UH System Success Stories NOVEMBER 2004


The University of Houston received the Credit Program of Excellence Award from the University Continuing Education Association (Region South) for its Discover U Program in the Texas Medical Center. The Society of American Military Engineers Houston/Galveston Post selected UH as its public agency of the month for July. UH received the honor because of its outstanding recovery and mitigation effort after Tropical Storm Allison and the high quality of the staff and strong management in Plant Operations.

Photo: Scott Perry The University of Houston has established its first Office of Undergraduate Research. Scott Perry, professor of chemistry and chemical engineering, heads the new office, which is housed in The Honors College but serves the entire campus. In his new role as associate dean of undergraduate research in The Honors College, Perry is responsible for broadening and promoting research opportunities for undergraduate students. Perry is the recipient of numerous honors, including a university Research and Scholarship Excellence Award and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics’ Teaching Excellence Award.


Alumni

Celso Cuellar Jr. (’65) received the Texas Pharmacy Association’s (TPA) Local Association Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to the organization. TPA also honored Carolyn Hilscher (’85) with the Bowl of Hygeia Award, recognizing a pharmacist who has exhibited significant involvement in community service activities.

Tilman Fertitta was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

Faculty/Staff

Staff Council’s newly elected members are Mary Andress-Reed, office coordinator, College of Pharmacy; Carol Barr, business manager, College of Education; Karl Bernard, information technology security analyst, Security and Disaster Recovery; Mary Douglas, director of placement services, Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management; Sharon M. Gates, advising assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering; Charles Henry, business administrator, College of Pharmacy; Selesta King, division administrator, Division of Research; Ann M. McFarland, director of the Office of Community Projects, Graduate School of Social Work; Mitra Rahimi-Kiani, technology transfer associate, Office of Intellectual Property Management; Walter Rodriguez, deputy fire marshal, Department of Public Safety; Mary Schulz, academic advising specialist, Cullen College of Engineering; Patti Tolar, academic affairs coordinator, Department of Psychology; Susan Williams, administrative assistant, College of Optometry; and Rebecca Szwarc, administrative assistant, Residential Life and Housing.

Monit Cheung, professor of social work, received the 2004 Golden Harvest Award from the Asian American Family Counseling Center. The award recognizes the contributions of corporate and community leaders.

Fred J. Hilterman, professor of geophysics,received the 2004 Cecil Green Enterprise Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists for innovations in seismic sonograms and a dedication to the geophysics industry.

Stanley Kleis, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received NASA’s Public Service Medal for helping to reduce space-related risks to astronauts during long-duration missions.

Carlos Lopez, director of the Small Business Development Center’s International Trade Center, received the Henry B. Gonzalez Latino Leadership Award from the Baytown Hispanic Forum.

Ruben Martínez’s “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail” was selected by the Houston Public Library for the third annual citywide reading program, Books on the Bayou: Houston Reads Together. Martinez is associate professor of English and teaches in the Creative Writing Program.

The University Continuing Education Association (Region South) presented its Professional Continuing Educator Award to Steven Mintz, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History and director of the American Cultures Program. Richard Murray, professor of political science and director of the Center for Public Policy, was named the Bob Lanier Endowed Chair in Urban Public Policy.

Barbara Stewart, professor of human development and consumer sciences in the College of Technology, was recognized by the Federation of Houston Professional Women as a “Woman of Excellence.” Stewart also is the coordinator of the college’s Consumer Sciences and Merchandising program.

Edward P. Sheridan, University Professor and emeritus senior vice president and provost, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Nova Southeastern University.

Jerald Strickland, interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, was presented the Dr. Jack Bennett Innovation in Education Award for his work on the Partnership Foundation for Optometric Education. The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry presented the award to Strickland, who was the foundation’s first president.

Students

College of Pharmacy students swept the Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) Innovative Pharmacy Project Competition at the 125th Annual TPA meeting and expo in Dallas. Isaac Lopez Jr. placed first, Brice Labruzzo and Denise Martinez placed second, Molly Graham placed third and Rosalyn Adigun fourth.

Other Honors

Compass Bank has contributed $1 million to an endowment to establish the Charles E. McMahen Chair in Accountancy and Taxation at the C.T. Bauer College of Business. McMahen, a UH alumnus, served on the UH System Board of Regents from 1995-2001 and was chair from 1998-2000.

Thad “Bo” Smith, UH System Board of Regents member and former chair, and UHS Chancellor and UH President Jay Gogue received the Distinguished riends of China Award from the Chinese Civic Center. Smith graduated from UH in 1967.

The University of Houston-Downtown launched its 30th anniversary with grand opening celebrations for the new Commerce Street building, which officially opened for classes this fall.

UHD will hold a grand opening ceremony for the Willow Street Pump Station in November. The 1902 facility is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo: Floyd Newsum, UH-DowntownFloyd Newsum, professor of art, was appointed to serve on the Houston Municipal Art Commission. Newsum created four colorful 15-foot murals that hang in each of the elevator lobbies of the university’s new Commerce Street building. His work is in permanent museum collections in Houston, Memphis, Philadelphia and Dallas.



Alumni

A program coordinated by graduate Lawrence Spence received one of the annual Mayor’s Keep Houston Beautiful Awards. The project, “Birds and Bats on the Bayou,” seeks to improve the habitat along Buffalo Bayou, which runs by UH-Downtown. Spence graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and is a teacher.

Faculty/Staff

Merrilee Cunningham, associate professor of English, was invited to give a seminar on Shakespeare at the Houston Teachers Institute, a partnership between the Houston Independent School District and the University of Houston.

Alberto Gomez-Rivas, chair of the Department of Engineering Technology, was appointed to the board of directors of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Houston Chapter.

Peter Li, associate professor of social sciences, conducted a field study in northeast China and presented a paper on animal welfare at the 19th International Conference of Zoology in Beijing.

Nuggenhalil Nandagopal, associate professor of engineering technology, presented his paper, “Tools for Teaching Engineering Ethics,” at an international engineering technology conference.

Michele Sabino, executive director of university advancement, is serving a term as president of the international organization Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She convened the organization’s symposium on social responsibility in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and represented TESOL at the United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization Conference in New York.

Bob Walsh, assistant professor and interim chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice Community Service Division to serve on a multi-agency panel that will make recommendations on use-of-force policies for local law enforcement agencies.

Students

Sophomore and undefeated professional boxer Juan Diaz won his first world title — the World Boxing Association Lightweight championship—in a match shown on HBO. Diaz frequently speaks to at-risk students about staying in school. He plans to enter law school after graduation.

Computer information systems student Brian Saldana received special recognition at Harris County Commissioner’s Court for outstanding performance in an internship for Commissioner Steve Radack.

Sixty-four students were selected to participate in undergraduate research programs during the summer. Fifteen of them worked in off-campus internships at laboratories, including Baylor College of Medicine, Louisiana State University and Kraft’s corporate headquarters in New York.

University of Houston-Clear Lake’s School of Human Sciences and Humanities is expanding its roster of degree programs with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s recent approval of a bachelor of arts degree in women’s studies.

Faculty, administrators, staff and students officially opened the doors to the Student Services and Classroom Building at a Sept. 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony. The celebration also marked the beginning of the university’s 30th anniversary.

The alumni association named the 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award honorees. Recipients of the award include Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Hernandez Engineering Inc. Teresita Hernandez (’80); UHCL Associate Professor of Family Therapy Leslye Mize (’80); and Pasadena Independent School District’s Bondy Intermediate School Special Education Coordinator Janet Pepperday (’85). The Honorable Marilyn K. Lunney (’93), volunteer chair of the university’s Clear Lake Association of Senior Programs, also was named the first recipient of the alumni association’s Leadership Service Award.


Photo: Glenn Freedman, UH-Clear LakeGlenn Freedman, associate professor of reading and language arts, received the NASA Public Service Medal for exceptional contributions to its mission. It is one of the highest honors NASA confers on non-government personnel. Freedman has served as an adviser and volunteer for educational activities at Johnson Space Center. Freedman also assisted NASA’s efforts to partner with the state to create and expand the Texas Aerospace Scholars program, which provides funds for programming to encourage students to explore career opportunities in science, technology and mathematics. He serves as a committee member for the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and as secretary of the Clear Creek Independent School District Board of Trustees.

Alumni

C. David Huffstutler (’97) was named CEO of Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital.

Sheryl Jamail (’99) received a Teacher of the Year award from the Crosby Independent School District. She is a pre-kindergarten teacher at Crosby Elementary.

Yolanda H. Jones (’02) was appointed principal of C.D. Landolt Elementary School in the Clear Creek Independent School District.

Shannon K. McClendon (’89) was named to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers. She is a private practice attorney.

Garrold Parratt (’85) was named one of the Houston Business Journal’s 2004 Heavy Hitters in commercial real estate.

Scott Stuckey (’02) was named director of alumni relations at Sam Houston State University.

Faculty/Staff

Phillip Decker, professor of healthcare administration and director of the healthcare administration program, received an additional $54,079 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Service Administration Division as part of a three-year grant he received in July 2003. These funds will continue to assist healthcare administration students to defray their tuition expenses during the 2004-05 academic year.

George Guillen, executive director of the Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH), received a $43,022 monitoring and assessment contract from the Houston-Galveston Area Council. As part of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Clean Rivers Program, the funds and equipment will be used by EIH to monitor and assess the water quality of 53 test sites throughout Galveston and Brazoria counties.

Christine Kovic, associate professor of anthropology, was awarded a Rockefeller Residential Fellowship in the Humanities and will travel to the Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico to develop research on “The Cultural Dimension of the Mexican Transition: Migration, Identity, Gender and Violence.”

Randy Seevers, associate professor of special education, was elected vice president of the Texas Council for Exceptional Children.

Mary Ann Shallberg, executive associate to the president, was honored as a Distinguished Alumna by Louisiana College in Pineville, La.

Daniel Zerong Wang, assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded a three-year $150,000 grant from the Welch Foundation for his proposal, “Synthesis of Novel Heterocycles from Carbonimidic Dichlorides.”

 

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the renaming of University of Houston-Victoria’s School of Education to the School of Education and Human Development. The new name better reflects the type of curriculum offered to education students, and it allows the school to open its programs to a variety of school-based professionals.

Photo: Cam Caldwell, UH-VictoriaAn article co-authored and submitted to BOSS Magazine by
Cam Caldwell, associate professor of management, has been named as one of the top 10 leadership articles of the past 10 years by the magazine.




Alumni

Diana Blumrick (’93) was hired as principal of Louise High School. She previously served as a counselor for the Louise Independent School District.

Catherine Castillo (’03) and Crystal Dawn Hamilton (’04) were hired as third grade teachers at Austin Elementary School in Edna.

Dianna D. Hanzelka (’98) was hired as a counselor at Carver and Austin Elementary schools in Edna.

Richard Jones (’85) was appointed interim police chief for the city of Victoria.

David Charles McDowell (’04) was hired as a second grade teacher for the Edna Independent School District.

Tanya Spiker Michna (’98), an award-winning romance novelist, held a book signing at Waldenbooks in Victoria to autograph copies of her new book, “Sheer Decadence.” She has written three other books. Her fifth book, “Not Quite as Advertised,” is scheduled for release this November.

Jody Moreno (’01) was hired as a world history teacher and coach at Edna High School.

Dawn K. Nordeen (’03) was hired as a junior high math teacher and keyboarding instructor for the Ganado Independent School District.

Michelle Overstreet (’00) was hired as a first grade teacher for the Edna Independent School District.

Kayla Peters (’04) was hired as an English IV teacher at Edna High School.

Kathy Seale (’79) was hired as an English as a second language teacher at Moulton Elementary School.

Domingo Villarreal (’90) was hired as the new education specialist for the Victoria College’s Educational Opportunity Center.

Meredith Leanne Workman (’03) was hired as a districtwide counselor for the Ganado Independent School District.

Faculty/Staff

Lydia Huber, buyer, earned a Certified Texas Purchasing Manager’s certification.