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• Lamar University |
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Lamar University provides educational opportunities that prepare graduates to meet the needs of a constantly evolving, technology-driven world. In the Information Age, the university's role has never been more vital.
Founded in 1923 as a junior college, Lamar University today is a comprehensive university offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Lamar became a member of The Texas State University System in 1995, joining Angelo State, Sam Houston State, Sul Ross State and Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University-San Marcos). Lamar State College-Port Arthur, Lamar State College-Orange and Lamar Institute of Technology are separate components of the system.
With annual revenues of more than $94 million and a work force of almost 2,000 full- and part-time faculty and staff, Lamar is a vital force for growth in Southeast Texas – and one of the region's largest employers.
More than 65,000 graduates have received diplomas from Lamar University, and many thousands more have made Lamar part of their educational experience.
Defining characteristics of Lamar are small class size, distinguished faculty and research opportunities. With enrollment exceeding 10,800, the university continues to achieve academic excellence within colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Fine Arts and Communication, and Graduate Studies.
More than 70 percent of the university's full-time faculty have doctoral degrees, allowing students to learn first hand from accomplished professors. Lamar also maintains a low student-faculty ratio, meaning classes are smaller and teachers know their students by name. Smaller classes pay off for students, who receive more individual attention and hands-on learning opportunities.
Lamar offers courses of study leading to 76 undergraduate degrees, 35 master's degrees and doctoral degrees in audiology, deaf studies/deaf education, educational leadership and engineering. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Each college contributes to the growth and development of the region, not only through its direct educational mission, but also through programs that provide special benefits to Southeast Texans.
State-of-the-art residential living, created at Lamar with the construction of Cardinal Village, has increased Lamar's on-campus student population. Cardinal Village now houses 1,500 students on campus, with three phases open for student living.
Cardinal Village gives students access to a pool, beach volleyball court, weight room, laundry rooms and high-tech study areas. Most of the students living in Cardinal Village are from beyond the local area – a trend that represents increased geographic diversity in Lamar's student population and which brings more dollars into the Southeast Texas economy.
Construction of a new dining hall will further enhance life on the 270-acre campus.
In April 2004, students approved the renovation of McDonald Gym to create a new recreational center. The $18-million project will feature courts for all types of athletic and recreational sports, a climbing wall, an indoor track, table tennis, pool tables, game rooms and other facilities.
Lamar University offers academic, athletic and cultural activities for Southeast Texas residents. The Montagne Center and other LU venues draw more than a quarter of a million visitors during the year. Lamar Athletics events drew 45,000 fans for baseball, basketball, volleyball and track events. The success of the Lamar golf teams has garnered a large following.
Through art, music, theatre and dance, Lamar University brings cultural experiences to the community and enriches the lives of Southeast Texans. The Dishman Art Museum is an outstanding facility that not only houses a permanent collection of world-renowned art but also showcases student and faculty projects, works by alumni and exhibitions by visiting artists.
Lamar's Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2006, recreates an early-1900s-era boomtown on the Spindletop oil field, where the Lucas gusher blew in Jan. 10, 1901, to usher in the age of energy. The 15-building complex attracts visitors from all over the world.
Instructional, scholarly and creative pursuits by the faculty support students. Faculty research, student guidance, community service and professional growth are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally.
Each college has its niche. Historically, the College of Engineering has housed the university's high-profile programs. Business, deaf education and audiology curricula have joined engineering at the forefront of research and development in their fields.
The undergraduate and graduate programs of the College of Business are accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business, a distinction earned by only 16 percent of business schools worldwide.
The college's Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, founded in 2001, engages in research to benefit the region, working closely with local chambers of commerce, economic development agencies and city and county leaders while offering lectures and courses to budding entrepreneurs, students and the public.
A leader in educating educators, Lamar's College of Education and Human Development offers advanced leadership training for school administrators through its Superintendent and Principal academies.
Lamar's senior engineering majors annually score among the highest in Texas on the state's Fundamentals of Engineering Examination.
Lamar pre-medicine and pre-dental graduates are accepted to medical and dental schools at almost twice the national rate. Lamar faculty and students have participated in six NASA shuttle flight experiments aboard reduced-gravity aircraft, developing components for apace missions and satellites.
Lamar University is expanding minds and shaping futures to fulfill its mission of education, research and service.
