Lamar State College

LSC-O Welcomes New VPAA

Dr. J. Kirkland Dr. Joseph Kirkland assumed the position of vice president of academic affairs at Lamar State College-Orange in July. His first day was coincidently the same day that our staff advisory committee hosted an appreciation link lunch...talk about a warm welcome with all the fixings. Originally from Huntsville, Texas, we are happy to welcome him to the Golden Triangle.

Before joining LSC-O, Dr. Kirkland served as vice president of instruction at San Jacinto College Central from 2007-2009. He served as Vice President of instruction at San Jacinto College South from 2002 until the summer of 2007. He also served as dean of instruction at San Jacinto College South from 1999 to 2002.

Previously, he served as vice president of academic affairs at Darton College in Albany, Georgia, for seven years and dean of instruction at Frank Phillips College for three years. Dr. Kirkland started his community college teaching at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Texas, where he taught English for 10 years and directed the Del Rio off campus center for five years.

Kirkland at Student Appreciation Day Dr. Kirkland holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He later completed a Ph.D. in English from Texas Christian University, where he was a University Fellow. A veteran, Dr. Kirkland served for six years as an officer in the United States Army. In 1999, Dr. Kirkland was selected by Foreign Language Association of Georgia (FLAG) as Administrator of the year for his work on the five-college foreign language collaborative that enhanced and increased foreign language instruction in the five colleges. Using the latest in instructional technology the five colleges expanded the teaching of existing languages, Spanish and French, and expanded offerings to include German and Japanese.

“I am impressed with the friendliness and warmth of our faculty and staff, the commitment to our students and our community. I am enjoying working with each and every person at LSC-O as we all work to assure our students’ success,” he comments.

Within his first few of months on campus, Dr. Kirkland has already made a great influence on LSC-O, and vice versa. He is very involved with various areas of the college, and takes time to interact with everyone during student activities, including dual enrollment orientation and Student Appreciation Day.

Of the new vice president of academic affairs, Dr. Michael Shahan, LSC-O president says, “Dr. Kirkland is a great addition to our administrative team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that can help us strengthen our academic programs and expand our career training opportunities. I am enjoying working with him.”

Based on his previous positions and accomplishments, LSC-O looks forward to Kirkland’s expertise and leadership. For more information about LSC-O’s academic and technical programs, visit www.lsco.edu or call (409) 882-3364.


	LSC-O Welcomes New VPAA Dr. Joseph Kirkland assumed the position of vice president of academic affairs at Lamar State College-Orange in July. His first day was coincidently the same day that our staff advisory committee hosted an appreciation link lunch...talk about a warm welcome with all the fixings. Originally from Huntsville, Texas, we are happy to welcome him to the Golden Triangle. Before joining LSC-O, Dr. Kirkland served as vice president of instruction at San Jacinto College Central from 2007-2009. He served as Vice President of instruction at San Jacinto College South from 2002 until the summer of 2007. He also served as dean of instruction at San Jacinto College South from 1999 to 2002. Previously, he served as vice president of academic affairs at Darton College in Albany, Georgia, for seven years and dean of instruction at Frank Phillips College for three years. Dr. Kirkland started his community college teaching at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Texas, where he taught English for 10 years and directed the Del Rio off campus center for five years. Dr. Kirkland holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He later completed a Ph.D. in English from Texas Christian University, where he was a University Fellow. A veteran, Dr. Kirkland served for six years as an officer in the United States Army. In 1999, Dr. Kirkland was selected by Foreign Language Association of Georgia (FLAG) as Administrator of the year for his work on the five-college foreign language collaborative that enhanced and increased foreign language instruction in the five colleges. Using the latest in instructional technology the five colleges expanded the teaching of existing languages, Spanish and French, and expanded offerings to include German and Japanese. “I am impressed with the friendliness and warmth of our faculty and staff, the commitment to our students and our community. I am enjoying working with each and every person at LSC-O as we all work to assure our students’ success,” he comments. Within his first few of months on campus, Dr. Kirkland has already made a great influence on LSC-O, and vice versa. He is very involved with various areas of the college, and takes time to interact with everyone during student activities, including dual enrollment orientation and Student Appreciation Day. Of the new vice president of academic affairs, Dr. Michael Shahan, LSC-O president says, “Dr. Kirkland is a great addition to our administrative team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that can help us strengthen our academic programs and expand our career training opportunities. I am enjoying working with him.” Based on his previous positions and accomplishments, LSC-O looks forward to Kirkland’s expertise and leadership. For more information about LSC-O’s academic and technical programs, visit www.lsco.edu or call (409) 882-3364.