fit Longview campaign.
Jacobs and his wife,
Karen, who is an adjunct business professor, completed a paper on incorporating active
learning in both face-to-face and online environments for
Critical Issues in Teacher Education. Jacobs and his wife have been married since
1986 and have three children: David, 18, Ryan, 15, and Kelsey, 10. They are members of
Mobberly Baptist Church, where Wayne and Karen serve as parent ministry coordinators, doing
workshops, seminars and Bible studies for parents of children and teenagers.
