Renu Khator
Chancellor's Report
UH System Board of Regents Meeting
December 2, 2021
University of Houston System
Texas Legislature Awards $389 Million to UH System, UHS Universities
The Texas Legislature allocated $339,485,554 in new funding for capital construction projects across the UH System and its four universities. The funds, designated as “Capital Construction Assistance Projects,” will be used for the construction and renovation of facilities. UH also received an additional $50 million for institutional enhancements.
$89 Million in Emergency Aid Provided to Students in the UH System
The four universities within the University of Houston System have distributed more than $89 million in emergency assistance to nearly 90,000 students impacted by the pandemic through state and federal grants as well as institutional emergency funds. The universities continue efforts to distribute another $73 million in available aid to students by May 2022.
University of Houston
Wolff Center Remains No. 1 in Nation
For the third year in a row, the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship within the C.T. Bauer College of Business has been named the No. 1 undergraduate entrepreneurship program in the United States by The Princeton Review. The Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship has ranked in the Top 10 since 2007.
UH Honored for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity
The University received the National Institutes of Health Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity. UH is one of 10 institutions nationwide to receive the prestigious prize for achieving sustained improvement in gender diversity.
New Sponsored Research Award
New sponsored research awards included an award of $2.8 million to Mario Ignacio Romero-Ortega, Cullen Endowed Professor of biomolecular engineering, by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to improve the control of robotic limbs and provide natural sensory feedback from robotic prosthetics to amputees.
Increased Access to Health Care for Houston
The College of Nursing opened its Nursing Health Clinic, a new nurse-managed facility in the Abraham Center of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, to meet the health needs of homeless people. Patients at the new College of Medicine Direct Primary Care Clinic located at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital receive comprehensive primary care services for a flat membership fee of $60 per month.
Whose House … Coogs House!
For the first time since 1973 both Cougar football and basketball teams are ranked at the same time. Men’s basketball is ranked No. 15 and football is No. 16. The women’s volleyball team also had success not seen in decades. No one on the roster was born the last time UH won 25 or more matches (1994, 26 wins) and its best winning percentage since 1994 as well (.781). The team finished the season 25-7 overall.
Generous Funding Supports Faculty, Student Success
During the last quarter, UH received more than $10 million in funding to establish UH faculty endowments and support student success. This included the Wayne Duddlesten Foundation gift of $5 million to create two endowed scholarships for students studying entrepreneurship and real estate at the C.T. Bauer College of Business.
University of Houston-Clear Lake
UHCL Accepted into the Aspen-AASCU Intensive: Transfer Student Success and Equity
UH-Clear Lake is one of 30 universities nationally accepted into the Aspen-AASCU Intensive: Transfer Student Success and Equity series. Participation in this initiative will improve efforts between UH-Clear Lake and San Jacinto College to expand overall student success and set more measurable goals for improved and more equitable transfer student success. The Aspen-AASCU process will build upon the work of Houston GPS, another initiative involving universities and colleges in the region that is working to provide a seamless pathway for students who transfer from one institution to another.
Neumann Library Updates Create Innovative Learning Spaces
The Alfred R. Neumann Library at UH-Clear Lake renovation project is near completion. Filled with innovations in technology, collaboration, instruction and research, additions to the library will include a new presentation space, an active learning classroom and an XR lab for flexible learning.
UHCL Hosts Joint Meeting of Physics Education Leaders
The biannual Joint Meeting of the Texas Section of the American Physical Society, Texas Association of the American Association of Physics Students and Society of Physics Students was hosted on the UHCL campus. This organization represents virtually all physicists and physics teachers in Texas and its border states. This was the first conference hosted at the STEM Building.
University of Houston-Downtown
UHD Receives Grants to Grow Lecture Series, Education Workforce Program
The ECMC Foundation granted $75,000 to the President’s Lecture Series on Justice, Equity and Inclusion. The series engages thought leaders in a dialogue on current events. Additionally, Houston Endowment committed $150,000 to support the development of a Master of Educational Leadership degree program. Students in the program are prepared to take on leadership roles, particularly as principals, in schools throughout Texas.
UHD’s Mariachi Los Caimanes Featured During Day of the Dead Celebrations
UHD’s acclaimed student mariachi band, Mariachi Los Caimanes, was front and center during performances and parades that elevated the group’s profile in Houston. The band partnered with area theater groups for a “Day of the Dead”-themed outdoor concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre and greeted thousands of Houstonians during the inaugural Día de los Muertos Parade, which was broadcast by local news outlets.
Sustainability Focus of 2nd Annual Houston Climate Week
UHD recently partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability to host the second annual Houston Climate Week. The event featured virtual panels, moderated by UHD professors, with leaders from business, science, public policy and other areas critical to sustainability and climate management within Houston and Texas.
University of Houston-Victoria
Donations to UHV on the Rise
During the 2021 fiscal year, UHV raised $2.9 million in donations, the second largest amount in the university’s history, including $2 million from the M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation to help fund the construction of a UHV Health & Wellness Center, the largest gift in university history. Donors, including 17 foundations and 225 UHV employees, supported 97 different scholarships, programs, funds and initiatives at UHV.
UHV Opens University South Academic Building
University South, a three-story, 58,464-square-foot building opened for face-to-face classes in August. The facility is home to science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs. The M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation provided nearly $2 million in funding for many state-of-the-art components of the facility. The building received an honorable mention award during the American Institute of Architects Corpus Christi Chapter’s 2019 Design Awards Program.
UHV Hosts Groundbreaking for Kay’s Cove
UHV leaders and the family of Kay Kerr Walker broke ground on the site that will be Kay’s Grove, a 29,000-square-foot memorial landscaped garden on campus. Walker was a longtime supporter of both the UH System and UHV. She served on the UH System Board of Regents from 1993 to 1999 as vice chair, secretary and member of the executive committee. The memorial garden was designed by Johnny Steele Design of Houston and funded almost entirely by donor contributions.