Rebekah Maxwell, the Director of the Scholarships Office at Lamar University, introduced Dr. Ken Evans, Lamar University President, to our Rotary Club.  Dr. Evans is a fellow Rotarian and is always welcome to speak about the achievements of students and faculty of the University.  Ken is the 15^th president of LU and assumed that role in July, 2013.  He came to update us on what is happening at Lamar and to give us some advance notice of what is to come.

 

Ken began by mentioning the “elephant in the living room” by saying that the loss of his wife is a loss for Lamar.  On behalf of Rotary we certainly agree with him and extend our sincere condolences to Ken and his family.  Her flair for the arts and beautification of the campus will be missed by everyone.

 

The challenges of the campus include overall reductions in high school graduation rates, funding reductions and the continuing effects of Hurricane Harvey.  Lamar lost over 800 students as a result of the storm.  Although these are certainly difficulties to overcome, Lamar is thriving.  LU is a premier provider of on-line studies.  Recruitment in Texas is aggressive and the industry in our area needs employees. 

 

Facilities improvement include the impressive Science and Technology Building.  Ken encourages all of us to tour the brand new space and enjoy the impressive public art both in and around the building.  The opportunities offered to students is exciting.  The program allows for students to work on teams populated by many of the departments on campus.  Current research projects include Aging in Space, Air and Water Quality, K-12 STEM education, and Analytics and Cyber Technology.  The building also houses a Maker Space.  This allows students to apply what they have learned and even take these ideas to the market place.

 

The Setzer Center is completely refurbished.  It now includes Chick-fil-A, Jason's Deli, Tiny Barbeque and Starbucks.  The Quad is welcoming and provides more examples of public art.

 

Another unique aspect of Lamar is that undergraduates are offered research opportunities.  Traditionally these projects are for graduate and post graduate students.  But Lamar recognizes that undergraduates need to have research skills to prepare them for real world challenges.  Critical thinking, project analysis, data analysis, reliability and validity testing and organizational skills are all vital in today’s workplace.

 

Lamar is also providing the transformational experiences of learning abroad.  Ken is actively promoting travel and education to students so they are able to immerse themselves in other cultures and systems.  The program began with 40 students and now has 176 students enrolled.

 

Lamar continues to offer programs to a diverse community of students.  The data supports that Lamar is truly a university of many ethnic and diverse groups.  The University began offering online education to residents of McAllen, Texas, especially designed for those living in a community with only one choice for higher education.  Lamar has given them another.

 

The athletic program is another example of Lamar’s broad range of attraction.  Football is gaining recognition as well as women’s basketball.  The other athletic programs offer students the opportunity to participate in many competitive activities.

 

Lamar continues to be a leader in on-line education.  The program is known throughout the country and has about 6,000 students enrolled.  Today’s tuition remains the lowest in the state.  Current enrollment is about 14,200 and has the potential to grow to 20,000 with the present infrastructure.

 

Ken closed with his invitation to visit Lamar.  The campus is in the best shape ever and the students are an example of how well this university is being managed.  The community support is also the best ever evidenced by the largest attendance of local community guests at the last scholarship event.

 

We were then given a surprise mini concert by members of the LU Marching Band.  They came in blowing their horns and beating their drums led by the Lamar Mascot and a very accomplished twirler.  This is perhaps the most exuberant closing of any Rotary Program Speaker.  Thank you, Ken!