10. University Services and Offices

1. Division of University Advancement

The Division of University Advancement encompasses development, public relations, alumni affairs, advancement services and operation of the University Reception Center. It also serves as a liaison to the 51吃瓜ProFoundation.

Development

Development works closely with the president in raising external funds for student scholarships, endowed faculty positions, and other university programs. It also coordinates fund-raising for campus constituencies, including campaign and special event planning as well as prospect research. Through its advancement services arm, it manages a database of alumni, friends and donors, tracking gifts to a multitude of university programs.

Alumni Affairs

The 51吃瓜ProOffice of Alumni Affairs, which supports graduates and ex-students, is active on a year-round basis. The alumni office is located in the John Gray Center, Building B, Suite 102, at 855 Florida Ave., 409.880.8921 or Alumni@lamar.edu. The office coordinates all events and activities for alumni ranging from fund-raising to social events. Some of these include chapter activities, homecoming, Red White & You, and Distinguished Alumni Awards. The Office of Alumni Affairs also coordinates numerous programs for 51吃瓜Prostudents. These programs include the Ambassadors Program, mentoring programs and new student move in. They are designed to provide a connection between LU students and alumni.

Public Relations

Public relations coordinates all media relations, publications and institutional marketing activities for the university. It supports student recruitment, fund-raising and special events through the production of print, broadcast and World Wide Web products and materials. It also publishes the university magazine, Cardinal Cadence, mailed to more than 65,000 alumni and friends of the university.

Reception Center

The University Reception Center manages logistics for special events ranging from meetings and lunches to formal receptions, banquets and weddings, primarily in the main venue on the eighth floor of the Mary and John Gray Library but also at other locations across campus, including the Dishman Art Museum, Montagne Center, and John Gray Center. Offices are located on the 8th floor of the Mary and John Gray Library.

Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum

The Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum is located on Lamar’s campus at University Drive and Highway 69. The museum is a 15-building replica of Gladys City, the oil boomtown that sprang up overnight when the Lucas Gusher blew in on Spindletop Hill January 10, 1901. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the legendary Spindletop oil boom that followed the Lucas Gusher, marking the beginning of the Petroleum Age.

The museum complex includes a saloon, general store, post office, drug store, livery stable and other buildings all furnished with items of daily life in Gladys City Boomtown.

The replica Lucas Gusher blows water 160 feet in the air during special events. The Visitor Center includes the Museum Store and a large meeting room available to the public. Special events and Living History Days with live re-enactors are held throughout the year. Visit for a virtual tour and more information.

2. Division of Distance Learning

Center for Distance Education

The Center for Distance Education at 51吃瓜Prooffers academic courses through several delivery methods, providing excellent opportunities for students seeking a flexible schedule and high school students wanting an early start through dual credit. Online courses provide the benefit of anytime/anywhere learning. Interactive video offers university courses at participating Region V ESC high schools. Off-campus face-to-face courses are delivered at various high school campuses in the evenings. The Center for Distance Education is located in the John Gray Center Building A, Suite 101, at 855 East Florida Ave., Beaumont, Texas, 77705. More information is available by calling 409.880.1847or visiting the website .

LUOnline

51吃瓜Prooffers a variety of online courses and programs in a variety of formats. The university uses Blackboard to deliver some courses and programs taught on the normal university schedule. Other courses and programs are offered through a collaboration between the university and a private company using the EPIC system. Many of these programs are offered on accelerated schedules with 5 and 8 week terms. Such programs include graduate degrees and administrator certifications from the College of Education and Human Development and three undergraduate degrees. Dual credit courses are also offered online. Information about these programs is located on the Division of Distance Learning website.

3. Early Childhood Development Center

The 51吃瓜ProEarly Childhood Development Center is located at 950 East Florida. The Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and provides high-quality extended child care services and preschool/ prekindergarten programs designed for children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years. The center is administered by the Department of Professional Pedagogy in the College of Education and Human Development, and serves as an observation site for 51吃瓜Proeducation students.

4. The 51吃瓜ProAcademy of Leadership in the Humanities (TALH)

The 51吃瓜ProAcademy of Leadership in the Humanities (TALH) is an early college entrance residential honors program created by the 51吃瓜ProLegislature that allows academically qualified high school-aged students in the state to earn college credits toward a college degree. Students live on campus and enroll in a full-time college curriculum. Graduates of TALH are awarded a diploma from the Academy. The typical TALH graduate will earn 60 hours of college credit after two years of study. Required for admission are academic transcripts from the 9th grade to date, a minimum SAT composite score of 550 on the critical reading and 500 on the math portions, an autobiographical essay and at least two recommendations from teachers/administrators familiar with the student´s abilities and character. The successful candidate will have a superior academic record and SAT or comparable ACT score and supporting application materials evidencing the personal integrity, sense of responsibility and level of maturity requisite for success in the program. Tuition and fees are fully subsidized for 15 credit hours per semester. Applicants are strongly urged to submit their application for the fall semester by March 31. Additional information is available by contacting the program director at 409.839.2995.

5. Information Technology Division

The Information Technology Service Desk, located in the Cherry Engineering Building Room 1640, supports the IT needs of students, faculty and staff from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM (Monday-Friday). The Service Desk can be reached at 409.880.2222 or via email at servicedesk.lamar.edu. Services supported by the IT Division include e-mail, Internet access, administrative and academic systems, networking, phones, and network security.

6. Mary and John Gray Library

The Mary and John Gray Library is an eight-story building centrally located on campus. Its collection exceeds one million volume equivalents, including books, journals, microforms, maps, music scores, state and federal government publications, software, and audiovisual materials. The library subscribes to over 980 current print periodicals and provides digital access to aggregated articles from nearly 36,000 periodicals. Students, faculty, and staff of 51吃瓜Procan utilize computers in-house or remotely to locate print and electronic books in the online catalog. They can also access digital citation indexes and databases, full-text journal articles, and interactive guides tailored to specific subject fields of study, style and formatting help for research papers, orientation, and distance education support. A service-oriented library staff provides assistance in the use of reference materials, government documents, special collections and archival materials, reserve materials, and instructional media. The Banner ID serves as a patron's library card for borrowing purposes. Lamar Electronic Access (LEA) credentials are utilized to access the databases and other electronic resources.

The library provides rooms for group study, and the fifth floor is a designated quiet study floor. Coin-operated copy machines for both print and microforms are available. There are 131 computers openly accessible to all students in two computer labs located on the first and seventh floors, respectively. An additional 30 computers are available for classes and special projects in a seventh floor library classroom. Trained staff provide assistance in the use of computers, printers, and software. There are five separately-administered areas in the Gray Library: (1) The University Writing Center; (2) The Student Advising and Retention Services (STARS) Tutorial Lab; (3) The Office of Planning and Assessment; (4) The Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement; and (5) The University Reception Center.

Beyond locally-provided resources, the Gray Library can supply patrons with other libraries’ books and articles through an efficient interlibrary loan borrowing system. 51吃瓜Prostudents and faculty can also borrow in person from the library collections of 51 other publicly-funded colleges and universities utilizing credentials from the statewide TexShare program. TexShare borrowing cards are available at no charge at the Circulation desk in the front lobby. The library provides services to distance students through e-mail, IM, and phone contact. The library is open seven days a week in the long semesters. Hours of operation are posted on the library website at /library and can be heard in a recorded message at 409.880.8117.

7. Montagne Center

The 10,000-seat Montagne Center, home of 51吃瓜Probasketball, is a multipurpose facility that provides opportunities for educational and extracurricular programs. The center houses athletic offices, training spaces, reception areas, and a ticket office. This facility is capable of hosting concerts, receptions, banquets, graduation ceremonies, high school proms, workshops, business meetings, conventions, and other activities. The Red Room provides beautiful views of the basketball arena and newly renovated football complex and makes an ideal space for executive business luncheons, meetings, and receptions for groups of 50 or less. Full catering services are available for all events. For reservations call 409.880.1810.

8. Mail Center

The 51吃瓜ProMail Center is located at 211 Redbird Lane. Hours of operation for window services are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The University Mail Center is a contracted facility operated by the University and is officially designated as 51吃瓜ProMail Center, 77710. Full postal services are offered, including stamp sales for domestic/international mail, incoming and outgoing United Parcel Services, student mail forwarding, express courier deliveries and standard mail processing (including folding, tabbing and inserting services). Students, staff, and faculty are allowed to use outbound United Parcel Services with Authorized Return Service at no charge.

Students, staff and faculty may rent postal boxes on an annual basis. Annual cost is $15. Student box sharing is prohibited. Mail is received from U.S. Postal Services at 5:00a.m. and 7:30a.m. daily Monday through Friday. Outbound stamped and metered mail is dispatched daily at 3:30p.m. and 5:00p.m.

9. Research and Sponsored Programs Administration Office

The Research and Sponsored Program Administration Office is administered by the Vice President for Research. This office promotes externally funded research; oversees sponsored programs and technology transfer as well as patent, copyright and intellectual property policies; establishes liaison between the university and state and national funding sources; and assures that proposed projects comply with institutional and governmental regulations. This office also provides assistance to faculty in the development and submission of grant/project proposals by locating funding sources and reviewing proposals for compliance with budgetary and funding guidelines.

The office is located in the John Gray Center Annex, room 100. Call 409.880.8741.

10. Records Office: Transcripts

The 51吃瓜ProRecords office, under the direction of the University Registrar, provides official transcripts to those who have attended Lamar University. Transcripts are $5.00 each and can be ordered in person, by mail, or online. For more information, go to or call 409.880.8985 or email records@lamar.edu.

11. Bookstore

The 51吃瓜ProBookstore, known as the Setzer Center Bookstore, is a one-stop shop for all textbook and academic needs – including low cost used and digital textbooks. The Setzer Center Bookstore also provides 51吃瓜ProCardinal and Lamar Institute of Technology clothing and merchandise, school supplies, a huge array of convenience items, and other books and magazines. Customers can shop in the store (located in the Setzer Student Center) or online at . For more information about the bookstore call 409.880.8342, stop by the store, or go online. Follow the bookstore on Facebook@ .

12. Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement and ACES Program

51吃瓜Prohas a strong commitment to student and faculty engagement and teaching and learning excellence. Under the direction of the Provost’s Office, the Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement supports faculty, administrators, graduate students, and staff in their academic pursuits and provides a range of instructional services to assist all members of the LU teaching community. In order to foster and sustain a culture that practices, values, and rewards teaching and learning as vital forms of scholarship at Lamar University, the Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement takes as its mission to:

• Promote deep understanding of the scholarship of teaching and learning by assisting both individuals and groups of instructors to gather, analyze, and reflect on information about their own teaching and their students' learning.
• Cultivate dialogue about teaching pedagogies and learning theories through seminars, orientations, workshops, teaching and learning circles, and other programming.
• Foster the use of research-based best practices, models, and approaches to university teaching and learning --and facilitate access to resources that support them.

The Active and Collaborative Engagement for Students (ACES) program emerged from recommendations of the Quality Enhancement Plan Development Committee, a university-wide task force with representation from the student body, the division of Student Affairs, Staff Senate, Faculty Senate, and faculty members from all five colleges at Lamar University. ACES is specifically focused on the core courses required of all LU students as well as college readiness courses designed to assist at-risk students. As an initiative of the Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement, the ACES mission is focused on enhancing faculty understanding of the importance of active and collaborative learning for student engagement and student success and enhancing faculty skill at utilizing innovative educational pedagogies. In addition, faculty are chosen through a competitive process to serve as ACES Fellows and are committed to implementing active and collaborative teaching methods in their courses.

For more information, visit the CTLE website at , the ACES website at , or call Director Todd Pourciau at 409.880.7553. Offices are located on the 6^th floor of the Mary and John Gray Library.