University of Houston System
Encyclopedia
The University of Houston System is a state university system in Texas, encompassing four separate and distinct universities. It has two system centers, which operate as and distance learning course delivery sites for its universities. The UH System owns and holds broadcasting licenses to a public television station and two public radio stations.
The fourth-largest university system in Texas, the University of Houston System has over 65,000 students from the four separate universities. Its flagship institution is the University of Houston
, a nationally recognized research university of nearly 40,000 students. The economic impact of the UH System contributes over $3 billion annually to the Texas economy, while generating about 24,000 jobs.
The administration of the University of Houston System is housed in the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
on the campus of the University of Houston. The chancellor of the System is Renu Khator
, who also serves as president of the University of Houston. The System is governed by nine voting-member board of regents appointed by the Governor of Texas.
, a nationally recognized research university. The three other institutions are universities; they are not branch campuses of the University of Houston.
Admissions into each institution is separate, and each institution in the System has distinct admission criteria and requirements.
The University of Houston System has two system centers (also known as "multi-institution teaching centers"), which operate as and distance learning course delivery sites for its universities. The system centers are not stand-alone universities, and they do not have the authority to confer degrees.
KUHT
(HoustonPBS) is a PBS
member station and is the first public television station in the United States. Houston Public Radio is listener-funded radio and comprises two NPR
member stations: KUHF
(KUHF News) and KUHA
(Classical 91.7). KUHF is news/talk radio and KUHA is a classical music station.
, subject to the confirmation of the Texas Senate
, appoints three members to the Board of Regents. Each member serves a six-year term. Responsibilities for members are specifically listed in the bylaws of the Board of Regents.
The chairman of the Board of Regents is Carroll Robertson Ray—an alumna of the University of Houston. She was appointed to the Board in 2006, and will serve through August 31, 2011.
Since 1997, University of Houston System and University of Houston administration has been a single entity. Thus, the UHS Chancellor holds a dual role as the President of the University of Houston. As of 2008, the chancellor of UH System and president of the University of Houston is Renu Khator
.
The administration of the System is located on the campus of the University of Houston in the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
. The Chancellor's official residence is known as the "Wortham House". The house was designed by Alfred C. Finn
, and built by Frank P. Sterling
in 1925 as the "Sterling House". In 1948, the house was donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and later sold to Gus and Lyndall Wortham
in 1951. Upon her death in July 1980, Lyndall Wortham donated the property to the University of Houston. The house, located in the Houston neighborhood of Southampton, serves as a facility for small functions or gatherings of the UH System.
's Manned Spacecraft Center
to offer upper-division and graduate-level programs. Four years later in 1971, the 62nd Texas Legislature passed House Bill 199 authorizing the establishment of the University of Houston at Clear Lake City
as a separate and distinct institution with the organization and control vested in the Board of Regents of the University of Houston.
Recognizing the need for a university presence in Downtown Houston, the Board of Regents acquired the assets of South Texas Junior College
on August 6, 1974 and then opened the University of Houston–Downtown
College (UH/DC) as a four-year institution under the organization and control of the University of Houston. By August 1979, it became a stand-alone university when the 66th Texas Legislature established UH/DC as a separate and distinct institution in the University of Houston System.
The University of Houston System was created by statute on August 29, 1977 under House Bill 188 during the 65th Texas Legislature. The Board of Regents of the University of Houston was renamed the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. Philip G. Hoffman became the first chancellor of the System, after serving as president of the University of Houston from 1961 to 1977.
During the 68th Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 235 (SB 235) was signed into law and became effective immediately on April 26, 1983. The bill statutorily established the University of Houston–Victoria
as a separate and distinct institution in the University of Houston System, and it allowed the university system to acquire and dispose of land or other real property outside of Harris County. In addition, SB 235 changed the names of existing UH System institutions as follows:
A proposal to reorganize and consolidate state university systems emerged in 1986. The UH System would have been merged into a new university system to include a total of 10 institutions under the recommended reorganization referred to as the "Gulf Coast System." The proposed consolidation grouping drew oppositions from affected institutions, and the plan never materialized.
In 1991, the University of Houston–University Park changed back to its original name: University of Houston. The addition of the "University Park" appellation was done with little discussion and had never gained community acceptance.
The UH System and the University of Houston administrations merged in 1997. That same year, Arthur K. Smith became the first person to be both UH System chancellor and University of Houston president simultaneously. Smith oversaw the launching of the “Learning. Leading.” image campaign for UH, the planning and construction of a number of major buildings at all four UH System universities, a dramatic growth in external funding for research, and an increase in student enrollment.
In 2007, an additional system center (also known as a "multi-institution teaching center") was identified for creation in the northwest Houston metropolitan area. This plan was objected by Prairie View A&M University, saying that it would lead to competition for students in the area. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the system center, but under stringent conditions. Subsequently, the UH System withdrew from the land purchase.
In November 2007, Renu Khator
was selected as the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System and thirteenth president of the University of Houston. Khator became the first female to hold the chancellorship position and took office two months thereafter in January 2008. In addition, she is the third person to hold the dual position of UH System chancellor and UH president.
The UH System announced its intent to purchase the broadcast tower, FM frequency and license of KTRU from Rice University to operate a second public radio station—in addition to KUHF
—in August 2010. The Federal Communication Commission approved the purchase and transfer of license to the University of Houston System on April 2011 and the new station, KUHA
, began broadcasting in May 2011.
The fourth-largest university system in Texas, the University of Houston System has over 65,000 students from the four separate universities. Its flagship institution is the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, a nationally recognized research university of nearly 40,000 students. The economic impact of the UH System contributes over $3 billion annually to the Texas economy, while generating about 24,000 jobs.
The administration of the University of Houston System is housed in the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
The Ezekiel W. Cullen Building, usually shortened in pronunciation as the E. Cullen Building, is a building that serves as the main administrative headquarters of the University of Houston and the University of Houston System. It is named in honor of Ezekiel Wimberly Cullen, a former congressman...
on the campus of the University of Houston. The chancellor of the System is Renu Khator
Renu Khator
Renu Khator is the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System and the thirteenth president of the University of Houston. She is the first foreign-born president of the university, and the second woman to hold the position...
, who also serves as president of the University of Houston. The System is governed by nine voting-member board of regents appointed by the Governor of Texas.
Component institutions
The University of Houston System has four separate and distinct institutions. Each institution is a stand-alone university and confers its own degrees. Its flagship institution is the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, a nationally recognized research university. The three other institutions are universities; they are not branch campuses of the University of Houston.
Admissions into each institution is separate, and each institution in the System has distinct admission criteria and requirements.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2011) |
Campus Acreage |
Endowment |
Research Expenditures (FY 2011) |
Carnegie Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Houston University of Houston The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of... |
1927 | 39,820 | 667 | $589.8 million | $127.5 million | Research (Very High) |
| 1971 | 8,188 | 524 | $22.6 million | $2.2 million | Master's (Large) | |
| 1974 | 12,918 | 20 | $34.7 million | $1.5 million | Baccalaureate–Diverse | |
| 1971 | 4,331 | 20 | $15.2 million | $1.2 million | Master's (Large) |
System centers
| System Center | Founded | Campus Acreage |
Participating universities offering courses and degree programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 250 | ||
| 1980 | 10 |
Public broadcasting
The University of Houston System owns and holds broadcasting licenses to a public television station and two public radio stations. The stations broadcast from the Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, located on the campus of the University of Houston.KUHT
KUHT
-Technical firsts:The station is also noted in Houston for many technical firsts at the local level. In 1981, KUHT became Houston's first closed captioned television station, and ten years later, in 1991, it became the first station in Houston to offer Descriptive Video Service , and other services...
(HoustonPBS) is a PBS
Public Broadcast Service
The Public Broadcast Service is a government-owned educational radio and television broadcast service located in Barbados. Public Broadcast Service owns a radio station, 91.1FM and its television programming will be introduced in 2009....
member station and is the first public television station in the United States. Houston Public Radio is listener-funded radio and comprises two NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
member stations: KUHF
KUHF
KUHF is a public radio station serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It broadcasts on a frequency of 88.7 megahertz on the FM dial. The station is owned by and licensed to the University of Houston System...
(KUHF News) and KUHA
KUHA
KUHA is a public radio station serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It broadcasts on a frequency of 91.7 Megahertz on the FM dial. The station is owned by and licensed to the University of Houston System...
(Classical 91.7). KUHF is news/talk radio and KUHA is a classical music station.
Organizational structure
The organization and control of the University of Houston System is vested in its Board of Regents. The Board consists of a chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, and six other members. Every two years, the Governor of the State of TexasGovernor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
, subject to the confirmation of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
, appoints three members to the Board of Regents. Each member serves a six-year term. Responsibilities for members are specifically listed in the bylaws of the Board of Regents.
The chairman of the Board of Regents is Carroll Robertson Ray—an alumna of the University of Houston. She was appointed to the Board in 2006, and will serve through August 31, 2011.
Administration
The chancellor is the chief executive officer of the University of Houston System. The chancellor, appointed by the System's Board of Regents, has certain authorities that are specified in the regent bylaws. The chancellor has the option to delegate responsibilities to others such as the vice-chancellor, university presidents, and university athletic directors. Such delegations are subject to the board of regents bylaws and UHS policies.Since 1997, University of Houston System and University of Houston administration has been a single entity. Thus, the UHS Chancellor holds a dual role as the President of the University of Houston. As of 2008, the chancellor of UH System and president of the University of Houston is Renu Khator
Renu Khator
Renu Khator is the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System and the thirteenth president of the University of Houston. She is the first foreign-born president of the university, and the second woman to hold the position...
.
The administration of the System is located on the campus of the University of Houston in the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
The Ezekiel W. Cullen Building, usually shortened in pronunciation as the E. Cullen Building, is a building that serves as the main administrative headquarters of the University of Houston and the University of Houston System. It is named in honor of Ezekiel Wimberly Cullen, a former congressman...
. The Chancellor's official residence is known as the "Wortham House". The house was designed by Alfred C. Finn
Alfred C. Finn
Alfred Charles Finn , a notable Texan architect, was born in Bellville, Texas, on July 2, 1883. Finn grew up in Hempstead, and moved to Houston in 1900 to work for Southern Pacific Railroad as a carpenter and draftsman. Finn was an architect for the Capitol Lofts, the Ezekiel W...
, and built by Frank P. Sterling
Frank Sterling
Frank Prior Sterling was an oilman and one of nine founders of the Humble Oil & Refining Company of Houston, Texas in 1917. Humble was one of the best oil & gas finding companies in the history of petroleum exploration. Humble merged with Standard Oil of New Jersey to form Exxon, Inc.,...
in 1925 as the "Sterling House". In 1948, the house was donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and later sold to Gus and Lyndall Wortham
Gus Wortham
Gus Sessions Wortham , was a businessman and civic leader.-Biography:He was born on February 18, 1891 in Mexia, Texas to John Lee Wortham and Fannie Sessions. He moved with his father, John Lee Wortham, to Houston, Texas, and opened John L. Wortham and Son, an insurance agency...
in 1951. Upon her death in July 1980, Lyndall Wortham donated the property to the University of Houston. The house, located in the Houston neighborhood of Southampton, serves as a facility for small functions or gatherings of the UH System.
History
The evolvement of a multi-institution University of Houston System came from a recommendation in May 1968 which called for the creation of a stand-alone university near NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Manned Spacecraft Center
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...
to offer upper-division and graduate-level programs. Four years later in 1971, the 62nd Texas Legislature passed House Bill 199 authorizing the establishment of the University of Houston at Clear Lake City
University of Houston–Clear Lake
The University of Houston–Clear Lake is a state university, and is a component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 524-acre in Pasadena, with a satellite campus in Pearland. Founded in 1971, UHCL has an enrollment of more than 8,000 students...
as a separate and distinct institution with the organization and control vested in the Board of Regents of the University of Houston.
Recognizing the need for a university presence in Downtown Houston, the Board of Regents acquired the assets of South Texas Junior College
South Texas Junior College
South Texas Junior College was a junior college located in Houston, Texas .In 1923 the college opened as a part of the South Texas School of Law and Commerce. Young Men's Christian Association and Harris County operated the two-year coeducational liberal arts school; no tax money supported the...
on August 6, 1974 and then opened the University of Houston–Downtown
University of Houston–Downtown
The University of Houston–Downtown is a four-year state university, and is a distinct component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 20-acre in Downtown Houston, with a satellite location in northwestern Harris County...
College (UH/DC) as a four-year institution under the organization and control of the University of Houston. By August 1979, it became a stand-alone university when the 66th Texas Legislature established UH/DC as a separate and distinct institution in the University of Houston System.
The University of Houston System was created by statute on August 29, 1977 under House Bill 188 during the 65th Texas Legislature. The Board of Regents of the University of Houston was renamed the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. Philip G. Hoffman became the first chancellor of the System, after serving as president of the University of Houston from 1961 to 1977.
During the 68th Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 235 (SB 235) was signed into law and became effective immediately on April 26, 1983. The bill statutorily established the University of Houston–Victoria
University of Houston–Victoria
The University of Houston–Victoria is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 20-acre in Victoria, with satellite locations at UH System centers in Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch...
as a separate and distinct institution in the University of Houston System, and it allowed the university system to acquire and dispose of land or other real property outside of Harris County. In addition, SB 235 changed the names of existing UH System institutions as follows:
- The University of Houston was renamed the University of Houston–University Park;
- The University of Houston at Clear Lake City was renamed the University of Houston–Clear Lake; and
- The University of Houston–Downtown College was renamed the University of Houston–Downtown.
A proposal to reorganize and consolidate state university systems emerged in 1986. The UH System would have been merged into a new university system to include a total of 10 institutions under the recommended reorganization referred to as the "Gulf Coast System." The proposed consolidation grouping drew oppositions from affected institutions, and the plan never materialized.
In 1991, the University of Houston–University Park changed back to its original name: University of Houston. The addition of the "University Park" appellation was done with little discussion and had never gained community acceptance.
The UH System and the University of Houston administrations merged in 1997. That same year, Arthur K. Smith became the first person to be both UH System chancellor and University of Houston president simultaneously. Smith oversaw the launching of the “Learning. Leading.” image campaign for UH, the planning and construction of a number of major buildings at all four UH System universities, a dramatic growth in external funding for research, and an increase in student enrollment.
In 2007, an additional system center (also known as a "multi-institution teaching center") was identified for creation in the northwest Houston metropolitan area. This plan was objected by Prairie View A&M University, saying that it would lead to competition for students in the area. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the system center, but under stringent conditions. Subsequently, the UH System withdrew from the land purchase.
In November 2007, Renu Khator
Renu Khator
Renu Khator is the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System and the thirteenth president of the University of Houston. She is the first foreign-born president of the university, and the second woman to hold the position...
was selected as the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System and thirteenth president of the University of Houston. Khator became the first female to hold the chancellorship position and took office two months thereafter in January 2008. In addition, she is the third person to hold the dual position of UH System chancellor and UH president.
The UH System announced its intent to purchase the broadcast tower, FM frequency and license of KTRU from Rice University to operate a second public radio station—in addition to KUHF
KUHF
KUHF is a public radio station serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It broadcasts on a frequency of 88.7 megahertz on the FM dial. The station is owned by and licensed to the University of Houston System...
—in August 2010. The Federal Communication Commission approved the purchase and transfer of license to the University of Houston System on April 2011 and the new station, KUHA
KUHA
KUHA is a public radio station serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It broadcasts on a frequency of 91.7 Megahertz on the FM dial. The station is owned by and licensed to the University of Houston System...
, began broadcasting in May 2011.