PUTTING ON OUR DANCING SHOES
Dear Cougars and Friends,
This year has been full of challenges for everyone, but even during these trying times, Cougars did not shy away from making history. Let’s start with Men’s Basketball. Final Four! Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars gave us a reason to smile, cheer, stand tall and be inspired. In this issue of the magazine, we are proud to chronicle their success as American Athletic Conference champions, Midwest Regional champions and semi-finalists in the Final Four.
It is often said that athletics is the window to the university. As millions of people peeked through our window this season, they also saw the path of excellence that the University of Houston has taken over the last decade: record-breaking enrollment, a sharp rise in graduation rates, amazing diversity, leading-edge research, the establishment of the College of Medicine, a deep commitment to public service, an admirable collection of public art, mutual affection of and by our alumni, continued encouragement from the city, and finally the unprecedented support from donors.
But, that’s not all. The onlookers also had the opportunity to examine our bold, new strategic plan outlining the goal of becoming a Top 50 public university in the nation during the next decade.
In this issue of the magazine, I invite you to familiarize yourself with some of the many ongoing programs and initiatives at the University, including a fascinating exploration into the mysteries of the cosmos our physicists are undertaking; a roundup of popular Houston restaurateurs who learned their chops at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management; the progress our newly launched College of Medicine is making in confronting community health disparities; excerpts from a stirring speech track coach and onetime Olympics champ Carl Lewis gave our recent graduates; a provocative analysis of what the post-pandemic “New Normal” may be like at UH and other universities; the poetry of this semester’s Provost Prize winner for student creative writing; and, of course, a chronicle of the basketball team’s historic season and “March Madness” accomplishments.
Getting back to the “Big Dance” and reaching the Final Four this year, all I want to add is, “Wait till next year!” We’re not taking anything for granted ... but I wouldn’t put those dancing shoes too far back in your closet.
With warm regards,
RENU KHATOR
PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
PUTTING ON OUR DANCING SHOES
Dear Cougars and Friends,
This year has been full of challenges for everyone, but even during these trying times, Cougars did not shy away from making history. Let’s start with Men’s Basketball. Final Four! Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars gave us a reason to smile, cheer, stand tall and be inspired. In this issue of the magazine, we are proud to chronicle their success as American Athletic Conference champions, Midwest Regional champions and semi-finalists in the Final Four.
It is often said that athletics is the window to the university. As millions of people peeked through our window this season, they also saw the path of excellence that the University of Houston has taken over the last decade: record-breaking enrollment, a sharp rise in graduation rates, amazing diversity, leading-edge research, the establishment of the College of Medicine, a deep commitment to public service, an admirable collection of public art, mutual affection of and by our alumni, continued encouragement from the city, and finally the unprecedented support from donors.
But, that’s not all. The onlookers also had the opportunity to examine our bold, new strategic plan outlining the goal of becoming a Top 50 public university in the nation during the next decade.
In this issue of the magazine, I invite you to familiarize yourself with some of the many ongoing programs and initiatives at the University, including a fascinating exploration into the mysteries of the cosmos our physicists are undertaking; a roundup of popular Houston restaurateurs who learned their chops at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management; the progress our newly launched College of Medicine is making in confronting community health disparities; excerpts from a stirring speech track coach and onetime Olympics champ Carl Lewis gave our recent graduates; a provocative analysis of what the post-pandemic “New Normal” may be like at UH and other universities; the poetry of this semester’s Provost Prize winner for student creative writing; and, of course, a chronicle of the basketball team’s historic season and “March Madness” accomplishments.
Getting back to the “Big Dance” and reaching the Final Four this year, all I want to add is, “Wait till next year!” We’re not taking anything for granted ... but I wouldn’t put those dancing shoes too far back in your closet.
With warm regards,
RENU KHATOR
PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
James L. Conyers (1961 – 2021)
The longest tenured director of African American Studies at UH, Conyers was a leading academic voice who transformed the program through his research, student development and commitment to racial justice.
A New Chapter for the UH Library System
Cougar Alum Athena Jackson Comes Home as New Library Dean
2020 GRADUATION
NEW NORMAL
Ready, Set ... Grow!
UH studies say when it comes to your career choices, you’re not stuck with your personality, and birth order doesn’t mean much.
Last Look
Beginning in the 1970s, thousands of young fans were off to see the Wizard and many other such fanciful characters at the University of Houston’s annual Children’s Theatre Festival. For some three decades, the School of Theater offered two or three productions each summer, drawing appreciative audiences of 35,000 or so each season. Classics like “Sleeping Beauty” were standard fare but original works by “Fiddler on the Roof” composer Jerry Bock and playwright Ntozake Shange also graced the stage. In this vintage photo, Dorothy gives the Tin Man a real shot in the arm – and makes most of us think about vaccinations.