The Division of University Advancement encompasses development, public relations, alumni affairs, advancement services and operation of the University Reception Center. It also serves as a liaison to the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Foundation. Development works closely with the president in raising external funds for student scholarships, endowed faculty positions and other university programs. It also coordinates fund-raising for campus constituencies, including campaign and special event planning as well as prospect research. Through its advancement services arm, it manages a database of alumni, friends and donors, tracking gifts to a multitude of university programs.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Office of Alumni Affairs, which supports graduates and ex-students, is active on a year-round basis. The alumni office is located in the John Gray Center, Building B, Suite 102, at 855 Florida Ave., (409) 880-8921 or Alumni@Lamar. edu). The office coordinates all events and activities for alumni ranging from fund-raising to social events. Some of these include chapter activities, homecoming, Red White & You, and Distinguished Alumni Awards. The Office of Alumni Affairs also coordinates numerous programs for Â鶹ÊÓƵ students. These programs include the Dinner and Twelve Strangers programs, mentoring programs and new student move in. They are designed to provide a connection between Â鶹ÊÓƵ students and alumni.
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 World Wide Web products and materials. It also publishes the university magazine, Cardinal Cadence, mailed to more than 60,000 alumni and friends of the university.
The University Reception Center 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 and John Gray Center. Offices are located in Building B of the John Gray Center at 855 Florida Ave.
Continuing Education offers programs and services designed to meet the changing needs of Southeast Texas. Within this division are the Center for Adult Studies, Non-Credit Programs, Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, and a variety of other special programs that provide unique educational opportunities.
The Center for Adult Studies coordinates programs to assist older students who plan to attend college for the first time as well as adults with previous college credit who want to return to college to finish their degree. During weekdays, the Center’s Adult Learning staff provides answers to questions concerning college entrance, degree offerings, courses scheduled, and campus services and resources.
To learn more, call the Center for Adult Studies at (409) 880-7989 or visit the website .
The Non-Credit Programs serves as a link between Â鶹ÊÓƵ and the community to meet educational, cultural and training needs. Non-credit certification programs and courses help students build professional skills or gain entrance into new career fields. Programs cater to a wide segment of the population and range from summer youth programs to college experiences for people age 65 or older. Customized contract training for business and industry, along with seminar and conference organizational services, are also provided. For course information, call Non-Credit Programs at (409) 880-2233 or visit the website .
Other programs administered by the Division of Continuing Education include Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum and the Community Outreach Program, which assists individuals and families achieve personal, social and economic self-sufficiency and enhance the neighborhoods and community in which they live.
Continuing Education administrative offices are located in the downtown library. To learn more about these programs, call (409) 880-8209.
The Center for Distance Education at Â鶹ÊÓƵ offers academic courses through several delivery methods, providing excellent opportunities for students seeking a flexible schedule and high school students wanting an early start through dual credit. Online courses are accessed via the Internet using Blackboard, which provides the benefit of anytime/anywhere learning. Interactive video offers university courses at participating Region V ESC high schools. This method has a university professor on the main campus teaching students at multiple sites by interactive video. Off-campus courses are delivered at various high school campuses in the evenings. All professors participating in distance education are available by phone, appointment or e-mail. For more information call the Center for Distance Education. The Center for Distance Education is located in the John Gray Center Building A, Suite 101, at 855 East Florida Ave., Beaumont, Texas, 77705. More information is available by calling (409) 880-1847 or visiting the website www.lamar.edu/cde.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Academic Partnerships (Â鶹ÊÓƵAP) program is a partnership between the university and a corporate entity to deliver online education. These programs are delivered using the learning management system owned by the partner company and utilizing the partner’s marketing staff. Three graduate programs provide the centerpiece of Â鶹ÊÓƵAP: M.Ed. in Educational Administration, M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership, and M.Ed in Educational Technology Leadership. Undergraduate offerings include the Bachelor of Arts of Applied Sciences and dual-credit courses for high school students. Students must be admitted to Â鶹ÊÓƵ and are taught by Â鶹ÊÓƵ faculty. Many Â鶹ÊÓƵAP courses are offered in accelerated format.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Early Childhood Development Center is located at 950 East Florida. The Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and provides high-quality extended child care services and preschool/ pre-kindergarten programs designed for children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years.
The Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities (TALH) is a highly selective, early college entrance program for gifted and talented students eager for an enriched intellectual program enhanced by the disciplines of the humanities. The Academy is one of only two residential programs for gifted and talented high school students recognized by the Texas State Legislature. Academy students fulfill their junior and senior high school requirements by taking university classes and thereby earn college credit as well. These students are considered full time university freshmen and sophomores. Though academic achievement is firmly at the center of the Academy's mission, Academy students are expected to cultivate their leadership abilities by investing a portion of their out-of -class/study time in volunteer organizations, community service, and in activities and programs sponsored by the Academy. Academy students reside in Â鶹ÊÓƵ dormitories. For more information, contact the Academy at (409) 839-2995.
The Information Technology Division is responsible for managing information resources required by the academic, administrative and research communities of Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Information Technology Services is located in the Carl Parker and Cherry Engineering buildings. The division maintains onsite and offsite disaster recovery facilities. IT maintains servers for the administrative systems, maintains the university network, e-mail, Internet service, and World Wide Web presence. Each student entering Â鶹ÊÓƵ receives a computer account (known as a LEA account) and e-mail. Accounts remainactive as long as a student is enrolled or a faculty member is employed, unless the Computer Use Policy is violated. More information is available at .
The Mary and John Gray Library is centrally located on campus. Its collection exceeds one million volume equivalents, including microforms, state and federal documents, and audiovisual materials. The library subscribes to 1,000 current periodicals and provides access to many full-text databases covering nearly 30,000 periodicals. Students, faculty, and staff of Â鶹ÊÓƵ can utilize computers in-house or remotely to locate print and electronic books in the online catalog, access citation indexes and full-text journal articles electronically, and locate selected information through the Internet. A service-oriented library staff provides assistance in the use of reference materials, government documents, special collections and archival materials, reserve materials, and instructional media. The Banner ID serves as a patron's library card for borrowing purposes. Lamar Electronic Access (LEA) credentials are utilized to access the databases and other electronic resources.
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 163 computers openly available to all students in two computer labs located on the first and seventh floors, respectively. Assistance in the use of computers and software is available from trained staff. Additionally, there are three separately-administered areas in the Gray Library. The University Writing Center and the Student Advising and Retention Services (STARS) Tutorial Lab are both located on the first floor of the library adjacent to the Reference Room. The University Reception Center occupies the eighth floor of the library building.
Beyond locally provided resources, patrons have access to the library collections of 51 other publicly-funded Texas colleges and universities through the TexShare program. TexShare borrowing cards are available 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 and can be heard in a recorded message at (409) 880-8117.
The 10,000-seat Montagne Center, home of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ basketball and volleyball teams, is a multipurpose facility that provides opportunities for educational and extracurricular programs. The center houses athletic offices, training spaces, reception areas, and a ticket office.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Mail Center is located at 211 Redbird Lane. Hours of operation for window services are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The University Mail Center is a contracted facility operated by the University and is officially designated as Â鶹ÊÓƵ, 77710. Full postal services are offered, including stamp sales for domestic/international mail, United Parcel Service, mail forwarding, express courier deliveries and bulk mail processing (including folding, tabbing and inserting services). Students, staff and faculty may rent postal boxes on a semester or annual basis. Box sharing is prohibited. Mail is received from U.S. Postal Services at 6:45 and 9 a.m. daily Monday through Friday. Outbound stamped and metered mail is dispatched daily at 5 p.m.
The Research and Sponsored Program Administration Office is administered by the Vice President for Research, who chairs the Research Council. This office promotes externally funded research; oversees sponsored programs and technology transfer as well as patent, copyright and intellectual property policies; establishes liaison between the university and state and national funding sources; and assures that proposed projects comply with institutional and governmental regulations. This office also provides assistance to faculty in the development and submission of grant/project proposals by locating funding sources and reviewing proposals for compliance with budgetary and funding guidelines.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Records office provides official transcripts to those who have attended Lamar. Transcripts are $5.00 each and can be ordered in person, by mail, or online. For more information, go to or call (409 ) 880-8985.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Bookstore, known as the Setzer Center Bookstore, is a one-stop shop for all textbook and academic needs – including low cost used and digital textbooks. The Setzer Center Bookstore also provides Â鶹ÊÓƵ Cardinal and Lamar Institute of Technology clothing and merchandise, school supplies, a huge array of convenience items, and other books and magazines. Customers can shop in the store (located in the Setzer Student Center) or online at . For more information about the bookstore call (409) 880-8342, stop by the store, or go online.
The Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum is located on Lamar’s campus at University Drive and Highway 69. The museum is a 15-building replica of Gladys City, the oil boomtown that sprang up overnight when the Lucas Gusher blew in on Spindletop Hill January 10, 1901. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the legendary Spindletop oil boom that followed the Lucas Gusher, marking the beginning of the Petroleum Age.
The museum complex includes a saloon, general store, post office, drug store, livery stable and other buildings all furnished with items of daily life in Gladys City Boomtown. The replica Lucas Gusher blows water 160 feet in the air during special events. The Visitor Center includes the Museum Store and a large meeting room available to the public. Special events and Living History Days with live re-enactors are held throughout the year. Visit for a virtual tour and more information.