Lessons of My First Year and Our Next Steps at UHD

Over the past year, I've shared some of the key lessons we've learned at the University of Houston-Downtown that might be shared with other universities.  I started the blog when I began as president at UHD.  For new followers, I encourage you to read some of the earlier posts.

In my last post, I mentioned efforts by President Obama, Lumina Foundation, and others to increase the percentage of adults with college degrees.  The University of Houston-Downtown is the 13th largest public institution in Texas and the second largest university in Houston. Over 80% of our students work 30 hours or more and about a quarter of all students work more than 40 hours or per week, often in two jobs.  The average age of our students is 28 years. So, our students are predominantly working adults, many of them have children and families to support.

UHD has been nationally recognized as a Top 100 university in producing minority baccalaureate students.  We rank 33rd in the country in awarding baccalaureate degrees to Hispanics and 47th for awarding baccalaureate degrees to African Americans. This past year we graduated over 2,400 students with bachelor's and graduate degrees. We are determined to increase these numbers.

Followers of this blog have asked me to briefly summarize some of what occurred in my first year as president at UHD.  When I arrived in Houston and at UHD, I began my presidency by walking around and listening.  I visited with students, faculty, alumni, regents, members of the President's Advisory Board, and elected officials. I spoke before most colleges at UHD and several departments.  I held focus groups and distributed a survey online and via email asking five very simple questions: 1) What does UHD do very well and where could we excel? 2) In what areas does UHD pretty good and with a different emphasis could be very good? 3) What areas should UHD stop doing? 4) What resources does UHD leave on the table (grants, foundations, corporations, partnerships, etc.) and, lastly, 5) If you were UHD president for one day and could make one change, what would it be?

We put together a team of faculty and staff to summarize the survey results.  We then held several leadership retreats, built around the Good to Great model, and used the survey results as a starting point.  We revised our mission, established goals, and this summer decided upon a single big goal (BHAG in the Good to Great vernacular): UHD will be known as a premier city university engaging every student in high impact experiences.

We also agreed on preliminary goals and metrics for 2020.  For example, we want to dramatically grow graduate programs and expand our research.  We project that UHD will have over 22,000 students by 2020 with roughly 8-10 per cent of total student enrollment coming from graduate programs.  We will greatly expand the number of online degrees with roughly a quarter of all enrollment online by 2020.  We have already launched discussions among the faculty on steps we can take to implement these ambitious goals.

But key to our focus is building strong undergraduate degrees developed around a culture of high-impact experiences.  What are high-impact experiences and why do we want all UHD students to receive these experiences? They include learning communities, undergraduate research, peer mentoring, first-year experience programs, service learning, internships, work teams, capstone courses, etc. These activities engage students in experiential learning and provide them opportunities to work closely with faculty.  Research nationally and our own experience show that students who participate in high-impact experiences are more likely to graduate than those students who don't receive such experiences.  They are also more likely to graduate on-time.

UHD has a long history of such programs, including the Scholars Academy which has been recognized by the NSF and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for their success in graduating students from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups in STEM fields.  UHD also has a long history of providing high-quality internships with corporations, non profits, and public agencies, as well as service learning courses that address issues affecting the Houston area.  In the course of the planning retreats, we decided to build off this strength, expand it, and make it a cohesive part of the UHD learning experience.

But, we also want to ensure our students are prepared for 21st Century jobs. Technology is changing rapidly and industries are developing new jobs and requiring new skills. Most of the top 10 jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004 and many companies in the Fortune 500 did not exist in 1990.  One of the nation's largest public agencies did not exist in 2000.  So, we must not only prepare students for jobs that exist today, we must provide them with skill sets they can use to solve problems that don't yet exist with technologies that haven't been developed for industries that now seem only distant dreams.

I have asked our faculty and the provost to work together to decide on what every UHD graduate should know in the 21st Century.  They will be using as starting points the work of national higher education organizations, such as AAC&U, AASCU, ACE, and others, along with recommendations of the U.S. Chamber and American Association of Manufacturer's. These groups recommend that all college students graduate with critical thinking skills, analytical and problem-solving skills, global understanding, team work, and excellent communication skills, among others.  Our faculty will decide on appropriate competencies.  We will then integrate these competencies into every major UHD offers and assess learning to those competencies.

We are also working hard to retain and graduate students.  This year we launched a common reading program with 800 freshmen students receiving the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. Nearly 60 faculty and over 600 students participated in a special session a week before classes to discuss the book.We made a pledge to the students: if they agree to work hard, take the required courses, and regularly meet with an adviser, we will mentor them and help them to graduate on time.  Faculty are now following up with those students to ensure their success. 

Finally, we are meeting with community colleges throughout Houston to re-affirm and re-sign joint admission and reverse transfer programs so that students from community colleges will earn full credit at UHD.  More than three-fourths of our students are transfer students, so it is important that we build strong partnerships and full articulation with the major community college districts that surround UHD.

UHD will do everything it can to increase the number of degrees we award.  We want to be part of the national effort to increase the percentage of adults with college degrees.  I will keep you informed of our progress.

How the U.S. Can Regain Leadership in Degree Attainment

My last blog entry dealt with the cost of the educational achievement gap in the United States.  But, we also have a college attainment gap when compared to other industrialized countries. 

In one generation's time, the U.S. has gone from leading the world in the percentage of adults with college education to 12th in college attainment of young adults 25-34 years of age.  Three countries have college attainment rates for young adults above 50%, Canada (55%), Japan (54%) and Korea (53%). Even more troubling is the fact that the U.S. is one of only two industrialized nations that has a higher college attainment rate for older adults (54-64) than for young adults (25-34).  So, we're moving in the wrong direction.

President Obama has set the goal of leading the world in adults with college education. At his August 9th speech at U.T. Austin, he reiterated his goal of "producing 8 million more college graduates by 2020 so we can have a higher share of graduates than any other nation on earth,"   Secretary for Education Arne Duncan has called this effort "the North Star" for the Obama administration's education initiatives.

President Obama calls this push to regain international leadership in college attainment "the economic issue of our time."  Why?  He made that point very clear, "It's an economic issue when nearly eight in ten new jobs will require workforce training or a higher education by the end of the decade."

Several organizations have developed plans to help the United States reach this goal by 2025.  The Lumina Foundation for Education has set the 'big goal' of 60 % of Americans to have 'high-quality degrees and credentials' by 2025.  Most other national organizations  have set 55% as their target. (View the Lumina Foundation's interactive map to see where your state stands here.)

Either way, it is quite a stretch. To reach the goal of 55% of Americans with a college degree, requires the U.S. to produce 64 million new college degrees, with at least 16 million degrees produced above current levels.   So, how might it be done?

Several states have developed strategic plans to reduce the achievement gap and stretch goals for producing more college graduates.   Two states have very specific plans for increasing college attainment.  Kentucky has set a goal of 'doubling the numbers' of college graduates by 2020.  Texas has developed a plan, Closing the Gaps 2015, with a goal of awarding 210,000 certificates and degrees from public universities by 2015.

What impact would raising college attainment levels have on the U.S. economy?  According to CEOs for Cities, simply raising the college attainment rate in the 51 largest cities in America by 1% would yield a 'talent dividend' of $124 billion. Raising it 10% would produce $1.2 trillion!

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board projects that if the state successfully meets its plans, by 2030, it will reap increases in $489 billion in spending, $194 billion in gross state product, and $122 billion in personal income, as well as 1 million new jobs.  Similarly, Kentucky projects that if it reaches it goals by 2020, it will increase personal income by $159 billion and and state tax revenue by $9 billion.

Most states have already developed plans to increase high school graduation rates and college completion rates.  However, to reach a 55% college attainment rate by 2025 will also require strategies to attract working adults back to college to earn a degrees. According to a report by the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning, 32 states cannot meet the targets by solely relying on the traditional college-age population. Moreover, even if every state reached 'best-case scenarios' in improving high school graduation rates and college completion rates, America would still be a little over 3 million short of the 64 million new degrees required to hit the 55% target.

According to projections by National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, by 2025, two states (Texas and California) would need to produce over a million new degree holders over and above current degree production levels.  This is conceivable with a broad strategy that includes both traditional K-16 pathways (such as improved achievement levels, reduced dropout rates, rigorous curricula, improved college readiness, and improvements in college graduation rates) along with plans to addresses the educational needs of working adults.

In Texas, for example, only 29% of all Texas have an associates degree or higher.  Over 2 million Texans lack a high school degree (21.6% of all adults).  In 2000, more than one million Texans had never completed the 9th grade.  Over 2.5 million Texans have some college, but no degree.  Clearly, helping adults obtain high school and college degrees must be a part of plans for increasing the percentage of adults with college degrees.

If community colleges and four-year institutions can attract less than half of that 2.5 million to return to college and to earn a degree, that would produce 1 million more Texans with a college degree.  Similarly, if Texas was to get 50% of adults with less than a 9th grade education to earn their GED, followed by a college certificate or associate of arts degree, that would yield another half million Texans with some college education.

Several organizations have made recommendations to help the United States increase college attainment.  The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers are working towards a common framework for national standards for high school graduation reflecting college and career readiness.  Not all states signed on (Alaska and Texas, for example, have not), but most are joining the effort.

The Educational Trust promotes efforts in K-12 to reduce the achievement gap between whites and nonwhites and has expanded those efforts in higher education.  Recently, it has joined force with 24 public university systems to cut the college-going and graduation gaps for low-income and minority students in half by 2015, producing a report to show progress of major public universities. 

The College Board has issued a "Completion Agenda," with ten recommendations: 1) provide voluntary preschool education, universally available to children from low-income families; 2)  improve middle and high school college counseling; 3) implement the best research-based dropout prevention; 4) align the K-12 education system with international standards and college admission expectations; 5) improve teacher quality and focus on recruitment and retention; 6) clarify and simply the admission process; 7) provide more need-based grant aid, while simplifying financial aid processes; 8) keep college affordable; 9) dramatically increase completion rates; and, finally, 10) provide post-secondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs.

Meeting the President's call to regain national leadership in college attainment will not be easy.  But, it is essential for the future of America. As President Obama stated, "Countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow."  Those whom we educate today, may be the innovators of tomorrow.  America must invest in its future.

All over the country, organizations and universities are engaged in discussions of how we can rise to the challenge.  In my next blog post I will give examples of what we are doing at the University of Houston-Downtown.

America's Future Depends on Eliminating the Education Achievement Gap

A severe crisis looms in the horizon.  I'm not talking about the federal deficit.  Rather, I refer to a pending shortfall in workers with the skill-sets and degrees that America needs for innovation and global competitiveness.

America is falling behind in educating its citizenry.  We have two very serious problems:  an achievement gap (how well students learn, perform on standardized tests, and progress through high school and college) and an attainment gap (the percent of young adults who earn high school degrees, certificates, and college degrees).  Neither is easily fixed. 

Middle class and upper-middle class white students outperform their working class peers.  Similarly, white students as a whole outperform minorities, particularly African Americans and Latinos. The gap is severest in poor, urban, and predominantly minority communities.   Urban schools are more likely to be dilapidated,  deteriorating, overcrowded, and more likely to have new and often non-certified teachers. See data here.

It is not uncommon for minority children in urban schools to enter the 6th grade one or two years behind their grade level. This is especially true for limited-English students who must learn English as well as subject matter.  Minority and low income students are more likely to drop out of high school and are less likely to attend college. They are more likely to require adult basic education, ESL, and secondary adult education, and more likely to require remediation when they do attend college.

Latinos represent the  fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, accounting for roughly half of all new births. Latinos, most of whom are native born U.S. citizens, already represent a majority of the K-12 population in many of this country's largest school district and are becoming a larger share of the U.S. high school and traditional college-age population. By 2020, nearly 10 million Latinos will be 15-24 years of age, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the U.S. total U.S. traditional college age population.

Unfortunately, Latinos are among the least likely to graduate from high school, among the least prepared for college, are more likely to require remediation, and less likely to graduate from college within six years of graduation from high school. In fact, only about 30% of Latino young adults (25-34) have attained an associates degree or higher, compared to 43% of African Americans and 81% of whites.

According to a report of  the Alliance for Excellence in Education, a single dropout in 2008 cost the U.S. economy $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity.  If all those students who dropped out of high school in the class of 2008, had instead graduated, it is estimated that the U.S. would gain $319 billion in wages, taxes, and productivity.

The achievement gap of Latinos, African Americans and poor whites costs America billions of dollars in remediation, lost incomes, revenues and GDP. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education projects that if the U.S. doesn't eliminate the achievement gap, U.S. productivity could decline by 50%, with a total loss of personal income of roughly $400 billion.

According to a recent report by the McKinsey Quarterly entitled "Economic Cost of the U.S. Education Gap," the educational achievement gap cost the U.S. nearly $2 trillion just in 2008. The McKinsey report found that the effect of the academic achievement gap on U.S. GDP was worse than the last three recessions combined, including the current recession!  So, eliminating the achievement gap is essential to America's future.

How about the attainment gap?  The U.S. is tenth internationally in college attainment (the number of adults with an associates arts degree or higher). Canada leads the world in the percentage of adults with some college education (with 55% of Canadian adults with some college).  Similarly, the U.S. is 23rd in high school graduation rates. The U.S. ranks 17th in the world in production of scientists and engineers, which are key to creation of knowledge and technology jobs. Only about 35% of U.S. young adults (25-34) hold a college degree compared to roughly 50% of the same age cohort in Japan and Korea.

Worse, the U.S. is one of only two industrialized nations where older adults (45-54 years of age) are more likely to have attained a college degree than young adults (25-34 years of age).  By 2020, the percentage of adults with college degrees will be less than it was in 2000.  The only category to increase in percentage will be high school dropouts.

Ironically, U.S. students trail their European and Asian counterparts in achievement on international tests.  So, we also have an international achievement gap.  According to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), when compared with students in 30 OECD countries, 15 year-old American students ranked 18th in science, 24th in math and problem solving, and fifteenth in reading.

President Obama has set a target that "America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates..." The National Governors Association, the Education Trust, Lumina Foundation, the College Board have all joined efforts to help reach that target by 2025.  However, if we do not close the achievement gap, America cannot regain its leadership position in the proportion of adults with college education and degrees.

China already leads the United States in the number of college graduates it produces (as does India).  But, we are also falling behind economic growth rates and in some other measures of economic performance.  By June 2011, China is projected to pass the U.S. in manufacturing output and value.  By 2050, unless we do something about it, China will pass the U.S. in total GDP.

America clearly faces a crisis.  We must make it a priority to improve the quality and performance of schools and students and to increase the number of young adults who earn college certificates and degrees.  To ignore the looming crisis risks America's economic and social well-being.  It also diminishes our ability to compete internationally.  While it may cost us to address this problem, it will cost us more to ignore it.

View my entire PowerPoint presentation with slides and references here.

Does Having a College Degree Pay Off During the Recession? You Bet It Does!

Does college matter anymore?  Should parents encourage their children to seek a college degree? If you  have a college degree, should you obtain an advanced degree?  With rising costs of education and increasing student indebtedness, does having a college degree make a difference?

The recession has made it difficult for anyone to find a job.  College graduates, even those with master's degrees are having trouble finding jobs, although they have been less likely to lose jobs during the recession and more likely to find jobs if they did lose their job than high school dropouts or those with only a high school degree.

According to the June BLS data, Americans without a high school diploma experienced 21 straight months of unemployment above 10 percent with a high of 15.6 percent in February. The rate declined to 14.1 percent in June, the lowest level since March 2009.  High school graduates fared slightly better with unemployment hitting a high of 11.2 percent in October 2009, and dropping to a 10.8 percent level in June.

By contrast, those with bachelor's degrees have not seen unemployment rates higher than 5 percent since the recession began, dropping to 4.4 percent in June of this year. So, those with a college degree were much more likely to have a job than those without one.  View graphs of the data here.

But, how about those with advanced degrees? According to one report, those with advanced and professional degrees did better in retaining jobs and income than even those with undergraduate degrees.  Moreover, college grads with advanced degrees saw real wages increase by 3.7% since 2007, while those with just a B.A. or less actually saw a decline in real wages of 0.7%!

So, education clearly matters, even in tough times.  But just because you have a degree doesn't mean you get hired.  You have to have the type of degree and skill sets needed by employers.  Still, there is some evidence that those who re-tool or who obtain certificates and degrees are more likely to find jobs, particularly if their degrees and skill sets match market needs.

And America is hiring.  While the most recent Jobs Report showed that America lost 125,000 jobs in June, 2010, the economy created 85,000 new jobs. Even so, because of globalization (particularly outsourcing) and restructuring, more than a million jobs lost during the recession will never return.  There is also a mismatch between the skill sets needed for new jobs, particularly for knowledge jobs, and skills possessed by the existing workforce.

A recent study of the Institute of Manufacturing entitled People and Profitability: a Time for Change found in their survey of nearly 800 U.S. manufacturers that even during the worst part of the recession roughly one-third of all manufacturers could not find skilled workers to fill jobs within their industry.

The percentage of unfilled jobs varied by sector.  Two-thirds of manufacturers in the life sciences, two-thirds in aerospace and defense, and almost half of those in energy-related fields were unable to find workers with the skills or degrees necessary to fill the available jobs.   This mismatch is greatest for blue collar jobs, where manufacturers are seeking workers to operate computers and skilled in robotics, particularly those who can read and follow blue-prints, understand and solve complex problems, and possess high-order mathematical and computational skills. So, re-tool and get a certificate or degree.

While there is no guarantee that a college education will protect you from losing your job, clearly those with degrees, particularly advanced degrees, were more likely to keep their jobs in the recession and those who seek new degrees or certificates were more likely to get or keep a job than those who don't have a degree. 

So, yes, getting a college degree does matter.  If you don't have a college degree, get one--or at least get a certificate and re-tool!

How People Voted on Name Change

As I wrote in the last blog, we held a straw poll on campus.  We sent out email ballots to all students through their GatorMail addresses and provided a link that students saw when they checked grades from Spring semester.  We sent email links to all faculty, staff, and to all alumni for whom we have emails.  The Straw Poll took place from April 30th to May 28th.   Voters could select "City University," "Houston City University," or could choose neither name.  A comment section allowed participants to give feedback and some used the space to suggest other names for UHD.

More than 2,500 people voted, including more than 1,600 students, more than 350 staff and faculty, and nearly 500 alumni. The overwhelming choice in UHD's Name Change Straw Poll was Houston City University with 1,702 votes.  City University received 401 votes, and 404 selected either "neither" or wrote in other names. Surprisingly, each group voted in roughly the same percentages with the overwhelming favorite being Houston City University.  You can view the complete poll results here

Everyone was able to write in their comments on the name selection.  Some strongly support a new name.  Others hate the idea.  Even so, the vast majority of those who voted recommended that the new name be Houston City University.  Why?  As one individual commented.  "When I go to other cities, they won't know where City University, but they will know Houston City University."   A member of the award-winning Powerlifting Team, noted: "When we win and beat teams like UT San Antonio, we want them to know we're from Houston!"

Some people feel that the name will be confused with a community college.  Some staff worry that any name change will hurt recruitment.  Some alumni worry that their diploma might be devalued.  We have assured alumni and students that the university remains a part of the UH System and that the diploma will still be signed by the Chancellor and the President of the Board of Regents, as well as the president of the university.

But, at the end of the day, most of those who voted feel that a new name will help the university build its reputation and develop into a very new and distinct university.  They realize that UHD has to grow, add more graduate programs, raise funds, and develop distinction as university that students select because of its offerings, faculty, and achievements. 

So, what are the next steps?  We're holding meetings with legislators and local elected officials.  We will be having sessions with alumni (not just on name change, but giving them an update on everything happening at UHD).  Click here for the schedule of alumni meetings. And, during the fall semester, will talk about the results with incoming freshmen and transfer students, as well, as with new faculty and staff.

The results of the straw poll, including comments received, will be shared with the University of Houston System Board of Regents.  Regents will vote on the name change.  If they select a name, it then must go to the legislature for approval. We will keep you posted on developments as they take place.

More on the Name Change: Responding to Your Questions and Concerns

During the past few weeks, we have had several open meetings to discuss the proposed name change and recommended names. The discussions have been lively and vigorous.

Several students and alumni support the name change and like the proposed names. Others have commented that they are upset or disappointed that UHD is changing its name. The issue of whether or not we will change the name was addressed and voted on by the University of Houston System’s Board of Regents more than a year ago. The Regents voted to change the name in December 2008. For more information, please see the UHD Web site FAQs here.

There are two names under consideration: City University and Houston City University. Either way, the University will remain a part of the University of Houston System, and official publications and letterhead will carry a tag-line that says something like,  'A Member of the University of Houston System' or 'A UH System University.'

Students, faculty, staff and alumni have raised several questions in the open meetings. Here are a few:

1.   Are any other UH System Universities in the process of changing their names? There are some preliminary discussions underway with students and faculty at the University of Houston-Victoria. Both at UHD and UH-Victoria, the original desire to change the name emerged from within the University itself. At UHD, discussions have taken place at various times over the past decade. A formal request to change UHD’s name was initiated by former president Max Castillo, about two years ago after considerable discussion on campus.


2. Why is the University only considering these two names? Several of you have proposed other names, some of which focus on location. When the consultants were first hired, they met with Chancellor Khator and with chairman of the Board of Regents, Welcome Wilson. As you may know, last year more than 90 names were proposed and several were formally presented to the Regents, but rejected. Many of those referenced specific locations (such as South Texas or Houston Bayou University). In this round of discussions, the consultants reviewed the many names previously proposed and eventually ruled out names with locations other than Houston. In addition, they held focus groups and open-ended discussions. Repeatedly, they heard references to Houston and to the city. They felt that Houston is an international city, has considerable name recognition, and made a strong case that if any location was to be referenced in the proposed university name, it should be Houston.

3.  I don't like the names; they sound like a community college and don't sound prestigious to me; why did they select these two names?  Recently, while at a national conference in Washington, D.C., I shared the proposed names at a small round table discussion with other  University presidents. They were surprised to learn that UHD is the 2nd largest university in Houston and is the13th largest public university in Texas and felt either name would help the university build a unique and distinctive identity. One told me, “Wow! Those are great names. They remind me of City University of New York and City University of London, which are known all over the world.” Another commented, "Houston is a huge city. It needs a university like that.” The consensus of those presidents with whom I spoke is that either name would bring prestige to the University.

4.  Why don't we name the university after a prominent individual, such as a former legislator, mayor or past president? The system has guidelines for naming universities after individuals. Universities, auditoriums, conference rooms, buildings, schools and departments are often named after an individual or a family. Naming rights require a gift of considerable size, usually many millions of dollars, which goes into the university endowment. Interest drawn from the gift supports specific activities, which are often defined by the donor (such as scholarships, professorships, research or specialized equipment). So, to name the university after a specific individual or family would require a multi-million dollar gift.

5.  How much is the name change costing the university? The contract with STAMATS and on-going work is in the range of approximately $60,000. Naturally, more will be spent over the coming year. If the University does change its name, there will be costs associated with marketing, new letterhead, new signs, etc. Other than signage, most of the cost would have been incurred anyway. As business cards and letterhead run out, we will order new ones, but with the new name and logo,  once they are adopted. Moreover, even if the University does not change its name, UHD must better market and brand itself. To meet these needs we have already planned to set aside allocations for branding, including billboards, newspaper, radio and television ads and internet advertising.

6. Will the name change hurt my chances of getting a job or admitted into graduate school? Once a name is selected by the Regents, a transition period will begin. The new name will be associated with the University of Houston System on official letterhead and on diplomas. We have spoken with other University presidents about their experiences with name changes. All of them explained that once they began marketing the university with its new name, visibility increased, as did applications and funds raised.  Several campuses experience improved campus cohesion and pride among students and alumni. Most  grew in enrollment and fund raising. Several commented that they also experienced a growth in international student enrollment, and they attracted more students from other cities and states. We expect the same thing to occur at our University.


7.  As an alumnus, I'm worried that the university is turning its back on our history. How will the history be retained? We are proud of UHD's history and will promote it and continue to build on that history. We have many great alumni who began their careers at UHD or passed through our campus at some point in their academic experience. We want their stories, and will proudly promote the history and accomplishments of our students, staff, faculty and alumni. UHD is still a relatively young University. I was surprised to learn when I arrived, that we don't have year books (which, of course, are now becoming obsolete anyway.) Even so, they are an important source of history. Unlike Texas Tech or Texas A & M, UHD has very few traditions. Over time, our students will develop traditions and they will become an important part of campus life.

8.   Even though I graduated many years ago, can I get a diploma with the new name, and can I order a new class ring? Yes.  We will work that out with the Regents and with ring vendors. Naturally, there will be charges for a new ring and probably minimal charges for a new diploma.

9.  What are the next steps? We are holding public discussions, focus groups, and will soon launch a straw poll for current students. We will poll other stakeholders including alumni who have given us their email addresses, faculty and staff in the months ahead. We want to hear your comments. We will summarize those comments as part of our presentation to the Regents. The Regents will vote on the suggested names sometime in early Fall 2010. If a name is adopted by the Regents, it will then be submitted to the legislature for approval. That process will specify an effective date for the new name. Thereafter, we will transition to a new name for the University.

Keep in touch. Check out the UHD Web site under Name Selection. I look forward to hearing from you.

Note:  Since this blog appeared, students, faculty, staff, and alumni will now be able to vote in a straw poll at a secure website. Cast your vote here.

Changing the Name of a University 2.0

When I started at UHD, other presidents told me that I was walking into a mine field. We'd have to make cuts, raise tuition, raise admission standards, and change the university's name--oh, and by the way, you have to do all of that in your first year. One friend told me, it's like walking into a Tsunami knowing its going to hit real soon.

Well, I came anyway. And, I'm glad I did. The University of Houston-Downtown is a great place. It has dedicated faculty and staff, devoted alumni, good support from the business community and local legislators, and has really dedicated students. Still, changing the name of a university is a very hard thing to do.

The last time it was tried there was a great deal of frustration on everybody's part. But, name change was already under way. The Board of Regents made a decision to change the name of UHD nearly two years ago, so now, it's time to decide what that new name will be.

When I arrived, work on an RFP was under way and soon a firm, STAMATS, was identified to work with us on the name change. I found them to be knowledgeable and experienced, as their focus is higher education. The firm held focus groups with students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Together, we met with key legislators, the UH system chancellor, and the chairman of the Board of regents. Then, they conducted online surveys of prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

On April 14th, they presented their results to the campus with recommendations for two possible names. We held several public meetings presenting the survey results, allowing everyone to voice their feelings--good, bad, or indifferent. I was truly impressed by excellent presentations, the research findings, the recommendations, and the reaction of the campus--which was basically supportive, but with lots of questions and comments. The Chairman of the Regents, Welcome Wilson, attended four meetings over two days and answered questions.

The presentations are online at this page.  STAMAT's findings underscored reasons why UHD should change its name. First, there is a lot of confusion about UHD. Students, employers, and donors confuse the University of Houston-Downtown with the University of Houston. Students apply to one university and show up at the other. They start classes at one university only to find out the major they want is at the other. Donors will tell deans or even the president of UHD, "We gave already this year," (meaning they gave to UH, not UHD). Employers say my assistant is a student at UH, when they actually are a student at UHD. This week a UHD faculty was quoted on a local television station, but identified as a faculty member at the University of Houston. Earlier a UHD student spoke at the White House and several times corrected the television interviewer, who repeatedly introduced her as a student from the University of Houston.

The confusion is natural. Unlike most systems that have universities in different cities, the University of Houston System has four campuses within a forty-mile radius. UH and UHD are just a few miles away from each other and adjuncts often teach at both universities. So, changing our name will help both institutions.

Second, a surprising number of people in Houston do not know of UHD and many think UHD is a branch campus of UH. They don't realize that it is a separately-accredited university. A survey of Houston residents conducted two years ago found that only a very small portion of respondents listed UHD, when asked to name four-year universities that serve Houston. Those that did name UHD thought it was a branch campus of UH. STAMATS found that just under 50% of prospective students surveyed thought UHD is a branch of UH. More surprisingly, nearly one-third of alumni and currently enrolled UHD students who participated in the survey thought UHD is a branch of UH. Worse, even some UHD faculty and staff made that same mistake, although these were mainly part-time faculty and staff.

Third, UHD is located downtown and serves Houston, but the majority of its students come from outside downtown. In fact, only 15% of students live within the inner loop (inside the 610 loop) and nearly half live out of the 8 Beltway. Moreover, we have learning centers in other parts of Houston and are opening a learning center in the Northwest up off 249 at the old HP Center (now Lone Star College's University Park).

Focus groups and survey results emphasized several important qualities of UHD: small classes, its location to the downtown and nearby employers, its diversity, and the fact it is interconnected to the city. These are important elements of what makes UHD distinct and starting point for branding, as we begin to brand the university.

Given all these reasons a name change makes sense, but one that retains a clear identification with Houston and the University of Houston System. STAMATS recommended two names, which are actually variants of each other: City University and Houston City University. Whichever name is ultimately selected, the name would include a tag, "A UH System University" or "Part of the University of Houston System."

There are very good reasons for either name. Clearly, UHD serves the city and surrounding environments and we get most of our students from Houston and the surrounding area. As one alumnus observed during the focus groups, "The school is in the city, but more importantly, the city is in the school."

The proposed names permit the university to tie itself to Houston even more clearly.  After all, as Houston grows so will our university.  The dialog and interaction was very good. Everyone had a chance to react and voice their opinion. So, what are the next steps? We will hold more focus groups, hold a straw poll to see support for one name or the other, and report our findings to the Board of Regents.

The Regents will then vote on the names and select a new name for the university. Finally, the legislature must approve the new name, which will only occur if the campus community rallies behind the new name.

So, there's much work to be done. But, we took an important step forward. Now, the discussions begin.

Mentoring Students in STEM--Key is Changing Organizational Culture

There is no doubt that America must dramatically increase the number of scientists, engineers, technicians, and mathematicians that we produce each year in order to remain competitive internationally. Yet, how do we proceed?

Several states have increased math and science requirements in high school. Unfortunately, most states are having difficulty finding enough qualified and credentialed teachers to cover the required courses. This is especially true in low income schools. There is also a problem in attracting science and math majors to pursue careers in teaching at the high school level.

Additionally, the talent pool is more diverse, with more women and minorities majoring in sciences and math. Even so, very few minorities and women enter the ranks of the academy as professors. A variety of institutional and cultural barriers still exist, sometimes discouraging women and minorities from obtaining tenure track appointments in their fields or for obtaining tenure and promotion.

The American Association of University Women recently issued a report that found women continue to face barriers in STEM fields from attitudes and practices that persist in education and industry. This limits the number of young women who seek careers in STEM fields, as well as those who advance in the ranks of science, industry, and the professoriate.

To promote the discussion, I am sharing the thoughts of a friend, Patty Lopez, who is an Hispanic woman engineer with several patents under her belt. She currently works as a Component Design Engineer for Intel. I met Patty Lopez almost ten years ago, while serving as Provost of New Mexico State University. At the time, Patty worked for HP and was an alum of NMSU. She serves on the Electrical Engineering Advisory Board and their Electrical and Computer Engineering Academy. Patty has consistently worked to recruit women and minorities into STEM fields. She has also mentored many students and engineering professionals.

The following is written by Dr. Patty Lopez:

I wanted your insight on what I believe is the key to changing organizational culture in technology, which starts with changing the culture of higher education. Through my many board roles (at NMSU and elsewhere) and mentorship, I have found that many engineering colleges are inhospitable to women and minorities.

To be truly competitive, our tech workforce needs to be diverse. There are three gatekeepers for under-represented minorities (URM’s) in STEM that exist in K-12, higher education, and professionally.

The first gatekeeper is pedigree, and by this I mean where you were educated. In K-12, the pedigree of your high school determines which colleges you will be accepted into, in higher education, the institution from which you received your BS, MS, or PhD determines where you can go next, and how much you will inevitably earn. ACT and SAT scores will cull those high school graduates without adequate preparation and success in math and science, but many who would succeed lack adequate financial resources to enter the better colleges and universities. Many departmental graduate school selection committees use pedigree as their first “cut” at culling the list of applicants.

The assumption is two-fold: having a pedigree is an accurate predictor of future success, and the lack of one is an accurate predictor future failure. We know from many successful entrepreneurs that this is not the case. Unfortunately, many times pedigree is used as a selection criterion without thought to the fact that it is selecting out some very talented candidates who may not have the mentorship and sponsorship to make their case. Yes, they can write a letter that details their accomplishments and their “distance traveled”, if they know enough to do so. But many unfortunately do not.

The second gatekeeper is organizational culture – the mechanisms at work that generate glass or concrete ceilings. We see it at work in technology, where it also affects women, not just URM’s. Where does this culture come from? Our K-12 teachers have mandatory multicultural education training in their degree programs that prepare them for how to avoid bias and prejudice in the classroom. Higher education does not have any such requirements.

The key to changing organizational culture in industry, government, and research institutions begins with multicultural education and micro-inequities awareness training at all levels of academia – and must be supported at the highest levels of administration. Once we have experienced our own biases and how we use them in our daily lives, we can start to see how they permeate everything we do, how we make judgments based upon them, and how we exclude. Graduates will hopefully take their new awareness with them to their employers, wherever that may be, and thus the organization culture within technology companies would change.

The third gatekeeper is environment – and by this, I mean the environment in our colleges and workplaces. No doubt you have read the physorg.com article “Of Girls and Geeks: Environment may be why women don’t like computer science”. If you look inside most tech companies, you will see aisles and aisles of cubicles, and standard layouts for cubicle desks and equipment. If you walk down the halls of many engineering departments, many lack art of any kind, much less art that is culturally inclusive.

I took my 14-year-old daughter, 14-year-old nephew, and 18-year-old niece to UCSD last week to visit the engineering department there. Though the external campus was beautiful, we walked through the Jacobs School of Engineering and the majority of walls were bare, aside from some highly technical posters on various subjects. In the new Computer Science and Engineering building, again, very little art to entice shy, young, aspiring computer scientists and engineers into the building. We walked down the halls of the second floor, and while the interior offices might be highly personalized, the exterior halls were not, save for one post-doc with a cartoon on the door labeling himself “indentured servant”.

To the prospective student who has had mentors and sponsors in STEM, that experience alone would not deter them from entering. To the URM who has experienced many “closed doors”, it increases the sense of not belonging, not feeling welcomed, and that this is not a place where they can be successful. Never mind that they may be more resourceful, resilient, and just as talented as their pedigreed peers, but perhaps not as polished.

All three gatekeepers can be addressed through awareness. I have had the unique opportunity to experience all of them (in particular, barriers to academic positions upon receipt of my PhD), which is why I am so passionate on these issues. Perhaps you’ve had a chance to read Dr. Richard Tapia’s article on hiring and developing minority faculty at research universities (link is below).

Richard’s article strikes a chord when he shares the story of his talk "Why the Berkeley Math Department Would Never Hire Me." I could give several variants on that talk, from my own experiences. The irony is that I’m just the sort of person that industry and academia need – the sort of person who can be the diverse voice, the person who offers inclusiveness, sponsorship, and mentorship, the change agent that is needed to move women and minorities forward, if only the gatekeepers would let me pass through.

To implement a multicultural education program within a university, it must be supported at the highest levels, and training must happen at these levels on down the chain of command to the lowest level. How feasible is such a program? What are the advantages a university with such a program can demonstrate? How can they market themselves to compete for the best and brightest students? What if funding agencies would give priority to funding universities with this designation? What if accreditation organizations used this as a factor in accreditation decisions? I think this would certainly accelerate the adoption of such programs, leveling the playing field across the board.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Patty Lopez

Lessons from the Investiture

When I first came to the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), several faculty and a couple of deans asked me if we would be having a 'big' celebration, what some termed an 'inauguration.' After all, UHD had never had an investiture. I explained that I wasn't fully comfortable with making such a decision and that it should be up to the campus. I was adamant that if we did organize an investiture, I wanted to be sure that we would keep costs low and use the event for fund raising, especially for student scholarships. I also felt we should use the investiture to further build the reputation of the university and its ties to the community.

Well, we certainly did that. With sponsorships throughout the week, in-kind contributions, pledges and actual cash donations, we are figure the campus raised a little more than $450,000, with about $350,000 going to scholarships! That's pretty exciting, especially since we put the scholarship dinner together in less than four months.

We learned a lot through the activities, which everyone enjoyed. So, here are some lessons:

1) Make Sure the Campus Leadership Buys Into the Decision. The Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government leadership all were directly involved in organizing our events. A vice president and a faculty member co-chaired the Investiture Committee and involved scores of faculty, staff and students in the committee and many more organizing the events.

2) Showcase the Work of Students, Staff, and Faculty. Musical and dance performances by students and faculty were interspersed throughout the week. We set up a permanent faculty publications display in the library and held several well-attended faculty panels. The cheer squad led chants at different events and we introduced the National Championship Powerlifting Team. Students and staff held auditions to see who would sing the Star-Spangled Banner at the event. Student scholastic work was showcased in poster session, alongside displays of faculty art work.

3) Link the Investiture to Existing Campus and Community Events. We were able to connect with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's Bayou Regatta, a citywide canoe and kayak race that ends near the campus. Also, the Bayou Partnership provided boat ride tours of the Bayou on Friday during Investiture week, where docents explained the history of the Bayou and buildings along the Bayou, including the old Merchant and Mercantile building where UHD now sits.

We also linked with the citywide FotoFest which launched Friday night, which held its opening reception next to the UHD College of Business building. We began the week with the citywide annual Fulbright Arts Festival, which was held at UHD that first Saturday and ended with the Regatta and the 51st Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, which is organized and sponsored in part by UHD. And, we moved a lecture by former Lt. Governor Bill Hobby to Investiture Week, who gave a wonderful lecture, 'A Political Atlas of Texas.' All of this was done without extra cost.

4. Raise Money! When we first began organizing the investiture there was considerable skepticism about our ability to raise any funds during a recession. But, we used the opportunity to meet with alumni, past donors, advisory boards, and several local companies, some of which do business with the university. Everyone was happy to give whatever they could. Sometimes it was a pledge, other times, it was a steep reduction in price, or a donation to the events. Keep track of every penny raised and thank every donor!

5. Keep Perspective: The Investiture is About the University, Not the President. We used the opportunity to strengthen relations with our alumni, our donors, our regents, with the system, with elected officials, and with the community-at-large. Several presidents and delegates came from Texas and from colleges and universities in other states, and from Mexico. Rather than renting a hotel, we held the Scholarship Dinner on campus at our University Events Center. And, we held the Investiture Ceremony at the city-owned Wortham Center. Throughout the week, we used the ceremonies and week-long activities to raise the public profile of the campus. We received wonderful coverage in the press and had good attendance for most of the events.

6. Have Fun. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we ended the Friday events with a staff roundup and Chili Cook-Off. The event was organized by the UHD Staff Council We had live music and lots of booths. Everyone had a great time.

I did my best to attend as many Investiture events as possible. Some I spoke at, some I simply attended and enjoyed. And, I found time to spend with family and friends, many of whom came to Houston for the celebration. Family and friends came from California, New Mexico, Texas and other states. I incorporated them into the activities, but also found time to spend only with family.

All-in-all the UHD Investiture Week was a great success! The campus is much closer now. There is a wonderful spirit among the faculty, staff, and students. As a university, we are moving forward. Yes, at UHD we truly are 'Making a Name for Ourselves.' And, we are 'Changing Lives, Building Futures!'

The Investiture speech can be viewed here.

Changing Lives, Building Futures

The following is the text of my Investiture Speech (or view the video here):

Chancellor Renu Khator, Regent Welcome Wilson, President Jay Gogue and the many other presidents, including the UHD past presidents, and delegates, elected officials, faculty and alumni, friends and those of you who traveled far, I want to thank each of you for joining us today.

I am very pleased to have several family members here with me today and I would like to introduce, my wife, Celina; my father, Bill, who I am named after; my brother, Glenn; and my wife’s mother, Emma. Unfortunately, my Mother is no longer with us, but I am certain she is looking down from heaven and smiling with pride.

This is truly a very special day and occasion that brings new history to the University Of Houston-Downtown, UHD. I am deeply moved by all of the contributions we have received to fully fund this investiture and to create or expand several endowed scholarships for our students. I especially thank our sponsors and our donors. We are extremely grateful for your generosity and commitment to UHD! Your support truly is “Changing Lives, Building Futures.”

I also want to thank the regents, the past presidents, the faculty and staff of UHD, and the legislators. Your vision in establishing the University Of Houston-Downtown has given Houston an amazing university. UHD sits in the heart of the city, connected by freeway, rail and bayou. You had the foresight to build the university downtown and we receive students from every corner of Houston. Thank you.

As I stand here today, looking at my father, who has always been an inspiration to me, I cannot help but think of the theme of the investiture, “Changing Lives, Building Futures,” which resonates with my own life.

Education provided me with an immense opportunity for a very different life than I would have had without a college degree. After all, I never dreamt of being a university president.

In fact, growing up I didn’t think about going to college, at least not in the beginning. I was the only one in my family, including many cousins, to go to college and earn a degree directly out of high school.

Why was this the case? I am convinced it was because of my family. I grew up with parents committed to education. When I was in the third grade, my Dad went back to school. He had left high school to fight in World War II. He took classes at night while working full time. He would study at breakfast and dinner. And, sometimes I studied with him and with my Mom. I learned to love reading and to value education.

I remember when we got our first encyclopedia, buying a volume every week at the local store for 49 cents when we bought a bag of groceries. We traveled that summer for vacation and we missed one of the volumes, the letter “S.” It always seemed I needed something from that missing volume. Later, my Mom bought a complete set of the world book encyclopedia. I remember sitting down, grabbing each volume with excitement, looking at the pictures, and reading the articles.

My Mother often said, “Books open up the world. You can see places you could never visit and read about things you will never experience.”

Like many young boys, I thought I would be a firefighter or maybe a jet pilot. Most of my family had been in the armed forces or worked in aerospace. My Dad worked for the Department of Defense, my Mom had worked on airplanes during World War II, painting the dials on the control panels of the planes. Several aunts and cousins worked in the defense plants. In high school, I worked one summer as a machinist, grinding and polishing ailerons for the wings of the C5A transport carrier.

When I was in elementary school, my Dad took the family to the natural history museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park and I was awed by a display of dinosaurs. I wanted to dig up dinosaur bones. So, I got a little claw hammer and started digging up the backyard with our dog digging alongside me. We didn’t find any bones, but that didn’t stop me. I think we did some serious damage to a fruit tree. Later, I longed to be an astronaut and walk on the moon. When I started college, I wanted to be a doctor and save lives.

Now, I am a president and don’t do any of those things. Even so, college opened the door of opportunity and created pathways for my future. A college education meant that I could have more than just a job. It has allowed me several exciting careers. I’ve run a health center, worked in non-profits and for private industry. Later, I earned a doctoral degree and taught at various universities. And, of course, it led me here to Houston and onto this stage for this celebratory occasion.

And, I’m proud to be UHD’S President. Why? UHD is the thirteenth largest public university in Texas. It is also one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country. We have truly great faculty and staff who are committed to this institution, to its mission, and to our students.

UHD opens the doors of opportunity for our students, who are often the first generation in their family to attend college. Most work at least 30 hours per week while attending classes and many of our students work full time.

At the same time, we understand higher education must be affordable and of the highest quality. UHD remains committed to opportunity, access and affordability. And, we are committed to excellence.

UHD is truly an opportunity university in Houston--the City of Opportunity. It is where working students and professionals can earn their degrees. And as you walk through the halls, you will see, UHD looks like Houston, just as Houston looks like the future of America!

Universities play a special role in society. But, there is always tension around change. Universities bridge yesterday with tomorrow. Universities are relics of time and thresholds to the future. They are bulwarks of tradition and engines of innovation. We wear these fancy robes and funny hats that go all the way back to the middle ages. An investiture was when the pope invested a bishop, or a king invested a lord with land and title. Of course, presidents don't have the power or authority of kings or lords. But, we oversee great universities, which study the past and make discoveries that can open up new and exciting worlds, and provide understanding of the past and present.

As Albert Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning.” That is what we help students do, to understand the present, to think critically, and to build bright futures.

We cannot linger in the past, lest we fail to grasp the future. Henry Kissinger once said, “It is far easier to change the course of history, than to change a history course.”

After all, it takes a professor years of research to earn a Ph.D. and, it can take even longer for disciplines to accept new ideas or new ways of doing things. But universities must change to better serve our students. The world is changing rapidly and we must change with it.

There is an old Hebrew proverb: “Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.”

That was never more true than today. After all, as faculty, many of us were trained decades ago, in what is now a previous century. We are completing the first decade of not only a new century, but, indeed, a new millennium.

Today, students confront a turbulent, global economy with rising powers, such as China and India. In fact, this morning’s news had a story on the richest person in the world. It is no longer Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. It is communications giant Carlos Slim from Mexico. In fact, India, Brazil and Mexico accounted for four of the ten richest people in the world. So the world is changing. And, as we saw with the worldwide recession, every country’s economy is interdependent. We cannot predict what the future will bring. Yet, we must prepare our students for this very complex and changing world.

We also have entered a digital, interactive, connected and convergent world. The high school graduating class of 2020 enters the third grade next fall. They were born in the 21st century. They are growing up in a digital world—-where, for them, cell phones have always taken photographs, where their brothers and sisters have always sent each other text messages, and where the first place they go when they have a question is to Google or Wikipedia.

These students of the new millennium will need a very different education than what we received. It is our responsibility to provide it to them. We must to build a university that meets the needs of the 21st century.

Since I arrived, I have engaged the university in a broad and inclusive planning process. We are thinking about how teaching and learning must change to better prepare our students. In the next few years, you will see profound changes at UHD. I am excited by the enthusiasm and the willingness of our faculty and staff to try new things and to re-envision and remake the university. In fact, many UHD faculty are leaders in applying technology to their research and their teaching.

Universities are America’s best source of innovation, imagination, discovery, invention and creativity. Our students will become tomorrow’s teachers, social workers, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists and scientists. They will build tomorrow’s world and we must give them the tools today to make their world a better place. Who knows? One day one of our students may discover a cure for cancer—or at least, perhaps, the common cold.

Great universities are essential to America’s future. To maintain its leadership position internationally, more Americans must receive a college education. And they must be prepared for this world of growing complexity and rapid technological change.

We are working on plans to ensure that every student receives a deep and memorable experience at UHD, be it internships, undergraduate research, civic engagement or capstone projects. We will improve student success at UHD; we will increase the number of students who graduate each year.

At UHD, we care about Houston and Texas and we want to help create a city of the future, just as we are working to build a university of the future. We address social problems confronting Houston and urge our students to address these problems through research and community service. Over the next few years, we will develop new undergraduate and graduate degrees and will add more online courses and degrees to meet the needs of Houston’s and America’s changing global economy. And, we will build a strong, leading metropolitan comprehensive university, one that will make Houston proud. And, we will work hard to become a leader nationally in educating first generation students, especially Hispanics and African Americans.

A great city is more than skyscrapers. It is more than steel, concrete and highways. A great city such as Houston must have a spirit that transcends the present and captivates the imagination. Universities help create that spirit and raise the aspirations and imaginations of the citizenry.

Houston must have an educated citizenry and UHD helps do just that. But, we do more than simply train, educate and provide degrees. We elevate aspirations and thinking. We help our students achieve their dreams. We change lives and build futures.

In 1914, philosopher John Dewey who believed that education is life itself, wrote, “Universities are public, not just because they receive public funds, but because they serve the public good and prepare citizens for the good of society.” That’s what we do.

UHD provides students with opportunities for life-long learning. Of course, students work hard to earn degrees, but we also provide them with the tools to build a future: critical thinking skills, the ability to communicate, the ability to relate to others and work in teams, an appreciation for right and wrong, for ethics, diversity and the ability to work with individuals from all cultures and walks of life.

Our students gain lessons in leadership and the ability to look beyond themselves. They will have the skills to address the problems our country will face and make discoveries that our society will need as the world changes. We prepare students to be engaged citizens in today’s global society, which, in turn, strengthens the fabric of our democracy.

I am reminded of Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1930s. The country had just come out of a terrible depression and war loomed on the horizon. Yet, she was hopeful. For her America could not wait for tomorrow to construct a new world today. She said, “It is today we must create the world of the future.”

Yes! Today! We must create the future!

And, as the fifth President of the University of Houston-Downtown, I am very proud to be here and together we change lives and build futures.

And like that Black Eyed Peas’ song, "Let’s Get It Started!"

Thank you.

The Balancing Act Between Cuts and Quality

A friend of mine, who has been a president for a long time once told me, "It's easy to be a president when you have lots of money to give out."

Obviously, that's not the case for most university presidents today, especially presidents of public universities. States have sharply reduced appropriations. Endowments plummeted. And, tax revenues are still falling. The next biennium will make things worse, as states that shored up budgets with stimulus dollars will see those monies disappear, leaving a huge hole in base appropriations. Higher education will be hit hard in most states.

Most public universities, including the University of Houston-Downtown, have instituted some form of hiring freeze. Many have instituted furloughs and have reduced or eliminated non-essential travel. Others are undergoing drastic cuts, eliminating programs or even departments. Some state universities have already been forced to layoff staff and adjuncts. Now, some are laying off tenured faculty.

At UHD we are still going through our budget process. Believe it or not, this past month we actually made a very tough decision, but one that I think will strengthen the university. We will be hiring additional tenure track faculty because of our rapid growth. But, we also decided to reduce the faculty teaching load during a time of budget reductions. In doing so, we are investing in our future.

Two years ago the Academic Senate voted to reduce the teaching load from 4-4 to 4-3, with the desire to eventually move to a 3-3 teaching load, as we grow graduate programs and research. A 4/4 teaching load means that faculty teach 4 courses in the fall semester and four courses in the spring semester. A 4/3 means that in one semester the faculty member teaches 4 courses, in the next he or she teaches 3. Most of UHD's peer institutions in the region are already on a 3/3 or 4/3 teaching load.

When I arrived as president, I was surprised to learn of the new policy and its pending implementation. A few people urged me to postpone the move for an additional year or, at least, to consider phasing it in. Instead, we decided to authorize faculty hires to prepare for the transition to 4/3. We were making plans to fully implement the policy when the Governor notified us of a 5% rescission for this current fiscal year and for next.

After meeting with the Faculty Senate and talking with faculty, I realized that the policy was very important to them. Workload is not the same thing as teaching load. Faculty may teach 4 classes, each of which meets 3 hours per week, but that doesn't mean that they only work 12 hours per week. In fact, according to several workload studies, faculty throughout the country tend to work between 60 and 70 hours per week.

Faculty advise students on their major, career paths, and graduate school. They serve on committees (such as budget, personnel, curriculum, and assessment). They conduct research, develop service-learning and civic engagements projects, develop new courses and new degrees, apply for grants (which are complicated, cumbersome, and often rejected despite all the work), publish articles and books, attend professional conferences where they present their research, and, of course, prepare and update their courses. New technologies also pose challenges, as faculty must learn new software or tools.

By moving from a 4-4 teaching load to a 4-3 teaching load, we affirmed that our faculty need to have time to pursue their research and other professional activities. Moreover, we recognize that faculty do not fit in one mold. Some, because of their disciplines or professional interests, are involved in creative activities, such as developing a jazz or dance performance or writing a play. Others are interested in exploring new applications of their research. Still others are working with schools or nonprofits, applying their research to help improve student achievement in K-12 or to address social problems within Houston.

So, despite a 5% reduction for this year and next, we are moving forward with a reduction in teaching load. Even so, faculty are making adjustments. We will hire new faculty, but probably not as many full-time tenure track positions as we would like. We are reducing the number of low-enrolled courses, increasing class sizes (where appropriate and consistent with learning outcomes), and faculty will be asked to teach more online courses and to develop online and graduate degrees.

As I explained in a previous post, I have appointed an Efficiencies and Budget Reduction Task Force to review our budget and procedures. The Task Force will make recommendations on cost savings and revenue generation. As an institution, UHD will make additional adjustments in the next few years to find efficiencies and to reduce base budget costs, while freeing up monies for strategic initiatives.

We will also move forward to implement programs that will better recruit, retain, and graduate our students. So, we will hire new staff, particularly advisers, recruiters, and other staff working in programs dedicated to student success. We will invest in areas that grow resources, such as research and development. We will expand distance education with a new learning center and with online courses and degrees.

As we further develop our vision and strategic plan with our planning process, we will invest in key areas that will bring distinction to the university. I am confident that even tough times, together we will make smart decisions--decisions that will make us stronger, more efficient, and better at our prime mission, helping students to succeed. As the budget process continues, I will describe our decisions. I believe we are on the right path and will grow stronger through the process.

A Problem for America: The Soaring Cost of Higher Education

Almost every day, we hear horror stories of students who have dropped out of college because they could no longer afford the cost. In mid-February of this year, students at the University of Colorado dressed in black and held a mock funeral for higher education. Several held signs with how much they owed in bright red. One student interviewed on television owed $50,000.

It is not uncommon for private universities to cost $50,000 or more, most of it just for tuition. Many public universities cost $40,000 for out-of-state students and $30,000 or more for in-state, most of this too represents tuition and fees. Add in books and the cost of living on campus and public higher education is becoming unaffordable to a growing number of Americans.

Six-of-ten students who graduate from public four-year colleges in the U.S. leave college with a combined debt (loans and credit cards) of $20,000 or more. If they go to graduate school, it is common to leave with debts of $50,000-75,000 or more.

And, the recession has made it worse. As the budget crunch has forced states to cut funding to public universities, resulting in higher tuition rates. States can't afford to continue to fund higher education institutions at the rate they did a few years ago, let alone a few decades ago.

In the University of Houston system state support has gone from 60% of total revenues 20 years ago to barely 25% today. Monies from tuition and fees now account for 60% of those revenues!

While financial aid has grown in absolute numbers, most financial aid (approximately 70% nationally) is in the form of loans. So, student indebtedness has grown and is compounded by the growing use of credit cards, as college students increasingly rely on credit cards to pay for books, food, clothing, and other expenses.

A recent report by Public Agenda and the National Institute for Public Policy and Higher Education, Squeeze Play 2010, found a drop in public trust of higher education. In 2007, 43% of those interviewed felt that colleges care about education and providing a quality educational experience for students. In 2010, that number had dropped to only 32% of respondents. Equally bad, in 2007, 52% of respondents felt that colleges were more like businesses and mainly care about the bottom line, today that number has grown to 60% of those surveyed.

Perhaps even worse, the report discusses what they term a 'misery index.' In 2000, 45% of those surveyed felt that the vast majority of qualified and motivated students have the opportunity to attend college. Today, that number has dropped to 28% of those surveyed. In the same ten year period, the number of people who felt that a college education is necessary for success in today's work world rose from 31% to 55%.

So, more people believe college is essential, but a huge portion feel that college is no longer affordable and that many qualified student will be unable to attend college. There is good reason to be concerned. According to a 2009 report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), from 1970 to 2005, CPI-adjusted tuition and fees at 4-year public universities rose 177% (although net revenue rose only 140%).

Between 2005 and 2010, tuition and fees at public universities grew by twice the rate of inflation. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, between 1982 and 2007, family income only rose by 147%, the CPI rose by 106%, yet tuition shot-up by 439%. In the same period, the percentage of household income needed to send a child to college rose from 20% to 28%.

Meanwhile, the amount of total college costs covered by scholarships and grants declined. Pell Grants covered 52% of the cost of college (tuition, fees, book, and room and board) for qualifying freshmen in 1987-88, but only 32% in 2009. During the same period, the percentage represented by student loans doubled. State aid also declined relative to the rising cost of tuition. Between 2001-02 and 2006-07, average state financial aid grew by 28% from $480 to $613, but average state tuition rose from just over $3700 to nearly $6,000 (a rise of 54%).

Moreover, states are reducing need-based aid, while increasing the portion of merit-based aid or, as in Texas, pairing need with merit. In 1987-88 only 17% of state-aid was merit-based, today that percentage has increased to 28% of all state-based financial aid. Financial aid is diminishing relative to cost precisely at a time when more Americans need college degrees and more students are Hispanic, first-generation, and from poor and working class families.

There are no easy answers. State appropriations are being drastically cut. Most states survived the recession with deep cuts and by using stimulus dollars to fill big holes in the budget. The picture will get worse in 2012 when stimulus dollars disappear. So, universities raise tuition, and students are forced to work more hours and take more loans to obtain a college degree.

Even so, America must confront the reality that higher education is becoming unaffordable to a large portion of Americans. We cannot turn our backs on working class and middle class Americans. America grew strong after World War II because of the GI Bill. Many veterans, including my father, earned their high school diploma and many went to college, because of the GI Bill. To keep America strong, we must have more Americans obtain college degrees and we must make the path to college affordable.

Similarly, universities must commit to keeping down the costs of higher education and to increasing need-based scholarships. States and the federal government must find ways to increase Pell Grants, and other need-based financial aid.

Next year, tuition and fees at the University of Houston-Downtown will increase by $113 for students taking 12 hours. The tuition and fee increases will be used to promote student success, so that we can increase need-based scholarships, hire more faculty and staff (particularly those in student services), and maintain or expand programs that support students (such as supplemental instruction and mentoring programs).

No one wants to raise tuition, particularly at UHD, where we serve mainly working class and first-generation college students. Nearly 90% of our students are eligible for some form of financial aid. Our student body is 37% Hispanic and 28% African American and the vast majority come from households earning less than $40,000.

Like every public university in Texas, UHD also had to make state-mandated cuts of 5% for both FY2010 and FY2011. Still, we are committed to keeping UHD affordable and to promoting student success. UHD remains one of the most affordable four-year public universities in Texas. UHD is one of the best values in higher education. It provides a high-quality education at a low cost. And, we intend to keep it that way. But, even more importantly, we pledge to make it an institution known for both opportunity and student success.

Our Faculty and Staff Do Great Things

In my last post I gave examples of some of the amazing accomplishments of the students at the University of Houston-Downtown. I’m also very impressed by our faculty and staff. There are too many to list here, so I will provide only a few examples.

I begin with a faculty member whose research may one day protect wine crops in Texas. Lisa Morano, an associate professor of Natural Sciences, along with her team of undergraduate students has been tracking the genetic footprint of Pierce disease as it makes its way from the Gulf of Mexico to central Texas. Pierce disease is caused by the xylella bacteria and is spread by the glassy-winged sharpshooter (homalodisca vitripennis).

Morano's students, most of whom are part of UHD’s Scholars Academy, perform DNA extractions to help create genetic fingerprints in the laboratory. The students present their research at national conferences and most plan to pursue graduate degrees. Says Dr. Morano, “We’re bringing science to life and giving undergraduate students the opportunity to do something they wouldn’t normally be able to do until graduate school.”

UHD faculty members are involved in research in many subjects and their research often provides research opportunities for our undergraduates. For example, associate professor Jeff Flosi’s expertise on mosquitoes and the diseases they carry has led a number of students to conduct research projects on the West Nile virus. Like Morano, Dr. Flosi’s work has stimulated many students to pursue graduate degrees and several have gone on to medical school or doctoral programs.

Dr. David Ryden, associate professor of history, learned that his book, “West Indian Slavery and British Abolition, 1783-1807,” has been selected as one of the Outstanding Academic Titles of 2009. This is a prestigious honor that virtually guarantees that his book, already out of print, will appear in libraries across the country. The book will go into a second printing and is a great success. Dr. Ryden credits the UHD Faculty Development Leave Program as instrumental in helping him complete his book, as it enabled him to step away from class and focus on his research and writing.

Dr. Ermelinda DeLaVina, associate professor of mathematical sciences, has been featured in a publication of Sally Ride Science aimed at middle school and high school students. Sally Ride, you will remember, was the first woman to successfully fly into space back in 1983. The publication gives students a first-hand look at women who have established successful careers in math and science, providing role models that provide guidance and inspiration. Dr. DeLaVina’s work and strong reputation for mentoring students interested in STEM fields has won her national recognition, which is why she was included in the project.

UHD has a renowned jazz musician and conductor, Robert Wilson. Wilson and one of the jazz group he leads, the Young Sounds of Houston, have been invited to perform at a New Orleans Jazz Festival. He has also been asked by the U.S. Park Service to assist their efforts to reclaim jazz heritage in New Orleans by helping to build interest in jazz among young people in New Orleans. For his work, UHD has created a new role and title. Wilson has been appointed as our university’s first Musician Artist-in-Residence. According to Wilson, “This is a great honor that will help me attract more students and build greater support for our jazz program.”

There’s also great staff at UHD. For example, Po-Chu “Anges” Leung, the director of testing services at UHD, won the “Cathy Erwin Humanitarian Award” from the Texas Education Agency for her outstanding work in administering GED exams to thousands of Houston and nearby residents. By her work, she has helped these students to pursue college work at UHD and community colleges. Ms. Leung began her career by first passing a GED herself. She told me, “I love opening the doors of opportunity for our students.”

The UHD IT department has also been recognized for its Strategic Plan for Information Technology. Under the leadership of Hossein Shahrohki, associate vice president for IT, the department has made UHD one of the most modern and up-to-date campuses in the country. Their Strategic Plan was highlight as outstanding example for government agencies in the online publication, Texas Ahead, published by the Texas Controller of Public Accounts.

I wish I had room to list so many other UHD faculty and staff who give their time and expertise to our student and to the community. They serve on school boards, volunteer in homeless shelters, tutor children in middle schools, and gather coats for kids to keep them warm in the winter. They work without public accolades or recognition. But, they help make Houston a better place to live. Hearing their stories makes be proud and I will provide more examples of their work in future posts. Stay tuned, because our faculty and staff are doing new and exciting things every day.

Faces of the Future: Amazing Accomplishments of UHD Students

One of the true joys of being the president of the University of Houston-Downtown is having an opportunity to meet some of our outstanding students. They are the faces of America's future. 

I have previously mentioned the work of our Powerlifting Team that has won two national championships and our Model UN team that has gone on to win recognition in New York, Madrid, Paris, Mexico City, and Milan.  But, our students just keep winning.  We even have one student who is an Olympic medalist and has written a book about her experiences!

On Saturday, February 6th, the UHD Powerlifting Team successfully defended its WABDL National Collegiate Team Championship--its third consecutive national championship! The team achieved its victory over a particularly difficult opponent, UT San Antonio. The team's coach, John Hudson, who is an assistant professor of English and who requires all team members to maintain a 2.5 GPA in order to compete, exclaimed, "UTSA is a great team and they bring out the best in our lifters."

The UHD team received a perfect score!  The Team Co-captain, Ilian Rojas, scored 165 points and 1st Place in the Bench Press, 1st Place in the Deadlift, and 1st Place Total!  He was one of four students who joined me a few days prior to the tournament, when I spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Houston.

Rojas wore two national championship medals to the luncheon.  A sophomore majoring in applied mathematics, he serves as a UHD Ambassador and works as personal trainer in the UHD Sports and Fitness Department.  Ilian graduated from the Yes College Prep academy in Houston in 2008.  He had never tried  powerlifting until he came to UHD.  Now he is a national champion with three team medals!

Another amazing student who joined us for the luncheon is Melissa Chan, a UHD Chemistry major.  She already has an undergraduate degree, having graduated from CUNY's Hunter College with a triple major in German, Russian and Political Science.  Ms. Chan works as an animal behavioral specialist at the SPCA in Houston.

Melissa has earned recognition for her undergraduate research in electro-chemical analysis and will present her work at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research in Montana later this year.  Next year, she will earn dual degrees from UHD and the Technical University of Lodz in Poland.  She plans to pursue a PhD in neuropharmacology in Germany.

Also joining us at the Kiwanis luncheon was Gaspar Gonzales, a full-time student in the Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts program with an emphasis in music.  He serves as an intern to the administration of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, where he will learn the business and marketing side of running a chamber orchestra.  Gonzales works part-time as a music teacher at Stevenson Elementary School in the Heights.

Finally, there was Claudio Saenz, a junior in international business, who is a Microsoft Student Partner.  He teaches students and staff on UH System universities about software and technology.  The job allows him to connect with other students who are passionate about technology, marketing, and learning.  Saenz works full-time at DI Central a business-to-business software company.  With all of this, Saenz is a full-time student.

But, these are only a few of our Stars at UHD.  Let me mention a few other amazing UHD students:

Diana Lopez won the bronze medal in the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lopez and her brothers made history that year by being the first set of four siblings to represent the U.S. on the same Olympic Team, and for having three siblings win medals in the same sport. Ms. Lopez  is a junior majoring in interdisciplinary studies.

Her book, “Family Power,” was co-authored with her brothers. It was released in late 2009 by Penguin Press and chronicles the hard work of the Lopez trio as they became 'America’s First Family of Tae Kwon Do.'  She explains, “We do everything together. It made sense to write a book together.” 

UHD also has world class salsa dancer.  A business major at UHD, Vanessa Pinon, and her partner danced nearly flawlessly in Japan at the international salsa championships in Japan. They finished 11th, but qualified to dance in the World Championships in Miami later this year.  Ms. Pinon will be dancing at UHD on Tuesday March 9th as part of the festivities of Investiture Week.

Abdul Jangda is a junior majoring in industrial chemistry at the University of Houston-Downtown.   A student in the UHD Scholars Academy,  Jangda's chemistry research centered on detecting metal particles in liquid by using special plastics capable of conducting electricity.  He developed a special plastic polymer while working with UHD assistant professor of Chemistry, Mian Jiang.

Jangda presented his work at a recent Sigma Xi science research conference and received a superior rating. The judges commented that his work has many potential medical uses and appears to be relatively affordable.  They believe a polymer with the right qualities could lower the cost of testing blood for sodium, potassium, glucose and other elements that doctors use to diagnose and treat patients.

That would be great wouldn't it?  Reducing the price of medical tests could reduce the costs of medical care.  Who knows, maybe one of these days a UHD student will tackle lowering the cost of health care insurance!

Each of these students are helping UHD to Make a Name for Itself.  That's been our mantra this past year.  We want everyone to know just how wonderful the University of Houston-Downtown really is.  We want every to know the great things our students achieve.

I am truly impressed by the accomplishments of our UHD Gators.  And, I am proud to be the president of their university.

Our Approach to Cutbacks: Tough Choices, Hopefully to Make Us Stronger

Making cuts are difficult for anyone, especially for a new president.  They are particularly hard when you had hoped to recommend pay raises.  In fact, that's just what we were prepared to do here at the University of Houston-Downtown. We had planned on giving a mid-year raise conditional on increased enrollments and growth in the economy. And, enrollments have gone up.

So, we were in the process of preparing our budget submissions for the UH System and to the UH System Board of Regents with a 2% merit increase, when we received notice from the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the Speaker of the House requiring all Texas public universities to prepare for a 5% rescission for each of the two years of the budget cycle. The budget reductions are necessary because of declining state revenues from sales tax and declining revenues from oil and natural gas (prices dropped dramatically, but are heading upwards again).

UHD must now prepare for budgets cuts of nearly $1.4 million for each of the two years in the biennium (a total of roughly $2.8 million).  Add in the amount of money that came from stimulus funds, about $1.2 million (which will disappear in 2012), and we must prepare for various cuts which total about $4 million.  That may not sound like a lot, but we depend on state appropriations to fund our basic operations.

Nor do we have much turnaround time. As a system, we have to submit our plans by February 15th.  Campuses have to submit their plans to the UH System office even earlier.  So, we are already putting together plans for the first round of cuts.

At this past Friday's Convocation with faculty and staff,  I assured everyone that we will pursue and an open and inclusive process in making these decisions. While we will not be able to give pay raises this year, it is important that we undertake the reductions in a careful, reflective, and planned way, securing jobs as much as possible, and expanding services to our students so that we can continue our growth.  UHD currently has just under 13,000 students and we are growing every year.

The new base period begins this summer.  Enrollments achieved during the base period will drive funding for the upcoming FY 2012/2013 biennium. So, UHD will continue to grow its enrollments and we will qualify for more funding through state appropriations.  We will hire new faculty and we will hire the staff we require to support student success.  UHD is known for its small classes, for the attention students receive from faculty and staff, and for our focus on helping students succeed.  That won't change.  If anything, we intend to do an even better job of retaining and graduating students.

Also, we will do everything we can to provide pay raises next year. Going two years without pay increases damages faculty and staff morale.  It would undercut our efforts to recruit top talent and hurt our ability to retain our highly committed and high-performing faculty and staff, who are the heart of UHD and who are critical to our success. 

Our situation reminds me of comments by John F. Kennedy made in a speech in Indianapolis on April 12, 1959.  JFK pointed out, that the Chinese character for the word 'crisis' (wei ji) contains two concepts. One represents 'danger,' while the other represents 'opportunity.'  In times of great difficulty, whether severe crisis or simply difficult challenges, some recoil from fear of danger, while others prosper by pursuing opportunity.

At UHD, we will grow stronger, for we have a strong foundation to build upon.  We have already begun a planning process to decide on areas of strength we want to expand.  These discussions will guide us as we begin to make the tough decisions ahead. 

We are not going to take across-the-board cuts.  Rather, we will pin-point reductions.  While cuts for the current year (FY2010) won't be easy, they should be relatively straight forward.  We will use savings from lapsed or vacant positions, unallocated funds that would have been distributed later this year, along with the monies that would have gone to pay increases.  That just about gets us to $1.4 million.

Reductions for FY2011 will be more challenging.  This year enrollments are projected to grow over last year by about 4%, so we need to provide sufficient class sections, advisers, transcript evaluators, and support staff.  Also, we are initiating classes in a new educational facility at the HP campus near Hwy. 249 northwest of Houston. The University Park, owned by Lone Star College System will house several universities, including UHD. We will begin classes there this summer and expand classes in the fall and spring.

Moreover, it is very important that we begin some of the initiatives identified through the planning process, particularly those that will help retain and graduate more students, ensuring that they receive the high-quality education for which UHD is known.

So, we actually need more money and more positions at the same time we will have less.  This is a conundrum confronting many higher education institutions throughout the country.  How you do provide more with less?

Clearly, we can't do it the same way we've done it in the past.  We have to change our processes, find efficiencies, reduce low-enrolled courses, expand enrollments for some classes without affecting quality, provide more classes in the evenings and weekends, offer more online and hybrid courses, institute cost savings, etc. And, we will accomplish these reductions while also improving the quality of student learning.

We have decided to institute two approaches to help us decide on the budget reductions.  First, I will appoint an Efficiencies and Budget Reductions Task Force composed of representatives from faculty, staff, and some students.  I have already asked constituent groups to submit nominees.  The Task Force won't have enough time to draft the Feb. 15th response to the Governor and the LLB.  That will be developed by the vice presidents with me and shared broadly throughout the campus.   Rather, the Task Force will review the budget, examine data on space and staff utilization, cost centers,  expenditures per area relative to peers, etc.  The Task Force will recommend short and long-term solutions that we can take as a university to reduce costs while also expanding services and pursuing new initiatives and priorities.

Secondly, we will ask employees to submit their suggestions for cost savings.  We hope to receive many helpful recommendations.  We will implement all those that reduce costs and strengthen the institution.  The faculty or staff member who submits the idea which results in the most savings will be honored next year.

The U.S. economy will pick up and the state budget will improve. On Friday (Jan. 29), we learned that nationally the  economy grew by 5.7% in the fourth quarter.  This is the second quarter in a row that we have had some growth. The previous quarter the economy grew by 2.2%.  So, we are seeing good signs.

The Dallas Fed predicts that by the end of 2010 Texas will have a net increase of 100,000 new jobs (over and above those lost during the recession).   According to projections by the Greater Houston Partnership, Houston should complete the year with a net increase of 10,000 new jobs.   

Houston is doing well and so is UHD.  We may be making reductions, but we will use them to grow stronger.  As we embark on the cuts, I suggested to our faculty and staff  that we consider a basic principle from Jim Collin's book, Good to Great, which is that you must focus your resources for success.  As anyone who has ever grown roses knows, you can't just let them grow unattended.  To produce strong, healthy roses, you must prune the bushes from time-to-time.

That's what we will do.  We will trim the bushes.  And, I assure you, we will produce beautiful roses here at UHD.   It is an opportunity to examine the institution and make improvements.   And, we will grow stronger and better in the process.