HOUSTON (Aug. 26, 2011) – The Lone Star College System Board of Trustees recently approved naming Lone Star College-University Park as the system’s sixth college campus.
This vote by the board allowed LSCS to pursue approvals from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, to change LSC-University Park’s designation from a teaching center to a branch campus.
The approval request submitted to SACSCOC is in conjunction with the college system’s reaffirmation of SACSCOC accreditation process this year, a process which occurs every 10 years. SACSCOC officials have agreed on the designation of LSC-University Park as a branch campus effective Jan. 1 and will conduct site visits in the spring. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has also approved the move to a branch campus as of Jan. 1.
“Lone Star College has always intended for University Park to become an additional college in our system,” said Dr. Richard Carpenter, LSCS chancellor. “The naming of this sixth campus reaffirms our commitment to the community and the vision of our board of trustees.”
LSC-University Park houses Lone Star College’s second university center – the LSC-University Center at University Park – along with a number of system-wide service departments including LSC-Online, Financial Aid, Information Technology, the Veterans Affairs Center, Lone Star Corporate College and the Lone Star College Conference Center. The campus overall includes about 1.2 million square feet of building space on 71 acres.
Shah Ardalan, LSCS vice chancellor and chief information officer, was also named as the CEO of LSC-University Park.
“Lone Star College is in a unique position to further expand the educational and service opportunities to the community we serve,” said Ardalan. “At University Park, we are prepared to break out of conventional patterns and spur a wave of innovation in serving our students and the community.”
This past spring, about 4,000 students attended LSC-University Park for undergraduate courses and another 2,000 students were enrolled with the university partners on site at the LSC-University Center at University Park. Those four-year schools include University of Houston, UH-Downtown, Sam Houston State University and Texas Southern University, all offering an easy way for LSCS students to transfer and continue their education to the bachelor’s and master’s degree level at the same facility.
The official designation for LSC-University Park as the sixth campus will become effective on Jan. 1. For more information, go to LoneStar.edu/universitypark
With more than 69,000 students in credit classes for spring 2011, and a total enrollment of more than 85,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of five colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers, LSC-University Park, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu. ####