HOUSTON – We all hope to leave a legacy behind once we retire. But it’s rare when that legacy walks – or rolls – through the hallways of a college campus.

Such is the case for Philip Lee, Lone Star College-University Park founding faculty and professor of business, who retires this month after 18 years with the Lone Star College System. Among Lee’s many achievements were the creation of two functioning robots, both of which will stay on campus after he leaves, representative of technology integration and innovation important to LSC-University Park.

“When I first took (the robot) down the hallway, people were so excited,” said Lee, recalling the robot’s debut in 2013. “’What is this?!’ they would say! I took the robot in my classroom and let every student control it and get a feel for it.”

The concept for a robot on campus was something Lee learned about at a distance learning conference years ago. He noticed robots “roaming around the convention center” and inquired about their purpose, function and technology. He presented it to LSC-University Park President Dr. Shah Ardalan and, through grant funding, was able to ‘bring it to life’ on campus. Soon after, another grant helped secure a second robot. 

“I know how much he really believed in this,” said Ardalan, who recently announced that LSC-University Park was officially naming the two robots “Philip” and “Lee” as a tribute to Lee. “It’s clear that those two robots and Lee’s contributions elevated our campus and helped shape the distinct culture of innovation we have today.”

Each robot has two iPads, one to control the robot and one used as the robot’s face. The face of the person controlling the robot appears as the robot’s face.

“People would see me in person, and say, ‘I’ve seen you before! You were on the robot,” said Lee.

The robots were brought to local college nights, different events on campus, a rural high school to help with teaching, and of course, to Lee’s classes. His students used the robot as a focus to learn the different systems taught in the curriculum.

“It’s all about integrated technology,” said Lee, who also teaches Computer Information Systems. “I have used it to create a program for teaching, letting students research and type their reports in Word, make presentations about it in PowerPoint, and create spreadsheet and queries in Excel or Access. I think it’s been very successful.

According to Lee, this sort of robot was originally intended to facilitate distance learning, well before the general population became familiar with Zoom meetings and remote learning. This type of robot allows a student who might be sick or in the hospital be able to participate in class, explained Lee.

LSC-University Park did just that one summer for a student who needed to miss class to receive chemotherapy treatments in a hospital.

“He was going to miss an entire week, and in the summer that can be a lot, so we used the robot,” said Lee. “I removed a chair from the desk in the classroom and rolled the robot up to the desk each day.”

By giving the student remote access to control the robot through his computer at the hospital, the student was a part of the daily lessons.

“He could see the teacher and interact as though he was there in person,” added Lee.

Lee has always taken extra interest in his students and their individual needs and goals. Each semester, he uses a pre- and post-semester survey to gauge their understanding of the course content, as well as perceived weaknesses they want to focus on and improve. He uses customized messages to communicate with each student his commitment to them in their efforts to be successful in his course and ultimately graduate. He is a strong proponent of LSC-University Park’s ambitious GradUP initiative to increase the college’s graduation rate by 300% over a three-year period.

Lee has been involved with dozens of campus organizations throughout his career. He was the LSC-University Park representative for the Texas Community College Teachers Association for five years. He has also served on the business curriculum team since 2011. Additionally, he has been a part of various hiring committees, grant committees, and the administrative services team.

“The administration would lean on me. They knew that I was going to do my best,” said Lee. “I’ll research it and do what is needed to make it happen.”

Lee is also a Project Management Professional (PMP), a certification he has maintained since 2005. Project Management is also one of the classes he taught. According to Lee, this class usually had younger students and also older students already in the workforce.

“I always gave to students what they can use both in their professional life and in their personal life,” said Lee. “In project management, you can make timeline and task lists, and yes that applies to your professional life. But have you ever planned a wedding? Or have you ever built a house? These same tools and tips can show you how to do those things and set a timeline for what you need to get done.”

One student shared how an exercise in Lee’s Project Management class led him to apply what he learned in his work environment.

“I really liked the tool I found, so I showed it to my manager and created a demo and presentation for the president and VP of the company,” explained Dylan Short, LSC-University Park student and CAD Operator/Designer at SHOPCO-USA, Inc. “They loved it and told me to get it fully functional for a dry run!”

“I always told my students that as long as you learn something new in every class, I am happy,” said Lee. “I have had older students and younger students, and I have really enjoyed being with them all.”

As for what is next, Lee looks forward to rest and some time to regroup.

“I’m taking a sabbatical right here at the beginning,” said Lee with a smile. “I’ve had people ask me if I am leaving due to Covid-19 or deciding based on that. And no, it’s not that. It’s just that you’re never guaranteed tomorrow.”

“We are all so grateful that Philip has been a member of this family,” said Ardalan. “He will always be a part of our campus. And his legacy of innovation and focus on students will live on at LSC-University Park.”