If the local community endorses the Lone Star College System bond referendum on May 10, residents of northwest Houston would soon have access to a university center right in their own backyards.
The current Lone Star College-University Center located in The Woodlands recently celebrated its 10th year of service to the local community and education. LSC-University Center was developed as a partnership of universities and the community college system to provide unduplicated bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and continuing professional studies to the district service area.
LSC-University Center serves as a partner with Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M University, Texas Southern, University of Houston and UH Downtown to provide convenient access to higher education for residents of the greater Houston area.
“Since 1998, Lone Star College-University Center has helped make 52,413 dreams come true,” said Penny Westerfeld, LSC-University Center director.
“Most of our students are working full-time, raising a family, trying to make a better life. By providing convenient access to university degrees, we are creating a simpler, quicker path to achieving their educational goals and realizing their dreams,” Westerfeld said.
The potential for a new university center has also gained the support of local community leaders.
“There are five school districts around the FM 1960 community including Klein, Aldine, Cy-Fair, Tomball and Spring independent school districts,” said Glenn Wilkerson, senior pastor of Cypress Creek Christian Church and president of the Cypress Creek Cultural District.
“Of those five school districts, 49 percent of the students are designated as economically disadvantaged based on their qualification for the school free and reduced lunch program. Forty-four percent are at risk of dropping out,” said Wilkerson.
“If those kids are going to obtain a two and four-year degree, it has to be offered locally and be easily accessible. Otherwise the students absolutely cannot afford to get an education,” he said.
“We have a wonderful community resource through Lone Star College, and myself, along with superintendents of school districts in the FM 1960 area and chamber presidents have signed a letter imploring LSCS to include a university center on the bond referendum that can be easily accessed on the FM 149 corridor,” said Wilkerson.
“Northwest Houston and Harris County and specifically the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Renaissance 1960 and local leaders have been working to get an upper division university center in our community for almost two years,” said Barbara Thompson, president of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce.
“The result for students is that they can move seamlessly from the community college, which provides an exceptional lower division education, to the upper division university center to complete a bachelor’s, master’s or even doctoral program,” said Thompson.
“This is one of the best ways that we can uplift our community and the economic health of the region. And we are confident that the Lone Star College System will make this happen,” said Thompson.
The Board of Trustees for the Lone Star College System has called for a referendum on the proposed sale of up to $420 million in bonds for new instructional facilities, renovations to existing facilities, upgrades to the technology infrastructure, student safety and security measures, and new learning sites. A new university center is included in the referendum
College financial advisors have said the system can fund the bond proposal with no increase in the tax rate.
LSCS reported 49,267 students in credit classes last fall, an increase of 24,000 since passage of the system’s last bond measure in 2000. Spring semester enrollment is up six percent over the same period a year ago. If current enrollment trends hold true, the college system will reach 72,000 students in credit classes by 2015.
Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including CyFair, Kingwood, Montgomery, North Harris, and Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. With more than 49,200 students in credit classes last fall, LSCS is the third largest community college system in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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