LU receives more than $108,000 in annual support from ExxonMobil
Educational programs at Lamar University received support from ExxonMobil in 2015 totaling $108,500. The funding supports a variety of programs in engineering, science and business.
“ExxonMobil continues to be an outstanding corporate partner with Lamar University,” said Juan Zabala, Lamar University’s vice president for advancement. “Their generosity is vital to many programs that support education in science, technology, engineering, math and business. Countless Lamar University students can credit their interest and ultimate success in these fields to the generous support of ExxonMobil.”
Topping the list with $28,000 in funding is LU’s STAIRSTEP program which recruits, retains and transitions undergraduate students to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program is helping address the need identified in 2012 by the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors to produce a million more college graduate in these fields by 2022.
ExxonMobil is continuing its support this year of the College of Engineering’s Bridging the Process Control, Troubleshooting and Optimization Gaps between Academia and Industry project with an additional $25,000.
ExxonMobil has supported the College of Engineering’s student Ambassador Program for the past 15 years and support continues with a grant of $17,000. In addition to representing their college, ambassadors participate in a wide range of events and activities throughout the year that help introduce prospective students to the possibilities of a career in engineering. Among those events is the Lamar Introduction to Engineering (L.I.T.E.) Summer Program, which ExxonMobil supported with a $15,000 grant. The program introduces middle school students to various types of engineering and STEM concepts while providing them with hands-on learning experiences that enhance their interest early in their education so they feel confident in their decision to choose a suitable endorsement when transitioning into high school.
ExxonMobil supported the Lamar University Early Identification Program with a $10,000 grant. The program helps identify freshmen engineering students with the potential to intern at ExxonMobil Beaumont.
More broadly, ExxonMobil helps students throughout the region learn science through their support of Lamar University’s Teaching Environmental Science in the Three Rivers’ Watersheds program. Now in its 20th year, the program received a $7,500 grant from ExxonMobil. The field-based, graduate-level summer institute introduces the region’s early childhood-12 grade teachers to environmental issues, problems and solutions through first-hand experience and equips them to bring these experiences to their classrooms.
LU’s College of Business ExxonMobil Executive in Residence Program received $6,000 to continue to bring business leaders to the campus to interact with undergraduate and graduate students, as well as the college’s faculty.
