I. Agency: Lamar University
II. Brief description of services offered by Lamar University
Lamar University is a comprehensive senior public university dedicated to providing a learning environment of the highest quality. The university is an educational, scientific, engineering, business and cultural resource center committed to the threefold mission of teaching, research and service. Lamar offers more than 100 programs of study at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels, including four doctoral programs. In addition, Lamar provides distance education and public service programs to citizens of the region, state and beyond. Lamar offers a full complement of university services from residence halls to health care to campus police.
III. Lamar’s customer service philosophy, goals, objectives and standards
Lamar’s customers include prospective, current and former students; faculty and staff; and the citizens who are served by and who serve the university. Lamar’s commitment to customer service is formally expressed in the university’s mission, core values and plan documents in which it is stated or implied that a central goal of the university is to provide all services in a courteous, professional and efficient manner. As specific strategies directed toward achieving this goal, Lamar employees regularly receive customer service training. Through the Office of Human Resources, workshops and training sessions for faculty and staff on issues of customer service are offered on a continuous basis. The university has incentive and reward programs to recognize outstanding customer service and personnel policies to address customer complaints.
On a regular basis, faculty, staff and students are surveyed about how they are treated by the university and its employees. The State’s Survey of Organizational Excellence, the National Survey of Student Engagement and surveys from the Higher Education Research Institute (UCLA) are employed in this role as are internal surveys of student and employee satisfaction. Results from these various surveys are available in the Office of the Senior Associate Provost.
The university has a standard of zero-tolerance for rudeness, unprofessional behavior and discourteousness on the part of employees toward those the university serves. All allegations of inappropriate conduct on the part of university employees are investigated swiftly and professionally, and safeguards are afforded those who initiate complaints.
The standards for “wait time” depend on the service being provided, but by policy and practice, Lamar employees are encouraged (or required) to address complaints and grievances “promptly” and most complaints are resolved within five days of the allegation. For more serious allegations, the procedure for grievances (e.g., sexual harassment, discrimination, academic grievances) must be initiated within ten working days of alleged offense. Most university services (e.g., career center, health center, financial aid, and PC laboratories) are available on a “walk-in” basis or according to a published schedule (e.g., academic advisement and registration, athletic events, tutorial services) and personnel are available to direct grievances to the appropriate supervisor.
IV. The process within which Lamar’s customers receive information and file complaints
Those who are served by Lamar University have access to information via a variety of university publications and electronic media. Lamar’s policy statements are available throughout campus and on the internet at www.lamar.edu. Every student has access to a Student Handbook that fully details complaint and grievance policies and procedures. Every Staff member has access to Lamar’s Staff Handbook and every faculty member receives Lamar’s Faculty Handbook. These handbooks include expectations regarding employee behavior as well as policies and procedures for resolving complaints and grievances. All university administrators are instructed to receive and act on any complaint. In addition, the TSUS Fraud Reporting Hotline website, internal audit division, customer satisfaction surveys and “suggestion boxes” provide more anonymous opportunities for customers to provide information, complaints, praise and suggestions for improvement.
V. Names and contact information for Lamar’s customer relations representatives
Lamar’s principal customer relations representative:
Bo Stults, Associate Vice President
Office of Human Resources
P.O. Box 11127
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas 77710
(409) 880-8375
hr@lamar.edu
Other Lamar officials:
Dr. Jaime R. Taylor, President
P.O. Box 10001
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas 77710
(409) 880-8405
Dr. Dann Brown, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
P.O. Box 10002
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas 77710
(409) 880-8398
Mark Robinson, Chief Financial Officer
P.O. Box 10051
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas 77710