Alvin O. "Bud" Austin (born in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

) was the fifth president of

LeTourneau University LeTourneau University (; abbreviated LETU) is a private, interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Longview, Texas. Founded as LeTourneau Technical Institute in February 1946 by R. G. LeTourneau with his wife, Evelyn, the school in ...

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in, and county seat of, Gregg County, Texas, United States. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway system, U.S. highways U.S. Route 80, 80 and U.S. Route 259, 259 converge just north of the Sabi ...

from 1986 to 2007. Since July 2007 he has held the role of

University Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

, in accordance with the wishes of the Board of Trustees.

Life

He was raised in Florida and Utah before attending

Westmont College Westmont College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Montecito, California, United States. It was founded in 1937. History Ruth Kerr, owner and CEO of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, established the school as the Bible Missiona ...

in Santa Barbara, California, graduating in 1964. He was named Alumnus of the year in 1986 by this institution. He graduated from the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

with a PhD in higher education. He married Samantha Jane Bates in 1965 and has three children.

Career

Austin's career has been primarily in the administration of institutions of higher learning, having spent over thirty years working at a variety of schools including North Park College and Theological Seminary in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, and Hardin-Simmons University in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

. Austin has a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Higher Education Administration from

and a master's degree from California State University in Los Angeles. His early career was grounded in student affairs administration. He guided

over two decades in its transition from a small regional technical college to one of the leading Christian universities in the USA. During his tenure, LeTourneau grew dramatically in enrollment, endowment, campus facilities, programs, and scope. Austin's career focused on providing a high quality and personal educational environment with an uncompromising dedication to committed Christian faith. He retired in 2007. He is the acting president of the American Southwest Conference Executive Committee: a conference of sixteen colleges and universities located in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

which are members of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division III athletic conference. Austin is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT). He continues to provide consulting services for small and medium-sized colleges and universities. He travels widely and maintains his primary residence in the Longview area near his children and grandchildren.

References

1942 births Living people Seattle Pacific University people Hardin–Simmons University faculty University of Mississippi alumni California State University, Los Angeles alumni People from Abilene, Texas Place of birth missing (living people) Westmont College alumni LeTourneau University {{US-academic-administrator-1940s-stub