Monday, January 28, 2013 // Issue 65, Volume 78
THE DAILY COUGAR
T H E
O F F I C I A L
S T U D E N T
N E W S PA P E R
O F
T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
H O U S T O N
S I N C E
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OPINION
President’s speech divides LIFE+ARTS
Aspiring engineers were encouraged to dress the part Saturday The Mars Rover competition was first held in October 2002 at the World Space Congress. In the first year, there were 60 participants. This year, more than 650 children participated, said Rebecca Forrest, an instructional associate professor in the physics department. For more about the event, turn to page three. —Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar
Cast brings opera to life
FACULTY
Retired astronaut lands at UH Natalie Harms News editor
The new STEM center will be one of 160 on university campuses and will specialize in research, using surrounding facilities and scientists housed in the Texas Medical Center and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Dunbar values the importance
of STEM education programs and before her years at NASA, she had her own consulting company, Dunbar International LLC, in which she worked to expand kindergarten through 12th grade science education. “Developing a pipeline for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will
play a major role in the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy and is a critical component to helping our nation win the future,” Dunbar said in an article for UH. She founded the Washington Aerospace Scholars program for students in their junior year of high school and grew the STEM
programs of the Seattle Museum of Flight, of which she was president and CEO. In addition to her history of promoting education, Dunbar’s experience with NASA will give her lectures an edge amongst others: producing a mix of theory and
SPORTS
Cougars go big for win
DUNBAR continues on page 3
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ADMINISTRATION
Provost search committee appointed Minh Dam Contributing writer
With senior vice chancellor of Academic Affairs John Antel returning to a faculty position and Paula Short still acting as interim provost, the University took a step toward appointing a new UH provost and senior vice chancellor of UH System. President and Chancellor Renu Khator announced Wednesday that John Lee and Richard Walker will co-chair the provost search committee. They will be assisted by R. William Funk and Associates, an executive search firm dedicated to higher education consulting. “The University of Houston is looking for a transformational leader with a proven capacity to
create an environment and culture focused on student success at a Tier One institution,” Walker said. Professor and distinguished university chair John Lee is a widelyknown petroleum engineering academic and National Academy of Engineering member. Richard Walker is vice chancellor and vice president for Student Affairs with more than 30 years of higher education experience. Both accepted their positions at UH in 2011. Within the next few weeks, the committee will be meeting to define the qualities and experience it believes will make an ideal candidate for the position. The co-chairs will be assisted by 13 committee members.
“And we will be actively seeking input from faculty around campus to help us identify exemplary candidates to become the next UH provost and senior vice chancellor for the UH System,” Walker said. The committee is responsible for developing a strong and diverse pool of candidates, screening eligible applicants, inviting finalists for campus interviews and providing assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of each interviewee. “My expectation is to have the search committee conclude its work in May,” Khator said. Khator has asked the committee to seek input from faculty, staff, professional programs, alumni and students.
“I request that you please help the committee in creating a strong and diverse pool of candidates by nominating qualified individuals,” Khator said. “I have asked the chairs to keep you informed about the process and respectfully request that you meet the candidates when invited for interviews.” It is expected that the ideal candidate will have a demonstrated record of sustained academic leadership and accomplishment commensurate with appointment to the rank of full professor with tenure at a major research university. news@thedailycougar.com
thedailycougar.com
CORRECTION In Thursday’s Ed Hugetz article, the headline identified Hugetz as a vice president. He was an associate vice president.
COUNTDOWN
2
Days until the last day to drop a class without a W. Realize your 8 a.m. Saturday class was a mistake? It’s not too late to drop.