Just as comfortable teaching the mechanics of Wave Theory as he is spearheading college recruitment, Dr. Jaime Taylor, the 16th president of Lamar University, shared the college’s successful efforts as well as the vision of the Lamar leadership team at last week’s Rotary meeting.
Previously, Jaime served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Here, he led successful initiatives to increase first-year retention and graduation rates.
Before serving as Marshall University’s chief academic officer, he served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and was a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
With an associate of applied science degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from Nashville State Technical Institute, a bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics from Austin Peay State University, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Engineering Science from the University of Tennessee Space Institute, Jaime’s passion isn’t just based in the classroom.
With a track record of growing student enrollment, Jaime plans to continue this endeavor at Lamar. Lamar has seen an 11.6% increase in enrollment in the past five years. By hosting recruitment events such as the fall Cardinal Boo and the upcoming LAMARdigra, an on-campus open house, the college places prospective students in front of faculty, which Jaime notes is an important factor in recruiting students.
Additionally, Jaime has had significant success in improving student success metrics and wishes to increase student maturation at Lamar by retaining students. University students most often drop out during their freshman year (specifically their first semester), so the goal is to provide resources to combat common issues faced during a student’s first year – homesickness, poor studying habits, etc.
The university is also working to form community college partnerships. In addition to the established partnerships with Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College-Orange, and Lamar State College-Port Arthur, Jaime is working to develop relationships with Houston area community colleges.
Another boon for Lamar and focus for Jaime is the Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities, an enriched college program for gifted and talented high school students.
This dual-credit program allows high school juniors and seniors to attend college level classes and gain transferrable credits while completing their high school requirements. Students can participate in university clubs and organizations, play sports, and work on research while receiving free tuition. While students are encouraged to live on campus, a new change allows students who live within a 30-mile radius of Lamar University to have the option to live at home while attending Texas Academy.
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