LAMAR UNIVERSITY

public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Beaumont, Texas, U.S. It is the main campus of the larger Lamar University system, which also includes extension campuses in Orange and Port Arthur, both two-year colleges. The main campus comprises colleges of business, education and human development, engineering, fine arts and communication, graduate studies, and arts and sciences. The university offers a range of undergraduate and master's degree programs and doctoral degrees in engineering and deaf education. Beaumont campus facilities include the John Gray Institute, the Texas Energy Museum, and the Center for Coastal and Marine Studies. Total enrollment at the Beaumont campus is approximately 11,000. The university opened in 1923 as South Park Junior College. The name was changed to Lamar College in 1932. It was made a four-year college in 1949 and the name was changed to Lamar State College of Technology. The graduate school was established in 1962, and in 1971 the college was elevated to university status. The Orange campus was founded in 1969; Port Arthur College became Lamar's Port Arthur branch in 1975.