NEWS BRIEFS
Higher Education Guide 2020
News from Lone Star College System
COMPILED BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN AND ANNA LOTZ
Cypress legislator helps bring newassociate degree to LSCS
Lone Star College Systemto expand safe zone program Lone Star College System o cials are pushing to make LGBTQ students feel welcome across campuses in 2020 following a Feb. 6 presentation to the board of trustees. The college will expand its existing safe zone program—a training program for students, sta and administrators to support LGBTQ students. David Gaer, LSC University Park speech department chair, said the safe zone program was established in 2019 to help LGBTQ students feel
NUMBER TOKNOW the LGBTQ community. 10%
of the LSCS student body identify as being part of
House Bill 3165, approved by the Texas Legislature in June, allowed Lone Star College System to establish an occupational and life skills associate degree program. State Rep. Tom Oliverson, R Cypress, who co-authored the bill, said LSCS is one of two colleges nationwide to o er the program. The associate degree program will be available to students enrolling this fall in LSCS’ life- PATH program, which serves as a four-year program for students
encouraged. He said around 10% of the LSCS student body identify as being part of the LGBTQ community. “We’re talking about at least 8,766 of our students who need our support to feel safe and comfortable on our campuses,” he said. Throughout 2019, Gaer said each campus had a certi ed trainer, and 91 sta members participated in training. He said he hopes to create an ally program and have 30-50 student advocates trained in 2020.
Earn More than Savings You Pick How Long to Save Get a Guaranteed Fixed Rate Your Money is Protected o er the program, Nutt said. “We’ve taken that rst big step; we’ve gotten approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board,” she said. “Hopefully going forward, this is going to change the game for the entire state.” program, and the state Legislature would need to give its approval for more community colleges to are limited to 15, allowing for small student-to-teacher ratios. “This gives these young folks a chance to function as indepen- dent adults, as working adults, to have fairly normal adult lives,” Oliverson said. Previously, lifePATH students completed certi cates but did not earn a degree, Nutt said. “Our new cohort that starts in the fall will be able to start on that path to get the associate degree,” Nutt said. “We may be able to go back and do something to help the students that are in the program now also get that degree, but I’m not sure how that’s going to work yet.” The law only allows LSCS cam- puses to o er the new associate
with cognitive disabilities and is o ered at the Tomball and Montgomery campuses, LSC Tomball President Lee Ann Nutt said.
O cials: Drilling Services Technology Center opening delayed to 2021 o Hwy. 249 in Tomball
“THIS GIVES THESE YOUNG FOLKS A CHANCE TO FUNCTION AS INDEPENDENT ADULTS, AS WORKING
The Lone Star College System’s Drilling Services Technology Center is anticipated to open in January 2021, a delay from the previous September 2020 timeline, said Linda Head, the senior associate vice chancellor of external and employer relations. The $12.6 million center was funded by a $485 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2014 and will be located north of Cypress on Humble Road in Tomball, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported. Plans for the center include a customized training rig, a modular training building and an equipment building, which will o er training in drilling, hydraulic manufacturing and other engineering technology, college
o cials said. “It’s not just for drillers; it’s for maintenance technicians, rig electri- cians, engineers, petroleum engineers ... and for other people that might work in the industry just to see what a working rig looks like,” Head said. Head said students at all campuses in LSCS could use the space for train- ing purposes, and she also foresees local school districts using the center.
ADULTS, TO HAVE FAIRLY NORMAL ADULT LIVES.” STATE REP. TOM OLIVERSON, R CYPRESS
“Colleges have
an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Arts in teaching. ... This legislation created a brand new type of asso- ciate degree,” Nutt said. “Nobody else in the state has it, and Lone Star [College] has it.” The lifePATH program launched in 2015 in Tomball and expanded to Montgomery in fall 2019, Nutt said. According to LSCS, class sizes
HUMBLE RD.
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