February 19, 2025

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am sure you are feeling the weight of anxiety and the uncertainty surrounding our profession of higher education today. I wish I could bring more clarity to you with this update, but it is difficult since federal directives are changing daily. Our offices of research and academic affairs continue to post updates on their websites as soon as we receive them. They are prepared to answer any questions that you may have, specific to your situation. While I understand your concerns, I plead with you to always remember that we are part of a great mission — educating students and transforming lives through teaching, research and service. Let that be our anchor during these uncertain times.

Here are updates on some issues of importance:

As of this week in the research area:

1. Several UH research grants from federal agencies have been paused or stopped.
2. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is reducing the cap to 15% on indirect costs on grants.
3. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has identified multiple grants where funding may be impacted, based on the research area.

As a Tier One University, scholarship and discovery are fundamental to our mission and vision. These changes will no doubt impact our ability to conduct business as usual, but we will work together to respond to these challenges within the confines of these new rules. Additionally, we are monitoring executive orders at the federal and state level, new Department of Education directives and proposed state legislation for their impact on our campus. You can review a brief summary of state and federal updates. The Division of Research also provides Federal Funding Updates on its webpage.

The 89th Legislature is in session, and we have submitted our 2025 Legislative Priorities for the University of Houston. Our top priority is an increase in the base budget (which is the primary source of new positions and faculty/staff compensation) and an increase in student financial aid fund, called TEXAS Grants.

Additionally, we made special requests to replace the 50-year-old Optometry building and expand educational programs in Katy.

For the UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, which is considered a separate budget unit of the UH System and does not compete with UH for budget priorities, we have requested additional resources to double the class size and secure an academic teaching hospital. This will provide the necessary clinical rotations that are crucial for teaching medical students in a real-world setting.

Both the Senate and the House have released their preliminary budgets. These budgets do not reflect additional funding for any university at this point. In fact, every university has lost some funding originally given to them as “institutional enhancement” (For UH, it is $50 million per biennium). These funds have helped us in making critical investments that directly support our students, including hiring academic counselors, providing financial aid and developing new high-need academic programs. It is the beginning of the session, and we have ample opportunity to work with our leaders in Austin to advocate the value that we bring to the state and the needs that we have at the moment.

On February 11, our students, faculty, staff and alumni did an excellent job of advocating for UH during UH Day at the Capitol. Last Fall, UH Faculty Senate President Dr. Holley Love testified — I must say very effectively — about the role of faculty governance in university decision-making. Last week, I was asked to testify before the Senate Finance Committee to lay out our budget priorities and I made a passionate case for our needs.

In a span of one week, we received four security alerts — two were scooter robberies, one cell phone robbery and one was the tragic sexual assault. Together, these incidences have created an atmosphere of anxiety, and understandably so. We are a place of learning and the last thing we want to see is this kind of blatant crime.

The campus safety and security team along with the campus police are working hard to take preventive measures but also to catch those who have targeted our students.

Safety updates are regularly provided by SVP Raymond Bartlett (latest safety update). As an immediate response, we have increased the police and security presence by adding more officers and more monitoring vehicles. We are also expediting the installation of campuswide lighting. This project was to be completed in three phases by 2027, but we are accelerating its completion.

I realize that these are short-term and immediate responses, and we also need to review our long-term plan for campus safety. With that in mind, I am proceeding with two items:

1. Establishing an ad hoc Presidential Advisory Taskforce on Campus Safety with representation from faculty, staff and students to help me and my cabinet by providing input and feedback.
2. Engaging an outside consulting firm to review our existing practices and provide strategic guidance.

We have been taking, and will continue to take, actions to ensure a safe learning environment; however, we also need you to stay vigilant and engaged during this time.

I wanted to end this communication on a positive note. In celebration of our upcoming Centennial, we’re recognizing 100 staff members for their innovation and creativity. If you are streamlining a business process, initiating a program or finding ways to make us more efficient and effective, you’re eligible to compete. Learn more about the Staff Innovation Award and nominate yourself or a colleague. We want you to lead, innovate and drive change.

Once again, thank you for everything you do to support our students in their educational journey. And don't forget to follow your No. 5 ranked Men’s Basketball team — now is the perfect time to get behind this dynamic team and experience the thrill firsthand!

Sincerely,

Renu Khator