August 2022 News

On Thursday, Aug. 24, President Biden, Vice President Harris and the U.S. Department of Education announced a three-part plan for Student Loan Debt Relief. Dr. Riginal Brazzle, director of the Office of Financial Aid, Scholarships and Veteran's Affairs sat recently sat down with 12NewsNow to weigh in on how and why President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan will heavily impact Black students and graduates.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Communication Building on campus, the LU Department of Communication and Media will celebrate “Democracy Day.” 

Through a planned gift, Dr. John Schnick, a legacy alum, will create multi-million-dollar endowments to support Lamar University students.

Lamar University President Jaime Taylor has announced that Mark Robinson, an experienced higher education leader and financial officer, has been named the university’s new chief financial officer. Robinson was selected for the position following a national search led by the university and will begin his new role in late September.

English professor and poet Katherine Hoerth recently published her fourth poetry collection, "Flare Stacks in Bloom," an eco-feminist collection of poetry that explores the causes and effects of Hurricane Harvey — the personal, the communal and the universal.

Getting a quality education doesn’t mean you have to break the bank.

Rosendo Varela was slated to graduate with his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in August before he tragically passed away.

Brianne Ivy recent graduated with her bachelor’s degree in social work and was awarded the Otho Plummer Award, an award given at commencement to the male and female in that graduating class with the highest GPA.

After 40 years of service in the Lamar University Mail Center, beloved mail carrier Cynthia Perkins will postmark her last letter and retire on Aug. 31.

On Aug. 11-12, eight LU male students along with three LU sponsors –– Victor Davila and Drs. Freddie Titus and Hector Flores –– traveled to Austin to attend the 9th annual Texas Male Student Leadership Summit.

Jennifer Hamilton '04, '21 chronicles her journey at LU and her laser-focused mission to earn her masters degree.

Lamar University is offering a unique class experience of role-playing the French Revolution this semester (HIST 4346), taught by chair of history and chair of university studies professor Dr. Rebecca Boone.

In this Q&A, Christian Guillory, SGA president, and Luiz Ramirez, SGA vice president, share what SGA learned over the past year, major projects for the academic year and more.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi recently announced the recipients of its 2022 Fellowships. Fellowships totaling $649,000 were awarded to 62 of the nation’s top scholars at institutes with an active chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. Among those 62 awardees was LU alum Tiffany Tran ’22.

Looking for a good book to wrap up the summer? Two Lamar University professors –– Dr. Rebecca Weinbaum and Dr. Adrienne Starnes –– dish on their favorite reads of the summer.

In early July, the CoEHD received news from the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) that the undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies program in the CoEHD met standards for accreditation. This news comes on the heels of the college being awarded a certificate of commendation for exemplary performance in early May from the State Board for Educator Certification of the Texas Education Agency. The college also was accepted into Cohort V of the University-School Partnerships for the Renewal of Educator Preparation teacher preparation program transformative.

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program has been renewed and will receive a grant in the amount of $259,198 each year for the next five years, totaling more than $1 million.

The Student Health Center is an on-campus healthcare service that provides healthcare and preventative healthcare for all currently enrolled students at Lamar University and Lamar Institute of Technology. In this Q & A, Shawn Gray, director of the LU Student Health Center, talks about the importance of the SHC for the campus community as Cardinals gear up for the start of the fall semester. 

Hosted by Lamar University President Dr. Jaime Taylor, Faculty and Staff Convocation also provides an opportunity for LU employees to gather and reconnect before the start to the semester. In his annual convocation address, Taylor spoke about his excitement in starting the new academic year and delivered university updates including a one-time meritorious payment for eligible employees to be distributed later this year.

Dr. Evgeny Romashets, instructor of physics, has been awarded a $219,902 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions program to study current streamlines and charged particles’ trajectories in the ionosphere, the upper atmosphere stretching from 50 to 400 miles above Earth's surface.

On Thursday, Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m., the Lamar University Black Alumni Network is set to host “Entrepreneurship 101,” a virtual workshop that aims to educate Black LU alumni on how to start and manage a successful business.

Earlier this month, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, announced more than $11 million in grant funding for projects promoting a Healthy and Resilient Gulf of Mexico watershed, with $448,625 to Lamar University.

Lamar University, along with Lamar State College-Port Arthur and Lamar Institute of Technology were ranked among the Most Affordable Colleges in Texas, according to careerkarma.com.

Annabelle Broussard is a senior in chemical engineering and an intern at ExxonMobil as a blending and packaging intern. In this Q&A, the Beaumont native talks about her experience as a legacy LU student and her passion towards a better tomorrow. 

Tammy Lilly is the newly named director for the Lamar University Accessibility Resource Center, formerly referred to as the Disability Resource Center. We recently caught up with the new director to learn more about what services the department offers and how the ARC team works to serves the campus community.

The faculty and staff in the Department of Art & Design will present their work in an exhibition at the Dishman Art Museum Aug. 13 through Sept. 10. The public is invited to attend an opening reception for the exhibition on Friday, Aug. 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The year was 1976 when an excited Dr. Freddie Titus stepped onto the Lamar University campus for the first time. Now, as he enters his 40th year at Lamar University, he reflects back on his journey at LU and how he plans to give back to the university everything that was given to him.

The College of Engineering is proud to announce the appointment of five new chairs for civil and environmental, electrical, mechanical, chemical and biomolecular, and industrial and systems engineering departments.

For 22 years, Bellard has carried the torch for student success and remained laser-focused on being a team player. Now, upon his retirement as interim vice president for the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations, Bellard reflects back on his more than two decades at LU and his most memorable moments.

A worldly Lamar University student, inspired by the places he’s visited and the need for affordable mental healthcare, obtains his Master of Education in Counseling & Development and looks to the future after graduation on Saturday.

Summer '22 graduate Landon Richard discusses his passion for connecting with others and his experience at Lamar University before he walks the stage at commencement on Saturday.

After a 10-year hiatus, going back to earn her Master of Business Administration degree wasn’t an easy decision for Erika Thomas, but she focused on her future vision for her career. What she didn’t see coming, however, was that she would be graduating alongside her son Quincy Walter.

Corporate communications major Tiana Johnson discusses her journey at LU and how she found her voice to share the stories only she can tell as she prepares for graduation on Saturday.

The Lamar University cheer and dance teams showed up to the National Cheer Association and National Dance Alliance’s Collegiate Camps at Southern Methodist University ready to take flight. Both teams earned a bid to nationals –– the first step towards a championship.

Maryclaire Strassburger, a summer '22 graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration, talks about her love of the hospitality industry and her experience at LU.

After wrapping up his first semester as the new department chair, Dr.Tony DeMars shares his future vision for the Department of Communication and Media and his plans to help LU students build a strong foundation for a career in media.

A Cardinal from the Netherlands is flying across the ocean to walk the stage at the Lamar University Summer 2022 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, completing her journey in obtaining an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.

In his nearly three-decade career as an educator, Dr. Dann Brown has built an extensive record of leadership, achievement and service as a professor, academic researcher and administrator. In this interview, Brown shares his history in education, his excitement in the new role and future vision for Lamar University.

The Lamar University College of Engineering recently hosted its Project Engineer camp for high schoolers to inspire their interest in robotics.

Graduating with a college degree is nothing short of inspiring. Hear from Lamar University faculty and staff on their favorite inspirational quotes in time for summer 2022 commencement.

This soon-to-be graduate talks about his arduous journey to Lamar University, his experience obtaining his Master of Science in Applied Psychology and what’s next for him after he walks the stage on Saturday.

The International Association of Defense Counsel has elected new Board of Directors and members for 2022-2023. The new appointments were announced at the association’s 2022 annual meeting in mid-July in Berlin, Germany. Among eight newly appointed board members is LU alumna Michele Smith ’88, who was named president-elect for the board.

Inspire, lead and achieve. That is the motto for Pure International Pageants. It’s also the three actions that helped LU alum Tricia Hidalgo in being crowned the new Ms. USA for 2022.