Non-College-Based Units
Providing valuable advising, instructional, and service support to Lamar University’s five colleges, the non-college-based units are critical for the university’s academic success and future growth.
Priority 1: Center for General Studies, At-Risk Programs. With a current enrollment of 1200 students, the Center for General Studies provides advising and academic support key to the retention and graduation of at-risk students. Currently 1 in 8 students at Lamar attends one of these programs which represent an integrated system of mechanisms for addressing the needs of “at-risk” students and thus fulfilling Closing the Gaps goals. Most noteworthy among them, the Monitored Probation Early Intervention Program has achieved statewide prominence as a recipient of the Starr Award. The MPEIP program needs an Office Assistant and an Academic Advisor.
Priority 2: College of Graduate Studies. With an overall enrollment of more than 1,100 students, this college administers graduate studies, research, and international student services at the university. The college oversees a broad-based master’s program including engineering, business, arts and sciences, health sciences, education, and visual and performing arts. It also oversees doctoral degree programs in engineering and deaf education and will be key to the oversight of other doctoral programs proposed for the university. In particular the college needs a Director of Research, a full-time staff person in the Office of Graduate Admissions and International Student Services, increased funding for graduate student support in all graduate programs at Lamar, and improved office space for all components of the graduate college.
Priority 3: Continuing Education and Distance Education Division: Community Outreach Program. This program seeks to improve relations with the community and thus our success in Closing the Gaps. Much of this enhancement can be done by accessing current resources within the university and by providing improved coordination and programming.
Priority 4: Continuing Education and Distance Education Division: Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum. Related to a major event in the history of Texas, this museum is one of only two “gusher” museums in the country. Given funding for a full-time director to secure grants and produce other revenue-producing programs, the museum should then be able to support itself.
Priority 5: Mary and John Gray Library. As libraries are referred as “the heart of the university,” they are central and essential to the missions and goals of the college-based units. Holding such a key role in the academic life of Lamar University, the Mary and John Gray Library will become increasingly important to the growth of master’s and doctoral programs as well as to that of the university’s undergraduate programs. To be able to fulfill its central function it must constantly update its inventory of books, journals, and other documents and its delivery technologies. As delivery technology changes, the library needs to acquire new technology, to reconfigure space to make it accessible, and to train (often re-train) faculty and students. Funding for these purposes is essential, as is funding for space innovation and renovation, and personnel, including systems technical support staff, a Media Services Instructional Designer, and two additional faculty for teaching library classes.
Priority 6: Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities. Known familiarly on campus as “the Academy,” this program appears to be the only residential leadership in the humanities program in the country. It offers intellectually qualified, mature Texas high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to pursue the ideals of academic excellence, ethical leadership, and community service within the context of a rigorous university setting. Sixty TALH students were enrolled in Fall 2002. The success of the program is reflected in that of its students, especially their performance as gauged by the NMSQT, the SAT, their Lamar GPAs, and their ability to gain acceptance into the colleges of their choice after completing their high school requirements in TALH. This program enhances Lamar’s academic reputation, especially among secondary educators, and gives visibility to Lamar academic programs in areas of the state and nation where we do not recruit heavily. TALH is in need of space for a community/meeting room for its students.
Priority 7: University Honors Program. Addressing the educational and developmental needs of students with demonstrated high academic potential, the University Honors Program enhances the overall reputation of Lamar University as an institution of academic excellence. Each top graduate from a high school who chooses to come to Lamar enhances the university’s reputation at that school. Honors Program graduates are also productive and loyal alumni of the institution. During the 2002-03 academic year, UHP enrollment ranged from 175 to185 students. An infusion of university funds can serve as a basis for an Honors College in the future. Specifically the program needs increased E & G funds allocated for honors classes, more adequate physical space, and permission to have fund raising status with the Office of University Advancement.
Priority 8: Developmental Studies. The Developmental Studies Program assists students who failed the state-mandated Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test prior to their entry into the university. The Developmental Studies program provides classroom and laboratory instruction in basic math, reading, and/or writing so that these students may acquire the necessary skill-levels to succeed in college. The work of the Developmental Studies Program addresses the goals of Closing the Gaps in providing academic support for increasing numbers of at-risk students. Developmental Studies needs an additional Academic Advisor and a consolidation of space.
Priority 9: Center for General Studies. Similarly, the McNair Scholars Program provides a seamless transition of its scholars from their undergraduate studies to graduate studies. The Center for General Studies also houses and administers the Bachelor of General Studies program. The center also serves General Studies majors and students from other disciplines through the Supplemental Instruction Program and the Academic Enhancement Workshop Series.
Priority 10: Continuing and Distance Education Division-Other Programs. In addition to its Community Outreach Program and the Spindletop-Gladys City Museum, this division represents a conglomeration of additional programs, including Non-Credit Programs, the Center for Adult Studies, the Center for Industrial Fire and Hazardous Materials Training, and the Elements of Educational Technology Center. These programs greatly enhance the university’s connection with the community and some, such as distance education, may prove crucial to the university’s future enrollment growth.
