DEERFIELD, IL – December 8, 2025 – The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD) will be relocating and joining LeTourneau University (LeTourneau) in Longview, Texas. LeTourneau is acquiring CBHD from TIU through a grant transfer, effective January 1, with the goal of furthering CBHD’s vital mission and launching a new Master of Arts program in Bioethics.
For over three decades, CBHD has been an integral and valued part of the Trinity International University community, serving as a leading voice in Christian bioethics since its launch in 1994.
“We have been deeply blessed to have The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity as part of our institution for so long,” said David. W. Pao, Interim President of Trinity International University. “CBHD’s commitment to thoughtful, distinctly Christian engagement with complex ethical issues has been a profound asset to the academy, the church, and the world. We are grateful for their enduring legacy at TIU and pray the Lord will continue to bless their work at LeTourneau.”
As part of the transition, the Center’s current staff—Matthew Eppinette, Bryan Just, Anna Vollema, and Heather Zeiger—will transition to become employees of LeTourneau University on January 1. Furthermore, CBHD’s Executive Director, Matthew Eppinette, expressed gratitude for the Center’s foundational years at TIU.
“I would be remiss,” Eppinette said, “if I did not, in this time of transition, thank TIU for having the vision to launch the Center in 1994, and for all it has done to support our work for more than three decades.”
The transition to LeTourneau University, known as the Christian Polytechnic University, will align CBHD with LeTourneau’s strategic focus on faith, science, and technology, particularly in addressing complex “Bioethics 2.0” issues in an increasingly technological world. The Center will now be positioned to explore potential collaborations with LeTourneau’s highly ranked engineering and nursing programs.
LeTourneau University President Steven D. Mason, PhD, commented on the acquisition: “The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity has for decades cultivated an influential, thoughtful, distinctively Christian approach to some of the most pressing questions of our time related to living, dying, and what it means to be human. I could not be more excited to welcome CBHD to LeTourneau University, where we feel called to steward questions about the relationship between science, advancing technology, and a biblical picture of human flourishing.”