2021 News

KVLU end of year fundraising

In continued support of student development and quality education, AT&T has donated to Lamar University to bolster the institutions efforts in targeting mathematical learning loss in Southeast Texas.

One Cardinal fan favorite fundraiser is making a comeback at Lamar University just in time for the holidays. For the third year, LU Athletics’ basketball teams and local non-profit organization Some Other Place have teamed up to host the annual Teddy Bear Toss fundraiser.

The Rotary Club of Beaumont has made it possible for Lamar University to expand its program to create innovative learning labs for Beaumont ISD. In spring of 2021, the Rotary Club of Beaumont awarded Lamar University $15,000 to establish a new Cardinal NEST (Navigating Excellence Success and Triumph) at Martin Elementary.

Art and Design students present Against the Grain senior thesis exhibition

The LU Office of Financial Services is getting into the holiday spirit with a “Final 12 Days Before Winter Break” campaign. For 12 days leading up to Dec. 20, the department will participate in daily holiday themed activities.

Planning Through the Pandemic with Hope, Happiness and Health

It’s always a great time to be a Cardinal and the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings gives yet another reason for future Cards to flock to Lamar University. According to the 2022 evaluation, Lamar University is the No.9 best public university in the state of Texas.

On Tuesday, Nov. 30, Lamar University and ExxonMobil officially opened the latest Cardinal NEST (Navigating Excellence Success and Triumph) at Amelia Elementary School.

The LU Office of University Advancement and the family of former LU professor Richard Price, Ph.D., will host a reception on Saturday, Dec. 4 in honor of his 90th birthday. Richard L. “Doc” Price, I, Ph.D., was an associate professor of mathematics at Lamar University since August of 1970. He served as the College of Engineering’s director of Minority Recruitment and Retention and, for more than 30 years, he devoted himself to recruiting, educating and mentoring black students in the College of Engineering.

Thousands of colored lights will adorn trees and illuminate campus buildings around Jimmy Simmons Boulevard, Jim Gilligan Way and the Rolfe Christopher Drive entrance to campus. Families are invited to take a slow drive through campus to enjoy the lights and other holiday themed decorations for the entire month of December through the new year.

ExxonMobil US Recruiting presented the Lamar University College of Engineering with a grant check to acknowledge the university’s role in providing a constant source of quality engineering hires for their company. ExxonMobil has consistently hired graduates from LU for all the local sites and beyond.

The Julie Rogers Gift of Life Program was established in 1994 by longtime Lamar University supporter Regina Rogers as a tribute to her late mother, Julie Rogers, a breast cancer survivor. Rogers has teamed up with the LU JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing and Sandra Cesario, program director and tenured professor in the College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University, to bring ovarian cancer awareness to the Southeast Texas region.

The Texas Legislature has approved $44.9 million in capital construction assistance to support the renovation of the Mary and John Gray Library at Lamar University. This funding, approved in mid-October as part Senate Bill 52, will support the first significant renovation of the library since it was dedicated in 1976.

The Moot is a competition that involves two student advocates engaging in simulated legal arguments before a hypothetical appellate court reviewing a fictitious case. Three LU teams competed, but based on their preliminary rounds results, the team of Maissa Salibi and Gillean Vandiver was ranked No.11 in the tournament. Novice team Katie Rice and Kaylee Goodspeed was ranked No.15 in the tournament.

The Lamar University College of Engineering hosted representatives from Emerson Solutions and Scallon Controls for the dedication of the Emerson Advanced Technology Center on Nov. 4. The event included remarks from industry leaders, a round table discussion between industry and LU faculty, and culminated in the ribbon cutting for the new space located in the Center for Industrialization, Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship on LU’s campus.

The Office of Undergraduate Research is set to host the 8th annual Humanities, Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Education and Business Conference on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Landes Auditorium in the Galloway Business building.

The Office of Undergraduate Research at Lamar University thrives on giving undergraduates of all majors opportunities for research and scholarship. In the summer of 2021, sophomore and pre-med biology major Zaid Mohammed was afforded the opportunity to intern at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas.

Lamar University honored seven staff members for their outstanding performance, leadership and contributions within the institution at the 2021 Distinguished Staff Awards Luncheon on Monday, Nov. 15. 

Department of Theatre and Dance presents Fall and Recovery Faculty Dance Concert

The Texas State University System formally installed Jaime R. Taylor as the 16th president of Lamar University at the Presidential Investiture Ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 11. Rich in history and tradition, an investiture is the formal ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of high office. 

Two Lamar University professors are headed to a national conference in Washington, D.C. to present their research on “Examining an online, self-managed parent training program for interactive storybook: Extension to a Public School Setting.”

Dr. Tamerla Chavis graduated from Lamar University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1983 and at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio with her M.D. in 1987.

The second World War took place between 1939-1945 and most of the 16 million Americans who served have died[SKR1] . Out of those WWII veterans who served, only 200,000 are still living and only one lives in Southeast Texas –– Patrick S. Aguilar, who served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-1945.

In recognition of American Education Week, a celebration of public education and individuals making a difference in students' lives, the LU College of Education and Human Development is set to host an American Education Week Celebration Luncheon on Nov. 16 at 11:30 a.m. in the Setzer Student Center ballroom. The guest speaker for this year’s luncheon is Forbes education writer and author Natalie Wexler.

With over 1,738 total entries among local media representation, Lamar University’s media organizations –– Office of Marketing Communications, LUTV, KVLU and University Press –– combined snagged a total of 19 first place awards, 9 second place awards and 15 third place awards.

Annually, the Press Club of Southeast Texas utilizes funds accrued from donations, contest entry fees and banquet proceeds to provide a Lamar University communication student with the Press Club Memorial Scholarship. This year’s recipient was LU journalism major Tim Cohrs, who believes his scholarship serves as a representation of all the work he’s done over the years in the communication field.

Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music presents inaugural Voice Festival

Dishman Elementary School is set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new Cardinal NEST (Navigating Excellence Success and Triumph).

Department of Theatre and Dance presents world premiere of So You Can Look Ahead

The Lamar University College of Engineering is pleased to announce the dedication of the new Emerson Advanced Technology Center on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. in the Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship building on the campus of Lamar University. The event will include a roundtable discussion, ribbon-cutting ceremony, speakers, and demonstration of the new equipment available in the Center.

The Lamar University JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing has been named as one of 2021’s best online Registered Nurse to Master of Science in Nursing degree programs in the nation by EduMed.org. According to EduMed.org, programs were ranked based on affordability, curriculum comprehensiveness and proper accreditation. This lands LU’s School of Nursing in the No.2 spot in the national ranking.

Taliah Belcher, a senior accounting and finance double major in the College of Business, recently completed a six-week internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers office in Dallas. The virtual internship, known as the ‘Start Internship’, is centered around mentorship, gaining insight into PwC as a company, and learning about the many different career opportunities offered by the company.

Lance Taylor, a current graduate student in the Master of Science in Accounting Program who also earned his B.B.A in Finance and Accounting, has accepted a full-time job offer to join the Walmart Corporate Headquarters as Financial Analyst II.  This offer comes after Taylor successfully completed a highly coveted and competitive internship program with the company.

After being postponed last year due to COVID-19, Lamar University students, alumni, family and friends are welcome back to campus on Thursday, Nov. 11 through Saturday, Nov. 13 for the 2021 Homecoming and Cardinal Family Weekend.

Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown Museum released its sponsorship packet for the 2021-2022 year of events.

Taliah Belcher, senior accounting and finance major, has been awarded the 2021 Texas State University System Regents' Student Scholar Award, an honor that includes a commemorative medallion, a board resolution and a $5,000 credit toward educational expenses. Student scholars are formally recognized at the Board of Regents meeting held on Nov. 19 at Sam Houston State University. 

Vinaya Manchaiah receives prestigious international appointment

Department of Art and Design explores photography of the American West in Art History Guest Lecture Series

Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences recognizes National Audiology Month

The Center for First-Generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation, has awarded Lamar University a $500 grant in support of the institutions inaugural First-Generation Celebration.   

The formal investiture of Jaime R. Taylor, Ph.D., as Lamar University’s 16th president will take place on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m. in the Montagne Center. The event coincides with Lamar University 2021 Homecoming celebration events. 

Debra Greschner receives Love of Learning Award

In an effort to highlight the success of women in STEM fields, LU Women in STEM is hosting a panel discussion where guest panelists from a variety of STEM fields will meet with aspiring female STEM professionals to share their perspectives and experiences from the industry.

Lamar University is pleased to announce the launch of the institution’s first alumni organization, the LU Black Alumni Network.

Lamar University’s Special Collections has been awarded a $1,000 Rescuing Texas History grant from the University of North Texas Libraries. The grant will help digitize, physically preserve, and provide public access to the special collection of LU alum and world-renowned mycologist, David Lewis ’72, ’78.

Dr. Amber Adams ’15, instructor of nursing in the JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing, recently presented at the EN21 National Emergency Nursing Conference. The conference is hosted annually by the Emergency Nurses Association and gives nurses the opportunity to network and learn about current practice changes occurring at other facilities and organizations.

Dr. Liv Haselbach, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with Paola Passalacqua, R. Patrick Bixler and John Swartz of University of Texas at Austin and Hamed Moftakhari  of University of Alabama , has received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a project titled “Understanding current and future coastal flood risk: How do local governance networks shape resilience efforts in response to perceived hazards?” 

Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music presents the Fall Jazz Concert. The Lamar University Cardinal Jazz Orchestra will present its first concert of the academic semester on Thursday, October 14, in the Rothwell Recital Hall located on the campus of Lamar University. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.