It is a great honor for me to serve as the interim chancellor of the University of Houston System and interim president of the University of Houston. I know you will join me in thanking Dr. Gogue for his extraordinary leadership, and in wishing him all the best. The momentum he established will carry us through what I believe will be a straightforward transition.

Uncertainty and anxiety sometimes accompany transitions. This should not be the case for us. I have no plans at this time for major changes during my tenure in this position. My highest priority is to continue to advance the core missions of the system and the university, while meeting the established goals of the System Strategic Principles and the University Master Plan. I will work closely with our faculty to solidify our commitment to academic and research excellence. I look forward to continue working with our staff to ensure their universities meet their professional expectations. And, I intend to work closely with our alumni and our community and business partners in the development of shared opportunities that will benefit our students and the communities we serve.

I am asking each of you – members of our administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners – to continue working with our system and university administrations as we move forward with our goals to fulfill the unique missions of each of our UH System universities.