On Aug. 3 Dr. Susan Karr will officially take over as the new president of Lone Star College-Tomball. She will be taking over for Dr. Ray Hawkins, who announced his retirement from LSC-Tomball earlier this year.

Being named president of the college fulfills the goal Karr set out to achieve when she began her undergrad work at the University of Maryland, where she received a B.A. in psychology.

“I’ve been aspiring to be a college president for a long time,” she said.

She earned her Masters of Education from Boston University.

Karr’s ascension to the rank of college president is an unlikely one. Neither of her parents had a high school education. She was raised in a military family, which often sent her family packing to new homes across the country.

But Karr set her sights on a career in education early on and was accepted into the University of Texas at Austin Doctoral Program of Community College Leadership.

She spent 16 years as Vice President of Instruction at Ouachita Technical College in Melvern Ark. The school, Karr explained was similar to LSC-Tomball in that it is a comprehensive community college. The biggest difference, she said, is the size and available resources at LSC-Tomball.

When the Lone Star College System announced openings for the position of president at three colleges, including Tomball, Karr only chose to apply to Tomball.

Having visited Texas often throughout her life, Karr said she’d had “a desire to come back to Texas.” In addition, Karr sought a strong community atmosphere and decided Tomball would be the only opening she would apply for.

As part of the interview process, Karr attended two forums, one by the faculty and another by community members. Throughout the process, and since the announcement of her hiring, Karr said she has gotten to know the Tomball community and its leaders and has quickly “felt very at home.”

In the first few months of her presidency, Karr said she will work to get to know her staff and the issues concerning LSC-Tomball. She said she wants to “focus on the students” and work along with the Achieving the Dream program to “reduce any education gaps” that students potentially face.

“The retention of students is always a top priority,” she said.

Karr also pointed to the role of the Lone Star College System as a significant difference between her new school and her former college.

“They (the College System) have an incredible willingness to help out,” she said. “And there are a lot more resources available.”

Karr is coming to Tomball at an important time in the school’s development. Last year voters approved funding in part for three new facilities for the LSC-Tomball system, including a new health science center, a new performing arts center and new vet tech center.

The Lone Star College System also recently purchased the former HP Campus on SH 249 to serve as the newest University Center, in which Karr said she will have a “very active involvement.”

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