News Releases 2009

Coppinger awards Olson and Jacobs

Dr. Stanley Coppinger awarded $3,500 in Title III Faculty Research Awards to two LETU faculty members, Dr. Annie Olson and Dr. Wayne Jacobs, for 2008-2009. The grant funding comes from a five-year $1.8 million Department of Education grant that LETU was awarded in 2005. Funding is authorized through Title III Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 which provides funds to help institutions increase self-sufficiency by improving academic quality, management processes or fiscal stability.

The top award of $2,500 went to Dr. Annie Olson for her to travel this summer to Africa to teach visual literacy skills with the LEGS project. The LEGS project provides low-cost prosthetic limbs to amputees in developing countries. Olson’s research will involve researching types and levels of visual literacy, both in the United States and Africa. Her research will be presented at the 2009 International Visual Literacy Association Conference next year and will benefit the digital writing program at LETU.  Olson teaches English and digital writing.

            The second Title III Faculty Research Grant Award of $1,000 went to Dr. Wayne Jacobs for developing an Activity Integration Workshop to be conducted during an Alaskan summer trip this May. The project will involve Jacobs leading a group of LETU students who will use games, activities and the knowledge base of brain-body learning to enhance retention skills of children in two Alaskan schools.

            Members of the Title III Faculty Research Grant Award Committee included Dr. Stan Coppinger, Dr. Roger Gonzalez, Dr. Vicki Sheafer, Dr. Ray Thompson, Matt Poelman and Mark McElroy. All LETU faculty members can compete for the grants. Next year’s applications will be accepted in October 2009.

LeTourneau University is an interdenominational Christ-centered university offering academic majors in the aeronautical sciences, business, education, engineering, the humanities and sciences.  LeTourneau University also offers undergraduate degree programs in business, education and psychology and graduate programs in business and education and at education center in Austin, Bedford, Dallas, Houston and Tyler and online. Claiming every workplace in every nation as its mission field, LeTourneau University graduates are professionals of ingenuity and Christ-like character who see life’s work as a holy calling with eternal impact.