News at Lamar University

King cake, live music and Louisiana classics filled Lamar University this week as the campus hosted its annual “LAMARdi Gras” celebration, a series of events leading up to Fat Tuesday.

Lamar University is now accepting applications for its Student Ambassador program.

The Lamar University College of Fine Arts and Communication will host a screening of “The Melody Maids Movie” on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, followed by a question-and-answer session with director Kai Jai Conner.

The Lamar University Department of Theatre and Dance will open its spring season with “Middletown,” with performances scheduled for Feb. 19–21 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

Lamar University’s fully online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program has been included on The Princeton Review’s list of Best Online Doctor of Education Programs.

Lamar University hosted a naming ceremony event on Thursday, Feb. 12 to honor Former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Dade Phelan, for his transformative contributions to the university during his tenure as a member of the Texas House. The Dade Phelan Building, formerly known as the Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, establishes the building as a landmark of significance on the Lamar University campus.

Lamar University has named William Hammers, a psychology senior, as its February first-generation Student of the Month.

Lamar University’s fully online MBA program has been recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best, underscoring the College of Business’s commitment to flexible, AACSB-accredited graduate education for working professionals.

The Lamar University Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the prestigious 2026 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, marking its 12th appearance at the event and celebrating the ensemble’s excellence with a free local preview concert ahead of the statewide performance.

The Lamar University Association of Rocketry has entered its first year in the International Rocket Engineering Competition, joining more than 100 student teams worldwide while gaining hands-on engineering experience as it prepares to design, build and launch a high-powered rocket this summer.

Lamar University has announced the students who earned recognition on the President’s List and Dean’s List for the Fall 2025 semester.

Lamar University strengthened its support for first-generation students by hosting an on-campus workshop led by FirstGen Forward’s Wendy Beesley, bringing faculty and staff together to develop targeted goals aimed at improving engagement, belonging and student success.

Lamar University President Dr. Jaime Taylor represented the university at a national higher education symposium in Washington, D.C., highlighting Lamar’s commitment to student access, success and community impact in Southeast Texas.

Lamar University has named its Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in honor of longtime faculty member Dr. Victor A. Zaloom, recognizing more than 40 years of leadership, mentorship and philanthropic impact.

As student loan debt continues to impact Texas graduates, Lamar University leaders say the university’s emphasis on scholarships, grants, and early, individualized financial advising has helped it rank first in the state for lowest average student debt among public four-year institutions.

Lamar University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present three spring productions—a scripted play, a student works series, and a dance concert—showcasing faculty-directed theatre, original student work, and a range of dance styles throughout the semester.

Lamar University students have 24/7, no-cost access to virtual mental health counseling, crisis support and wellness coaching through TimelyCare, expanding flexible care options for both on-campus and online students.

Lamar University physics professor Rafael de la Madrid has received the 2024–2025 David J. Beck Teaching Excellence Award in recognition of his innovative, active-learning teaching approach and exceptional mentorship of undergraduate researchers.

Lamar University has named senior history major Brittni Silva as its January First Generation Student of the Month, recognizing her perseverance, academic achievement and commitment to becoming an educator as a first-generation college student.

Lamar University strengthened its role in statewide higher education leadership when CIO Patrick Stewart was unanimously elected to the LEARN Executive Committee, giving the university a voice in shaping Texas’s advanced education and research network services.

Lamar University assistant biology professor Dr. Kole Kubicek, a comparative anatomist and fish biologist, studies the development and evolution of fishes while mentoring students in both field and laboratory research, exploring how skeletal structures emerge and vary across species.

Lamar University has received a $678,003 grant to launch FLOWS, a three-year program engaging Southeast Texas middle and high school students in hands-on flood education, rain garden projects, and community resilience initiatives.

Lamar University has launched the College of Nursing and Health Professions to consolidate existing health programs and expand academic offerings in response to regional and statewide healthcare workforce needs.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lamar University celebrated a major milestone with the graduation of its first Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering student, marking the successful launch of the program and underscoring the department’s plans for strategic growth, industry alignment, and future ABET accreditation.

Lamar University honored more than 2,500 graduates from across Texas, the nation, and the world during its fall commencement, highlighting resilience, adaptability, and a shared spirit of perseverance as students embark on their next chapter.

Lamar University faculty and staff helped support Southeast Texas families this holiday season by contributing nearly 200 toys and participating in this year’s ToyFeast, a community-wide initiative providing food, gifts, and financial assistance to those in need.

Lamar University awarded its top academic honor, the Presidential Scholarship, to three outstanding high school seniors this fall after a highly competitive selection process.

Lamar University has named Sherronice Wilkins, a family science major from Houston’s Trinity Gardens, its First-Generation Student of the Month.

Baytown native Harvest Fairchild navigated Lamar University with openness and focus, discovering a passion for speech-language pathology through research, advocacy, and interprofessional collaboration, and is now preparing for a career that combines clinical practice, research, and meaningful community impact.