University Services and Offices


1. Division of University Advancement

The Division of University Advancement encompasses development, external relations, alumni affairs and advancement services. The relationship between Lamar University and the Lamar University Foundation is also managed through University Advancement.

Development

Development works closely with the president and other executives in raising external funds for student scholarships, faculty support, research enhancement, top university initiatives, athletics, and other university programs. The division also coordinates fund-raising for campus constituencies, including campaign and special event fund-raising, as well as prospect research. Through its advancement services department, University Advancement manages the Lamar University integrated database of alumni, friends, and donors, to track gifts to Lamar University and manage the relationships of external constituents with the university.

Alumni Affairs

The Lamar University Office of Alumni Affairs, which supports graduates and former students, is active on a year-round basis. The office coordinates all events and activities for alumni, ranging from public service projects to social events. Activities sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs include organization and class reunions, Golden Circle events for 50+ year graduates, alumni homecoming, and presentation of the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards. The alumni office also coordinates the Lamar University Ambassadors program, which is designed to provide a connection between outstanding LU students and alumni, community sponsors, government officials and donors.

Lamar University Foundation

The Foundation serves as the preferred channel for private gifts to all areas of Lamar University to support and its educational mission. By connecting alumni and friends to the University through stewardship, the Lamar University Foundation focuses on raising funds, distributing funds to Lamar University programs according to donor designations, and managing endowments. Lamar University Foundation is a Texas corporation established under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code for educational or charitable purposes.

The Lamar University Foundation supports and enhances Lamar University by encouraging the commitment of personal and financial resources to further the education of Lamar University students. The foundation promotes the stewardship of donors to enhance the quality of services provided by the university to students, faculty, alumni and friends. The Lamar University

Foundation manages the investments and serves as a trustee of the endowment funds and other private assets contributed for the benefit of Lamar University.

The Foundation collaborates closely with the University and is deeply committed to assisting the University in accomplishing its strategic objectives.

The Lamar University Foundation Board of Trustees is composed of up to 40 members committed to the success of Lamar University and the stewardship of the gifts managed through the Foundation.

2. Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum

The Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum is located on Lamar’s campus at University Drive and Highway 69. The museum is a 16-building replica of Gladys City, the oil boomtown that sprang up overnight when the Lucas Gusher blew in on Spindletop Hill on January 10, 1901, marking the beginning of the Petroleum Age.

The museum complex includes the 1941 Lucas Gusher Monument, the replica Lucas Gusher derrick and gusher, and exhibit buildings furnished with items from the late 1890s and early 1900s that depict daily life in Gladys City and Beaumont. The museum's Visitor Center includes the Gift Shop and the Caroline Room, a meeting room available to the public. Other museum facilities are also available for parties, picnics, receptions and evening events. Annual special events include Wildcatter Weekends in the Fall, the Lucas Gusher Anniversary in January, and the Boomtown Ruckus in June, which features live re-enactors celebrating Beaumont before the oil boom. The replica gusher blows water 160 feet in the air during these special events. Visit www.spindletop.org for more information and a calendar of upcoming events.

3. Division of Marketing Communication

Public Relations

Public relations coordinates all media relations, publications, and institutional marketing activities for the university. It supports student recruitment, fund-raising, and special events through the production of print, broadcast, and Web products and materials. It also publishes the university magazine, Cardinal Cadence, mailed to more than 85,000 alumni and friends of the university

Web Communication

Web communication oversees the university's public web presence and provides leadership, systems and support to academic and administrative units to assist them with developing and improving their web communications. Central to this mission is the management and deployment of the university's web content management system, which supports the distributed ownership of web content and provides a consistent user experience across the university's public web environment.

Office of Event Management

The Office of Event Management manages logistics for special events ranging from meetings and lunches to formal receptions, banquets and weddings, primarily in the main venue on the eighth floor of the Mary and John Gray Library but also at other locations across campus, including the Dishman Art Museum, Montagne Center, John Gray Center, and the Executive Event Space in the Wayne A. Reaud Administration Building.

4. Division of Digital Learning

LU Online

LU Online offers courses and over 45-degree programs online at the Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels, as well as a number of specialized certificates. The Division offers dual credit programs for high school students both online and on high school campuses.  
The Division of Digital Learning provides leadership, support and administrative services for distance learning to students and faculty across Lamar University.

5. The Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities (TALH)

The Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities is an early college entrance honors program created by the Texas Legislature that allows academically qualified high school-aged students in the state to earn college credits toward a college degree and simultaneously fulfill credits required for high school graduation, as set by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Texas Academy students are considered full-time enrolled college students and have the opportunity to earn up to 60 hours of college credit upon successful completion of the program. Students may choose to live on campus or commute if they reside within a 30-mile radius of Lamar University. Graduates are awarded a diploma from the Texas Academy. 
Prospective Texas Academy students may apply by submitting: (1) Lamar University application; (2) Texas Academy application; (3) Academic transcripts from the 9th grade to date, with completion of Algebra II; (4) SAT/ACT results - minimum 1130 SAT score or 24/25 ACT composite score; (5) Autobiographical essay; (6) At least two recommendations from teachers/administrators familiar with the student´s abilities and character. Applicants will be reviewed for TSI status. The successful candidate will have a superior academic record and SAT/ACT score, TSI exemption status, and supporting application materials evidencing the personal integrity, sense of responsibility, as well as a level of maturity essential for success in the program. 
Tuition and fees are fully subsidized for 15 credit hours per long semester (fall/spring). Students and their families are responsible for housing, meal plan, textbook costs, and any other miscellaneous fees incurred by the student, including, but not limited to, additional course enrollment beyond 15 semester credit hours. 
The priority deadline for application for fall enrollment is May 1. Additional information is available by contacting the program at (409) 839-2995 or visiting the www.texasacademy.org website.

6. Information Technology Division

The Information Technology Division supports the IT needs of Lamar University. These services include maintaining the Student Information System (Banner SSB), university email, supporting the learning management system (BlackBoard), technical support for campus organizations, and maintaining campus wireless Internet. The student information technology website is https://www.lamar.edu/its. The University Service Desk is located in the Mary and John Gray Library in the 1st-floor computer lab. Students may also contact the Service Desk at (409) 880-2222 or by email at servicedesk@lamar.edu.

7. Mary and John Gray Library

The Mary and John Gray Library is an eight-story, red brick building located in the center of campus. Its collection exceeds one million volume equivalents, including books, journals, microforms, maps, music scores, state and federal government publications, software, and audiovisual materials. Through subscriptions, journal packages, and consortial licensing, the library provides access to over 5,000 e-journals, and through aggregated databases, to content from an additional 44,000 current journals. All of the journals can be accessed digitally by Lamar’s students, faculty, and staff from either on or off-campus. Print and electronic books can be located using the library’s online catalog. Other digital resources include streaming video/music collections, digital citation indexes, and interactive tutorials and guides tailored to specific fields of study. Service-oriented library staff provides assistance in the use of reference materials, government documents, special collections and archival materials, reserve materials, and instructional media. Assistance is provided to both online and on-campus users through e-mail, chat and IM, and telephone. The Cardinal One Card serves as a patron's library card for borrowing purposes. Users can access library electronic resources by logging in with their Lamar Electronic Access (LEA) credentials. The library provides rooms for group study and the fifth floor is a designated quiet study floor. Coin-operated copy machines for both print and microforms are available. There are 25 student personal computers, 2 special access personal computers and 1 public access computer located on the first floor. An additional 20 computers are available for classes and special projects in a seventh-floor library classroom. Trained staff aid in the use of computers, printers, and software. There are five separately administered areas in the Gray Library: (1) University Writing Center; (2) The LU Tutoring Center; (3) IT Services Help Desk; (4) Media Services; (5) University Reception Center. Beyond locally provided resources, the Gray Library can supply patrons with books and articles from other libraries. Our Interlibrary Loan service makes use of advanced technology to obtain materials throughout the state, nation, and world, and obtains journal articles from commercial document delivery services. Lamar University students and faculty can also borrow in person from the library collections of 51 other publicly-funded colleges and universities using a card from the statewide TexShare program. TexShare borrowing cards are available at no charge at the circulation desk in the front lobby. The library is open seven days a week in the long semesters. Hours of operation are posted on the library website at https://www.lamar.edu/library/.

8. Montagne Center

The 10,000-seat Montagne Center, home of Lamar University basketball, is a campus multipurpose facility that provides opportunities for educational and extracurricular programs. The event facility houses athletic offices, training spaces, reception areas, and the main athletics box office.  The center is capable of hosting concerts, receptions, banquets, graduation ceremonies, high school proms, workshops, business meetings, conventions, and other activities. As additional meeting/banquet space, the Cardinal Club and Red Room can host between 50 and 200 guests. The Cardinal Club is located on the first floor with easy access from the Northwest building entry and has amenities including a kitchenette, public address system, projector and televisions. The Red Room provides beautiful views of the basketball arena and the football complex and makes an ideal space for executive business luncheons, meetings and receptions for groups of 75 or less. Full catering services are available for all events. For reservations call (409) 880-1881.

9. Mail Center

The Lamar University Mail Center is temporarily located in the Carl Parker Building, room 101. Hours of operation for window services are 8 a.m.. to 4:00 p.m. and parcel services 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The University Mail Center is a contracted facility operated by the University and is officially designated as Lamar University Mail Center, 77710. Full postal services are offered, including stamp sales for domestic/international mail, incoming and outgoing United Postal Services, student mail forwarding, express courier deliveries, and standard mail processing (including folding and inserting services). Students, staff, and faculty are allowed to use outbound United Parcel Services with Authorized Return Service at no charge.

Students, staff, and faculty may rent postal boxes on an annual basis. The annual cost is $15. Student box sharing is prohibited. Mail is received from U.S. Postal Services at 4:00 a.m.. and 6:30 a.m.. daily Monday through Friday. Outbound stamped and metered mail is dispatched daily at 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

10. Research and Sponsored Programs Administration Office

The Office of Research and Sponsored Program Administration (ORSPA) is administered by the Associate Provost for Research. ORSPA promotes externally funded research; oversees sponsored programs; facilitates technology transfer, patent, copyright, and intellectual property policies; interfaces with state and federal funding agencies on behalf of the university; assures research integrity and grant compliance in accordance with institutional and governmental regulations. The office assists faculty in the development and submission of grant proposals by disseminating funding opportunities and reviewing proposals for compliance with budgetary guidelines and collaborates with the post-award finance administration of grants, which includes monitoring expenditures and grant billings as well as research compliance. This office also oversees the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Human Subjects Research, Institutional Patent Committee (IPC), Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Conflict of Interest, Export Control and Responsible Conduct of Research Training.

ORSPA is located in the Science and Technology Building, on the 2nd floor. Call (409) 880-7670 or email rspa@lamar.edu.

11. Records Office: Transcripts

The Lamar University Records office, under the direction of the university registrar, provides official transcripts to those who have attended Lamar University. Students may request up to five transcripts per semester at no charge. Additional transcripts are $5.00 each. Transcripts can be ordered in person, by mail, or online. For more information, go to www.lamar.edu/transcripts, call (409) 880-7163 or email transcripts@lamar.edu.

12. Bookstore

Barnes & Noble at Lamar University is a one-stop shop for all textbook and academic needs – including low-cost rental, used, and digital textbooks. Barnes & Noble at Lamar University also provides Lamar Cardinal and Lamar Institute of Technology clothing and merchandise, school supplies, convenience items, and other books and magazines. Customers can shop in the store (located in the Setzer Student Center) or online at http://www.lamar.bncollege.com. For more information about the bookstore, call (409) 880-8342. Follow the bookstore on Facebook@ http://facebook.com/Lamarbookstore.

13. Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement

Lamar University has a strong commitment to student engagement and success through faculty’s teaching and learning excellence. Under the direction of the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs and in conjunction with the Division of Distance Learning, the Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement supports faculty and administrators in their academic pursuits and provides a range of instructional services to assist all members of the LU teaching community. To foster and sustain a culture that practices, values, and rewards teaching and learning as vital forms of scholarship at Lamar University, the Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement works toward the mission of: 

  • promoting deep understanding of the scholarship of teaching and learning by assisting both individuals and groups of instructors to gather, analyze, and reflect on information about their own teaching and their student's learning; 
  • cultivate dialogue about teaching pedagogies and learning theories through seminars, orientations, workshops, teaching and learning circles, and other programming; and
  • foster the use of research-based best practices, technologies, models, and approaches to university teaching and learning—and facilitate access to resources that support them. 
For more information, visit the CTLE website at https://www.lamar.edu/ctle/index.html, or email the CTLE at dept_CTLE@lamar.edu. Offices are located in the Digital Learning Center, Suites 106, 109, and 110.

14. Quality Enhancement Plan and Math to a Degree

The Lamar University Quality Enhancement Plan, Math To A Degree, fulfills the University’s mission to support “student success by engaging and empowering students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in their personal lives and chosen fields of endeavor.” Furthermore, Lamar’s QEP seeks to improve student performance by reducing barriers to success in mathematics courses by placing students in courses appropriate to their field of study. Placing students in courses that are better aligned with their actual curricular needs can increase student success by removing the barrier of insufficient high school algebra preparation.

 For more information, please visit the QEP website at https://www.lamar.edu/qep.