Lone Star College-CyFair president reports on the state of the college

Lone Star College-CyFair President Valerie Jones presented the annual "State of the College" address at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce's Oct. 18 general membership luncheon, noting how the college has grown in its nearly 20-year history. Jones rose to the position of president in June after previously serving as the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.

“LSC-CyFair serves this rapidly growing southwest region of the entire Lone Star College service area,” Jones said. “Next year, Lone Star College-CyFair will celebrate 20 years, as we remember where we started and look to the future to continue to support such a dynamic community. Our original duck mascot grew up to be a falcon, but our dedication to helping students reach their goals remains unchanged.”

The college's enrollment today is about 22,400 students in addition to 420 full-time and 813 part-time employees. According to Jones, LSC-CyFair hosts many Cy-Fair ISD graduates and students enrolled through dual-enrollment courses and the College Academy programs. All 12 CFISD high schools partake in dual-credit classes and the College Academy. Jones said about 5,800 students are taking dual-credit courses at LSC-CyFair, and 3,872 are in the College Academy program, which allows students to graduate with an associate's degree and their high school diploma.

“Our students have been the students from our community who become leaders in our community,” Jones said. “Thousands of students each year complete a degree or a certificate at LSC-CyFair, enabling them to pursue their dreams and countless fields.”

LSC-CyFair in May 2022 awarded 2,776 associate degrees, 21 certificates and 21 bachelor's degrees. Students have access to several bachelor's degree programs through the community college system, including Cybersecurity Bachelor of Applied Technology; Bachelor of Applied Science in Emergency Management; Energy, Manufacturing, & Trades Management Bachelor of Applied Science; and Nursing Bachelor of Science.

While many pursue associate degrees, LSC-CyFair works with prominent Texas universities to allow students to complete the required core courses locally before transferring to larger, and often more expensive, institutions.

“LSC-CyFair is by far the largest of the Lone Star Colleges, more than twice the size of all but one campus,” Jones said. “Almost three-quarters of our students are taking ... classes like English, speech, history, government, science, math and psychology preparing to transfer to a university in various fields, These students go on to be as successful, if not more successful than the students who started at those universities, and they have saved thousands of dollars along the way.”