getting engaged - University of Houston

Transcription

MAGAZINE
FALL 2011
Learning Support Services
Time Management Lecture
UH Horticulture
Society
Coog
Crew
Daily Cougar
Reporter
Student
Government
Association
Wear Red
Fridays
Facebook.com/UniversityofHouston
Twitter.com/UH_COUGARS
Cougar Village
Student Residence
Fresh Foods
Dining Hall
GETTING ENGAGED
FALL 2011 VOL.5 NO.2
PUBLISHER
Karen Clarke
Associate Vice President for University Relations
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY MARKETING & BRANDING
John Schwartz (J.D. ’95)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Eric Gerber (’72, M.A. ’78)
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Liz Stephens
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Watson Riddle
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Marsha J. Carter
Mike Emery
Shawn Lindsey
Lisa K. Merkl (’92, M.A. ’97)
Marisa Ramirez (’00)
Laura Tolley
Toby Weber
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Thomas Campbell Shawn Lindsey
Andy Rich
CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT
Renu Khator
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS
Nelda Luce Blair (J.D. ’82), Chair
Mica Mosbacher, Vice Chair
Jarvis V. Hollingsworth (J.D. ’93), Secretary
Spencer D. Armour, III (’77)
Nandita V. Berry (J.D. ’95)
Tilman J. Fertitta
Tamecia Glover Harris (Student Regent)
Jacob M. Monty (J.D. ’93)
Roger F. Welder
Welcome W. Wilson, Jr.
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144398 | 10.2011 | 75,000
Copyright © 2011 by the University of Houston.
www.uh.edu/magazine
INSIDE
4 Cougar Comment
Her grandfather, Hugh Roy Cullen, would be proud of UH – and
Houston, says benefactor and former regent Beth Robertson.
10 Fall Address 2011
UH President Renu Khator says it was “A Great Year!”
And it’s going to get better.
12 Q&A: Margaret Spellings
The onetime Secretary of Education, and UH graduate, speaks
up…and out.
18 Getting Engaged
To help students take big steps toward success, UH has been
thinking “small.”
24 Mindset
An annual list helps (older) professors and (younger)
students have a meeting of the minds.
26 From Houston to Hollywood
Books by two UH professors are being filmed. And we test your
own UH movie I.Q.
30 Red Initiatives
UH is undertaking a variety of colorful projects to raise school
spirit and public awareness.
32 A Sporting Chance
UH grad Robert Flores parlayed an RTV degree into an
ESPN anchor chair.
34 Building a Better Community
An innovative architecture program gives students hands-on
experience as Houston parks, schools and nonprofits benefit …
by design.
36 Branching Out
A Hobby Center for Public Policy study confirms the need
for a Northwest Campus.
I N E V E RY I S S U E
2
Message from the Regents
3
Message from the President
5
Making an Impact
9
Bonus Online
14
New Faculty Profiles
28
Professors Emeriti: Spotlight on Richard Evans
Photo, left: Quarterback Case Keenum, Shasta the UH mascot and President
Khator during the taping of the “COUGAR RED FRIDAYS” promotional video.
MESSAGE FROM THE REGENTS
I
t is no secret that I’m a very
proud fifth generation Texan.
My ancestors held strong
beliefs that Texas is the greatest
place on earth to live, and that it
offered the highest in opportunities
for their descendants. That heritage
has instilled in me yet another set of
strongly held beliefs. As chairman
of the Board of Regents for the
University of Houston System, I will
rely on many of those beliefs.
“My role is to
escort UH on its
rise to world-class
Tier One status.”
I believe in the advantages of an
education. Like many UH students,
I was the first in my family to
attend college. My parents
implanted in me the notion that
the college education neither of
them had attained was the key to
becoming whatever I wanted to
be in life. Their influence stoked
in me a passion for education
as the main tool to success.
My role is to escort UH on its rise
to world-class, Tier One status.
The UH fire is already ignited,
and I am here to add fuel, making it burn
even brighter.
I believe that UH is a jewel in the crown of the
City of Houston. With its well-rounded variety
of offerings, from athletics to architecture, from
restaurants to research, from management to
mathematics, UH has what it takes to carry the
torch for the fourth largest city in the United
States. City officials and business leaders realize
the vital role UH plays in building the economy,
the workforce, the opportunities and even the
reputation of Houston. I know that UH will
continue to make Houston proud.
I believe in partnerships. Partnering with new
teammates allows UH to open doors sooner,
to collaborate on levels outside of the usual
educational arena. UH already has a host of
great partners in its portfolio. The upside is
that there are so many more potential partners
in our international city, our big state and all
over the world. With them, that UH potential is
multiplied exponentially.
2 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ma gazine | N o v e m b e r 2011
I believe in UH alumni. Former students and
faculty have more reason than ever to boast
of their educational heritage, and they are doing
just that on all fronts. Alumni are like the
continual cheering squad, the experienced
mentors, and a growing groundswell for UH.
With every graduation, we expand the influence
and power and clout of our alumni groups.
What an exciting time to be a Cougar alum!
I believe the future is bright. And, I mean
glowing! UH sits in a position of opportunity like
never before. UH is rocketing upward in a style
only a university in a great city like Houston
can do. Believe it!
Nelda Luce Blair
Chairman, UH System Board of Regents
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
“Traditions are a vital part of a university’s character and spirit.”
F
rom my office on the second floor, I can
see the two majestic bronze cougar
sculptures that grace the entrance to
the Ezekiel Cullen Building. Several times a day,
people on our campus – students, faculty, alums
and visitors – pass by those stately creatures
and pause briefly to rub the outsized paws.
Maybe it’s for good luck. Maybe it’s a show of
respect. Maybe it’s just an irresistible attraction
to the cool, polished surface.
But one thing is certain – it’s becoming a tradition.
And that makes me glad. Traditions are a vital part
of a university’s character and spirit.
Even though it is a young school, relatively
speaking, the University of Houston is no
stranger to tradition, of course. Our choice of
a cougar mascot goes back to this institution’s
formative days in the 1920s. Naming it Shasta
and originating our “Go, Coogs!” hand sign have
been with us since the early 1950s. The annual
Frontier Fiesta celebration, which began in the
1940s, faded away after a couple of decades,
only to be revived in 1992 by a new generation
who recognized the importance of maintaining
that connection to our university’s – and our
region’s – vibrant western heritage.
for our university. I’m delighted to see that this is
really growing in popularity.
But the tradition I’m most excited about is one
that began just this year. Our efforts to achieve
Tier One status were realized with the Carnegie
Foundation designation as one of the country’s
premier public research universities. Looking
back from the vantage point of UH’s centennial,
in 2027, I hope that we will say that’s when a
rich tradition of being recognized nationally for
research excellence and student success began.
Renu Khator
UH System Chancellor and UH President
In another nod to tradition, this year’s Homecoming
game saw our football players sporting
“throwback” uniforms, circa 1960s, paying
tribute to the student athletes who preceded
them nearly a half century ago and reminding
us all of our impressive legacy in athletics.
Not as prominent, perhaps, but just as notable
is the Cougar First Impressions program, in
which our faculty and staff man outdoor
information tables at the start of each fall
semester to provide warm welcomes and cool
water to befuddled students. Is that a tradition?
When you do it for 14 years running, with
500 UH employees currently volunteering
and countless students getting their careers
at UH off to a great start, I would say that
definitely qualifies.
Since my arrival at UH, I have been urging our
campus community to participate in Cougar Red
Fridays, wearing red clothes to show visible support
November 2011 | ma gazine UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
3
COUGAR COMMENT
Improving UH
Improves Houston
by Beth Robertson
I
n 1938, my granddad, Hugh Roy
Cullen, was introduced to a fledgling
university, the University of Houston, by
its first president Dr. E.E. Oberholtzer.
‘Gampa’ was captivated by the idea that the
“working men and women” of Houston would
have a university to attend.
I feel – and it is substantial – I must say it is
eclipsed by the knowledge that our community
understands the connection between the
economic health of our city and UH. It has
tangibly embraced UH and is financially
supporting UH at a level beyond our sister
“emerging research institutions” in Texas.
Even though he himself had not made it
past the 6th grade, he believed strongly in
education, so he invested and adopted UH as
Despite the economically difficult times, total
private support for UH for the past three years
(FY2009 through FY2011) has been about $250
city hinges on UH’s growth and its journey to
excellence. When you improve UH, you improve
the city of Houston.
Our alumni certainly understand that. The
number of alumni donors making gifts in direct
support of UH students and programs has
steadily grown each year since FY2007, from
8,000 to more than 10,000 in FY2011. And
that doesn’t include countless champions who
contribute through their annual membership in
the UH Alumni Association.
But support isn’t limited just to those who
have worn the Cougar colors of red and white.
Numerous civic and business organizations
have stepped forward to contribute toward UH’s
improvement. The Houston Endowment, for
example, recently provided $5 million specifically
to augment the number of Ph.D. graduates at
UH, an important factor in determining Tier One
status. In a similar vein, we have received nearly
$50 million in new endowment gifts in the past
three years compared to $30 million the previous
three-year period. Our overall endowment for UH
is now approaching $600 million, an enviable
figure to be sure. This growing endowment
reflects our maturation as an institution, and this
fiscal stability helps UH honor President Khator’s
commitment to student success even in the face
of economic challenges.
Beth Robertson
Left: Beth Robertson, today. Right: A very young Robertson and her brother Corbin “Corby”
Robertson Jr. display their Cougar Spirit prior to a Homecoming game.
his own. He wanted his fellow Houstonians,
whatever their circumstances, to have the
benefits and skill set of a college graduation.
And he relished the skills and achievements
of its graduates! How proud he would be
now of UH – its growth, its complexity, the
breadth of its offerings, its Tier One status.
And it STILL serves the “working men
and women” of Houston: as their needs
expanded, so did Houston’s university!
My family has been fortunate to have a
front row seat to help UH on its journey to
excellence. Whatever personal satisfaction
million compared to a total of $147 million
during the previous three-year period. None
of the other “emerging research universities”
– Texas Tech, UT Dallas, UT San Antonio, UT
Arlington, UT El Paso and North Texas – has
approached an increase of that magnitude.
That’s evidence, I believe, that our community
clearly agrees with my granddad’s belief in
the importance of higher education in general
and, even more clearly, the need to support
UH in particular. Call it generous, but also call
it enlightened self-interest. Like Gampa, they
understand that the economic health of the
Yes, my granddad would be proud “his”
university is doing so well – and even prouder
that it has become all of Houston’s. H
Robertson served as chair of the UH System Board of Regents from
1993-96. She was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree from
UH in 1998 and received a UH Alumni President Award in 2003.
M A K I N G A N I M PA C T
No Passing Fancy:
Case Sets Records
NCAA based on medical hardship, the 6-foot-2
Keenum quickly made a case for Heisman Trophy
consideration, as the team embarked on the best
start in its history.
The aerial assault came from 57 and 21 yards, 64,
18 and 41, too. There was another from 20, a 37, a
22 and a 47 – NINE touchdown passes against Rice
University that extended UH’s unbeaten streak.
The Abilene, Texas, native’s efforts are far
from limited to the playing field. He received
a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology-sports
administration in December 2010, and is
pursuing a master’s degree in physical education
with a concentration in sports administration.
In a senior season that saw Super Cougar Case
Keenum shatter NCAA career marks for TD throws,
total offense, passing yardage and TDs accounted
for, among others, the amazing performance in the
rain Oct. 27 against its crosstown rival created a
sensation as his exploits seemingly rewrote college
football history every week.
Appearances on the Jim Rome show, ESPN and a
host of other national media outlets followed.
He had so many touchdown passes against the
Owls, he couldn’t remember all of them when
asked to recount them after the game. “It was a
UHS Board Gets
3 New Regents,
New Leadership
W
ith new leadership and new members,
the University of Houston System Board
of Regents is ready to steer UH toward new
realms of success.
Nelda Luce Blair (J.D. ’82) is the board’s new
chair, Michelle (Mica) McCutchen Mosbacher is
serving as vice chair and Jarvis Hollingsworth
(J.D. ’93) is the board’s secretary.
“Being selected as the chair for the UHS Board
of Regents is an amazing honor, especially as a
native Houstonian and UH graduate,” Blair says.
“It’s a particularly rewarding time to be a UH
regent, with the system’s unprecedented growth
and endless opportunities. Of course, I am most
excited to accept this leadership role in the wake
of the University of Houston being recognized as
a Tier One institution by the Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement of Teaching. I look forward
to working with the board in assisting each of the
system universities as we continue to serve our
students and communities within the state
of Texas.”
blast,” Keenum says. “That was probably the most
fun I’ve ever had playing football.”
The chance that Keenum’s prolific passing would
lead the stat-stuffing superstar to set one riveting
career record after another seemed remote after he
suffered a season-ending knee injury in September
2010. But, granted a sixth year of eligibility by the
Blair succeeds Carroll Robertson Ray as the board’s
chair. Blair was appointed to the board in 2008 and
is serving through 2013. During FY2011, Blair served
as the board’s vice chair. She also contributed her
expertise to positions on several board committees,
including chair of the Academic and Student Success
Committee; vice chair of the Facilities, Construction
and Master Planning Committee; board liaison for
Governmental Relations; and as a member of the
Executive and Compensation Committee.
Joining Blair and her fellow officers are recently
appointed regents Spencer D. Armour III (’77),
Roger F. Welder and Welcome W. Wilson Jr., and
new student regent Tamecia Glover Harris. The
full board also includes Jacob M. Monty (J.D. ’93),
Nandita V. Berry (J.D. ’95) and Tilman J. Fertitta. H
UHS Board Sets
$1B Budget for UH
T
he University of Houston’s budget for fiscal
year (FY) 2012 has been set at $1 billion.
Approved by the UH System (UHS) Board of
Regents, the university’s budget provides an
additional $3.3 million for the recruitment and
retention of faculty, particularly in key priority
areas that support high-growth academic
programs; adds $8.2 million for student
Keenum is actively involved in the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, and has been since he was
a boy. He also makes frequent visits to Texas
Children’s Hospital and Star of Hope, which is
dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless
men, women and their children.
A Facebook fan page of “Case Keenumisms”
offers further evidence of his impact. Consider this
posting: “Case Keenum once captured lightning
in a bottle, then threw it for a touchdown.” H
— Richard Bonnin
financial aid; and increases the facilities budget
by $8.4 million to address infrastructure issues
and maintain new facilities, such as the Energy
Research Park.
UH’s budget is part of UHS’ $1.36 billion budget
that reflects a 5 percent decrease in operating
expense costs per semester credit hour. The
reduction was made possible through enhanced
productivity and increased efficiencies that the
UHS universities achieved through program
consolidations and personnel cuts.
UH President and UHS Chancellor Renu Khator
pledged to focus resources toward student
success initiatives. She also set four principles
on which to shape the budget. These principles
included protecting instruction and financial aid,
reshaping the workforce, prioritizing positions that
directly serve students, reducing operational costs
and offering no salary increases.
In keeping with the Khator’s vision, UHS committed
$66 million toward student financial aid, a $9.9
million increase from the previous fiscal year. Also,
the instructional workforce was bolstered through
$257 million for faculty in priority academic
programs. This is an increase of $5 million from
FY 2011. H
5
UH Energy Research Park Gets
Funding Boost from ConocoPhillips
I
f you visit the University of Houston’s Energy
Research Park, you’ll notice a new name
in town.
Once known only as Building 9, the facility that houses
UH’s popular petroleum engineering program is
now named the
ConocoPhillips
Petroleum
Engineering
Building. The
building, which
opened to students
this spring
semester, houses
three teaching
laboratories, three
classrooms, a
computer lab,
faculty offices and
a student lounge.
The petroleum
engineering
program is the
first academic
program to be
located on the
emerging Energy Research Park (ERP), a collection of
the university’s preeminent energy research and
education programs.
program, along with the existing master’s degree
program, is designed to fill gaps in the industry’s
aging workforce and give graduates the skills they
need in the evolving energy world.
In recent years, UH has identified energy as a key
strategic focus for faculty research and teaching.
Top UH researchers from engineering, law, business,
geosciences, technology and research have
gathered under the ERP umbrella to provide a unique
environment for students and faculty to exchange
ideas and work in partnership with industry,
researchers, organizations and the community.
“This is a vote of confidence in the ERP’s plans to
transform itself into a pioneering research facility
where the best minds will help shape energy policy
and forge new business approaches to the way
energy is created, delivered, used and shared,” said
Ryan Lance, senior vice president of international
exploration and production for ConocoPhillips and
a member of the UH Energy Advisory Board. H
DOE Awards $3.1
Million to Develop
Superconducting Wire
for Wind Turbines
U
H will lead a public-private research team that
has been awarded $3.1 million by the U.S.
This summer, ConocoPhillips gave $1 million to the
ERP, and it intends to follow up with proposed future Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a low-cost
superconducting wire that could be used to power
gifts of $1 million each year in 2012 and 2013.
future wind turbines.
“We are extremely proud to make this gift
This support is part of the DOE’s Advanced Research
in support of UH’s new home for petroleum
engineering study and research. We are excited to Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program, which
be able to contribute to the university’s vision for a recently announced it has awarded $156 million to
world-class petroleum engineering department as 60 pioneering research projects across the country
designed to improve how the U.S. produces and
a cornerstone in its focus on energy,” says Carin
uses energy.
S. Knickel, vice president of human resources for
ConocoPhillips. “We view the new undergraduate
UH, in conjunction with SuperPower Inc., the
engineering program as an excellent opportunity
DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory
to expand the pool of top quality and diverse
engineering graduates in support of our industry’s (NREL), Tai-Yang Research and TECOWestinghouse Motor, will develop an efficient,
needs for the future.”
low-cost high-temperature superconducting wire
to use in future advanced wind turbine generators.
The petroleum engineering program, part of the
This breakthrough technology is a key enabling
UH Cullen College of Engineering, launched a
technology for other electromagnetic devices
bachelor’s degree option in fall 2009 and has
as well.
already grown to more than 200 students. The
Venkat “Selva” Selvamanickam, M.D. Anderson
Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
director of the Applied Research Hub of the Texas
Center for Superconductivity at the University of
Houston (TcSUH) and chief technology advisor
for SuperPower, will lead the research project.
This is the second ARPA-E grant awarded to
projects involving superconducting research
at UH in partnership with SuperPower, the first
member of the UH Applied Research Hub. Last
September, UH, SuperPower and two other
institutions received a $4.2 million grant to
develop an affordable, large-scale superconducting
magnet energy storage (SMES) system device.
“These projects combine all the elements needed to
get a new technology to the market – the technology
R&D, the development of a high-tech work force, the
manufacturing capability, the sub-components and,
finally, the path to the marketplace,” said Rathindra
N. Bose, UH vice chancellor/vice president of
research and technology transfer. H
Weighing the Benefits:
Researchers to Partner
with CDC to Evaluate
Child Obesity Projects
T
he epidemic of childhood obesity has sparked
a number of programs that have made great
strides, but the problem persists. Now, the UH
department of health and human performance (HHP)
will partner with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to combat obesity in adolescents.
The CDC has awarded HHP $4.25 million over four
years to create an innovative evaluation method
that will examine three comprehensive childhood
obesity programs. The goal is to provide evidencebased recommendations to policymakers as part
of the Affordable Care Act: Childhood Obesity
Research Demonstration Initiative.
“Resolving this critical issue will require efforts that
target multiple sectors and layers of society, as well
as changes in public policy,” says Daniel P. O’Connor,
associate professor and principal investigator.
“Intervention efforts mean more than encouraging
children to ‘eat less and exercise more.’ Our evaluation
of these multifaceted programs must reflect the
complexities of the problem and interventions if we
are to gain valid and useful information.” H
UH Seeing Stars
U
niversity of Houston faculty, staff and students Asking the audience to repeat after him, Kalam offered
have been seeing stars as of late. In recent
some words of wisdom.
months, leaders in international politics and popular
“When there is beauty in the character, there is peace
music have visited Cougar Country.
in the world,” he says. “When there is
harmony in the home, there is peace in
the world.”
One of the biggest buzzes on campus was
created by a surprise appearance from pop
superstar Beyoncé in October. The awardwinning singer attended the 15th annual
UH “Living Archives” interview series in
M.D. Anderson Library’s Rockwell Pavilion.
This year’s event honored her mother,
fashion designer Tina Knowles and activist
and businesswoman Joanne King Herring.
It was not long before word got out and
hundreds of students assembled in the
library’s foyer to get a glimpse of her.
Following the event, she met UH
President Renu Khator and waved to
cheering students.
UH President Renu Khator and Beyoncé met when the popular singer
attended a campus event honoring her mother.
In May, former President of Mexico Vicente Fox
delivered the speech “Leadership and Spirituality
in America” at UH’s Agnes Arnold Auditorium.
The university’s Graduate College of Social Work
(UHGCSW) and the Gülen Institute presented his
appearance on campus.
“Mexico is an important international neighbor
and friend to the United States,” says UHGSW dean
Ira Colby. “Both during and after his presidency,
Vicente Fox has been a staunch advocate to
eradicate poverty and promote public education
for all people. His perspectives on immigration are
important, in particular, as Texas and the United
States continue to struggle with undocumented
people and their place in our economy.”
While her presence certainly generated
excitement, “Living Archives” continues
to showcase the oral histories of Texas
women who have made history.
“This fall’s stellar ‘Living Archives’ lineup
demonstrates again that Houston is full of amazing
women,” says Elizabeth Gregory, professor and director
of the UH Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies
program, which hosts the interview. “We are proud to
document their stories for Houstonians of today and of
the future to draw upon.”
Bringing further star power to campus was former
Astronaut Bernard Harris, a UH alumnus and the first
African American to walk in space, who visited UH in
late September. He presented a lecture in support of
his book titled “Dream Walker: A Journey of
Achievement and Inspiration.”
These days, Harris’ focus is more toward Earthbound pursuits, as he invests his time and
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the next former president to effort in community-based initiatives to support
visit UH. Kalam served as India’s 11th president and education and health through his organization,
The Harris Foundation. H
was known as the “president of the people.” He
addressed students and faculty in August at UH’s
Hilton University of Houston. Kalam’s presentation
was sponsored by UH’s Indian Student Association
and Graduate Indian Student Organization.
UH Engineers Finding
New Ways to Fight
Malaria with DOD Grant
M
alaria has been one of the world’s biggest
killers for as long as records have been kept.
With resistance to existing antimalarial drugs on the
rise, there is a renewed push to find different ways to
fight it. Two University of Houston (UH) engineers have
stepped up to the plate to answer the call.
Jeffery Rimer and Peter Vekilov, both with the
department of chemical and biomolecular engineering,
recently were awarded a grant from the U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD) to create an entirely
new platform for developing antimalarial drugs. Like
existing antimalarial drugs, this new platform will target
plasmodium, which is the parasite that causes malaria,
by using a quirk in the infection process.
Typically introduced into hosts through a mosquito
bite, plasmodium enters a host’s red blood cells where
it consumes the hemoglobin by breaking it down.
However, one subunit of hemoglobin the parasite
cannot use is heme, which is the part of the blood that
helps transport oxygen to the other parts of the body.
Left alone, heme is highly toxic – toxic enough, in fact,
to kill the parasite and prevent an infection from
taking hold.
Unfortunately, as the parasite has evolved, it segregates
the heme into little crystals. If the heme is sequestered
in crystals, it can’t kill the parasite. Existing antimalarial
medications presumably work by preventing the
formation and growth of heme crystals. As a result,
heme molecules released by hemoglobin consumption
usually are able to kill the parasite. However, the
effectiveness of these drugs has begun to wane.
Since the precise nature of how these drugs prevent
crystal formation is unknown, Vekilov and Rimer will
work to uncover the process of heme crystal formation
and then determine what kind of molecules could
inhibit crystallization. Vekilov believes that heme
molecules attach to crystals at kinks that are sites on
the crystal surface favorable for the addition of new
heme molecules. If this is, in fact, how heme crystals
grow, the team will design “tailored inhibitors” that
prevent the growth from occurring.
“A tailored inhibitor mimics the crystal building unit or
units, which in this case is heme,” Rimer says. “You
want to design inhibitors with an affinity for binding
to crystal surfaces. Certain parts of the inhibitor
molecule then block adjacent binding sites. So, the
inhibitors we plan to design will physically block the
kinks and disrupt heme addition.” H
7
This Just In: Texas
Television Veteran
to Lead Houston
Public Media
T
he fresh face at Houston Public Media is
a veteran of the television industry. After
an extensive search, Lisa Trapani Shumate has
been named executive director and general
programming. She also will serve as the primary
liaison for Houston Public Media in the UH and
Houston area community.
She will report to UH Provost and Senior Vice
President for Academic Affairs John Antel.
“We are so pleased to have an individual of
Lisa’s caliber in this important new role,” he
says. “Her passion, experience, vision and
determination to lead Houston Public Media to
financial health and greater stature make her
an exceptional choice for the position.” H
Bose and Walker
Named as New
Vice Presidents
T
wo new vice presidents have been
appointed at UH – Rathindra N. Bose and
J. Richard Walker.
Lisa Shumate
manager of Houston Public Media, which
encompasses KUHT-TV and KUHF radio.
Bose, a distinguished scholar and professor,
an experienced administrator and a prolific
researcher at
Ohio University,
is serving as the
new vice president
and UH System
vice chancellor
for research and
technology transfer.
Previously, he served
as vice president for Rathindra N. Bose
research and dean of
the Graduate College
at Ohio University and also managed an active
Located in the Melcher Center for Public
research laboratory. His major responsibilities
Broadcasting, Houston Public Media has 165
at Ohio included overseeing the Graduate
staff members, 65,000 contributors and a
College, Research and Sponsored Programs, the
budget of $25 million.
Technology Transfer Office, the Innovation Center,
the Edison Biotechnology Institute and three
Shumate comes to UH from KHOU-TV, where she
other multidisciplinary research institutes. He
was director of programming and marketing. She
worked collaboratively with colleges to create two
also has been executive director of Belo Marketing
multidisciplinary centers of excellence in Energy
Solutions in Dallas. Additionally, she spent 11
and Environment and Health and Wellness.
years at KTRK-TV, where she moved from being
an anchor, host and producer, to become manager “Dr. Bose has an exemplary record in
of marketing and special projects.
administrative and academic roles, but his
“The newly merged entity is poised for growth
and the ability to contribute more to the
University of Houston, as well as the Houston
community,” she says.
As executive director and general manager,
Shumate will be responsible for managing,
directly or indirectly, all aspects of operation for
Houston Public Media, from strategic visioning
and financial planning to fund development and
achievements as a researcher are particularly
noteworthy,” UH President Renu Khator says.
His research interests and activities cover a wide
range of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary
areas, including metals in medicine, gene markers
for different cancers and new catalysts for fuel cells.
“As a Tier One research institution, UH offers an
enormous opportunity to fulfill my dream due its
depth and breadth of faculty expertise, outstanding
academic programs across the disciplines, state-ofthe-art research infrastructures, its location, and more
importantly, its strategic plan to expand the research
and economic development enterprise,” Bose says.
He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Georgetown
University in 1982 as well as master’s and bachelor’s
degrees in chemistry from Rajshahi University in
Bangladesh in 1973 and 1975.
Walker is the new vice president and UHS vice
chancellor for student affairs. He brings with him a
wealth of student-centered experiences from three
decades in both public and private institutions. At UH,
the Division of Student Affairs includes residential life
and housing, the dean of students office, the center
for student involvement, the health center, campus
recreation and career services.
“To me, it’s about enhancing the student learning
experience through curricular and co-curricular
opportunities that support the academic mission of the
institution,” he says. “Much of
my success as a student affairs
educator and leader
can be attributed to my
ability to develop strong
collaborative working
relationships with students,
faculty, staff and alumni.”
Walker worked at the
University of Miami since
J. Richard Walker
1987, where he engaged
students in campus life,
coordinated students and community leaders in
learning and service opportunities, and promoted
a student culture in which diversity is encouraged,
understood and embraced.
“He understands the importance of multiculturalism
and has interacted effectively with a diverse population
of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community
members on many issues,” says Khator. “His studentcentered and team-oriented approach is a key attribute
that set him apart.”
Walker received his Ed.D. in higher education
leadership from the University of Miami in 2009.
He earned a master of education degree in education
administration and supervision from Memphis State
University in 1982 and a bachelor of science degree
in history from Middle Tennessee State University
in 1981. H
BONUS ONLINE
UH Bauer College
Leads Nation
in Entrepreneurship
Education
a live audition, hoping to score and earn a coveted
spot in the Wolff Center.
S
Melgar is an experienced young artist who
decided to pursue business school in lieu of art
school so she can one day open a studio for the
arts. The young business owner is hoping her
next accomplishment is to be among the 30-35
students admitted to the Wolff Center each year.
ome might find one particular college
assignment at UH a bit “out of the box,” but
that’s the idea behind an entrepreneurship class
that tests students’ creativity and marketing skills
by requiring small class groups to record a viral
YouTube video or organize a successful flash mob.
“Steve Jobs is an encouragement to
entrepreneurs worldwide, so we thought this
tribute was the least we could do to thank a
man who inspires us,” says Melgar.
“The education you receive at the Wolff Center
focuses on creating an entrepreneurial mindset
and process that is applicable to any major at
Bauer and students across the university,” says
Latha Ramchand, dean of the Bauer College. “It’s
amazing how many student-applicants we get
that are outside of what you technically define
as business. Brenda is a great example. Artists
need to know to how to convert their work into a
business model and monetize that.”
While unorthodox, it is the first step for many
students vying for admission into the Bauer College
of Business’ undergraduate entrepreneurship
program, named the nation’s best by The Princeton
Review for Entrepreneurship magazine. It is the
third time in five years the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff
Center at UH Bauer has earned the distinction. The
program was ranked No. 1 in 2008 and 2010, and
No. 2 in 2007 and 2009.
Entry into the program is select. The visionary
teaching starts with a basic entrepreneurship class
that attracts more than 1,000 students each year.
Students from all majors have the freedom to
determine how the project is carried out. The
class teaches them to develop an idea, produce
a product, organize participants and manage
it on an ongoing basis, much like starting up a
new business.
Brenda Melgar, a junior at UH Bauer, and her team
of fellow students in Professor Carlos Ortega’s
Introduction to Entrepreneurship class, recently
honored the late Steve Jobs by painting a tribute
to the Apple co-founder. Starting with a blank
50-inch canvas, Melgar completed the painting
from start to finish in fewer than 25 minutes
in front of onlookers outside of the UH M.D.
Anderson Library. For Melgar, it was somewhat of
Making the program all-encompassing is part of
what has made the Wolff Center so successful.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STUDENTS, PROFESSOR
EARN HONORS AT NATIONAL SAFETY
CONFERENCE Three UH projects took top honors
during the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health’s “Prevention Through Design”
conference. Architecture professor Eun Sook
Kwon received the conference’s “Excellence in
Teaching” award.
UH RESEARCH STUDY EXPLORES THE
TEENAGE MIND Psychology professor Carla
Sharp is leading a two-year study to investigate the
relationship between adolescent “hypermentalizing”
and borderline personality disorder. Sharp, director
of the Developmental Psychopathology Lab, will
work with 111 teenagers.
NEW DRUG STRATEGIES FOR ALZHEIMER’S,
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS UH researchers are
recommending a new strategy for developing drugs
to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and
“We are honored to be named the No. 1
undergraduate entrepreneurship program in
the nation. Faculty teaching in the program are
experienced entrepreneurs, all of whom have
landed, bought or successfully run their own
businesses. About 40 percent of students involved
in the entrepreneurship program are not business
majors, and 53 percent of undergraduate students
at Bauer participate in the program,” she adds.
cardiovascular diseases. In the October issue of
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Center for Nuclear
Receptors and Cell Signaling (CNRCS) scientists
outline research results following the team’s 1996
discovery of the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ).
TISSUE ANALYSIS GETS BOOST FROM UH,
The Kauffman Foundation ranked Houston as
one of the nation’s leading cities in terms of
entrepreneurial activity in 2010, out of the 15
largest U.S. cities. Despite an economic downturn
and record unemployment, entrepreneurial activity
nationwide has risen in the past year, according
to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity,
with 565,000 new businesses created each
month in the United States in 2010.
DUKE COLLABORATION A cross-disciplinary
Bauer College has been educating business
leaders for decades, with the Wolff Center for
Entrepreneurship cementing the school’s status as
a leader in entrepreneurship when it was created
in 1993. The Commission for Higher Education
approved entrepreneurship as a major in 1995. H
Literature, whose previous recipients include
collaboration between the Cullen College of
Engineering and Duke University has opened
up new avenues for cancer research using the
FARSIGHT software suite.
2011 DOS PASSOS PRIZE AWARDED TO
MAT JOHNSON The Dos Passos Prize for
Graham Greene and Tom Wolfe, has been awarded
to Mat Johnson, a creative writing professor.
MORE ONLINE
www.uh.edu/magazine/bonus
9
FALL ADDRESS 2011
I
n early October, President Renu Khator delivered her third annual Fall Address before an enthusiastic crowd in the Moores Opera House.
She took the opportunity to acknowledge the University of Houston’s many accomplishments during 2011 – which, as the photo illustrates,
she characterized as “A Great Year!” – and to chart an ambitious course for the future. Excerpts from her presentation are offered to the right.
A video of the full address, with a transcript and supporting slides, can be viewed at:
www.uh.edu/president/communications/university-community/fall-address-highlights/index
“In 2027, the
University of Houston
• The Honors College has the largest class ever, with the average freshmen SAT of 1303, an all-time high!
will celebrate its
• 31% of freshmen rank in the top 10% of their high school class... and 55% rank in the top 20%. Again, an all-time high!
100th birthday. A history
• 46 National Merit Scholars and 80 Tier One scholars are among our students.
of the university will be written that year – a
chronicle of the University’s growth and
successes through the decades. Without a
doubt, there will be a chapter dedicated to one
• 81% of the freshmen returned as sophomores, an all-time high!
• Nearly $200 million has been distributed to students as financial aid, more help than ever!
particular year – 2011 – the year when UH
planted its red-and-white banner on the national
academic scene…It was in January of this
year that, for the first time, we received the top
recognition for the university as a whole from
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching. This recognition made us the
3rd nationally competitive tier one public
research university in the state
of Texas…
Just two months after Carnegie, we received
another spectacular endorsement – this time
from the Princeton Review – when it added
the University of Houston to its list of 376
“Best Colleges in America.”
Fast forward to May, when we received more
good news – this time from the Top American
Research Universities (TARU). This ranking
measures the level of research strength and
productivity in universities, and UH made the
top 50 list on 3 measures! If it sounds easy,
consider this – only 57 public universities have
3 or more qualifying measures on the TARU list
– quite an accomplishment! Yet another national
recognition came in July, from The Chronicle of
Higher Education, when they declared UH one
of the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For”…
Student Access and Success is the most
critical area of performance, and we continue to
make huge strides. This year:
• The enrollment is 39,825, an all-time high!
• The freshmen average SAT is 1114, an
all-time high!
Today, we have 6,000 beds on campus, and
the Board of Regents has approved an additional
bed capacity of 2,000, bringing our total to 8,000
by 2013. Today, we are the 4th largest public
residential university in Texas and with the
additional capacity, we will surpass every school
but one.
Our admissions standards will change
next year and then again in 2014, making
UH consistent with other tier one universities
across the state and the nation. Will this
limit access? Will this adversely impact
our commitment to closing the education
gap in the state? …To guide students, we
have placed our advisors in community
colleges. To reduce cost and time to earn a
degree, we have identified courses that offer
college credits to high school students.
To ensure that money is not an issue, we are
offering free education to students from
low-income families. The result is that we
are the second most diverse research
university in the nation, and we rank #12
in the nation for graduating students
with the least amount of debt.
Retention and graduation rates have
increased, but still lag behind the national and
state averages. Our graduation rate should be
53%, but it is only 46%. This 7% gap is sufficient
to keep us from getting into the Tier One of U.S.
News & World Report’s ranking. And let’s be
honest, this 7% gap is not because of who we
admit, but because of what happens to them
after we admit them. If we want to be credible
as a Tier One university, we must increase our
graduation rate to 53% as soon as possible…
Going forward, I ask that student success,
particularly increasing the graduation rate,
continue to be our “no-excuse priority.”
In research, I have three new items to share –
great, promising and surprising:
• The great news: we are not just a Carnegie-ranked Tier One university, but that we are comfortably in that group!
• The promising news: we did equally well in the report published by TARU…Going forward, our goal is to place 5 of the 9 measures in the Top 50, with at least 1 of them in the top 25! That will give us the sustained excellence that we seek.
• The surprising news: this comes from the least talked about area – technology transfer…In 2008, UH received $1.1 million in royalty and licensing income. This amount increased to approximately $9 million in 2011.
Our general revenue appropriation from the state
was slashed by almost $70 million. Even
though tuition was increased, it was not enough
to make up for the reduction. We balanced the
budget by creating operational efficiencies,
generating additional revenues, reducing the
workforce and freezing faculty/staff raises.
Unfortunately, budget difficulties are not
over. Even the most optimistic predict that the
state budget will see another serious shortfall in
2013… The only way to succeed is to embrace
a new business model that awards performance,
promotes excellence, encourages innovation,
and diversifies revenue.
Despite challenges, I remain optimistic for the
future of UH because our momentum is strong
and our assets are tremendous… Our twin goals
of Tier One and Student Success are nonnegotiable. We will find creative ways to keep
the momentum. We will make hard decisions
and tough choices. We will make them together
...The greatest asset is our people – our
world class faculty, dedicated staff, passionate
core of alumni, and our ever-energetic students.
You are our most valuable assets.” H
11
PROFILE
Q & A: M arga r e
by Laura Tolley
M
argaret Spellings, who
earned a bachelor of
arts degree in political
science from UH in
1979, served in the Bush administration as U.S.
Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009 and
as White House Domestic Policy Advisor from
2001 to 2005. She led the implementation of the
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and launched a
national policy debate and action plan to improve
accessibility, affordability and accountability in
U.S. colleges and universities.
Spellings also served as senior adviser to
then-Gov. George W. Bush, led governmental
and external relations for the Texas Association
of School Boards and served in key positions at
Austin Community College and with the Texas
Legislature. She now has her own firm, Margaret
Spellings & Company, and serves as a strategic
adviser to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and
President of its U.S. Forum for Policy Innovation.
Spellings lives in Washington D.C. but frequently
visits Houston, where her mother still lives.
Q: What have you been doing since you left
public office in January 2009?
Margaret Spellings
A: There’s life after public service for sure. I’m
still very involved in public policy things, only this
time I’m on the outside not the inside, but there’s
plenty of room for everybody.
I’m doing a lot of work for the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce … It’s basically with the three nonprofit parts of the Chamber of Commerce that I
oversee. I kind of split my time between that and
photos by Shawn Lindsey
et Spellings
my own stuff. I have my own little company, with
a number of people working for me. We do work
for a number of philanthropies … It’s a little of
this, a little of that.
that has matured. UH is now considered to be
an integral part of the vitality, of the economic
prosperity in Houston.
Q: What is life like for you in Washington, D.C?
Q: You’re still very much involved in educational
issues. How would you describe the public
education landscape today in the U.S.?
A: Busy. I’m working as hard as I ever have.
The thing about education is it’s obviously a
perennial issue and I think people are more and
more understanding of the connection between
a quality workforce and economic prosperity
and job growth. It’s certainly one of the major
aspects of the biggest public policy debate going
on in our country right now. It’s fun. It’s interesting.
I get around the country and the world a lot. I’m
on a couple of boards. It’s just a really rich and
interesting life and I’m loving it. Which is not to
take one thing from my public service time, I
loved it too. But there’s plenty to do.
Q: What are some of your memories of college life here at UH?
A: It was and is, I guess, a commuter school. …
I don’t say that as a negative in any way. I like
to say UH was country before country was cool
in the sense that it was convenient for people
and it was serving non-traditional students long
before that was fashionable. You know, people
were working, people had to go to school at
night. What I didn’t realize at the time was how
unique of an experience that was in as much
as we had people who worked all day and then
went to school at night. And that’s the way of
the world going forward. UH was doing that
30 years ago.
Q: Has UH changed much since you attended
classes here?
A: I think people are more understanding and
more appreciative of what a gem UH is and what
an important research institution and academic
institution it is in a giant city. That’s a real asset.
I think the business community understands the
asset that it is. There’s a level of seriousness
about the role UH plays in the city of Houston
A: It’s sort of a good news, bad news kind of
scenario. The good news is accountability and
transparency and a commitment to every kid
is something that parents have come to expect
and, God willing, it’s here to stay. The worrisome
thing is that the adult interests are carrying the
day at the moment, and there’s sadly a lot of
bipartisan support for going back to the good
old days of just putting the money out there and
hoping for the best on the kids’ behalf. … It’s
important the coalition we had so successfully
with enactment of No Child Left Behind —
that being the business community and civil
rights community — really stays strong for
the work ahead.
Frankly, No Child Left Behind is a pretty modest
requirement. It says get kids to read on grade
level. And we’re woefully, woefully short of doing
that. Fifty percent of our poor and minority kids
don’t get out of high school on time. That’s just
shameful. It’s a recipe for disaster in places
like Texas, for our state and for them. I hope to
continue reminding people that going back to the
kind of excuse making for why we can’t educate
kids is wrong-headed.
Q: Have you ever considered being a college
or university president?
A: (Laughs) Oh I don’t know. I like having a lot
of variety, not that you don’t have variety at a
university. But it’s fun to get out of the mother
ship of government and see all the various neat
things that are going in the world, both in the
nonprofit sector and the for-profit sector. But
I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. I’m not ruling
anything out. Are you? H
13
N E W F A C U LT Y
Spectrum, an international journal reaching 50,000
eye care practitioners worldwide.
The Nichols’ move to Houston during a historical
drought brought out the best in UH faculty, staff
and the community. “People here are so nice.
When they heard we were from Ohio, they kept
apologizing for the heat, “Kelly laughs. “I thought
people in Ohio were nice, but people here are even
more open and friendly.”
Jason agrees. “We have only been here a month,
and people in the college have been incredibly
welcoming.” The Nichols have spent most of their
spare time exploring Houston neighborhoods and
restaurants with their two sons. Because the boys
love to fish, the Nichols ventured to La Porte and
fished off the pier. Kelly’s to-do list includes visiting
other Texas cities and “finding the best barbecue
in Houston,” a point of major debate even among
people who grew up here.
Jason and Kelly Nichols summarize their Top
Three reasons to live in Houston: the people, the
food and the fact that “we don’t have to shovel
sunshine” in the winter.
Kelly and Jason Nichols
M
arried professionals Doctors
Jason and Kelly Nichols have
joined the University of Houston
College of Optometry (UHCO)
from Ohio State University, where both graduated
and were tenured faculty as ocular surface specialists teaching in the classroom and leading a research team. Both accepted named professorships
at UH in August. At UHCO, the Nichols will work
with current faculty, scientists, fellows and graduate
students to develop ocular surface translational
research within the new Vision Institute. “The Vision
Institute is an amazing project. Dean Smith is, in
my opinion, the world’s most visionary Dean at
an optometric institution. His passion for UH and
optometry is inspiring, “ says Jason.
Working and living together while raising two
children (Brady, age nine and Cullan, age seven)
is not a challenging balance for the Nichols. They
officed next door to each other during their years
at Ohio State. “We like being in close proximity to
each other,” says Kelly. “Some days, I rarely see
Jason, but other days we see each other a lot,
working with our team of staff and students. Also,
we both have an ‘insider’ to bounce ideas off of
and get inspired.”
Kelly is currently leading an NIH-funded study on
dry eye disease in post-menopausal women. She
recently chaired the International Workshop on
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), a frequent
cause of dry eye. Jason focuses on contact
lens’ impact on the eye, from the tears used
for moisture to the polymer chemistry of the
material. He is also editor of Contact Lens
Shayne Lee
“X
avia Karner, chair of the sociology
department, lured me back, reminding
me of all the great things I missed about
UH and Houston,” said Shayne Lee on his return as
associate professor in the department of sociology.
“The department followed her lead and welcomed
me back with open arms. Houston is also a big
draw for me because it has great culture and arts.”
profiles
by Melissa Carroll and Marsha J. Carter
After receiving his Ph.D. in sociology from
Northwestern University, Lee started his career
at UH in 2002 as an assistant professor and
left in 2005 to teach at Tulane University where
he received tenure and established a national
reputation.
“I spend many hours every week preparing
lessons based on consensus (if there is any)
mainstream scholarship.” What satisfies him
most about teaching? “My approach to teaching
is to promote dialogue and interaction,” he says,
“both at UH and in church school.”
He is the author of three books. His first book,
“T.D. Jakes: America’s New Preacher,” analyzes
the rise of a prominent African American
spiritual leader as a microcosm of cultural
changes in contemporary American Religion.
His second book, “Holy Mavericks: Evangelical
Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace,”
co-authored with Phillip Sinitiere, uses theory
of religious economy to add complexity and
nuance to our understanding of spiritual appeal
and the postmodern cultural turn in American
Protestantism. Lee’s third book, “Erotic
Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and
Popular Culture,” navigates the uncharted
spaces where social constructionism, third-wave
feminism, and black popular culture collide.
When he’s not teaching, he grabs his euphonium
and joins the band, “virtually any group that will
let me play – German/Czech h bands, community
bands, groups of friends.” Lee fell in love with the
sweet, tenor-voiced horn in high school, dropped
it for decades and picked it back up 10 years ago
when his church organized a brass ensemble.
As an expert on contemporary American religion
and culture, he appears on CNN, ABC, Fox and
is frequently quoted in the New York Times,
Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Huffington
Post, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor and
numerous other media outlets.
“I
decided to come to UH because I viewed
Houston as a great resource for expanding my scholarly work,” said Michael
J. Zvolensky, the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz
Cullen Distinguished University Professor in the
department of psychology and director of the
Anxiety and Health Research Laboratory. “I also
was impressed by David Francis’s leadership
and organizational plan for the department of
psychology.”
An expert on anxiety disorders, Zvolensky has
focused much of his research on the relationship
between anxiety and addiction. His research cuts
across basic and applied work in the area of anxiety and substance use disorders. He utilizes two
interrelated and convergent research approaches:
one is basic research on emotional vulnerability
and the second is clinical extensions of that basic
Michael Zvolensky
research in the form of theoretically driven
psychosocial intervention strategies. He is
especially involved in better understanding the
role of cigarette smoking in terms of the etiology
and maintenance of panic psychopathology, and
at the same time, the role panic vulnerability
factors may play in smoking cessation.
Zvolensky has published over 300 scientific articles
and received a variety of early contribution to the
field awards from professional organizations. His
research has been continuously funded by the
National Institute of Health since receiving his
doctoral degree from West Virginia University in
2001. Prior to coming to UH, he held a distinguished
professorship at the University of Vermont. During
his free time, he enjoys running, swimming, cycling
and competing in triathlons.
D
r. John Lee, member of the National
Academy of Engineering and former
Engineering Fellow with the U. S.
Securities & Exchange Commission, is the first
tenured faculty member in the UH Petroleum
Engineering program. Lee joined the college
from Texas A&M University, where he has served
since 1977. “I was motivated by the chance to
help build a department,” he says of his move.
“I look forward to teaching undergraduates and
maybe a good portion of the graduate students.”
Teaching is his lifestyle, as well as his career.
Lee has been teaching an adult Sunday school
class for the last 30 years – with the same
students. “We’re still together,” he says.
John Lee
Lee is internationally acclaimed for his work in oil
and gas reserves regulations, as well as production
forecasting for unconventional gas reservoirs, i.e.,
gas trapped in sandstone or carbonate, shale or
under the ocean and permafrost. He will inspire
and educate tomorrow’s petroleum engineers in
the first academic program to be housed in
the ConocoPhillips Building at the UH Energy
Research Park.
“T
he prestige of the department of
Hispanic Studies and the Recovering
the Hispanic Literary Heritage project
that Nicolás Kanellos directs at UH were my
most important motivators to come,” said Mabel
Cuesta, Assistant Professor in the department
of Hispanic Studies, University of Houston. “I did
some research on both the University and the
city and it was a great pleasure to discover that
15
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES
N E W F A C U LT Y
Asst. Professor Jennifer Sorkin
Asst. Professor Katrina Moorhead
Asst. Professor Temple Northup
Asst. Professor Lindita Camaj
Assoc. Professor Stephanie Daniels
Asst. Professor Vikram Maheshri
Asst. Professor Jee-Yeon Lehmann
Asst. Professor C. Andrew Zuppann
Asst. Professor Kate Anderson
Asst. Professor Stacey Gorniak
Asst. Professor Mabel Cuesta
Asst. Professor Jose Ruisanchez Serra
Assoc. Professor Matthew Clavin
Asst. Professor Mark Goldberg
Asst. Professor Emran El-Badawi
Assoc. Professor Kirsten Yon
Asst. Professor Troy Bennefield
Asst. Professor Christopher Mag Uidhir
Asst. Professor Ling Zhu
Asst. Professor Elizabeth Simas
Assoc. Professor Candice Alfanoe
Professor Michael Zvolensky
Assoc. Professor Shayne Lee
Mabel Cuesta
were places full of diverse communities and its
respective cultural events.”
Cuesta received her Ph.D. in Latin American
Literature from City University in New York
in 2011 and previously taught at Baruch
College (CUNY) and Barnard College. She is a
graduate of the University of Havana (1999)
and University Complutense of Madrid (2001)
and has published several articles and three
collections of short stories, “Confesiones on
line” (Aldabón, 2003), “Cuaderno de la fiancée”
(Vigía, 2005) and “Inscrita bajo sospecha”
(Betania, 2010). Her current research focuses
on Spanish Caribbean female authors, both in
their homeland and abroad. Her field of expertise
is in Latin American and U.S. Hispanic literature,
Caribbean studies and literary theory. She
teaches writing & composition and introduction
to Spanish literature at UH. H
New Faculty Showcase
GERALD D. HINES COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
Asst. Professor Gregory Marinic
Asst. Professor Wendy Fok
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Asst. Professor Rayyan Amine
Curriculum & Instruction
CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Assoc. Professor Ravi Birla
Asst. Professor Hyongki Lee
Asst. Professor Kaylana Babu Nakshatrala
Asst. Professor Mo Li
Asst. Professor Bora Gencturk
Professor W. John Lee
Assoc. Professor William Epling Jr.
Asst. Professor Lars Grabow
Asst. Professor Ashutosh Agrawal
Bioengineering
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
CONRAD N. HILTON COLLEGE OF HOTEL & RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT
Asst. Professor Yoon Koh
Asst. Professor Nan Hua
COLLEGE OF LAW
Asst. Professor Douglas Wells
COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES & MATHEMATICS
Asst. Professor Elizabeth Ostrowski
Asst. Professor Omprakash Gnawali
Professor Paul Mann
Asst. Professor Guoquan Wang
Asst. Professor Daniel Onofrei
Asst. Professor Jingmei Qiu
Asst. Professor Annalisa Quaini
Biology
Computer Science
Geology
Geology
Mathematics
Mathmatics
Mathematics
COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY
C.T. BAUER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Asst. Professor Michael Neel
Asst. Professor Yun Fan
Associate Professor Funda Sahin
Professor Powell Ersell Robinson
Asst. Professor Hitesh Doshi
Asst. Professor Giorgo Sertsios
Asst. Professor Seshadri Tirunillai
Art
Art
Communications
Communications
Communication Sciences & Disorders
Economics
Economics
Economics
English
Health & Human Performance
Hispanic Studies
Hispanic Studies
History
History
Modern & Classical Languages
Moores School of Music
Moores School of Music
Philosophy
Political Science
Political Science
Psychology
Psychology
Sociology
Accounting
Accounting
Decision and Information Science
Decision and Information Science
Finance
Finance
Marketing
Professor Kelly Nichols
Professor Jason Nichols
Ocular Surface/Contact Lens
Ocular Surface/Contact Lens
COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Asst. Professor Lu Gao
Energy Technology
WHAT A DIFFERENCE
70 YEARS MAKES
by Toby Weber | photo by Andy Rich
Meet David Levy, age 16.
Meet George Hall, age 86.
David gets rides from his mom.
George gets rides from his daughter.
When David was born,
the Internet was just taking off.
When George was born,
Charles Lindbergh was still taking off.
David can’t vote.
George voted for Truman.
David is still covered by child
labor laws.
George is retired.
David is a 2011 Cullen College Graduate.
George is a 2011 Cullen College Graduate.
A version of this originally appeared in the Cullen College of Engineering’s The Cougar Engineer.
17
GETTING
ENGAGED
G
D
UH is
thinking ‘small’
to help students
take some
big steps
toward success.
by Eric Gerber (’72, M.A. ’78)
A
t the University of Houston, students
are always encouraged to dream
big. But the university has been
making “small” adjustments to help
them realize those dreams.
When it comes to achieving student success,
sometimes it’s the little things that count.
“We are realizing how important it is to find ways
for students to get engaged and interact with
smaller groups within the university community
to avoid the feeling of being a small cog in a big
machine,” says John Antel, provost and senior
vice president for academic affairs. “Increasingly,
we are looking at ways to psychologically shrink
the university.”
run more engaging, “high-impact” classes or as
casual as asking everybody to wear red on
Cougar Fridays.
“There is not a single, university-wide blueprint
for this,” explains Agnes DeFranco, associate vice
president for undergraduate studies. “The Master
Plan follows President Khator’s vision for Student
Success as UH’s top priority. We always have to
ask – does this help make sure our students are
set up to succeed?”
For her part, President Khator can’t over-emphasize
the need for the university to do a better job meeting
the students’ needs.
With a 700-acre campus and 40,000 students,
UH is definitely a big machine – Texas’ third
largest university, in fact – so making it even
more accessible and accommodating to students,
especially freshmen, can be a tall order.
However, the benefits can be invaluable in terms
of improved retention – students staying in school
– and higher graduation rates.
“Our retention and graduation rates are increasing,
but they still lag behind the national and state
averages,” she said, during her fall address. “There
is an 7 percent gap between what our graduation rate
is (46 percent) and what it should be (53 percent).
And let’s be honest, this gap is not because of who
we admit, but because of what happens to them
while they are here. We must continue to focus on
student success inside and outside the classroom,
and we must do so wholeheartedly.”
But how, exactly, do you cultivate something as
inexact as “student engagement”?
Khator’s instructions are being implemented
across several fronts.
There is no one way to do it. In fact, the key
appears to be using a variety of approaches, in
the classroom and out. They can range from
managing class sizes and offering a wide array of
tutoring and advising services to urging students
to join organizations and enrolling the same
groups of students in the same basic courses to
encourage social interaction. It can be as sweeping
as increasing the overall number of students who
reside on campus and as individualized as the
personal, spirit-lifting e-mails faculty and staff
members send to selected freshmen as part of
the PALs (Personal Access Liaison) program. It
can be as academically rigorous as creating the
Center for Teaching Excellence to help professors
“Much of this is happening on a college-bycollege level, where they are focused on making
sure their freshmen majors are plugged in and
on the right track from the outset,” DeFranco
points out, referring to such support initiatives
as the Bauer College of Business’ Emerging
Leaders Academic Success Program (ELASP),
the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics’
Scholar Enrichment Program (SEP) and the Cullen
College of Engineering’s Program for Mastery in
Engineering Studies (PROMES).
Of course, since many freshmen haven’t decided
on an academic specialty yet, they don’t receive
the colleges’ initial guidance. To ensure that
19
GETTING Engaged
these undeclared majors aren’t left in limbo, they
are enrolled in CORE 1101, a “college success”
course that teaches them time management,
motivation and classroom competency. While
such skills remain essential, this course has been
dramatically changed recently, reflecting the
university’s commitment to fostering engagement
whenever possible. Previously, CORE 1101 was
taught in four sections of 300 students each.
Now, there is a 40-student maximum per class,
requiring significantly more sections, but creating
considerably more opportunities for personal
interaction among the students and facilitators.
A similar philosophy is being followed in the
student residence halls, particularly Cougar Village,
the designated freshmen domicile. Students can
opt to become part of Living/Learning Communities,
a program in which students with the same or
similar majors (or personal interests) are grouped
together on the same floors or areas of the dorms.
This allows them to establish smaller study groups
and begin networking with students in many of the
same classes and with whom they have similar
academic and professional interests. Choices, for
example, include business, engineering & technology,
communication and honors communities.
“One of the best indicators of academic success
is student to student interaction in and outside
the classroom. We can play an important role in
that,” says Don Yackley, the executive director of
residential life and housing at UH. “Anyone can
provide a roof, walls and a bed. What makes
living on campus special is that we help the
university achieve its mission. We can assist our
students not just with educational attainment but also
with personal growth and emotional development.”
For example, there’s been a shift in the way RAs
(resident assistants) in the Residence Halls approach
their jobs, moving toward a focus on relationshipbuilding, student to student interaction, and more
interaction and involvement with faculty and staff.
You can see this in play with our recently
implemented a Faculty in Residence (FIR) initiative,
with teachers living alongside students on campus
(or Residence Halls). Still in its early stages,
FIR currently has four faculty members
participating – Raul Ramos, history professor;
Catherine Horn, education professor; Carroll
Parrot Blue, research professor; and Guillermo
De Los Reyes Heredia, Latin American Literature
and Cultural Studies professor.
“Having faculty and students living together is a
perfect example of promoting a stronger connection
between the students and the university,” he says.
While this concern with relationships, connections
and engagement may strike educational
traditionalists as far too warm-and-fuzzy for their
liking, Yackley is quick to point out this approach
generates clear benefits.
“It’s a matter of increased efficiency and improved
productivity. We know these measures keep more
of our students on track and making progress.
They stay in school, they graduate. That’s a solid
return on the public’s investment in our school,”
Yackley said.
In the past three years, for example, UH’s
retention rate has increased to 81 percent (from
GETTING Engaged
77 percent) – and UH has just begun many of
these pro-engagement policies.
Randrea Singleton, a Dallas-area student who
began at UH just a few months ago, offers a
first-hand endorsement of this approach, singling
out the Freshman Year Residential Experience
(FYRE) program for particular praise.
“Participating in FYRE was the best thing that I
could have done to jumpstart my college life,” she
said of the voluntary program that offers increased
faculty and staff involvement, advice relating to
transition issues, involvement in community service
and a peer mentor option. “For me, it was the best
way to quickly get acquainted with so many friends.
It prepared me for what to expect in college life and
allowed me to establish really good relationships
with many of the RAs. It has definitely given me
an advantage.”
The university strives to create that same spirit
of affiliation outside the dorms by strongly urging
new students to participate in one of nearly 500
campus organizations, ranging from leadership,
service and Greek groups to purely cultural
and recreational enterprises like the Chinese
Student Association, the chess club and Student
Video Network.
“One of the best indicators of academic
success is student to student interaction in and
outside the classroom.”
– Don Yackley
“Research suggests that students engaged in
their classroom environment or in the campus
community in general are more likely to persist
and graduate,” explained Dean of Students
William Munson. “So it’s critical for us to provide
multiple opportunities for students to make those
connections. Taking part in this amazing array of
organizations promotes our students’ feeling of
belonging and allows them to better take charge
of their overall educational experience.”
Boosting a student’s sense of individual
interaction with an institution as large and, at
times, unavoidably impersonal as UH continues
to be a challenge, but social media is proving
to be an increasingly effective tool. UH-specific
Facebook pages and Twitter accounts now allow
students to communicate more directly with the
university – and each other.
21
GETTING Engaged
“It gives the students a voice. When they
encounter a road block, they now have one more
place to go to ask for help,” says Jessica Brand,
who administers the school’s social media efforts
for the office of University Relations. “Social
media can also bring students together online
before they ever meet in person, which is just
one more way for them to make friends and
build a support network.”
Although all this support, interaction and
engagement in the dorms and dining halls, on
Facebook, at football games and Frontier Fiesta
is indisputably worthwhile, it is no substitute for
the fundamental teaching-and-learning process.
Students still have to apply themselves. However,
the university does recognize the special challenges that await many freshmen, where an early
academic stumble or two may start a chain of
unfortunate circumstances.
“If students do well in their first semester, their
confidence increases and so does their future
success rate,” says DeFranco. “If they earn a 3.0
(Bs) for 15 hours, even if they somehow made a
bad grade (D) in their second semester, in spring,
the overall effect would not be tragic. But if
someone makes a D in the very first semester, it
will seriously damage the GPA. The student may
start questioning whether he belongs here and
that can affect his entire attitude. Everything is
magnified that first semester.”
To offset that, UH has begun paying special attention to core classes that those students take,
such as Math 1310 (college algebra) and required
history and political science courses. Instead of
being viewed as part of a Darwinian process to
winnow out the weak, such classes are being
presented in a more student-friendly manner, with
a commitment on improving the DWIF (Dropped,
Withdraw, Incomplete, and Fail) rate.
One good example of that is mathematics instructor Leigh Hollyer’s handling of her pre-calculus
course, which can run as high as 500 students,
most of them freshmen. While assigned teaching
assistants help with the course (as is the case
with all such large classes), Hollyer took an additional step: enlisting the help of a number of
GETTING Engaged
science and math teaching majors in the teachHouston program. Result? The pre-calculus
students have access to more personalized
instruction in class and the teachHouston
recruits get to sharpen their teaching skills.
“Listening to a lecture isn’t always the most
effective way to learn math. DOING math is the
way to learn it,” Hollyer says. The expanded peer
tutoring she provides in her class allows her students
to do just that. Previously, she provided the teachHouston extras for just some of class days. But
that approach is so promising, she has them on
hand for every class this semester.
She discovered what the entire university is
beginning to realize – “big” doesn’t have to be
synonymous with indifferent. The university
wants students to embrace it, so UH is becoming
something they can put their arms around – and
that’s no small accomplishment. H
23
MIND
by Marsha J. Carter
T
his year’s freshman class at the
University of Houston lives in a world
in which music has always been
available via free downloads, women
have always commanded U.S. Navy
ships and people “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
Dad, by the way, could be Ferris Bueller. The
social/cultural experiences of the Class of 2015
are indexed on the Mindset List, created as a
bridge to communication between generations
and a practical tool in the classroom.
The first Mindset List was aimed at teachers
of first-year students at Beloit, the future
graduating class of 2002. Those young people
had never feared a nuclear war, never had
a polio shot and the expression “you sound
like a broken record” meant nothing to them.
However, their lives had always included AIDS,
MTV and microwave popcorn. The List became
a panacea for what McBride calls “hardening of
the references,” by helping teachers adapt their
communication skills to fit the very different
worldview of students.
“I teach a problem-solving technique that has
an ‘A’ side and a ‘B’ side,” says Simon Bott,
instructional professor and director of undergraduate affairs and advising for UH’s chemistry
department. “In the 80’s, I used the analogy of a
(vinyl) record, with a side ‘A’ and a side ‘B.’ Today,
my students’ faces would be blank. The records
they know are scratched on turntables at the
clubs.” Professor Bott has followed the annuallyupdated Mindset List for 10 years. “I absorb it.
Because it changes every year, I use it to
make sure my applications are effective and
I communicate with my students using examples
and analogies they understand.”
Lawrence Williams, associate professor and
director of undergraduate research for the
department of biology and biochemistry, adapts
the Mindset List concept to his own style.
“I often have to refer to the decades from the
‘50’s to the ‘90’s to address the context of the
biological principles we cover,” he explains.
“This matters, because often what we know
now wasn’t so before my students were born.”
Williams’ heads-up for a blast from the
past is dry humor. “I will say ‘Ask your parents.
No, I mean ask your grandparents’ and that
gets their attention.”
The Mindset List was developed at Beloit College
in 1998 by Ron Nief, emeritus director of public
affairs and Tom McBride, professor of English
and Keefer Professor of the Humanities. “What
we saw in the early stages of the worldwide web
were more lists circulating online, suggesting
that students graduating from high school didn’t
have anywhere near the knowledge of their
parents,” Nief tells UH Magazine. Nief and
co-author McBride admit they were suspicious
that the negative online lists were retaliation
from Baby Boomers frustrated by the younger
generation’s technical savvy. “Given our
backgrounds, we realized that these students
had their own life experiences that shaped their
view of the world and that their college years
would broaden their horizons greatly.”
Today, the Mindset List is being used on
college campuses worldwide. The Texas
Highway Patrol has used the List to help
officers understand young drivers, and pastors
and rabbis have included parts of the current
List in their services. Nief and McBride also
work with the non-profit Jumpstart Coalition,
which promotes financial literacy in schools
across the nation.
Professor Bott offers examples from his
own classroom.
This year’s freshmen, he says, consider
“Seinfeld” a television show their parents used
to watch, and have never heard of the Soup
Nazi. “I can’t reference Arnold Palmer either,”
he laughs. “I can, however, use the List to make
SET
sure I’m offering applications that make sense
to them. You cannot get stuck in a rut. In order
to develop them as thinkers and scholars,
we’ve got to reach them on a couple of different
levels. The Mindset List is a tool for that.”
Their newest book, “The Mindset Lists of
American History,” is inspiring parents and
teachers to bring young people into a broader
historical context. Two teachers in Wisconsin
asked their students to interview parents and
grandparents, write their generations’ Mindset
Lists and then weave that personal history into
national history. “This way, students who are 17
can begin to think of themselves as historical
persons,” says McBride. “They begin to see that
history is also them, and they are taking their
places in a long and complex historical parade.”
Monica McHenry, associate professor with
the communication sciences and disorders
department and UH Faculty Senate president,
believes the Mindset List is a powerful
translator between generations. “This year’s
entering class seems to present the most
dramatic differences in attitude and expectations
in recent memory. The Mindset List, while
humorous, is a useful touchstone to remind
faculty of an ever-growing cultural gap.”
The Mindset List is adaptable and applicable.
Nief and McBride offer a daily quiz on their
Facebook site, The Mindset List, as well as an
“Ask ROM” advice column at www.mindsetmoment.com.
Find out more about the Mind Set List at
www.beloit,edy/mindset. H
25
FROM HOUSTON TO
UH PROFESSORS HELPING ADAPT
WRITTEN WORKS
FOR SILVER SCREEN
C
ougar Country is a long way from Hollywood.
Still, the writings of University of Houston professors
are finding their way into the hands of experienced
film producers, who are ready to share these works
on the silver screen.
Among the faculty members whose books are
being transformed into motion pictures are
Nick Flynn, assistant professor in UH’s Creative
Writing Program, and James Kirby Martin, Hugh
Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor
of History.
For both professors, the film adaptions of their
works present an opportunity to share their work
with new and larger audiences.
“Sometimes, those in academics don’t
communicate very broadly,” Martin said. “We
talk among ourselves, go to conferences and
exchange papers. Our audiences, however, can
be very small. Films offer a new
opportunity to get our work into a
much larger public eye.”
Flynn’s 2004 dark and brooding
memoir, “Another Bullshit Night in
Suck City,” has been adapted into a
major motion picture tentatively titled
“Being Flynn.” Filming wrapped this
year and the movie is scheduled to
be released in 2012. Directed by
Paul Weitz, the film captures Flynn’s
experiences working in homeless
shelters in Boston. Among the frequent residents
at these shelters is Flynn’s troubled father.
Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “There Will Be
Blood”) stars as Flynn while Oscar winner Robert
De Niro portrays his father.
“The cast is amazing. I don’t think we could
have done better,” said Flynn, who is credited
as one of the film’s executive producers.
“Everything kind of fell into place. De Niro was
the first actor to sign on to this project. Once,
you mentioned his name, then other actors
wanted to be involved.”
Flynn was actively involved in the film’s
production, reviewing scripts and submitting notes
for the filmmakers. Collaborating with different
professionals (directors, producers, actors) was
a familiar process for Flynn, who teaches the
interdisciplinary arts course “Collaboration Among
the Arts” among other courses at UH.
While filmmaking per se is not part of his usual
course load, the experience of “Being Flynn” will
likely impact his teaching of poetry and other
subjects, he said.
“Collaborating with other people is part of my
creative process, and making films involves a lot
of collaboration,” he said. “I’m an artist at UH,
and anything I do in the realm of art and how art
is created makes its way into the classroom.”
For Flynn, the seven-year process of getting his
book transferred to the big screen is almost over.
For Martin, however, the creative journey has
just begun.
Martin and Joseph T. Glatthaar’s 2006 book
“Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the
American Revolution” is being transformed into a
motion picture from Four Directions Productions.
Retitled “First Allies,” the film explores the
Oneida Indians, who assisted colonial rebel
forces in their battles with the British army. A
release date has not been set for this film yet.
HOLLYWOOD:
TEST YOUR UH MOVIE I.Q.
Lights! Camera! Answers? Cougars have
played an important role in a number of
major motion pictures. Can you explain the
connection between these films and UH?
1 All the President’s Men
2 The Great Gatsby
3 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Batman
5 Far From Heaven
6 Crazy Heart
7 Raising Arizona
8 Waiting to Exhale
9 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
comedies “Big Daddy,”
“Mr. Deeds” and “Deuce
Bigalow: Male Gigolo.”
Some of the film’s funding
is from the Oneida
Indian Nation.
For updates on the film’s production, visit
http://firstalliesmovie.com/.
While the book offers a non-fictional perspective of
the Oneida Indians, the film will remain historically accurate while providing a dramatic plot.
“We have taken some
characters who are
featured in the book and
built the story around
them,” said Martin, who
is serving as a consultant
and executive producer.
“It’s the kind of a story
where individuals are
faced with difficult choices.
None of which is very
desirable. The Oneidas ask
themselves whether they
should support the rebels or the British and
whether they can survive as a nation.”
Among the producers who are working with
Martin are Sid Ganis (former president of the
Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences)
and Alex Siskin. Ganis and Siskin produced hit
Martin expects “First
Allies” to begin shooting
in spring or summer of
2012. The cast is not finalized, but Martin said
he will work with actors to provide insight on
the characters and help them understand the
historical setting.
“I’ll be on the set as much as possible to help
actors understand what it was like to be an
Oneida warrior or the military liaison to the
Onedias,” he said. “I also am working with
the script writers to help them understand the
historical context of this story.”
For Martin, the process of transforming
his book into a film is an extension of his
academic career. Although he has participated
in documentaries, “First Allies” is providing
him with a unique learning experience. It’s
also providing him with a new venue for
sharing his research.
“I’m concerned with reaching broader audiences to get more people in history and the
story of the American experience,” he said.
“We’re looking at reaching potentially millions
of people with a film like this, and as a scholar,
I find that is a wonderful opportunity.” H
10 All Hollywood movies produced between
1966 and 2004
ANSWERS:
1 Walter Coblenz, a 1950s UH graduate, was the producer of the
celebrated political docudrama. Also produced The Candidate.
2 Houston-born model and actress Lois Chiles, who was cast
as Jordan Baker, was member of the UH faculty in 2002-3.
Also appeared in the James Bond film Moonraker.
3 The French film, nominated for four Academy Awards,
was directed by Julian Schnabel, the noted artist who earned
a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from UH in the early 1970s.
4 Robert Wuhl, who attended UH in the 1970s, plays reporter
Alexander Knox in the Tim Burton film about the Caped Crusader.
Also appeared in Good Morning, Vietnam and Bull Durham.
5 Dennis Quaid, who attended UH in the 1970s, starred in
the Oscar-nominated tearjerker. Also appeared with brother
(and UH alum) Randy in The Long Riders.
6 Thomas Cobb, who earned a Ph.D. in creative writing at UH,
wrote the book on which the country western romance is based.
7 Trey Wilson, who played the father of the stolen infant in the
Coen Brothers comedy, was a UH English and theater major. He
and fellow Cougar Randy Quaid briefly performed as a stand-up
comedy duo in Houston before both ended up in movies.
8 Loretta Devine, who costarred in the 1995 romantic comedy,
graduated from UH in 1971. Also appeared in For Colored Girls,
an adaptation of former UH professor Ntozake Shange’s play.
9 Edward Albee, whose famous stage play was the source
material, is a member of the UH faculty since 1989.
10 Jack J. Valenti, who earned a B.B.A. at UH in 1946 and served
on the UH System Board of Regents, was president of the Motion
Picture Association of America (MPAA) for 38 years. The powerful
group serves as the film industry’s chief administrative body and
oversees the motion picture rating system.
— Eric Gerber
P R O F E S S O R S
E M E R I T I :
Richard Evans
SPOTLIGHT ON
by Lisa K. Merkl (’92, M.A. ’97)
H
e developed the
strategy behind the
“Just Say No” antidrug campaign, created the word
“workaholic,” interviewed Carl
Jung and appeared regularly on
the Johnny Carson show.
Recently bestowed the title of
Professor Emeritus, Richard I.
Evans has been with UH for six
decades and shows no signs of
slowing down in his new role.
Recognized as one of the earliest
social psychologists in the field of
behavioral medicine, Evans joined
UH’s psychology faculty after
receiving his Ph.D. in 1950 from
Michigan State. He developed
the university’s social psychology
program and ascended the ranks
to become a Hugh Roy and
Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished
University Professor.
Before completing his
undergraduate degree, Evans
enlisted in the U.S. Army, was
assigned to General George S.
Patton’s Third Army and was
wounded in the Battle of the
Richard Evans
Bulge, earning a Purple Heart.
While recovering, Evans decided
and his colleagues gained insight as to how
to pursue psychology as a result
peer pressure influenced them. Ultimately,
of encouragement from those who cared for him
they came up with ways to “inoculate” these
in the hospital.
youngsters with skills to resist certain pressures.
He authored a U.S. Surgeon General’s Report
Evans found a home in social psychology and
on Smoking in Children and Adolescents, and
developed the social inoculation prevention
what began as research targeting tobacco use
model that addressed the problems of why
expanded to address other addictions such as
children and adolescents began smoking,
drug abuse, alcoholism and gambling.
despite obvious dangers to their health.
After conducting interviews with hundreds
The initial research was done in collaboration
of junior high school students and studying
with renowned heart surgeon Dr. Michael E.
how they resisted pressures to smoke, he
DeBakey and Baylor College
of Medicine. Funded by
a grant from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH),
Evans developed several
strategies to get the
message through to young
people, with just one of the
various resistance skills
being “just say no.” He
never imagined that this
one phrase would become
a powerful campaign
promoted by First Lady
Nancy Reagan to discourage
children from using
recreational drugs.
Another “household word”
that has been attributed to
Evans is the use of the term
“workaholic,” which he
serendipitously coined in
the 1960s.
“While employed as a
consultant with Esso, now
ExxonMobil, I’d been asked
to discuss the problem of
how to handle employees
who had a tendency
of overworking to the
point of becoming less
productive,” Evans said. “I explained that it was
a phenomenon similar to other addictions of
excess, such as alcoholism, and basically made
an off-the-cuff comment that perhaps we should
refer to those employees as ‘workaholics.’ My
comments were included in the company’s
magazine, which was widely distributed through
the world, and a notable syndicated columnist –
James Kilpatrick – picked up on it. He included
the word in one of his columns, describing it as a
useful new term.”
PROFESSORS EMERITI
(During President Khator’s Tenure.)
“ It
was my dream to expose students to
historically eminent figures in psychology and
encourage them to read their work.”
Fueled by an avid interest in theater, Evans
achieved another milestone, both personally
and professionally, when he interviewed
playwright Arthur Miller to discuss the inherent
psychological insights in Miller’s plays. The
resulting 1969 video and book, funded by the
National Science Foundation, inspired Evans
to explore the psychology of humor with such
notables as Joan Rivers, Buddy Hackett and
many others.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of his career,
he says, was his series of videotaped interviews
with legendary figures of psychology, such as Carl
Jung, B.F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, Nobel Laureate
Konrad Lorenz and Erik Erikson. What became a
series of DVDs, still used in psychology classes
around the world today, started as a once-in-alifetime opportunity. Evans traveled to Switzerland
in 1957 with a Ford Foundation grant to complete
the only filmed interview with Jung. Evans turned
the treasured four hours spent with the father of
analytical psychology into a book and video series.
“It was my dream to expose students to these
historically eminent figures in psychology and
encourage them to read their work,” Evans said.
“The videos are still being shown on PBS and
used in classrooms in about 300 universities the
world over. Not only was it personally gratifying
to me, but also as a scholarly pursuit in the
name of student education.”
As word spread about his book on Jung, Evans
was invited to appear as a guest on The Tonight
Show several times. Those interviews led to
appearances on The Today Show, Dick Cavett
and Merv Griffin. Evans later became the first
professor in the nation to teach a university
course on public television – KUHT.
Bringing psychology to both academic and
mainstream audiences, Evans is a pioneer in
behavioral medicine and health psychology.
“Dick has been a fine and upstanding member
of our department for so long and literally helped
to place us on the national scene through his
pioneering efforts in behavioral medicine and his
inroads into NIH,” says department chair David
Francis. “I have been very grateful to have Dick’s
support as chairman of the department and have
appreciated having him serve on the executive
committee of the department for many years.”
In addition to publishing 20 books and more
than 300 research papers and professional
articles, Evans’ extensive funding history
includes being among the upper 5 percent of
total grant amounts funded by the NIH during
the last 25 years.
Among the numerous awards Evans received
during the course of his lifetime, he says he
is particularly proud of being recognized as a
Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Scholar and for
receiving the Esther Farfel Award, which is the
highest distinction bestowed upon faculty by UH.
Clayton Neighbors, a former student of
Evans’, as well as the current director of the
social psychology program at UH, echoes the
sentiments of many that Evans has been quite
a tribute to the psychology department, to the
university and to his field.
“Dick has been an ever-present figure here,
helping to shape our department into what it is
today,” Neighbors said. “There are none of us
here who can remember what it was like before
Dick was here. He gave his heart and soul to
the programs he initiated, and his influence will
continue to be felt far into the future.” H
2008 W. P. Buckner Jr. 2008 Lynn S. Bliss
2008 Suzanne Bloom
2008 James Cleghorn
2008 Fredell Lack
2008 Jeffrey Lerner
2008 Roger Sherman
2008 John Sloan
2008 Ruth Tomfohrde
2008 Joseph Eichberg
2008 Willis King
2008 Randall Jose
2008 Jerome Rosner
2009 Juanita V. Copley
2009 Dale Pease 2009 Edwin P. Willems
2009 Wallace L. Anderson
2009 William R. Chernish
2009 Stephen K. Huber
2009 Irene Rosenberg
2009 James L. Austin
2009 Sidney Berger
2009 Valentini Brady
2009 Michael Horvit
2009 Robert Nelson
2009 Robert Phillips
2009 Roy Weinstein 2009 Karen Holmes
2009 Jean Katambu Latting
2009 Karen Stout (posthumous)
2009 David Wahlstrom 2010 Eugene L. Chiappetta 2010 Dennis A. Clifford
2010 James Richardson
2010 Rodolfo Cortina
2010 Thomas Mayor
2010 Paul Michael Ryan
2010 Barton Smith
2010 Roger Nett (retired in 1980’s)
2010 Thomas Albright
2010 Glenn Aumann
2011 Betty J. Barr 2011 Charles Dalton
2011 Leang-San Shieh
2011 Ronald A. Nykiel
2011 John Jay Douglass
2011 Ira B. Shepard
2011 Richard Bean
2011 Richard Evans
2011 Roy Lachman
2011 Victor Mote
2011 Gordon Paul
2011 Alan Stone
2011 Marc Zimmerman
2011 Joseph McCauley
2011 Billy W. Mayes, II
2011 James Benbrook
2011 Ellen S. Stevens-Roseman
2011 Paul Raffoul Education
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Very Well R E D
•COUGAR RED FRIDAYS – Students,
faculty and staff – and anyone else in Houston
– are encouraged to wear their finest shades
of scarlet every Friday to demonstrate their
support for UH. Recently, a video was shot
to document this growing phenomenon, with
hundreds of robust, red-shirted Cougars
gathering on the steps of the Ezekiel Cullen
Building. To see the results, go to: http://
uh.edu/crf.
As part of its ongoing KEEP HOUSTON RED campaign, UH has been undertaking a number of colorful initiatives aimed at raising
school spirit on the campus and in the community. The projects have included such projects as:
•BILLBOARDS – To remind Houston of the university that bears its name, UH has taken to the air … above the city’s most highly traveled thoroughfares.
The latest celebrate the football team’s nationally ranked success.
•TOSS (Trade Other Schools’ Shirts) – Folks are encouraged to
swap their old T-shirts from other institutions for vibrant new UH togs.
•CRANK IT UP COOGS! – Participating area businesses and
organizations are supplied with large UH flags to proudly fly over their
establishments on game days.
•UH SUPERMAN – Student-athlete Kelvin King trades his football uniform for somewhat more
heroic garb in these series of promotional placards posted around the Welcome Center.
A Sporting CHANCE
by Heather Staible
UH Grad Robert Flores Parlayed
His RTV Degree into Co-anchoring
ESPN’s SportsCenter
E
SPN anchor Robert Flores (’92) is one of
those people who, within moments of
meeting, you’re pretty sure you’ve known
the guy forever. Affable, smart and just a tad self-deprecating, the
Houston native and University of Houston graduate
is a local boy done good, and Flores never forgets
where he came from or what it took to get where
he is.
Like most sports guys, Flores knows his stuff, but
he’s quick to tell you about his unabashed love for
wrestling. Steeped in family tradition, Flores first
fell for the theatrical sport as a kid, watching
Ch. 39 and Paul Boesch.
“My grandpa and I would go around the corner and
get Shipley Donuts and watch Gino Hernandez and
all the other Houston wrestlers,” Flores says. “It’s
my guilty pleasure. It might be an illness, but it’s
like a soap opera.” Flores favors the WWE and still
revels in his childhood tradition, passing it along
to his sons.
His sports knowledge isn’t limited to just the
dramatic flair in the ring of course. Flores cohosts SportsCenter, covering everything from the
National Basketball Association to boxing and his
ESPN resume includes hosting ESPN Friday Night
Fights and NBA Fastbreak. Flores says ESPN affords
staffers many opportunities to try new things,
so during college football, he will be on CBS
covering games.
Flores half-jokingly says he got to this point in his
career by “failing upward” but in reality, he got to
where he is the old-fashioned way - internships,
hard work and focus. Although accepted to the
University of Texas, Flores chose UH after graduating
from Dobie High School. Awarded an academic
scholarship, Flores briefly entertained pursuing
business, but quickly realized that wasn’t for him.
Robert Flores
“I was in there for 10 minutes and ran to my
counselor,” he says. After growing up transfixed by
A version of this article originally appeared in UH Alumni
local sportscaster Bob Allen, Flores quickly became
immersed in the School of Communication where
he graduated with a Radio and Television degree in
1992. Before long, Flores was working in television
as an intern at Channel 11.
“I was like a kid working in a candy shop. I worked
with Giff Nielsen and Matt Musil. Those were the
stars in my eyes,” Flores says. “I got valuable real
life experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything
because I wouldn’t be where I am now.” The time
spent paying his dues left little time for play, but
Flores did watch a lot of Cougar sports.
“My freshman year the Cougars (football) were
still enjoying success with Andre Ware and David
Klingler. Now Andre is an analyst and we work
together at ESPN. It’s neat to see that come
full circle,” he says. When he wasn’t watching
wrestling as a kid, Flores and his family were in
the stands at Hofheinz Pavilion during the golden
Phi Slama Jama days.
His road to ESPN was paved the way most
television jobs are. Start at a small market and
work your way up. Flores landed at KNOE-TV in
Monroe, La., as the weekend news anchor after
graduating and moved on to KWTX-TV in Waco
and then to KEYE-TV in Austin, where he was
sports director.
Quarterly, the magazine of the Houston Alumni Association.
Remember that whole “failing upward” thing? A
quick Google search reveals an unfortunate on-air
slip that cost him his job, but it also gave him
new direction.
He’s also got a soft spot for the Cougars and
raves about head football coach Kevin Sumlin,
calling him “one of the brightest young coaches”
out there.
“I was fired in August of 2004 and didn’t have
a job for six months, and then my agent called.
ESPN wanted to hire me,” Flores says. “How it
all worked out, I can’t even believe it. To go from
that situation to a place where I always wanted
to work, it’s the absolute best.”
As an alumnus, Flores is excited about the
direction UH is headed and praises the boosters,
administrators and fans for taking the critical
steps to improving the school’s facilities.
For most sports fans, Flores’ work days are a
dream. He starts his days at a meeting to discuss
the day’s news, he watches games and writes
scripts. When the red light goes on, Flores may be
on air for 30 minutes to three hours, depending
on the day.
“We have fun. That’s the great thing about sports.
I can poke fun and have a good time,” Flores
says. “Our fans are extremely smart and if you are
faking it, they will call you on it, so you have to
know your stuff.”
Impartial on the desk, Flores is open about his
affection for his hometown teams, and is true blue
regardless of the win/loss column. The Houston
Texans are his favorite professional football team
and he closely follows the Astros and the Rockets.
“I’m sorry Robertson wasn’t used when I was
a student. All the games were in the Astrodome
and when I watch games now, it looks like
Robertson has potential. It’s pretty special.
UH is committed to excellence and has so
much potential.”
One of the refreshing things about Flores is his
accessibility. He holds online live chats with fans,
invites people to friend him on his ESPN Facebook
page and Tweets regularly at @RoFloESPN, where
he responds to those who follow him. “I like
social media,” Flores says. “I’m intrigued at how
we can take advantage of it.”
Flores admits he was never meant for an office
job, so it’s a good thing his career is anything
but boring. Looks like “failing upward” is a pretty
good direction after all. H
33
BUILDING
A
A
BETTER
COMMUNITY
Innovative Architecture Program Gives Students
by Shawn Lindsey
Hands-On Experience as Houston Parks, Schools
and Nonprofits Benefit … by Design
unique program at the University of
Houston (UH) Gerald D. Hines College
of Architecture is not only preparing
its students for success, it’s literally
changing the landscape of the community – and
in doing so, impacting lives.
Established in 1990, the Graduate Design/
Build Studio (GDBS) gives students hands-on
experience. They don’t just sketch and build
models in a classroom; students design, build
and install a sustainable outdoor structure to
benefit the community. Their clients include local
nonprofits, parks and Houston-area schools.
When GDBS students Allison van Heugten and
Michael Viviano arrived at McReynolds Middle
School in Houston’s Fifth Ward last March, they
had no idea what the next four months would
have in store.
“It’s more comprehensive and intense than any
of us would have ever imagined,” said Viviano.
“I think some of the best work we produced
was the result of constraints like the incredibly
short timeline. Many late night and weekend
breakthroughs happen when they have to as a
matter of survival.”
Patrick Peters, the director of GDBS, has seen
this program – one of the most comprehensive
of its kind in the country – change his students
and their community. When Peters took the reigns
of GDBS in 1996, only 10 or so similar programs
existed nationwide. Since then, GDBS has become
a model for other architecture schools and an
attraction to students wishing to take a hands-on
approach that may otherwise be lost in today’s
world of technology and specialization.
“On our first day of each project, we go straight to
the build site. Students take their tape measures,
cameras and notebooks and get to work,” said
Peters, who taught the spring course with Cord
Bowen and Mark Dillon. “They meet with the
clients to understand their needs as well as the
challenges of the environment.”
“ The
beauty of this program is it offers experience that may not come
in a professional setting until many years into a young designer’s career.”
— Michael Viviano
McReynolds Solar Diagram
In this case, the client, McReynolds Middle School,
asked the group to build a Solar Shade Tree. The
project would need self-sufficient power for lights
and a fan, the materials would need to be highly
sustainable. It needed to be on budget, and the
14 GDBS students would do just about everything
down to the last bolt to complete it in just a few
months’ time.
“From this experience, I have learned that design
is a malleable process that takes dedication, hard
work and patience,” said van Heugten.
According to Viviano, the collaborative nature of
the process offered plenty of surprises.
“It is a much less predictable exercise from
designing alone at your desk,” he said.
All told, it took 15 weeks to bring the structure
to life. The GDBS students worked in teams to
submit drafts to the client, collaborated as a class
on a final design, fabricated materials, measured,
surveyed, worked with engineering consultants,
applied for permits and worked tirelessly
throughout Houston’s hottest summer on record
to install the project.
“The beauty of this program is it offers experience
that may not come in a professional setting until
many years into a young designer’s career. We
got to see the trajectory from concept to physical
production and every step in between, and any
of us would be lucky to encounter that again in a
job,” said Viviano.
The end result is a 400-square-foot sustainable
pavilion, complete with a rain garden to control
water flow, capable of withstanding hurricaneforce winds. The structure not only provides
shade for students and the community who use
the adjacent soccer fields, it also serves as an
outdoor classroom.
“The Solar Shade Tree demonstrates alternative
energy technologies and green building practices
not commonly found in the buildings in the
surrounding Fifth Ward and Denver Harbor
neighborhoods,” said Peters.
UH alum and former McReynolds Middle
School principal Joe Arrendondo facilitated the
collaboration with GDBS with the intention that
the structure would become an extension of the
school’s curriculum.
“Through its design, students are learning about
different science concepts such as solar energy
through the four recycled panels, and they can
view them first-hand by coming to the Solar
Shade Tree,” said Arrendondo, who now serves
as principal at nearby Austin High School. “They
can learn about using recycled and locallysourced materials in green building, such as
the Texas eastern red cedar used that was
harvested nearby.”
Maria Moreno became the principal at
McReynolds mid-project and saw it through to
completion. She says the Solar Shade Tree is
much more than a place to find relief from
the sun.
“Science and technology teachers bring
students outside to the interactive environment.
It provides a shady place for families to gather,
whether watching a game on the soccer field or
enjoying a picnic,” said Moreno. “The benefits
are innumerable, and the school and community
will enjoy these benefits for countless years
to come.”
In addition to the applause from the school’s
community, the “Solar Shade Tree” recently
earned the Mayor’s Proud Partner Award.
Presented annually through Keep Houston
Beautiful, the award honors projects that
enhance and beautify the city
In all, nearly a dozen structures have been
completed by hundreds of GDBS students.
In 2012, GDBS will head north to develop a
shade structure for a community garden in
Alief. It will provide another opportunity for
a new class of budding young architects at
UH to sprout a new, sustainable space for
the Houston community to enjoy. H
McReynolds Seating and Shade Diagram
35
UH Looks to the
by Marisa Ramirez (’00)
O
klahoma City, Texas?
Not quite, but Harris County’s northwest corridor
is experiencing such explosive population growth
that it’s on track to become roughly the size of
Oklahoma City over the next decade, according
to data analyzed by the University of Houston’s
Hobby Center for Public Policy (HCPP).
Housing prices and income levels also are on the
rise in the northwest corridor, one of the fastestgrowing communities in Texas. College students
are an important part of this growth.
“Analyzing the years since 1990 and forecasting
up to the year 2020, we anticipate the northwest
corridor population will double to near half a
million people, roughly the size of Oklahoma City or
Tucson, Arizona,” said Jim Granato, UH professor
and HCPP director. “Much of that growth will be
students seeking higher education opportunities,
which are flourishing in the northwest corridor.”
Established in 1981, the HCPP serves the
Houston community as an impartial research
organization within UH’s College of Liberal Arts
and Social Sciences (CLASS). The HCPP worked
with the economic development forum of the
Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce
to analyze data from 11 zip code regions in
the corridor.
“Our data indicates that between now and the next
census, household incomes--now in the $100,000
to $150,000 range--will jump 27 percent,” he said.
“Additionally, housing prices can expect a similar
jump, buoyed by the expected growth in population
and income.”
Jim Granato
Northwest
Represented in the population growth are
college students looking for a quality education
and for alternatives to the long constructionchoked drive into Houston. Among the options
for them is the UH Northwest Campus located at
Lone Star College-University Park.
Located at State Highway 249 and Louetta Road,
the campus offers courses for UH, UH-Downtown
and Lone Star College. The location also includes
campus centers for Texas Southern University
and Sam Houston State University. More
than 2,000 UH and UH-Downtown students
attend classes.
“For students living in the northwest corridor,
they should really look into attending here,” said
UH communications student Maegan Clemens.
“I have saved time, gas money and stress all
while earning a quality education from the
University of Houston. The campus is located in
a beautiful area surrounded by many trees. It’s
tranquil and gives off a relaxing feeling because
it is so quiet.”
The University of Houston has six resident faculty
members at the NW campus and hopes to add
more to their ranks. Additionally, in the fall 2012,
UH will expand its degree offerings to include an
MBA program. Enrollment is expected to double
over the next two years.
“All of our data points to very positive news for
that growing part of our area,” Granato said. H
37
0073040572
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LASTLOOK
GETTING ENGAGED, circa 1942: Several students work feverishly on an issue of The Cougar, the campus newspaper. On the right is JACK VALENTI,
whose illustrious career in communications and politics began at UH.

getting engaged - University of Houston

Transcription

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