EDUCATIONGUIDE
2019
NEWS REPORT
BY KARAMCINTYRE
FUTURE COURSE PLANS Each LSCS center has a focus, Riley said. For example, LSC-Conroe Center has a welding, machining and automo- tive focus. However, Magnolia’s focus is still to be determined, she said. “We can go in and say, ‘We’re build- ing a welding lab,’ ... but maybe that’s not what the community needs,” Riley said. “We want to help with whatever the community and school district decide are the priorities for them.” LSC-Montgomery officials plan to host listening sessions in Magnolia to gather public opinion on what types of workforce programs community members want to see offered at the center, Riley said. One session may be held this fall with two more in spring 2020. Although course programming is not final, Riley said she looks forward to giving Magnolia residents closer access to higher education. “I think when it’s all said and done, it’s going to be something that the com- munity will be very proud of,” Riley said. “It’s all about providing access to what people need where it’s needed— close to home.”
Lone Star College tobuildMagnolia Center on FM 1486 asMontgomery satellite site
Riley said LSCS has maintained plans for a Magnolia Center since vot- ers in Magnolia ISD elected to join the LSCS taxing district in 1998. After that election, homeowners within MISD boundaries began contributing funds to the system through property taxes. LSCS centers are satellite campuses that serve as extensions of full cam- puses. Typically smaller than a full campus, centers provide classrooms and basic student services, according to LSCS information. The last center that opened in the Tomball and Mag- nolia areas was LSC-Creekside Center in January 2016. Systemwide enrollment growth has also contributed to the need for the cen- ter, Riley said. More than 89,000 stu- dents were enrolled at campuses in fall 2018, an 8 percent increase since 2013, LSCS data shows. More than 15,000 students enrolled at LSC-Montgomery in fall 2018—a number not projected for the campus until 2025, according to a report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinat- ing Board, which studied enrollment trends from fall 2013 to fall 2017.
Lone Star College-Magnolia Center, a satellite of LSC-Montgomery, will open in fall 2021 after more than four years of planning, officials said. Voters approved a $485 million bond referendum for the Lone Star College System in November 2014, which included $28.9 million for the LSC-Mag- nolia Center project. LSC-Montgomery President Rebecca Riley said officials had specific requirements for the new center’s location, which caused delays in choosing a site. “We must’ve looked at 20 different pieces of land trying to find the right place,” she said. ENROLLMENT SPRING Lone Star College-Magnolia Center will be a satellite of LSC-Montgomery as LSC-Creekside Center is an offshoot of LSC-Tomball. 14,541 STUDENTS enrolled at LSC-Montgomery in spring 2019.
LSCS officials announced purchas- ing land for the center in late January. The new center—located on 35 acres and spanning 65,000 square feet—will be located at 505 FM 1486. The site is just north of Magnolia West High School and near the expected loca- tion of a Hwy. 249 toll road extension, a Texas Department of Transportation project slated to finish in early 2021. Riley said traditional general edu- cation courses—including biology, English, math and government—will be offered to students who could then transfer to a four-year university or transfer to receive an associate degree. DEMAND FORHIGHER EDUCATION Plans for LSC-Magnolia Center were driven in part by Montgomery County’s rapid growth, Riley said. The county saw its population increase 10.5 percent from 2014-17, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
LSC-MONTGOMERY ADDS STUDENTS Actual enrollment outpaces enrollment projections for the campus.
TRACKING GROWTH
The number of Magnolia ISD students enrolled in the Lone Star College System grew by 8.9 percent from fall 2014 to fall 2018.
17,067
Actual enrollment
Projected enrollment
8,299 STUDENTS enrolled at LSC-Tomball in spring 2019. 947 STUDENTS enrolled at LSC-Creekside Center* in spring 2019.
2,150
2,097
0 11,000 12,000 13,000 14,000 15,000 16,000 17,000 18,000
2,089
15,496
15,266
2,100
2,050
13,738
12,192
2,000
1,940
1,934
+ 8.9%
1,950
13,423
13,088
0 1,900
11,154
1,926
*LSC-CreeksideCenterbeganenrollingstudentsasa satellitecampusofLSC-Tomball inspring2016. SOURCE:LONESTARCOLLEGESYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2010 2015 2018 2019 2020
2025 2030
SOURCES:LONESTARCOLLEGESYSTEM,TEXASHIGHEREDUCATIONCOORDINATINGBOARD/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
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The Woodlands edition • March 2019
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