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 LSCS Call For Nov. 4 Bond Referendum
Hopefully, you are aware that the Lone Star College System's Board of Trustees voted to call a bond referendum totaling $485 million. This is to address the tremendous growth that every college has experienced since the last bond passed in 2008. With over 82,000 students, LSCS has grown 68 percent since 2007, and saw an increase of more than 5,000 students from last fall to this fall. It is important for you to have accurate information about the bond prior to the election on Nov. 4. Some of the key facts are this:
- There will be no tax increase if the bond passes.
- At its last meeting, the Board approved a 7 percent decrease in the LSCS tax rate - the second largest decrease in its history.
- The bond projects would add 686,000 square feet of learning space - much of which will be directed to address the area's shortage of skilled workers.
- LSCS adds $3.1 billion in economic impact directly into the local economy each year.
- LSC-Montgomery would receive a 60,000-square-foot Student Services Center, as well as renovations to existing buildings, expansion of the Conroe Center, and parking/infrastructure projects. Additionally, the college would add a new satellite center (similar to the Conroe Center) in the Magnolia area.
Over the next month and a half, I will be out talking with dozens of community groups, civic clubs, chambers of commerce, and other groups to inform them of the bond details. I encourage you to get informed so that you can talk to those you know in the community who might not be aware of the bond referendum. To get more information, visit http://lonestar.edu/election.
It's also important for college employees to know what they can and can't do and say with regard to the bond.
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Chancellor's Open Forum -
Oct. 6
 Our new Chancellor, Dr. Steve Head, will visit LSC-Montgomery on Monday, October 6, for his first open forum of the year. Dr. Head will visit with faculty, staff and students from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (Bldg. D, Main Stage Theatre). All are welcome to attend the forum, which will include Systemwide updates from the Chancellor, followed by a question-answer session.
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Final Budget & Enrollment Updates
Late last month, our college budget was finalized, and, for the first time in our 19-year history, our total budget eclipsed $30 million. We have worked closely with all of our academic divisions to make sure that our projected enrollment matches the budget we are allotting for our fall, spring and summer section offerings. Likewise, our non-academic divisions are budgeted based on existing needs that have been identified through our annual unit effectiveness cycle. I'm pleased to report that our fall enrollment projection was spot on. While our headcount was four percent above last fall (13,254 students are taking classes at LSC-Montgomery this fall), our contact hour projection (0 percent) was extremely close - just under a half percent of growth. This is important because, in the past, when our contact hour growth didn't meet our projections, we gave money back to the System to account for the difference. I'd like to congratulate everyone who worked so hard to meet our enrollment projection - admissions, registration, financial aid, new student orientation, faculty and more! You deserve a huge thanks for your efforts!
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A Busy Start to the Semester
September is always a busy month on campus. The excitement of having our first-time-in-college students on campus is evident. Returning students add an extra boost of energy. Our Welcome Week and Best Start activities truly make a difference, as they help engage our students in campus life. Our semesterly hamburger/hot dog cookout also helps to solidify a strong sense of community on campus. Here are some photos from some of these activities.
 
 
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VPI Vacancy Announced
Last week, I announced that Dr. Ann Bolman, vice president of instruction, would transition to a position in academic affairs at the System Office effective October 1. Her three-plus years of leadership allowed us to make tremendous progress in several key areas, including student learning outcomes (SLOs), strengthening our accelerated reading and writing programs for developmental education, and crafting our overall academic plan. Our search process for Ann's replacement will begin at the start of the Spring 2015 semester, with the hope of bringing in a new vice president of instruction by late summer - in time for the start of the 2015-16 academic year. In the meantime, I've asked our academic deans and members of the executive council to help during this transition time.
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Friday Night Tailgating
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If you enjoy the sights and sounds of Texas' "Friday Night Lights" (i.e., high school football), then join in with our Outreach and College Relations departments to promote the college at several games throughout the fall season. We take the MaverickMobile (truck & trailer) and Camaro to various stadium parking lots, passing out Maverick giveaways to the fans attending the game. The first game was earlier this month at Montgomery High School. Here is the remaining schedule:
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- Fri., Oct. 10: Woodforest Stadium (College Park HS vs. The Woodlands HS); meet at 5:30 p.m. on the home side.
- Fri., Oct. 17: Woodforest Stadium (Oak Ridge HS vs. College Park HS); meet at 5:30 p.m. on the home side.
- Fri., Oct. 31: Berton Yates Stadium (Willis HS vs. Caney Creek HS); meet at 5:30 p.m. on the home side.
- Fri., Nov. 7: Woodforest Stadium (Conroe HS vs. College Park HS); meet at 5:30 p.m. on the visitor side.
- Fri., Nov. 7: Magnolia H.S. Stadium (Magnolia HS vs. Magnolia West HS); meet at 5:30 p.m. on the home side.
For more information about the tailgating, contact DeAlva Engelhardt at DeAlva.L.Engelhardt@LoneStar.edu or 936.273.7232. |
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BASS Dean Update
Last week and this week, we will have several candidates for the dean position in our Business and Social Sciences division. The candidates will spend a full day on campus, including an open forum session each afternoon that everyone is invited to attend. Stay tuned to email updates about each open forum. Our goal is to hire and have the new dean in place before the end of the fall semester.
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WAC Journal Celebrates 10th Anniversary Edition
 Congratulations Writing Across the Curriculum on producing your 10th edition of the Writing Across the Curriculum Journal. A special thanks to all the student writers and faculty who submitted student work, and the editors, Professors Martina Kusi-Mensah (English), Ron Heckelman (English), Julie Harless (Biology), and Mark Stelter (Criminal Justice) for putting it all together.
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Honors College
I'd like to congratulate David Kennedy, director of the Honors College at LSC-Montgomery, on a successful start for the first-ever Honors Fellows cohort. This is a group of 20 incredibly talented students who have earned a full, two-year scholarship, as well as book and travel stipends to attend regional and national honors conferences. They are part of a six-hour honors learning community during their first two semesters, and they also participate in several service learning opportunities. If you have the chance, visit David up in room G204, where our Honors College is headquartered.
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PTK recognition
 A well-deserved congratulations to everyone associated with our Psi Beta chapter of PTK. We were recently informed that our chapter earned the 2013-14 Chapter Excellence Award, which challenges chapters to engage in activities related to leadership, scholarship, community service and research. Advisor Karen Buckman has worked hard to ensure that our Maverick PTK chapter is just that - true Mavericks in providing opportunities for our talented students to shine in so many ways.
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Staff Spotlight:
Maria "Lupe" Flores-Fitz
Admissions Specialist
 Maria "Lupe" Flores-Fitz started at LSC-Montgomery five years ago in a part-time work-study program. She has since worked her way up to a full-time admissions specialist, where her main focus is working closely with a group of students from the time they enroll to the time they graduate.
"My goal is to establish a relationship with them and be the familiar face they can count on," said Flores-Fitz. "I feel truly honored to win this award. I work beside such great people that everyday make a difference in students' lives, and it makes my work worthwhile to be a part of that success."
When not working, Flores-Fitz enjoys spending most of her free time with her family and friends, and also enjoys volunteering in the community.
Faculty Spotlight:
David Quarles
Professor of Math
 From basic math to calculus, math professor David Quarles is quite comfortable calculating the equations that challenge others. His new challenge, however, has been the recent relaunch of LSC-Montgomery's engineering courses. Quarles has spearheaded the initiative, debuting Introduction to Engineering in 2013, Engineering Mechanics I: Statics this spring, and developing Programming for Engineers to be offered spring 2015.
"Working with students to develop their skills in preparation for engineering applications is very rewarding to me," said Quarles, who holds a master's degree in electrical engineering. "There's not a lot of leeway when covering math and engineering, but I try to keep students interested with the latest articles of technology or obscure bits of mathematics history." Quarles has been teaching at LSC-Montgomery for 10 years. His impact on students off campus, as reflected when he received the 2013 Teacher Inspiration Award from the University of Texas at Dallas Computer Science Department. "It's inspiring to work with students as they pursue their dreams," he said. "I enjoy the people I work with and the sense of autonomy I have to do my job. Having a level of trust from those in leadership motivates me to do my best in class to prepare my students." Quarles enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and furiously tries to keep up with their busy schedules. He is an avid swimmer and also enjoys tabletop, console and computer gaming, and keeping up with trends in technology.
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