2023 News

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Kelvin Elgar, a chemical engineering major at Lamar University, as student regent for the 2023-24 term. Mr. Elgar is one of eight student regents appointed to the governing boards of Texas’ public university systems and independent universities.

The Office of Undergraduate Research recognizes exceptional students with high performances on research projects. These top students provide insight as to what the Office of Undergraduate Research means to them.

Life after graduation for Lamar University’s Exercise Science & Fitness Management alum, Brandon Baumgardner ’21, has been filled with plot twists and exciting new adventures while currently working as the Houston Police Department’s (HPD) Patrol Division Officer. During the fourth week of training, Baumgardner was named Class Leader for the Houston Police Academy and received the Top Shot Award given to the cadet who earns the highest score in firearms training.

From a young age, Christine Osborne, recent graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and senior, Ryan Shugart, a triple major in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and mathematics, have been interested in robotic

Lamar University Television News Station Operations Manager Gordon Williams will receive a congressional commendation and be honored with special congressional recognition from the office of U.S. Representative and Texas native Brian Babin on June 16 from 4:00 to 6 p.m. in the Lamar University Theatre followed by a reception in the Studio Theatre.

Engineering student organization reels in donations at LU ASCE Redfish Classic Fishing Tournament

Lamar University Educational Leadership – Doctoral Studies student and Homer Drive Elementary PE teacher, Nicholas Monette, emphasizes innovative technology with hopes of becoming a professor and working in professional development. Monette envisioned a space for students to embrace mindfulness during their school day, and he brought his vision to life with the Every Moment Matters Zone Mindfulness Room.

Lamar University is proud to announce the recipients of the 2022 and 2023 Lamar University Professor and Lamar University Merit Award winners.

On Friday, April 28, LU College of Engineering hosted the annual Senior Design Symposium. Graduating seniors presented their final capstone projects, representing the culmination of a year of work, to industry judges.

Texas Academy at Lamar University Celebrates Twenty-One New Graduates The Texas Academy at Lamar University is a high achieving academic program for 11th and 12th grade high school-aged students who desire rigorous academics, innovative research and service leadership opportunities designed to enhance student learning and leadership in a variety of academic areas, including humanities, STEAM and liberal arts. Students take classes from Lamar University faculty with other Texas Academy and undergraduate students while simultaneously completing their remaining high school graduation requirements. The difference is, in the Texas Academy experience students are provided more support and guidance than traditional college students.

Kamryn Knafelz, a fourth-year senior music major, has been selected as the new drum major for The Showcase of Southeast Texas Marching Band following a month-long application, interview and audition process. After being the runner up for the drum major position last year, Dr. Eric Shannon, associate professor and director of athletic bands, said that he saw Knafelz working all season long to earn this position.

Every two years, when the House is in session, public universities are invited to showcase the undergraduate research, with a poster presentation at the Capitol in Austin. Undergraduate Research Day (UGRD) and is hosted at the Capitol in Austin by the Council of Public University Presidents & Chancellors (CPUPC).

On April 27, 2023 the Lamar University National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) held their 2023 Honors & Awards Program. During the ceremony two outstanding students were awarded the Edwin E. Vallery Scholarship for NPHC Members. 

Lamar University doctoral (D.E.) candidate in Industrial Engineering Pooyan Mobtahej, is making waves after securing a two-year post-doctorate position in the Neurology Department of the School of Medicine at the University of California-Irvine (UCI).

Two LU Collegiate 100 members selected as a Cohort for Collegiate 100 Leadership and Advocacy Academy presented by the Coca-Cola Company

Since the start of 2023, there has been a large void that can be felt through the halls and offices of the KVLU Public Radio station. Now, that void has been filled with the announcement of their new station manager.

Recent Nutrition, Hospitality & Human Services Dept. graduate, Emily Glover, looks forward to embarking on this next chapter in her journey to being a licensed dietician.

Buckeye Partners, L.P. (“Buckeye”) has funded $100,000 for the continuation and expansion of a research project led by Lamar University professors Dr. Mariam Hamidi and Dr. Jing Zhang that is focused on deep learning-based defect classification and prediction.

Senior film students from the Lamar University Department of Communication & Media will be showcasing and defending their final film project on April 28 at 5 p.m. in the Richard Price Auditorium in the John Gray Center on the campus of Lamar University.

The LU Department of Theatre & Dance is proud to announce the final production of the semester, "Dance Unleashed," the spring faculty dance concert, on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. and April 29 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Two College of Engineering faculty members, Dr. Qin Qian, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Lamar University and Dr. Helen Lou, Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, have been awarded the Texas Sea Grant in a total of $499,492 from the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP).

For the 43rd year, Lamar University has recognized outstanding student organizations and exceptional student achievements at the 2023 Toast to Leadership Award Ceremony.

Margo Eugenio is making strides in the education field before embarking on her career as an educator.

KVLU Public Radio will be presenting a seven-day fundraising campaign dubbed “Success in Seven” from April 17-24, with a break taking place on April 23. The goal of the campaign is for listeners to donate to the station in order to enhance the offerings provided by KVLU and to exemplify the importance of giving to the station.

The Lamar University Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music will present “Der Betrogene Kadi,” a comic opera in one act by Christoph Willibald Gluck, presented by the Lamar Opera Theatre on April 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Rothwell Recital Hall on the campus of Lamar University. Admission is free and open to the public.

It is no secret that Tiffany Tran made her mark on Lamar University throughout her educational career. Additionally, it is no surprise she continues to do so as she furthers her education at the University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston.

Three local educational institutions put their minds together to combat teacher shortages by creating a pathway to success for paraprofessionals across our region.

The LU Department of Theatre & Dance is pleased to announce the second production of the semester, "The Revolutionists"* written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Guest Artist Laura Moreno.

The LU Department of Theatre & Dance is pleased to announce the second production of the semester, "The Revolutionists"* written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Guest Artist Laura Moreno.

Process Safety and Reliability Group (“PSRG”) and Lamar University’s Center for Midstream Management and Science (“CMMS”) have executed an agreement under which Lamar University will host PSRG’s Process Safety, Risk and Process Plant Reliability training courses at facilities on the Lamar University campus in Beaumont, Texas.

The JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing students continue to strive and achieve at high levels. The December 2022 graduating cohort achieved a 98.04% pass rate (first attempt) on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Lamar University Television News and 12NewsNow have recently entered a collaborative partnership that will provide Lamar University students an opportunity to have their work and talent showcased to a wider audience in the Southeast Texas community.

What you need to know about Admitted Student Day 2023. We sat down with Associate Director of the Welcome Center, Karli Padia, to ask her what students should know and expect to see on April 15th.

It is no surprise that being a recipient of the Milken Educator Award is a life-changing experience for a teacher, especially if said recipient is the first educator in her school district to do so.

On March 1, Doctor of Audiology students from the Lamar University Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences traveled to the state capitol in Austin for Audiology Advocacy Day coordinated by the Texas Academy of Audiology. The group met and spoke with 20 state senators, representatives and Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan regarding hearing-care legislation reform.

The Lamar University Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music will present the fourth annual Jimmy Simmons Jazz Festival on April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.

The Texas Academy at Lamar University is a program for high achieving 11th and 12th grade high school students that would like to get a jumpstart on their college education.

You have a story of resilience, and we want to publish it! In recent years, Southeast Texas and the Lamar community have persevered through economic hardship, various unprecedented natural disasters, devastating industrial accidents, and a worldwide pandemic. These situations, in addition to the usual struggles of being human, have tested us physically, intellectually, and emotionally. In spite of these challenges, we have proven our resiliency, demonstrating our incredible strength and tenacity to recover and rebuild, showing the world just what we are made of.

Dr. Kathryn Washington, assistant professor of educational leadership leads the Texas Council of Women School Executives.

Dr. Mohamad Hamza, professor of clinical mental health counseling, recently presented on the “Rise of human devastation syndrome in Syria” for the Academy of Medical Psychology.

Andy Coughlan is a man of many trades. Aside from being the director of the Lamar University Press and a journalism instructor in the Department of Communication and Media, Coughlan spends his time in the world of fine art. With a love of theatre, he has written a number of plays and has had the opportunity to direct some over the course of his life. Coughlan doesn’t just write stories, but he also communicates them through a different medium: a canvas.

Lupus Warriors, volunteers and supporters will gather for the Walk to End Lupus NOW at Lamar University on Saturday, March 25 at 8 a.m. Their goal: is to bring awareness to the cruel and debilitating disease that attacks the body from the inside out. 

Recently, the Cardinal Ideas Pitch Competition gave teams of student and community entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop and present their business ideas to a panel of judges from the regional business and investment community.

Something’s cooking in the College of Education and Human Development. The college recently welcomed its newest top chef to the culinary program and his recipe for success may have the Lamar University campus, and Southeast Texas community, hungry for more.

As the mixture of orange and yellow light faded to black, the cast of “The Heidi Chronicles” took one final step onto the stage of the Lamar University Theatre and bowed to an audience on their feet who presented all of those involved with a heavily-deserved standing ovation. After weeks of auditioning, rehearsing and planning, the Lamar University Department of Theatre & Dance presented “The Heidi Chronicles,” for four consecutive days.

The Lamar University campus was abuzz just days ago as nearly 1500 guests piled in for spring Cardinal View –– record-breaking numbers for the open house event that shatters previous records of attendance.

The Lamar University Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences is home to two areas of study: speech-language pathology and audiology. The areas of study are not simply a lecture-based programs. Rather, there is a component that allows for hands-on learning, experience and opportunity to provide services to the community of Southeast Texas. That component is the two state-of-the-art clinics housed in the Speech and Hearing building on the campus of Lamar University.

If you’re looking for another reason to love Lamar University, we can give you five. U.S. News & World Report has ranked five Lamar University online programs among the best in the nation.

This Black History Month, senior business analytics major Christian Craddock shares what motivates him to be successful.