September 10, 2024

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I hope your fall semester has started well. Thank you for welcoming our students to campus and for your continuous commitment to the mission of the University. I have visited several freshmen classes, and the students seemed settled in and eager to learn. I was also able to help students move into their dorm rooms and found them feeling excited and welcomed. Kudos to all who helped make our campus a warm and welcoming place.

Here are a few updates that you will find useful.

Enrollment Trends Reversed

After three years of flat or declining enrollment, we have had a record-breaking year. Over 42,000 students applied to be freshmen at UH and more than 6,200 of them have joined us this year. Kudos to the Provost and her team at the central and college levels who made this growth possible. State universities are funded based on their enrollment; therefore, this growth should favorably impact our budget next year.

At this point, let’s remember that our goal is not just student access but also student success and this responsibility increases with a larger class. The average six-year graduation rate in Texas is 62%. While at UH we outperform the state average at 65%, it is not enough to get us in the U.S. News & World Report top 50 public universities ranking. We need to keep our focus and efforts strong.

Free Speech and Academic Freedom

As the new year begins, colleges once again find themselves amid a larger debate regarding free speech and its relationship with academic freedom and overall safety.

At the University of Houston, we deeply respect the rights of free speech and academic freedom and are equally committed to providing a safe environment that is free of harassment. Please read the FAQ prepared by the legal experts to ensure that we can protect these rights while complying with federal and state laws, as well as university policies.

Welcome to New Faculty and Staff

This year, 123 new faculty have joined us.  Among them are 16 Presidential Frontier Faculty funded by the Texas University Fund (TUF), and one Aspire faculty partially funded by the $100 million Aspire Fund.

The TUF allocation is also supporting faculty start-ups and core research facilities.  Digital Humanities Core Facility is complete and running. The Electron Microscopy Core Facility is currently under construction and is expected to open in January 2025. Other core facilities are in the planning stages.

Taking Research to a New Level

I am proud to highlight two recent grants that bring new partners and opens new horizons for us.

Congratulations to the UH team, led by Dr. Bettina Beech, for securing a $44 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine. This NIH-funded grant establishes a regional hub to support clinical translational research and opens new opportunities for UH to seek funds to advance multidisciplinary research. This grant includes researchers from 10 UH colleges.

Congratulations to Dr. Yan Yao, the University of Houston is a key member of the new $62.5 million energy innovation hub funded by DOE to help the U.S. achieve a clean and secure energy future. The hub will be led by Argonne National Laboratory and joined by two other national laboratories and 12 universities, mostly Ivy Leagues.  The University of Houston is the only Texas university to participate in the hub.

Legislative Budget Request

On behalf of the University of Houston, I have submitted our budget request for the 89th session of the Texas Legislature. Some requests are statewide and affect all universities. For these, we join hands with all university systems and make a uniform ask. These requests include (a) an increase in the base budget to support our instructional mission and meet the inflationary cost of operation; (b) increased support for deferred maintenance of aging buildings; (c) an increase in TEXAS Grants for our students; and (d) support for Hazelwood waivers.

In addition, we are requesting specific items for the University of Houston. Major among them are equitable funding for UH health programs in optometry, nursing and medicine; new buildings at UH, UH at Sugar Land and UH at Katy; and continuation of targeted research funding.

New Cabinet Members

We welcomed three new vice presidents this semester: Dr. Claudia Neuhauser, vice president for research; Dr. Jonathan McCullers, vice president for health affairs and dean of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine; and Eddie Nuñez, vice president of intercollegiate athletics. They each have a proven track record of success, and the unique skill set, and expertise needed to help realize our vision. I look forward to them growing our dynamic University.

Olympic Medalists

The Paris Summer Olympics were watched with great interest by the Cougar family because seven current or former UH students and one coach were participating. We are proud of all our participants, but I want to give a special shout-out to Shaun Maswanganyi and Louie Hinchliffe for taking home silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s 4x100-meter relay.  Both have been coached by our own Track and Field Head Coach and nine-time gold medalist Carl Lewis who also carried the torch in the Opening Ceremony.  Congratulations, Carl!

State of the University Address

On Wednesday, October 9, at 10:00am, I will celebrate our collective progress by highlighting your accomplishments and outlining the direction and specific strategies for the coming year.  Please join me at the Moores Opera House for the address, musical performances and a reception afterwards.

Thank you for starting this semester strong. I look forward to seeing you around campus and to building new roads to success with you.

Go, Coogs!

Renu Khator
President, University of Houston