17³Ô¹Ï

1. Location

The 17³Ô¹Ï campus is located in Beaumont, Texas.  With a population of more than 115,000, Beaumont is a diversified city, home not only to the university but also to businesses and industries stemming from a strong petrochemical and agricultural base.  World-renowned companies are located in Beaumont to take advantage of the area’s resources and its educated workforce.

A host of cultural attractions provide a variety of leisure options from museums and symphony presentations to spring and fall festivals.  A civic center, convention center, entertainment complex, and coliseum draw professional entertainers and a wide variety of business, social, and professional groups to the city.  Beaumont is convenient to water recreation, located conveniently between the Gulf of Mexico and the Big Thicket National Preserve, large lakes, and the piney woods.

The campus is home to the Mary and John Gray Library, the Montagne Center coliseum, the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center, Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown, multiple residence halls, and state-of-the-art facilities.  17³Ô¹Ï welcomes visitors, and information regarding tours may be obtained from the Office of Admission Services, P.O. Box 10009, Beaumont, Texas, 77710, or by calling (409) 880-8316.

2. History

17³Ô¹Ï originated on March 8, 1923, when the South Park School District in Beaumont authorized its superintendent to proceed with plans to open “a Junior College of the first class.”  On September 17, 1923, South Park Junior College opened its doors with 125 students and a faculty of fourteen.  Located on the third floor of the South Park High School building, the college shared the library and athletic facilities with the high school.  In 1932, separate facilities were provided and the name of the institution became Lamar College in honor of Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas and the “Father of Education” in Texas.

On June 8, 1942, as a result of a public campaign, a new campus was purchased and classes were held for the first time on the present-day campus in Beaumont.  After World War II, the enrollment grew to 1,079, and the Honorable Jack Brooks introduced a bill in the Texas House of Representatives to make Lamar a state-supported senior college.  The Legislature approved House Bill 52 on June 4, 1949, creating Lamar State College of Technology effective September 1, 1951.  Lamar was the first junior college in Texas to become a four-year, state-supported college.  Lamar continued to grow, building strong programs in engineering, sciences, business, education, and the arts.

In 1962, a graduate school was established offering master’s degrees in several fields.  The first doctoral degree, Doctor of Engineering, was established in 1971.  Since that time, additional doctoral programs have been established:  Doctor of Education in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education (1993), Doctor of Audiology (2003), Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (2004), and Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering (2005).

In 1969, an extension center was opened in Orange, Texas.  Two years later, House Bill 590 became law, changing the institution’s status from college to university.  Lamar State College of Technology, with an enrollment of 10,874, officially became 17³Ô¹Ï on August 23, 1971.  In 1975, the long-standing, private two-year Port Arthur College became 17³Ô¹Ï at Port Arthur.  The 17³Ô¹Ï System, of which 17³Ô¹Ï – Beaumont was the flagship, was established in the 68^th Session of the Texas Legislature with the passage of SB 620, which took effect in August 1983.

In 1990, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recommended that all two-year programs at 17³Ô¹Ï be combined into the 17³Ô¹Ï Institute of Technology.  Programs in the former College of Technical Arts—along with Allied Health, Office Technology, and Restaurant/Institutional Food Management—moved to the new Institute.

Lamar’s commitment to quality higher education has been steady and progressive, anticipating the evolving needs of its students.  To facilitate this commitment, the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 2313 to merge the 17³Ô¹Ï System with The Texas State University System (TSUS) effective September 1, 1995.  On June 19, 1999, the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 1297 to rename 17³Ô¹Ï at Port Arthur, 17³Ô¹Ï at Orange, and the 17³Ô¹Ï Institute of Technology.  Today, these separate TSUS institutions are known as Lamar State College at Port Arthur, Lamar State College at Orange, and Lamar Institute of Technology.

As a comprehensive university granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, 17³Ô¹Ï continues to enhance its instructional, service, and research missions.  Lamar’s growth has produced an economic impact that exceeds $200 million annually and, even more influential, is the impact of more than 71,000 17³Ô¹Ï graduates.

3. Government and Organization

A board of nine regents, appointed by the Governor and approved by the State Senate for terms of six years, governs The Texas State University System.  A non-voting student regent is also appointed to the board for a one-year term. The Board of Regents delegates the direction of university affairs to the university presidents, campus administrative officers, and faculty.  Current members of the TSUS Board of Regents are listed on the TSUS website at .

17³Ô¹Ï is organized into six colleges.  The Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, and Fine Arts and Communication are each headed by a dean.  Within each college are academic departments and programs, with each department being headed by a department chair.  The College of Graduates Studies provides support services to enhance graduate education by recruiting, admitting, and enrolling qualified students and assuring degree requirements are met. The Wayne Reaud Honors College is attentive to the goals and aspirations of Lamar’s high ability students, engaging these students both within and outside the University to facilitate achievement of their goals. 

4. Mission Statement and Core Values

Mission Statement

17³Ô¹Ï engages and empowers students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in their personal lives and chosen fields of endeavor. As a doctoral granting institution, 17³Ô¹Ï is internationally recognized for its high quality academics, innovative curriculum, diverse student population, accessibility, and leading edge scholarly activities dedicated to transforming the communities of Southeast Texas and beyond.

How We Live Our Mission

17³Ô¹Ï engages and empowers students by providing access to a wide variety of educational resources. Students enjoy state-of-the-art advising and counseling services, first year experiences, study abroad opportunities, retention and completion programs, and service engagement. The leadership roles, research opportunities, work-related internships and part-time employment options available make practical experience a fundamental part of a 17³Ô¹Ï education. Our commitment to students involves providing them with broad practical skills (e.g., problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, oral and written communication) that allow 17³Ô¹Ï students and alumni to have an immediate impact in the workplace. Our decades-long reputation for work-readiness is consistently reinforced among the employers who hire 17³Ô¹Ï graduates.

17³Ô¹Ï students thrive in their personal lives and chosen fields because we empower them with the advanced educational capacity to make choices and become leaders within their respective fields of endeavor and in the communities within which they live. 17³Ô¹Ï has a legacy of successfully matriculating first generation, economically disadvantaged and non-traditional college students and providing the educational opportunities they need to launch successful careers. Further, our alumni association provides networking opportunities for graduates as they explore options within their professions and in public service.

17³Ô¹Ï is a doctoral granting institution committed to creating a scholarly environment in which doctoral candidates collaborate with faculty scholars who are constantly enhancing the intellectual advancement of their respective fields. Our doctoral programs include Education, Engineering (both Doctor in Engineering and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering), Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, and the Hearing Sciences, and our graduates contribute to their fields by advancing the leading edge of practice, science and discovery.

17³Ô¹Ï’s high quality academics include extensive degree offerings, both residential and online at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We t