Lamar University gained an overwhelming show of
support this spring from some of the people who
know it best—its employees.
As part of the $100 million Investing in the Future
comprehensive campaign, faculty and staff members were
asked to participate in the university’s first-ever employee
campaign from Feb. 16 to April 3. The seven-week effort
drew donations from 827 people, or more than 70 percent
of LU’s employees.
“We’re really excited because our
campaign consultant told us that employee
participation in a first-time campaign like this
is generally around 30 percent,” said Janice
Trammell, development director and executive
director of the Lamar University
Foundation. “It opens up all sorts of doors
for us. When donors see that everyone who
works here loves to work here and wants
to give back to the university, it shows that
we as employees have confidence in Lamar
and they should as well in making that
investment in our great university.”
Rather than setting a dollar goal for the
employee campaign, the campaign team
focused on attracting widespread participation
with employees giving at whatever level
they could. Collectively, employees gave
$498,068.
“We wanted this to be more about
building excitement about all the progress
and changes that Lamar is undergoing,”
Trammell said. “It allowed participation from
all areas of the university, no matter what the
salary level.”
Leading the effort to garner employee
support were a 21-member steering committee
chaired by William Holmes, associate
dean of the College of Education and Human
Development, and 29 team captains representing
departments across the university.
Carvelynne Graff, executive assistant in
the College of Education and Human
Development, was thrilled to receive an invitation
to serve on the steering committee.
“I thought what a grand thing to do
and what a wonderful honor it is to serve in
that capacity. It was just exciting from day
one,” said Graff, who has worked at LU for
nearly a decade.
Graff ’s message to encourage others to
participate was: “Lamar has done so much
for us and represents an important entity in
this city. It’s a way to express
that to other donors and
other friends of Lamar to
show them that we care
about Lamar University.”
For Graff, excitement
about the great things going
on at Lamar started with the
appearance of red-and-white
street signs and grew with
each additional physical sign.
She credits President James
Simmons and his wife, Susan,
with the transformation. “It’s so exciting to
know that he’s loved and respected by the
community. They’ve been behind him and
encouraged him in every step. To see the community
and the university come and work
together as a team is amazing,” she said.
Steve Ford, a groundskeeper in facilities
management and steering committee member,
urged his coworkers to contribute to
help the university and make a positive statement
for their department, one of 56 departments
to achieve 100 percent participation.
“It’s a major accomplishment how
everybody came in and gave what they had.
It didn’t matter the size of the gift, but they
gave,” said Ford, a Lamar employee for 28
years. “I’m glad I’m a part of it amongst
everybody else.”
Sarah Tusa, associate professor in the
Mary and John Gray Library and steering
committee member, said giving back to
Lamar University “just seemed the right
thing to do” after years of steady employment
with full benefits and regular raises despite
hurricanes and economic uncertainties.
“Not everybody has that kind of job
security that we’ve enjoyed,” said Tusa, who
has worked at Lamar for almost 20 years.
“Financially, we’re much better off than when
I came here, and the campus has just had a
facelift. I think, overall, everybody’s been
very pleased with the direction the campus
has been going the past several years.”
Norman Bellard, associate vice president
for student affairs and a team captain, said
achieving 100 percent participation for every
department in the division of student of
affairs was “a rather easy task.”
“It wasn’t so much what I did or I said
as it was the type of employees that we have.
It didn’t take much persuasion,” Bellard said.
“That’s a testament to the type of people we
have employed here.”
Bellard, a former LU basketball player
who is proud to “bleed red and white,” said it
is a great time to be employed at Lamar
thanks to Simmons. “My line about Dr.
Simmons is he’s the coach, and he calls the
plays, and we just run them. He manages to
always call the right play. We’re just following
his lead,” Bellard said. “Of course, we’ve
had some growing pains and some other
challenges, but we’re up to the challenge,
and we’re looking forward to great things
to come.”
The Lamar University family celebrated
the success of the employee campaign with
an April 22 barbecue at the Spindletop-
Gladys City Boomtown Museum and
received a hearty thank–you from Simmons
for giving so generously.
“I would never have dreamed we would
raise the funds we have,” Simmons said at
the event. “We already knew we had the best
employees in the country. When I heard the
results of the campaign, I was truly overwhelmed.
I can’t tell you how proud I am.”
