Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) has a new face with over a quarter-century of educating young minds in Texas. Dr. Wendy Elmore has been an executive vice president and provost at the college for six weeks.
Dr. Elmore came to LSCO from Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. She is committed to putting students first and transforming lives.
The new provost is a product of two-year community colleges like LSCO. “That’s where my education began, so I do have a heart for these students. They clearly need a chance for education that is the game changer for them,” Elmore stated. “That right there is probably what inspired me to become an educator.”
Starting in public schools Elmore worked in that sector for twelve years before moving into higher education. She was at Trinity Valley Community College for fourteen years.
At Trinity Valley Dr. Elmore served in a variety of roles. Lamar State College Orange hired Elmore to become an administrator here in late March.
“The chance and the opportunity to actually impact students’ lives of all ages, those that are coming back returning to college, or those that are coming out of high school, or those that are still in high school, it’s just an opportunity to change lives of so many different types of individuals and to see their entire family’s lives change it’s just powerful,” Elmore replied. She admitted to being very blessed to be apart of that for over twenty-five years.
In the short time since joining the college in Orange Dr. Elmore appreciates learning from Dr. Thomas Johnson the president of Lamar State College Orange. “I’ve learned a lot in watching Dr. Johnson and his vision, hope meeting opportunity, we are really making opportunity for students even in spite of these conditions,” Elmore admitted. “It’s really energizing me, it’s exciting me, I look forward to a bright Orange future when things do start opening up.”
During her six weeks at Lamar State College Orange, Dr. Elmore has been transitioning to her new position through all the restrictions involved with the Coronavirus pandemic. She is disappointed that it has been difficult to meet all of her fellow education colleagues at LSCO. Elmore was glad to welcome back some of the students on May 11 who were returning to classes to finish labs for their Spring semester courses.
There has not been a lot of activity on campus because of the pandemic. The scheduled commencement ceremony for those graduating this semester had been postponed until August.
Dr. Johnson was anguishing over not being able to conduct a graduation ceremony with 76 percent of LSCO’s students being first generation college graduates. Dr. Elmore recommended doing the commencement virtually instead.
Lamar State College Orange will hold a virtual commencement ceremony on Facebook for those students graduating this Spring semester. The administrators at LSCO including Dr. Johnson will wear their regalia, have a few speeches, and the dean of student affairs will say the name of each graduating student.
On Friday, May 15, at 7:00 PM the ceremony will be shown on Facebook and will be available later on the LSCO website. The diplomas will be mailed to each graduate and they will be allowed to walk on stage during the next commencement ceremony scheduled for the Summer semester in August.
Dr. Elmore was Dr. Johnson’s guest on KOGT’s People in the Know on Wednesday. Dr. Johnson talks with KOGT’s Gary Stelly every two weeks on Wednesdays at 7:00 AM.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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