Texas
Scott McDowell named president of Lubbock Christian University
Lubbock Christian University in Texas has appointed Scott McDowell, a…
Professor honored with part of $3 million gift to Lubbock Christian University
The large donation from longtime supporters of the Christian university will establish two endowments.
Lubbock Christian University announced last week that the school is receiving a $3 million donation from Al and Pat Smith of Amarillo, Texas.
Of that gift, $2 million will go toward establishing the Jesse C. Long Jr. Endowed Chair of Biblical Text, which is intended to oversee faculty recruitment, long-term planning and maintenance for LCU’s Smith College of Biblical Studies.
Long, the chair’s namesake, is a professor of Old Testament and biblical archaeology at the college and previously served as its dean. In total, his tenure at LCU has spanned more than 20 years. Long will also receive the first appointment to the newly endowed chair.
“It encourages me to know that when we are gone, because of this gift and our emphasis on biblical teaching and ministry at LCU, young men and women will know and have in their hearts the name of Jesus,” Long said in the university’s press release.
Pictured from left to right, Al Smith, Pat Smith, JoAnn Long and Jesse Long.
Meanwhile, the remaining $1 million of the Smiths’ contribution will be used to create an endowment for the Vocati Institute, an LCU program intended to foster spiritual formation in young people.
In response to the donation, LCU President Scott McDowell acknowledged not only the Smiths’ generosity but also their Christian attitude.
“We are all grateful for, and I am personally moved by, the sincere generosity of Al and Pat Smith,” McDowell said in the release. “Al and Pat are the definition of joyful givers. They give because of who they are. They are people with deeply held kingdom convictions and an overall sense of gratitude for God’s blessing in their lives. Generosity just flows out of their hearts as a result. They are so fun-loving that it’s infectious. You cannot be around them without catching some of their gratitude fueled joy.”
Read more from the official press release on LCU’s website.
