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Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) began construction on a 15,000 gross square foot Advanced Technology Center on Feb. 26. The state-of-the-art center, made possible through funding passed by the Texas legislature under local representative Dade Phelan, will aid in the addition of developing programs including mechatronics, electrical, civil engineering technician, mechanical engineering technician and plumbing.
“LIT is committed to giving students experiential, hands-on training,” said Dr. Valerie Worry, Technology Department head. “The building itself will be part of the students’ learning experience. We have incorporated items within the construction that instructors can use as part of their curriculum. In addition, we will be adding large lab spaces and classrooms that are critical to our continued growth.”
The completed center will provide innovative learning spaces to include lecture classrooms, technical labs, multipurposed industrial training spaces, and a high bay area lab that mimics industry environments.
“I am most excited about the lab spaces. We are currently in the process of purchasing lab equipment that will allow students to work on the same type equipment they will encounter in their respective fields,” said Worry. “Learning increases exponentially when students can practice what they have talked about in the classroom.”
“In identifying the new programs that will be housed in the new center, we went to our industry partners as well as looking at the job growth trends in different areas. Some of the new programs are a direct result of requests from industry and/or students,” Worry added. “Some of the programs are a result of looking at data and the trends for the next 10 years and responding to the projected worker shortages in those areas.”
The completion of the facility is currently scheduled for late-December 2024. The programs that will be housed in the Advanced Technology Center, pending SACSCOC approval, will tentatively begin Spring 2025.
For more information on LIT’s technology department, visit lit.edu/programs/technology.