HISTORY
Higher Education Guide 2020
NOTABLE EVENTS Over the last 20 years, Lone Star College-CyFair has made its mark on the community.
2000
Residents vote to join the North Harris Montgomery Community College District. Founding President Diane Troyer opens Cy-Fair College with nearly 7,000 students. The NHMCCD becomes the Lone Star College System, and Cy-Fair College is renamed Lone Star College-CyFair. O cials open the Center for Academic and Student A airs as well as a new Health Science Center. Voters approve a $485 million bond referendum, which includes funding for two new LSC-CyFair facilities. O cials open LSC-Cypress Center, a satellite campus with 15,000 square feet of workforce space.
2003
2008
2011
LSC CyFair hosted family-friendly Cy-Fest for 13 years, averaging 10,000 annual attendees. (Courtesy Lone Star College)
Lone Star College-CyFair
2013
BY DANICA SMITHWICK Local campus continues legacy of preparing students for the future
2014
T housands of students have graduated from Lone Star College-CyFair since its inception, but 20 years ago the campus was just being explored as a possibility, according to Claire Gun- nels, assistant library director for adult services. “The support of the business community was a key factor in how this college came to be,” Gunnels said. “Because of the rapid growth in the Cypress-Fairbanks area, the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce, led by Darcy Mingoia [at the time], decided to explore the bene ts of higher education to local residents.” Houston Community College and the North Harris Montgomery Community College District both presented their plans for a local campus to the chamber in March 2003, and o cials ultimately decided the college district was a better option, Gunnels said. The plan included meeting local workforce needs, including emergency services, health care, technology and manufacturing jobs. That August, local residents approved an initia- tive to join the college district, and Cy-Fair College— which was renamed LSC CyFair in 2008—opened on Barker Cypress Road. Gunnels was a member of the founding faculty in 2003, joining the team to help launch a
new president. 2016
Seelpa Keshvala is named LSC-CyFair’s
and Student Engagement. 2017
O cials open the Center for Academic
2019
LSC-CyFair prepares to o er a Bachelor of Applied Technology in cybersecurity program in the fall. O cials open the Westway Park Technology Center, a satellite campus o ering information technology and visual communications classes.
2020
Faculty opened the Westway Park Technology Center in 2019. (Danica Smithwick/Community Impact Newspaper)
fun, educational programming for adults,” she said. “We teach computer skills and run a robust English as a Second Language program.” Kinesiology Department Chair Ronnie Nespeca said he worked at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene when he learned about the new college and was ulti- mately hired as a founding faculty member in 2003. Some of his most memorable experiences were developing and coaching the men’s soccer program
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE CYFAIR COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
with our rapid growth rate, but one thing [that] has stayed consistent is our dedication to active, engaged learning and the success of our students.” English professor Laura Taggett, another one of the campus’s rst hires, said she moved from a small college in Iowa to join the faculty in 2003, excited to be part of opening a new college. From hosting theater productions and events such as Cy-Fest to hosting evacuees during Hurricane Harvey and opening a food pantry, she said she believes the campus has been committed to serving the community from the start. As the college grows over time, LSC CyFair con- tinues to provide services such as online education, dual-credit courses and workforce programs to meet the needs of local students, Taggett said. “My hopes for LSC CyFair is that our exciting, [innovative] faculty continue to create ways to meet our students where they are, with their ever-chang- ing needs in a world that in ways is growing and shrinking at the same time,” Taggett said.
from 2004-16, leading the team to multiple cham- pionships, he said. Over time he has also seen the campus grow from about 7,000 students to more than 20,000 and from ve
“ONE THING THAT HAS STAYED CONSISTENT IS OUR DEDICATION TO ACTIVE, ENGAGED LEARNING AND THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS. “ RONNIE NESPECA, KINESIOLOGY DEPARTMENT CHAIR
library that would serve both the college and the public—a concept created by founding LSC CyFair President Diane Troyer and Harris County Com- missioner Steve Radack, she said. “Not only are librar- ians faculty who teach students research
to eight buildings along with two satellite centers. “We have had to add new buildings, build more parking and of course add more employees,” he said. “We have had many challenges to overcome
techniques, but also public librarians do storytimes for children, have craft programs for teens and do
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CY FAIR EDITION • MARCH 2020
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