About Your Living Room
History of the LSC
The original student center on the SHSU campus was the Student Union Building or, SUB which was built, in part with student donations in 1950. In the early 1960s the SUB had been outgrown by student enrollment and converted to an academic facility (literally named Academic Building II or ABII) and is now the MLH Building. The Lowman Student Center (LSC, named for Dr Harmon L. Lowman seventh president (1942-1964) of Sam Houston State) was built in 1963 to serve an enrollment of over 5,500 students. The LSC was renovated in the 1980s to address a then growing student enrollment of over 10,000. This was the case in 2000 as well when the LSC was renovated again to serve an enrollment of 12,000 students. 12 years later as student enrollment was reaching 20,000 it was agreed campus-wide that the Living Room on Campus needed a facelift and more space. It was during this time that pre-programming of the building Expansion space began with meetings with students, faculty, and staff for the initial design. From this plan, presentations to the SGA and student groups requesting a referendum to increase the student center fee were held. The referendum had overwhelming student support and was passed by a student vote in October of that year. In January 2013 the pre-programming was approved and design concepts were developed over the course of the next couple of years through Summer of 2015 when the final design concepts were enhanced. In Fall 2015 our architect was selected, and in November 2015 the final program was approved by The Texas State University System's Board of Regents. Spring 2017 saw the finalization of the Expansion design and the beginning of the current facility Renovation planning. Our official LSC Expansion groundbreaking ceremony was proudly and excitedly celebrated June 28, 2017. We completed our Expansion project January 2019 and began the Renovation phase Summer of 2019 with the entire project completed and opened Fall of 2020 with a total facility space of 225,000 sq ft.
Since the start of the Expansion project the LSC has seen an increase in events of over 126% with FY22 being the busiest recorded at 8,700 events. Professional staffing has increased from 6 to 13 over the same period. Facility traffic is over 1,000,000 visitors annually.
The LSC is supported by state-of-the-art theatrical lighting and audio/video systems and hosts events in the following spaces:
- Orange Ballroom (10,000 sq. ft.) and White Ballroom (8,000 sq. ft.) suitable for banquets, dances, concerts, conferences, and other large event gatherings.
- LSC Theater space providing seating for 360 (plus 6 ADA) is ideal for lectures, video presentations, seminars, educational, and entertainment programs.
- Conference Rooms of varying sizes that can accommodate groups ranging from 12 to 200 people.
- Kat Klub (game room) offers bowling, billiards, table tennis, video games, a tavern, and several TV screens in a fun, friendly environment where students, faculty, staff, and guests can gather. Join us in the Kat Klub for relaxing, lounging, and gaming with friends!
The LSC also offers a Mother’s Room which features lockers for individual use, comfortable seating, hot and cold water, a baby changing station, cleaning supplies, dimmable lights, electrical outlets, a mini refrigerator for milk storage, and a secure, lockable door. See Information Center for access.
Vision of the LSC
As the Lowman Student Center continues to be a leader among student centers, we will provide excellence in constructing a vibrant experience by focusing on student development, community engagement, and departmental operations.
Mission of the LSC
The Lowman Student Center creates and inspires community building by providing a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment.
Core Values of the LSC
We are committed to striving for and providing excellence in all that we do, large or small, guided by these values:
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Student Focused: Advocate for all SHSU Students.
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Foster a sense of belonging and mutual respect by valuing and supporting unique attributes within our community
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Customer Service: Create an exemplary guest experience that exceeds needs and expectations.
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Integrity: Operate consistently at a high standard that defines us as industry leaders.
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Teamwork: Encourage innovation and collaboration to create a thriving environment.
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Development: Set trends that intentionally create opportunities for transformative growth.
Goals of the LSC
The LSC will:
- develop a strategic plan focusing on specified student learning outcomes;
- develop a proactive social media publishing presence;
- increase traffic in to the building.
Our goals are measured each year through self-assessment, quantitative data from programming and events, quantitative data from building tracking, quantitative and qualitative data from post-event and building use surveys, and qualitative data from the LSC Student Advisory Board. All of our assessment measures are aligned with SHSU's Strategic Plan.