Tomball campus grows along with community
Since Lone Star College Tomball opened in 1988, growth has been a constant on the ever-changing campus.
The third oldest college in the system has also been a launching pad for two sister colleges — CyFair and University Park.
President Lee Ann Nutt said that enrollment waxes and wanes at Lone Star College Tomball when a new campus opens but numbers tend to climb up eventually.
“We see great growth on the horizon,” she said.
She explained that new housing developments have been springing up all around the campus and that existing businesses are growing and expanding, while new ones continue to open.
Widening of major roadways and the addition of the Texas 249 tollway, are also bringing more residents to the area.
To accommodate the increasing student population, the Lone Star College System passed a $485 million bond last year.
On the Tomball campus, the bond will allow for the construction of a 40,000-squarefoot student services building, a 20,000-square-foot build out in the health science building, a 3,000-square-foot central plan expansion, the renovation of existing facilities and the addition of 300 more parking spaces.
Lone Star College Tomball also has a number of new offerings — from pioneering programs benefiting adults with cognitive disabilities to a new satellite center in the Village of Creekside Park.
Nutt explained that the cam-
pus has a strong foundation in Tomball because of the community support.
“We’ve got a rich connection with our community, because they wanted this college,” she said. “They had to go to the Legislature to get special permission to start it. They fought for it, and they won.”
Campus history
In 1971, a group of dedicated residents recognized that opportunities for higher education were lacking in the area and decided to become a charter member of the new college district that was to be formed the following year.
Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, was born and raised in the area and recalls how local leaders were driven to open a college.
“That was on the hearts and minds of people in Tomball,” he said. “They had a vision of what would make Tomball stand out and what would bring residents here, and that was a community college.”
There was a problem, however, with Tomball joining the district.
School districts committing to support the college district with their tax funding had to be contiguous. When Klein ISD withdrew from the district bid, Tomball was eliminated.
The leaders of Tomball pursued the issue all the way to the state Legislature and what resulted was a bill that allowed the community to call a special election to become part of the college district.
The “Tomball Bill” passed in 1982, making Tomball the only independent school district in Texas to become a noncontiguous member of a junior college.
In 1985, the district purchased a 143-acre site and commissioned the architectural firm of McKittrick Richardson Wallace Architects to design a single comprehensive building for the college.
Hillegeist said that the two existing colleges in the district had been named the south campus and the east campus as originally planned. Tomball wanted the college to be named for the city instead.
“It is the community’s college,” he said. “Tomball has always seen a deep value in having this community college. It provides higher education close to home.” Creekside center
The newest satellite for the campus — Creekside Center — is slated to open in December, with classes starting in January 2016.
Creekside Center is located on a 15-acre site near the southwest corner of Kuykendahl Road and West New Harmony Trail. The 85,000-square-foot facility will offer workforce education and training, with the ability to accommodate 3,500 students.
“It’s unique in its design, because of the requirement of The Woodlands,” Nutt said. “It’s going to be a really neat campus for us.”
There are already seven similar centers in the Lone Star College System. Together the campuses offer the amenities of a full campus but offer an efficient way for students in the area to access classes and technical training.
When open, the campus will be poised to serve residents of the south side of The Woodlands, which is where much of the population growth is concentrated.
The campus will offer core academic classes in biology, physics, geology, math and English, as well as work force education and training.
Nutt said programs will range from petroleum data support and accounting with an oil and gas focus to international business and human resources. Technical training will focus on electrical technology and alternative energy systems.
She said the college will also reach out to provide courses for home schooled students and teens enrolled in early release high school programs. “We’re going to find our niche,” she said. Oil and gas
Nutt said that in the years ahead she is interested in pursuing new partnerships with universities and other institutions.
She is most excited about the development of Lone Star College-Oil and Gas Training Center, an 18-acre hands-on training facility located on Humble Road and Texas 249.
“It’s not brick and mortar,” Nutt said. “It’s a drilling rig.”
She is working with companies to create the ideal training ground. “The vision is to have an operational rig,” she said. “We want to provide students with real life, handson experiences in a safe environment.”
The training center will provide students access to upstream drilling equipment to simulate real-life experience to prepare them for a career in the oil and gas industry. Oil and gas companies will also have the opportunity to utilize the center for employee training.
Nutt was appointed president of Lone Star College Tomball in August 2014, which became effective in February.
She had served for three years as the campus’ vice president of instruction before assuming the role.
Nutt said being the president of Lone Star College Tomball has been a dream come true.
“As soon as I walked on this campus, I thought that this is meant to be,” she said. “I’ve been at home every day since. It was just a good fit.”