President’s Message
Dear Friends of UHV,
The 2019-2020 year was one like no other for both the University of Houston-Victoria and the communities that we serve as we worked from home, taught or took online classes, switched to virtual events, wore masks and socially distanced.
Despite the radical changes, there were many bright spots throughout the year as we opened a new building and continued construction on others, offered new degrees, partnered with the community on projects and helped students succeed despite the challenges they faced.
I hope you will enjoy this online annual report that allows us to make information about the year available to a wide audience. We also have featured videos and highlights from the Nov. 10 President’s Annual Report & Excellence Awards program, our first time hosting it as a virtual event.
Here are just a few of UHV’s highlights from 2019-2020:
- The Here, We Go fundraising campaign that ended Aug. 31, 2020, raised $13.43 million, 12 percent more than the university’s $12 million goal. In the campaign period from 2012 to 2020, 4,591 donors gave to UHV.
- A $2.25 million, five-year Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education is helping the university promote undergraduate student success with faculty training and new programs, including a summer bridge program for incoming freshmen, financial literacy instruction, increased tutoring and supplemental instruction, internship assistance and additional advising.
- UHV celebrated a construction milestone with a “topping out” ceremony for University South, our new science, technology, engineering and mathematics building that also received an architectural design award in the American Institute of Architects Corpus Christi Chapter’s 2019 Design Awards Program.
- We opened Don & Mona Smith Hall, a 272-bed residence hall, and a popular new Chick-fil-A and Jaguar Java coffee bar in the University Commons student center.
- Representatives from UHV, UH, the UH System and the Katy community participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Katy Academic Building, where both UHV and UH offer transfer and graduate programs to Greater Houston students looking for quality, affordable education close to where they live and work.
- Graduate student Alvaro De la Cruz was sworn in as only the second student in UHV’s history to serve as the student regent on the UH System Board of Regents.
- Readers of Living Magazine voted UHV the Best College or University in Katy and Fulshear for the second year in a row.
- For the fourth consecutive year, a record number of UHV faculty and staff made financial contributions to the university. In all, 69 percent of full-time employees made a gift.
- The M.G. & Lillie A. Johnson Foundation gave two grants to the university totaling $800,000 for scholarships for students pursing health-related degrees and equipment for the new University South visualization theater that will feature a lab with an immersive, 210-degree screen.
- We had the honor of having U.S. Sen. John Cornyn deliver the keynote address at our fall commencement ceremony in Katy.
- A $100,000 disaster preparation grant from the Rebuild Texas Fund allowed the university to purchase a backup generator to help supply emergency power for communication needs and the university’s food service operation in Jaguar Hall.
- The UH System Board of Regents gave approval for UHV to move forward with plans to build our first student recreation and health center, and the M.G. & Lillie A. Johnson Foundation recently committed to providing $2 million for the project. The gift, the largest in the university’s history, will help fund construction along with a student fee that UHV students voted in December 2018 to approve.
- UHV released a study estimating that the university will add $490.8 million in income to the region’s economy in 2028-2029, an increase of 53 percent compared with 2018-2019 when the university’s total economic impact was $320.5 million.
- Numerous national organizations ranked UHV for our quality and affordable degree programs, and Educate to Career ranked the university in its top tier of Texas universities for our COVID-19 response that benefited and protected students.
Because of the way UHV and our area communities continued to work together during the challenges that we experienced this year, our theme for the annual report is Roaring as One.
As you look through this website, be sure to view the short videos featuring students, faculty, alumni and community members talking about how UHV has made a difference in their lives. You also will see photos from the year and videos of our special recognition award recipients.
As I look at the changes at UHV this past year, I am thankful for the support we have from Victoria and the region. Without our students, faculty and staff, our generous donors and our supportive community, these accomplishments would not have been possible. Remember, by Roaring as One, we can all make this region a better place to live, work and play.
Sincerely,
Robert K. Glenn
President, University of Houston-Victoria
