HOUSTONNEWS
Photo: Pim Lim
A publication for UH faculty and staff • Spring 2014 • Volume 19, Number 2
The UH Dance Ensemble performed works by the University’s faculty and other Houston-based professional choreographers at the annual Ensemble Dance Works March 28-30.
In Historic Move, UHS Regents Approve Optional Fixed Tuition Rates for 2015, 2016 By Mike Emery
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n its efforts to bolster graduation rates and help students financially navigate future semesters, the University of Houston System Board of Regents approved tuition rates for fiscal years 2015 (FY2015) and 2016 (FY2016). In a historic move, the board approved systemwide four-year fixed rates to assist students in graduating early or on time. These optional rates will be available to first-time-in-college students and undergraduate transfer students entering UHS institutions in the fall semesters. These rates were developed in response to a policy decision from the Texas Legislature requiring universities to offer four-year fixed tuition plans this year. Undergraduate students entering UH,
UH-Clear Lake (UHCL), UH-Downtown (UHD) or UH-Victoria (UHV) in fall 2014 will have the option of participating in a four-year fixed tuition plan. At UH, these rates are part of the new UH in 4 initiative, which requires students to complete 30 semester credit hours during an academic year. Students who elect not to participate in a four-year fixed rate plan will pay variable rate tuition. Four-year fixed rates were developed with the assumption that variable rate tuition will increase at a rate of 2.2 percent over the next four years. Approved four-year fixed tuition rates (not including student fees) for 15 semester credit hours at the UHS institutions are as follows: Continued on p.3
Energy Companies Join University’s Electricity Research Initiative By Jeannie Kever
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wo of the region’s largest energy companies have joined with the University of Houston to form the Electric Power Analytics Consortium, intended to enhance current models used to predict the number of electric outages due to the impact of storms and better serve customers. CenterPoint Energy and Direct Energy are founding members of the consortium, described by UH Chief Energy Officer Ramanan Krishnamoorti as an example of what the UH energy initiative is intended to accomplish, bringing academic research to real-world issues. Continued on p.10
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Administrative • 2
Staff Council News
Administrative News UHS Launches Its First Three Massive Open Online Courses The University of Houston System launched its first three Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera, offering unlimited participation and open access free of charge. The first two classes – Preparing for the AP Calculus AB Exam and Preparing for the AP Statistics Exam – started March 17 and will last for six weeks. The third MOOC being offered was developed by UH-Victoria and began April 7. Titled Applying Principles of Behavior in the K-12 Classroom, this course spans four weeks and will be very helpful to high school teachers and administrators. As the only participating partner from Texas, the UH System has the most upcoming courses of the 10 U.S. state universities that joined Coursera last May.
Save the Date Spring commencement runs May 9-10. Visit www.uh.edu/ commencement for details.
HOUSTON NEWS Volume 19 • Number 2 • Spring 2014 UH News is a quarterly publication of the Office of University Communication for UH staff and faculty. 129 E. Cullen Building – Houston, TX 77204–5017 Fax: 713.743.8199 – www.uh.edu/uhnews Richie Hunter Associate Vice Chancellor/ Associate Vice President 713.743.0945 Marketing & Communication Richard Bonnin Executive Director Media Relations 713.743.8155 rbonnin@uh.edu Shawn Lindsey Director, Media Relations 713.743.5725 selindsey@uh.edu Francine Parker Writer/Editor 713.743.8193 fparker@central.uh.edu
Eric Dowding Design and Layout 713.743.5900 UH Printing Services
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The Joy of Giving
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y family has a history of generosity that dates back several generations. My parents Pam Muscarello instilled in me the joy of giving, which was instilled in them by their parents. When I was younger, my parents would allocate to my siblings and me a certain amount of money to buy presents around the holidays. They did not care who we bought for, as long as it was not for ourselves. It taught me at an early age that giving provides a far greater and longer-lasting happiness than receiving. I attended the University of Houston on several scholarships, and save for a small amount of loans, they paid for my education. I remember sitting next to the donor of one of my larger scholarships at an awards ceremony and musing how wonderful he must feel at my honor and excitement.
After I graduated from UH and started working as a staff member here, I responded to a UH appeal: the faculty and staff campaign. Since then, I have given annually through payroll deduction. Until the day I can afford to be a donor sitting next to an honored student, I still have the opportunity to enjoy giving. Fortunately, as Staff Council president, I now have the privilege of leading a charge to provide more opportunities to give back. This year, in addition to soliciting for our Rodger Peters Staff Scholarship, we have opened two new funds — the Students of Staff Scholarship and the Professional Development Award. There are a precious few scholarships that support dependents of staff members for which the Students of Staff Scholarship was designed. The Professional Development Award will fill the need for some staff members to participate in special training and obtain certifications or licenses that are not offered by UH. Pam Muscarello, president, Staff Council
Regents Approve Plan for UH to Expand or Launch 22 Programs in Sugar Land By Richard Bonnin
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niversity of Houston System (UHS) Regents approved a University of Houston Sugar Land Task Force report that sets in motion plans to implement a major change in the delivery of off-campus instruction: to make the University of Houston the sole UHS institution delivering programs at the Sugar Land campus. To that end, the University is planning to expand or launch 22 programs in Sugar Land and relocate a large segment of its College of Technology to the campus. Welcome Wilson Sr., task force chairman and former chairman of the UHS Board of Regents, said the eight-member task force established five recommendations to guide the planning and implementation of this initiative: In fall 2014, the UH System should begin implementing a multi-year plan (two to five years) through which UH will become the exclusive provider of baccalaureate and graduate programs at the Sugar Land campus, consistent with the UHS Board of Regents’ decision to transfer campus administration to UH. UH will continue to rely on its community college partners to deliver lower-division course work. In the implementation of this change, it is of great importance that no current student be left stranded, that no existing faculty contract
be violated and that the University of Houston-Victoria be furnished with adequate funds to carry out its important mission to become a destination university in the city of Victoria, Wilson said. The success of the UHV nursing program is highly dependent upon its facilities in Sugar Land. It is also important that these programs continue to be conducted in metropolitan Houston near the Texas Medical Center. For these reasons, and consistent with the Sugar Land Task Force Nursing Subcommittee’s recommendation, this task force recommends that the existing nursing program at Sugar Land be transferred to UH and made part of its newly organized UH Health Science Center. This does not preclude UHV continuing with certain nursing programs in Victoria or elsewhere. Over the course of the implementation period, as the University of Houston expands program delivery in Sugar Land, UH-Victoria and UH-Clear Lake will incrementally cease program delivery at the campus and will have the opportunity to shift some of their programs to another UH System teaching center or deliver them fully online. In addition to degree programs, UH should deliver select certificate programs at the Sugar Land campus to meet local workforce needs. Wilson said the changes envisioned in the Continued on p.12
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Campus • 3
Texas Gov. Rick Perry Appoints Alumna Beth Madison to UHS Board of Regents By Mike Emery
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he University of Houston System Board of Regents soon will welcome its newest member, Beth Madison, who was recently appointed to the position by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Madison replaces outgoing regent Nandita Berry, who resigned from the board after being appointed Texas Secretary of State. Her term expires Aug. 31, 2015. Madison is a UH alumna and contributes her time and energies as a board member for the University’s C. T. Bauer College of Business Foundation. She also is a life member of the UH Alumni Association and Phi Kappa Phi Honor
Society. Madison previously served on the board for the University’s Moores School of Music Society. In 2010, she was awarded the UH President’s Medallion for distinguished alumni. She also contributes to the University as an underwriter for the UH Madison Merit Scholarship. Madison is a shareholder and managing director of Higginbotham and Associates, and co-founder of Madison Benefits Group. She is a member of the Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society. Additionally, she is a board member for the Foundation for Teen Health, board secretary of the Rice University Shepherd School of Music Society, a trustee of the Madison Charitable Foundation and an underwriter of the University of Science
and Arts of Oklahoma Loella Elizabeth Madison Scholarship. She is senior board chairwoman of the Houston Grand Beth Madison Opera, board secretary of the Alley Theatre, and a board member and past president of the World Affairs Council of Houston. She is an inductee of the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce 2013 Women’s Hall of Fame. 0
UH Remembers Former Optometry Dean, Three Faculty Members Staff Reports
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he University of Houston community is mourning the loss of four of its members: former dean of the College of Optometry Dr. William R. Baldwin, Moores School of Music (MSM) Director Emeritus David Tomatz, MSM Professor Emeritus Robert Lynn and Professor Emeritus James R. Benbrook. Baldwin, who died in February, served as optometry dean from 1979 to 1990. Among his many career accomplishments, Baldwin was a member of an elite group of optometrists inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame in 2011. Called “a consummate academic, a principled individual and a man of high ideals” by his colleagues, Baldwin made great strides during his tenure as optometry dean at UH. The college took critical steps toward becoming a recognized vision research center under Baldwin’s leadership. Prior to his tenure at UH, Baldwin served as dean of the Pacific University College of Optometry and president of the New
Continued from p.1: Tuition Rates h UH: FY2015 – $4,750 / FY2016 – $4,855 h UHCL: FY2015 – $3,472 / FY2016 – $3,622 h UHD: FY2015 – $3,275 / FY2016 – $3,415 h UHV: FY2015 – $3,283 / FY2016 – $3,402
The approved undergraduate variable rates for 15 semester credit hours (not including student fees) at each UHS institution are as follows: h UH: FY2015 – $4,782 average / FY2016 – $4,878 average. (In 2012, UH adopted consolidated tuition rates that are determined by major. The rates represented reflect the
England College of Optometry. Those wishing to make a contribution in his honor, may do so to the Dr. William R. Baldwin Scholarship at the UH College of Optometry. Benbrook, who served two successful terms as chair of the physics department, died in February following a long illness. During his 40-year career, he taught courses at all levels with equal enthusiasm and attention. In recognition of his outstanding teaching, Benbrook won the UH Provost’s Core Teaching Excellence Award in 2008, shortly before his retirement. He taught Modern Electronics for Physicists, a course he created and described as a place where “students learn which end of the soldering iron to hold.” Those wishing to make a contribution in his honor may do so to the Alzheimer’s Association, Parkinson’s Society, the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Lynn, who taught musicology at UH from 1971–1997, passed away in February following a long illness. Many MSM faculty members
learned from Lynn, who regularly taught Introduction to Musicology. For several years, Lynn also contributed his talents to the role of director of graduate studies. In 1982, he became the first music director of Bach Society Houston and worked with that organization until 2004. Tomatz, who served as director of the Moores School of Music from 1984-1999, passed away in January. Tomatz helped guide the creation of the Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival, the Moores Jazz Festival, the expansion of the school’s opera program, and the construction of the state-of-the-art MSM building and Moores Opera House. He also was instrumental in starting MSM’s doctoral program. In addition to his career as an educator and administrator, Tomatz was an acclaimed cellist and performed with the Western Arts Trio. As a member of the trio, Tomatz performed on stages across the U.S. and internationally. He also performed and recorded extensively as a solo artist. Tomatz was a former president of the National Association of Schools of Music. 0
average cost of tuition for undergraduate students.) h UHCL: FY2015 – $3,326 / FY2016 – $3,491 h UHD: FY2015 – $3,155 / FY2016 – $3,317 h UHV: FY2015 – $3,164 / FY2016 – $3,311 Graduate variable tuition rates for nine semester credit hours (not including student fees) at each UHS institution are as follows: h U H: UH will not implement tuition increases for doctoral programs. Master’s programs will vary by discipline. h UHCL: FY2015 – $3,682 / FY2016 – $3,898 h UHD: FY2015 – $3,090 / FY2016 – $3,288
h UHV: FY2015 – $2,916 / FY2016 – $3,129
Tuition revenues at each UHS institution will be dedicated to enhancing programs and resources aimed at promoting student success. At UH, revenue generated from tuition will support strategies including increasing faculty and financial aid, as well as enhancing libraries, instructional technology and graduate student support. In 2013, UH and UHD were recognized as two of the most affordable universities in Texas by the Online College Database. In its list of 23 most affordable universities, UH and UHD, respectively, ranked 9th and 10th. 0
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Campus • 4
Esteemed Houston Leaders Comprise Board of Visitors By Mike Emery
Photo: Jessie Villarreal
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he University of Houston has selected a “who’s who” of esteemed business and civic leaders to serve on its newly created Board of Visitors. As the University continues to enhance and broaden its partnerships throughout Houston and beyond, this distinguished group will provide valuable support, leadership and advocacy for the University. The 46-member board is dedicated to enhancing the University’s presence in the city of Houston and beyond. Likewise, it serves in an advisory capacity, providing strategic counsel to UH President Renu Khator and her cabinet. Board members also are tasked with connecting the University with key constituents and community members. Led by chairman John T. McNabb II, its members are appointed to serve three-year terms as ambassadors and advisers for the University. “The members of this group were selected for their expertise and excellence in a variety of fields,” said McNabb, vice chairman of investment banking for Duff and Phelps and chairman of the “The members of board for Willbros Group. this group were “This board is selected for their comprised of people who expertise and care about excellence in a Houston and variety of fields.” are confident —John T. McNabb II, that UH can play a vital role Chairman, Board of Visitors in advancing the city.” In addition to McNabb, board members include its vice chairman, alumnus Marvin E. Odum III, president and Upstream America director of Shell Oil; Jack Moore, chairman of the board of Cameron; Eric Hilton, former vice chairman of Hilton Hotels; former Texas Lt. Gov. William Hobby; the Rev. William Lawson, pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church; alumna and KPRC-TV anchor Dominique Sachse; alumnus and Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, president and CEO of Carl Lewis Entertainment Group; James R. Crane, chairman of the Houston Astros; alumnus and professional golfer Fred S. Couples; alumnus Floyd C. Wilson, chairman and CEO of Halcón Resources Corporation; alumnus Richard Rawson, management director and president of Insperity; and alumna Nelda Luce Blair, former chairwoman of the UH System Board of Regents and president of the Blair Law Firm. A list of members can be found at www. uh.edu/about/leadership/board-of-visitors/. 0
The University of Houston commemorated the message of slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service on Feb. 1. Nearly 200 Cougars sorted and packed food at the Houston Food Bank.
UH Joins National Coalition to Increase Number of Students to Study Abroad for studying abroad is an institutional imperative that will allow more UH students to he experience of studying abroad lays become globally focused, multidisciplinary the groundwork for a globally competiand multicultural professionals.” tive professional life and enhances a stuLast year, 476 UH students studied abroad dent’s personal perspective. But despite these in 38 countries. More than 143 students impressive results, fewer than 10 percent of received scholarships to study overseas. all U.S. college students will study abroad, The IIE’s Generation Study Abroad initiameaning most will not receive the internative will engage educators and stakeholders in tional experience they’ll need to advance their the public and private sectors to drive meancareers, participate in the global economy or ingful, innovative action to increase the number work together across borders to address global of U.S. students who gain international experiissues. To that end, UH is joining a national ence through academic study abroad programs, effort to increase the number of students who internships, service learning and noncredit participate in study abroad programs. educational experiences UH has committed The UH plan aims to to the Institute of Interincrease study abroad par“Increasing the number ticipation from one percent national Education’s (IIE) Generation Study Abroad of scholarships and to four percent (or 1,200 initiative, which aims to award amounts for student participants) by double the number of stu2020. UH Global Strategies studying abroad is an dents who study abroad and Studies will raise study over the next five years. institutional imperative.” abroad awareness on camMore than 150 higher edu—Paula Short, provost pus, create a unique brand cation institutions also have for the Office of Study joined the effort. Abroad, maximize the use “UH will actively promote efforts to of social networking and expand scholarship expand study abroad participation through offerings, among other efforts. The University the comprehensive 2020 Strategic Plan to is among the lead partners to commit to speoffer students a unique, life-changing, educific, measurable actions that will help reach cational experience overseas,” said Paula this ambitious goal, the result of which will be Myrick Short, senior vice president for acathousands more American students graduating demic affairs and provost. “Increasing the with the international experience necessary for number of scholarships and award amounts success in a globalized world. 0 By Marisa Ramirez
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Success • 5
UHS Chancellor, UH President Renu Khator Receives International, National Accolades By Richard Bonnin
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enu Khator, chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston, has received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest honor conferred on overseas Indians. She is one of 13 recipients of the award, which was given out in New Delhi by Pranab Mukherjee, the president of India. “I take great pride in being an Indian-American and feel that I have been blessed by the richness of both cultures,” Khator said. “I am particularly proud of my Indian heritage and grateful for the values that I was able to inherit from my motherland. I am truly humbled to receive the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from the president of India, for it is reflective of my love and affection for both India and the United States of America.” Khator also is the recipient of the 2014 President’s Award from NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. According to NASPA, the award gives special recognition to a college or university president who has, over a
sustained period of time, advanced the quality of student life on campus by supporting student affairs staff and programs. “Since student success is our top priority at the University of Houston, I am especially gratified to be recognized by an illustrious organization made up of student affairs professionals,” said Khator. “This award is really a tribute to the dedication and hard work of our faculty and staff, who help our students shape their future and achieve their goals. The NASPA honor is another wonderful reminder of that.” In choosing Khator for this annual award, NASPA pointed to Khator’s many initiatives to enhance student and residential life on campus including championing the $80 million renovation to the University Center and increasing the number of students who live on campus by 4,000 students since she assumed the duel post of UH president and chancellor of the UH System in 2008. Khator has also led efforts to improve customer service on campus and is actively engaged with student government leaders, whom she meets with each month.
Chancellor and President Renu Khator
Khator’s other honors include the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Outstanding Americans by Choice award, which recognizes her achievements as a naturalized citizen. She was also recently named deputy chair of the Dallas Federal Reserve Board. 0
A UH Student Again Earns Nation’s Highest Score on Construction Exam By Jeannie Kever ric Talley knew it was possible. After all, classmate Nicole Rawlins did it last spring. But when friends started suggesting his score on the American Institute of Constructors’ (AIC) national certification exam – 278 out of a possible 300 – could be the highest in the nation, he shrugged it off. “I thought surely somebody Senior Eric Talley scored 278 out of a possible 300 on the American Institute did better,” he said. They didn’t. For the sec- of Constructors national certification exam. ond time in a row, a student in the University of Houston Department of students to have a 2.5 grade point average before Construction Management had earned the entering the program, as well as to graduate, up highest score in the nation on the rigorous from the previous 2.0 requirement. exam. Nicole Rawlins, who graduated with a “I’m challenging our students,” said Neil construction management degree in DecemEldin, the department chair. “I want one of our ber, began the streak last spring, when she students to be at the top. Keep it up.” became the first UH student to earn the Eldin incorporates a review into the capnation’s top score. stone course he teaches during the final year of Many accredited construction managethe program. Several years ago, noticing that stument programs require students to take the dents seemed unaware of some elements covered eight-hour AIC certification exam, but Eldin on the test, he asked faculty to make sure those said the UH program, part of the College of elements were covered in their classes. Technology, is the only one to require it for It is beginning to pay off, he said, as is a graduation. Nationally, the passing rate is about conscious effort to “raise the bar” by requiring 50 percent.
Photo: Jessie Villarreal
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That was true of UH students, too, Eldin said, although most passed on the second attempt. Last fall, he said 47 percent of students nationally passed; 67 percent of UH students passed. His goal is 80 percent. Talley, who will graduate in May 2014, attended Mississippi State University for two years and then worked for a few years before moving back to the Houston area. He took community college classes to become certified as an electrician and, while working for a local firm, learned about the construction management degree. The UH program offers classes in the evening, which made it work for Talley. “There’s no way I could have done it if it had been a more traditional program, with classes in the day,” he said, because he continued to work full time, first as an electrician and now as a project coordinator for Pfeiffer & Son, a commercial and industrial electrical contractor in La Porte. He took the certification test seriously, studying for six weeks before the test in the hope that he wouldn’t have to retake it in the spring. When it was over, he knew he had done well. “But I never thought I had the highest score,” Neil said. Although he’s not yet sure what he will do once he graduates, he knows his degree and his top score on the certification test will create opportunities. 0
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Success • 6
Winning Design by UH Alum Helps Peoples with Disabilities ‘Connect’ By Mike Emery
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imple tasks are easy to take for granted. People rarely give a second thought to routine activities such as plugging in a laptop or other electronic devices. For those with physical disabilities, however, those everyday tasks present persistent challenges. While attending the University of Houston, industrial design student Matthew Burton met business student Justin Farley. Farley has cerebral palsy and knows firsthand about the difficulties in performing tasks such as handling electric plugs. Although he faces physical limitations, his determination is boundless. He approached UH industrial design professor Eunsook Kwon and invited her students into his daily world. Students worked with him on developing products that can benefit people with disabilities. Burton was among those students and
discovered that one of the issues Farley faced was inserting a plug into an electrical outlet. This sparked an idea for Connect, an adapter system that makes inserting and removing a plug much easier. Burton’s Connect recently earned first place at the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) 2014 student design competition. This is the third year in a row that a UH industrial design student has placed first in this competition. C o n n e c t includes a base station that plugs into a standard outlet and an adapter that connects to an appliance’s plug. A magnetic connection allows the user to easily attach the plug/adapter into the charged base station. A handle is affixed to the base station for easy removal from the outlet. Burton graduated in May but developed the project during his junior year at UH. As part of his IHA prize, Burton had the opportunity to
showcase Connect at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago. “It applies across different markets,” Burton said. “It can be used by anyone and removes excess clutter. It has more functionality and more ease.” While conducting research for Connect, Burton paid close attention to Farley’s challenges of plugging in his electric wheelchair. Also, his numerous electronic items required connections to electrical outlets. “In my research, I noted that he used plugs more than kitchen utensils,” Burton said. “That was surprising. As I tried to understand the areas in his life that needed assistance, I immediately noticed that.” Following his research, Burton developed a functional mock-up that was successfully used and a nonoperational prototype, which he submitted to the IHA student competition. Since graduating from UH, Burton has found a home at Point Innovation, a design consultancy firm in Dallas. He also contributes his energies to Matter, a nonprofit organization he founded. 0
Applause INSTITUTION For the third consecutive year, UH has been named one of the nation’s “Best Value” colleges and universities, according to The Princeton Review, one of only five Texas universities to make the list. The Princeton Review each year names 150 colleges – 75 public and 75 private – it has identified as offering top value, both academically and financially. UH was cited for generous scholarship programs and financial aid packages, a balance of residential and commuter students, and its ethnically diverse student body, as well as the city’s international flavor and its status as “the energy capital of the world.” A new ranking of online classes from U.S. News & World Report lists the College of Education third among the 2014 Best Online Education Programs in the nation. The rankings considered student engagement, student services and technology, faculty credentials, admissions selectivity and peer reputation in measuring programs.
Wynne W. Chin, professor of decision and information sciences, was inducted as a Fellow of the Association of Information Systems. He was one of five to be recognized globally for his contributions to research, teaching and service in the field of information systems. Jack Christiansen, director of the Petroleum Technology Initiative in College of Technology, has been named winner of the Ross Kastor Educators Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The award is given in recognition of dedication to improving engineering and science awareness for students and the enhancement of education for future industry leaders. Andrea Malone, foreign languages and ethnic studies librarian, has been named a Fulbright Specialist. Michael A. Olivas is a recipient of the American Educational Research Association’s Social Justice in Education Award. Olivas is the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law and director of the Institute of Higher Education Law & Governance at the Law Center.
ALUMNI Nandita Berry, former University of Houston System regent and senior counsel at the law firm of Locke Lord, was recently appointed as the 109th Texas Secretary of State by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry also appointed former regent Nelda Luce Blair, president and owner of the Blair Law Firm PC, to the Texas Economic Development Corp. Former regent Jacob M. Monty was also appointed by Perry to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Monty is managing partner and founder of Monty and Ramirez LLP.
FACULTY/STAFF Margaret Cheung, associate professor of physics, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). APS Fellows are selected for their exceptional contributions to physics, and election is limited to no more than one half of one percent of the membership.
Megan Robertson, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award program. CAREER awards are designed to help faculty in the early stages of their research launch long-term, successful labs. They are widely considered one of the most prestigious grants given to young investigators. The grant will support Robertson’s research to develop plant-based plastics and rubbers. Michael Olivas
E. Powell Robinson Jr., professor of decision and information sciences, is the recipient of the Decision Sciences Institute’s (DSI) prestigious Dennis E. Grawoig Distinguished Service Award. Named for the institute’s founder, the award recognizes Robinson’s contributions to DSI over a period of more than two decades. Margaret Cheung
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UHNEWS
Feature • 7
Photo: Jeannie Kever
Food Stamp Challenge Helps Honors Students Understand Poverty
Honors students Denny Dao (left), Laurianne Dib and Taylor Moses shopped at a local grocery store as part of the Food Stamp Challenge.
By Jeannie Kever
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hey bartered – sometimes babysitting for olive oil – and took advantage of free salsa and soy sauce. Mostly, students in an honors class in nutrition policy at the University of Houston who took the Food Stamp Challenge concentrated on stretching a limited amount of food through seven days, using fruit as late-night snacks and gazing longingly at the fancy coffee drinks they once bought without a second thought. “No coffee, no tea?” said Denny Dao. “It’s really hard.” He skipped dinners out with friends. Other classmates went out, but didn’t order, drinking only water as their friends ate. “I’ve been really hungry,” Laurianne Dib said. Politicians and activists have taken the challenge to draw attention to the pressures faced by the poorest Americans in feeding their families, but Daphne Hernandez, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, said the exercise was more than a publicity stunt or charitable outreach for the students in her class. Hernandez participated, too. The University provided $25 gift cards to a local grocery store; $25 is about the average weekly amount available for a single adult eligible for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which served 47 million low-income people in 2013. Money for the program, including the cost of the gift cards, came from a University-funded
curriculum development grant to Hernandez, intended to support research in undergraduate courses. Most of the students will go on to careers in health or public policy, and the experience can shape their decisions, Hernandez said. “Think about what you would recommend to Congress,” she told them. “If you’re working in a community center, think about what you would recommend to clients.” The exercise didn’t end when Hernandez and the students resumed their regular diets on Feb. 23. Students recorded everything they ate for the week, determining the number of calories, fat, vitamins and minerals, generating a class nutrition data set for analysis. Students will be able to present their findings at the University’s Undergraduate Research Day next fall. Generally, people must have household incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty line, or about $25,400 per year for a family of three, to qualify for SNAP benefits. Funding for the program dropped in November as federal stimulus spending ended, cutting the average family’s benefits by about $36 per month. The Farm Bill just approved by Congress includes an $8.6 billion cut to SNAP benefits over 10 years. According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, 850,000 SNAP households will see benefits lowered, although Texas isn’t expected to be affected. Ultimately, Hernandez and the students determined that it is possible to eat a healthy diet
on a food stamp budget, although it was difficult and inconvenient. One conclusion? Nutrition education should start early and involve both children and parents, especially mothers. “I ate less fruits and vegetables, and a lot more beans and rice,” Hernandez said. Dao, a vegetarian, said he made a critical mistake in planning his meals for the week. “I didn’t think about all-nighters,” he said. Staying up to study past midnight with only an orange for sustenance was not good. And cottage cheese for protein? Disgusting. “I hadn’t eaten cottage cheese in a long time,” he said. “I was nauseous.” Dao is one of several students who felt a personal connection to the academic exercise. His parents received food stamps when they first arrived in the United States. He remembers his mother’s stories of the hardships they faced when the food stamps ran out before the end of the month. “She just said there was no money to eat,” he said. “And that’s really typical of anyone on food stamps. They think about their children first.” Hernandez wanted the students to better understand why their future patients and clients might resort to fast food and prepackaged foods as they stretch their tight food budgets. Kristen Haney said she definitely gets it now. “I understand what people are going through,” she said. “We often think of poverty as someone who lives on the street, but they live all around you.” 0
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Research • 8
Fast-Evolving Market for 3D Printers Reshape Teaching, Research By Jeannie Kever
Photo: Thomas Campbell
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hey don’t look much different from any other piece of office equipment, but 3D printers are transforming university teaching and research. “If you can think of it, you can print it,” said Tony Frankino, assistant professor of biology in the University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM). The concept of 3D printing has been around since the 1980s, but advances in the technology – along with reduced costs – have made the printers more practical for everyday use in academia. Industry experts predict this fast-evolving market will grow from $2.5 billion in 2013 to $3.8 billion this year, and top $16 billion by 2018. A number of UH researchers have added 3D printers to their labs over the past few years. The College of Optometry installed one more than a decade ago, and the number has grown steadily since. The printers are most often used to illustrate complex concepts in the classroom, but a handful of academics have begun to use them to facilitate their research. While plastic is the most common medium, Frankino said some printers can produce designs in metals, ceramics and even biological tissues. He used one of the printers installed in the Information Technology Center at NSM to build a series of small wind tunnels that one of his Ph.D. students used to study fruit flies and their ability to adapt to new environments. He also used the printer to make smaller scale models
In his research, doctoral student Drew Russey used a wind tunnel built by a 3D printer that took two weeks and cost $2,000. The tunnel may have taken a year and cost $60,000 if it had been manufactured traditionally.
of the wind tunnels to take to conferences and lectures, a visual aid to explain the research. Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Cullen College of Engineering, has used a printer to make accessories for the robotic exoskeletons he uses to help adults with paralysis, stroke or other movement disorders. But his dreams are far bigger. Contreras-Vidal’s research focuses on developing algorithms that read electrical activity in the brain and translate it into movement. He envisions using 3D printers to produce
custom-designed exoskeletons – external fittings worn over the user’s hips and legs, propelled by a small motor – for children with cerebral palsy. The exoskeleton, guided by the brain-machine interface, could provide a form of therapy to treat the movement disorder, he said. For now, many researchers say the printers’ greatest value is in creating models of complex concepts, both to help explain their research and as a teaching tool in their classrooms. Continued on p.10
HRM Researchers to Grow, Study Produce from Aquaponics System of produce to be donated to area food pantries. “Though the practice of using fish as a he University of Houston is home to an source of nitrogen to feed plants has been around innovative farming system that will serve as for more than 30 years, primarily in Japan where a laboratory to study food safety. The aquaponfarmland is a premium, aquaponics is moving ics system also will grow as much as 75 pounds more and more into the U.S.,” said Jay Neal, assistant professor of food safety in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. The UH aquaponics system is built entirely in a 15-by-25 laboratory. A 600-gallon water tank is home to more than 200 tilapia. Water from the fish tank will flow through a PVC pipe over clay media into a floating garden supporting squash plants. From there the nutrient-rich water is drained into a second floating garden of lettuce and assorted herbs. The root sysThe aquaponics system is part of a grant-funded project with Houston tems clean the water, which is then Community College and Dayton Independent School District. filtered back into the tilapia tank.
By Marisa Ramirez
Photo courtesy of Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management
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“It’s a closed system,” Neal said. “The water is completely replenished and recycled.” The project is in collaboration with the agricultural department at the Houston Community College-Katy campus. Neal, whose research on food safety and contaminates has yielded best practices for small farms and farmers’ markets, will use the system to examine the prevalence of contaminates on produce from aquaponics gardens compared with farmers’ markets and supermarkets produce. “Certainly, there is bacteria everywhere, but we have found that with an aquaponics system, the microbial load is very limited,” he said. One growing cycle will yield approximately 75 pounds of produce — squash, lettuce and herbs. Neal says the harvest will be donated to area organizations to help their clients. “We’d like to use this as a model to supplement food deserts in urban environments, places that are without steady sources of nutrition,” Neal said. 0
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Research • 9
Scientists Target Metabolism to Create Prostate Cancer Treatments By Lisa Merkl
Photo: Jessie Villarreal
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University of Houston scientist and his team are working to develop the next generation of prostate cancer therapies, which are targeted at metabolism. With approximately one out of six American men being diagnosed and nearly a quarter of a million new cases expected this year, prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men in the U.S. Since prostate cancer relies on androgens for growth and survival, androgen ablation therapies are the standard of care for late-stage disease. While patients initially respond favorably to this course of treatment, most experience a relapse within two years, at which time limited treatment options exist. At this stage, known as castration-resistant prostate cancer, androgen-deprivation therapies are no longer effective, but interestingly, androgen receptor signaling is still active and plays a large role in the progression of the cancer. Because of this, both androgen receptors and the processes downstream of the receptor remain viable targets for therapeutic intervention. Unfortunately, it is unclear which specific downstream processes actually drive the disease and, therefore, what should be targeted. Daniel Frigo, assistant professor with the UH Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling (CNRCS), has set his sights on a particular cascade of biochemical reactions inside the cell. Focusing specifically on an enzyme known as AMPK, which is considered a master regulator of metabolism, Frigo and his team have
Assistant professor Daniel Frigo and his team are looking at how enzyme functions correlate with the progression of prostate cancer.
demonstrated that androgens have the capacity to take control of this enzyme’s molecular signals. “The androgen signaling cascade is important for understanding early and late-stage prostate cancer progression,” Frigo said. “We found that when androgens activated this signaling pathway, it hijacked normal conditions, allowing the tumor to use diverse nutrients to the detriment of the patient. These results emphasize the potential utility of developing metabolic-targeted therapies directed toward this signaling cascade for the treatment of prostate cancer,
and we look forward to exploring this and other metabolic pathways further in order to develop the next generation of cancer therapies.” In their studies, Frigo’s team showed that prostate cancer cells respond to androgens not only by increasing the breakdown of sugars, a process known as glycolysis that is commonly seen in many cancers, but also escalating the metabolism of fats. While much of the research on cancer metabolism has historically focused on glycolysis, the researchers say it’s now becoming apparent that not all cancers depend solely on sugars. Their findings further indicate that the metabolic changes brought about by the AMPK enzyme result in distinct growth advantages to prostate cancer cells. They say, however, that our understanding of how androgen receptor signaling impacts cellular metabolism and what role this has in disease progression remains incomplete. The Frigo lab is one of several within the CNRCS concentrated on the role of nuclear receptors in cancer prevention and treatment, and his team has long studied the androgen receptor, which turns on or off various signaling pathways. Frigo believes these pathways hold the potential for better cancer treatments. Targeting these under explored metabolic pathways for the development of novel therapeutics, Frigo’s ultimate goal is to unlock more effective and less harmful cancer treatment alternatives. With funding from the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Texas Emerging Technology Fund and Golfers Against Cancer, Frigo’s latest research appears in the journal Oncogene. 0
Research on Type 2 Diabetes Examines Damage to Hand Function By Marisa Ramirez
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amage to hands is not commonly associated with type 2 diabetes. We tend to think of the harm the disease does to feet and legs. But new research from the University of Houston Department of Health and Human Performance found impairments in dexterity and sensory function in the hands of type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. The study marks the first time such results have been documented in T2D population. “It’s a very basic concept that no one’s looked at before. No one has examined what it is like if a patient living with type 2 diabetes touches an object compared to someone who’s healthy. Is it different? It really is,” said assistant professor and researcher Stacey Gorniak. “We’re not just seeing the traditional diabetic issues with the feet and the legs, but we’re actually seeing affects to
the hands. We found changes to the central nervous system that are not correlated with disease duration or disease severity, but simply due to the presence of the disease.” Type 2 diabetes is a disease that impacts 9 percent of the Texas population. Much of the research on diabetic neuropathy—the nerve disorders, such as numbness, pain or tingling, caused by diabetes—has focused on the lower extremities. Gorniak, who studies how hand function is impacted by chronic health issues, conducted an evaluation of the fingertip and hand function in men and women. The battery of tests conducted include traditional clinical evaluations and also a video game-like computer program to measure how participants interacted with hand-held items. Evaluations were conducted at the UH Center for Neuromotor and Biomechanics Research at the National Center for Human Performance in the Texas Medical Center.
Among her findings were declines in the dexterity of hands and fingertips of T2D patients when performing fine motor tasks and a decline in strength when gripping. Sensory evaluations also discovered small nerve fiber dysfunction in both hands. She says further studies may address the systemic changes associated with T2D, specifically an altered blood flow to the limbs and its impact on muscle tissue and motor skills. “Interacting with an object changes with diabetes. This change impacts quality of life,” she said. “Brushing your teeth, feeding yourself, holding a phone and having a conversation, writing with a pen or pencil. These are all activities we take for granted.” 0
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Research • 10
“In this case, we will be helping energy companies ensure that they are responding as quickly as possible to their customers and consumer demand,” Krishnamoorti said. The initial focus of the work will involve analyzing the massive amounts of data streaming in from smart meters CenterPoint Energy installed across the region, known as big data. With more than two million smart meters in the Houston area, each reporting 15-minute-interval data, there is a deluge of information available to energy companies and grid operators. The consortium, led by principal investigator Zhu Han, will focus on data-driven solutions that help customers. Innovations from the effort will drive service for Direct Energy’s residential and business customers in Texas and nationwide. “Working with industry-leading researchers at UH provides Direct Energy a unique opportunity to create new solutions for customers and to better respond to their needs,” said CEO Badar Khan. “As founding members of the consortium, we want to help Texas energy consumers be at the forefront of new ideas as new technology emerges.” But not all of the work involves smart meters. CenterPoint Energy was the consortium’s first member, joining in 2013. Direct Energy joined the consortium this year. CenterPoint Energy is working with Han to develop a predictive damage assessment model to prepare for hurricanes or other major storms.
Continued from p.8: 3D Printing
Chemist Ognjen Miljanic began using a 3D printer several years ago to illustrate some of the concepts his graduate classes were discussing. He also has printed out models of his own work – the crystal molecules he works with are far too tiny for visitors to the lab to see, and the 3D models are great for presentations. “For us, the impact on research, it’s not quite there yet,” he said. “The impact on teaching, it’s dramatic.” Miljanic included a proposal involving 3D printing when he applied to the Cottrell Scholars program, an honor awarded by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement – creating a database of plans for 3D models geared to widely taught advanced chemistry classes, allowing faculty members anywhere to print the models at their own institutions. “The cost has dropped over the last 10 years,” he said. “The barrier now is that many people are uncomfortable trying to prepare a 3D model design.” The value to students is obvious, Miljanic said. “I realized that models could convey some concepts much better than I could in two dimensions on the board.” 0
Photo courtesy of Cullen College of Engineering
Continued from p.1: Electricity Research
Associate professor Zhu Han will lead the Electric Power Analytics Consortium.
“We understand that everyone wants power back on quickly following a natural disaster,” said Kenny Mercado, senior vice president of CenterPoint Energy’s electric business. “But the reality is there will be outages.” More than two million of CenterPoint Energy’s 2.2 million consumers experienced outages after Hurricane Ike in 2008. Power was restored to 75 percent of those customers within 10 days. Han, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said his predictive model can provide CenterPoint Energy with information pertaining to the damage that
may be caused by a hurricane based on the intensity and path of the storm. This information would supplement CenterPoint Energy’s storm planning and restoration strategies. “We believe the investments we’ve made in intelligent grid and analytics technologies will improve how we identify where service problems are and how quickly we restore power after a major event,” Mercado said. “Combine this with the technology UH students are being exposed to today, and we’re confident we’ll have progressive modeling that we can use to better prepare for future weather events.” 0
Foldable Flat-Screen TVs Could be Possible Thanks to Researchers at UH, Harvard By Jeannie Kever
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niversity of Houston researchers have developed a new stretchable and transparent electrical conductor, bringing the potential for a fully foldable cell phone or a flat-screen television that can be folded and carried under your arm closer to reality. Zhifeng Ren, a physicist at the University of Houston and principal investigator at the Texas Center for Superconductivity, said there long has been research on portable electronics that could be rolled up or otherwise easily transported. But a material that is transparent and has both the necessary flexibility and conductivity has proved elusive – some materials have two of the components, but until now, finding one with all three has remained difficult. The gold nanomesh electrodes produced by Ren and his research associates Chuanfei Guo and Tianyi Sun at UH, along with two colleagues at Harvard University, provide good electrical conductivity as well as transparency
and flexibility, the researchers report in a paper published online recently in Nature Communications. The material also has potential applications for biomedical devices, said Ren, lead author on the paper. The researchers reported that gold nanomesh electrodes, produced by the novel grain boundary lithography, increase resistance only slightly, even at a strain of 160 percent, or after 1,000 cycles at a strain of 50 percent. The nanomesh, a network of fully interconnected gold nanowires, has good electrical conductivity and transparency, and has “ultrahigh stretchability,” according to the paper. And unlike silver or copper, gold nanomesh does not easily oxidize, which Ren said causes a sharp drop in electrical conductivity in silver and copper nanowires. Guo said the group is the first to create a material that is more stretchable and conductive at similar transparency, as well as the first to use grain boundary lithography in the quest to do so. More importantly, he said, it is the first to offer a clear mechanism to produce ultrahigh stretchability. 0
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Profiles • 11
Gamble’s Career in Accounting Pays Off By Francine Parker In the early 1960s, George Gamble was a youngster in West Palm Beach, Fla., with dreams of serving his country as an FBI agent in the aftermath of the U.S. failed invasion of Cuba and the Cuban missile crisis. Years later, Gamble’s dreams took a decidedly different turn after he took a civil service exam. “The test revealed that I had strong problem-solving skills and an aptitude for accounting,” Gamble says. Those results led Gamble to pursue an accounting career, which eventually brought him to the University of Houston 36 years ago. Today, Gamble is the Robert Grinaker Professor in Accounting and Taxation in the C. T. Bauer College of Business and the director of the college’s Institute for Diversity and Cross Cultural Management. In 1978, Gamble began his career at the University as an accounting instructor. He was drawn to the Bauer college because it was a fairly young institution with little bureaucracy, Gamble says. The college also offered numerous opportunities to faculty members in the early stages of their careers, he adds. For Gamble, the college gave him a chance to make a difference, which he took despite skepticism from one professor who has since retired. “I’ll never forget what the man said,” Gamble recalls when the two first met in the late 1970s. “He said, ‘There goes the neighborhood.’ ’’
expression of disapproval of African-Americans and other people of color moving into all-white neighborhoods. Gamble chose not to George Gamble, Robert Grinaker Professor in Accounting and respond. He Taxation and director of the Institute for Diversity and Cross remained stoic, Cultural Management determined to succeed more than ever.
Photo courtesy of C. T. Bauer College of Business
Faculty Focus
“You change people by your actions not your words,” he said. Gamble immersed himself into the life of the college. He focused his attention on teaching, research and, of course, students. Over the years, he has served as the faculty adviser for several student organizations including the UH chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. He also has chaired numerous dissertation committees and has published research in more than 20 articles in top-tier accounting journals. Gamble’s research and superb teaching skills have earned him numerous honors. He is the recipient of more than two dozen awards including the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Teaching Excellence Award, the UH Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Award and the Houston
Gamble knew all too well the meaning of the phrase. It is an
Continued on p.12
Cougars at Work By Kristina Michel Laniki “Nikki” Stephenson has been with the University of Houston Children’s Learning Centers (CLC) since 2006, and she takes great pride in her job. She works in the Cameron Building location as a site supervisor and an infant teacher. She and her staff care for and teach the infants (typically 3 to 18 months old) to communicate and develop their fine motor skills, by focusing on activities such as finger-painting, playing with puzzles and building blocks, and having circle times. “It’s so exciting to see the development in the babies,” Stephenson said. “One of my favorite things to see is when they’re able to do something we taught them on their own.”
Stephenson returned to Victoria a year later. After graduating high school, she worked as a lead teacher at a local child care center with toddlers for about three years. Then, she got a job as an assistant with a Head Start program and worked her way up to become a teacher. Stephenson also worked summers at a local day care center with preschoolers. Six years later, the busy schedule had taken its toll on her. In need of a change, she accepted a position at CLC and moved to Houston in summer 2006. Stephenson says she is happiest when she is working
Photo: Aaron Rodriguez
Stephenson feels as though she has been in education and child care practically all her life. Stephenson was born in Victoria, Texas, and raised in San Francisco. At 15, she joined a special work-study program in San Francisco as a teacher’s assistant and peer tutor for elementary school students. with the infants at CLC and her wonderful staff. “We take pride in what we do for our children here,” Stephenson said. “Our staff is excellent.” When she’s not working at CLC, Stephenson is taking online classes toward her bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies. She recently completed her associate’s degree in child development at Houston Community College. Her ultimate goal is to obtain a master’s degree in education.
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recommendations will require careful planning to ensure that student access, degree completion, enrollment and revenue are maintained and that the end result of this initiative constitutes an improvement in services for the students, universities and communities involved. “These recommendations are pretty bold,” said Regent Roger Welder, a native of Victoria, Texas. “I agree that these guiding principles are imperative. I know there is some trepidation, naturally, among people currently operating there. It’s my expectation, and (the board’s) expectation that implementation of this plan be done in a very thoughtful and careful way. It’s clear to me that the city of Sugar Land and Fort Bend County really want this. They’ve been waiting a long time for it. So, the timing is appropriate.” The expansion of UH programs in Sugar Land and a corresponding transfer of some UH-Victoria and UH-Clear Lake programs to other locations or delivery modes must be timed and orchestrated in a way that provides continuity in course and program availability, faculty and staff resources, enrollment and revenue, the task force recommended. The report also noted that the planned transition will require some level of renovation at the Sugar Land campus to accommodate incoming UH programs and faculty, as will the shift of some UHV programs to another mode of delivery, such as fully online. UHS Chancellor Renu Khator said the transition plan would be implemented “very methodically, very thoughtfully and very carefully,” with a continuing focus on the best interests of students and faculty, as well as individual System campuses. UHS Board of Regents Chairman Jarvis Hollingsworth said regents transferred the administrative functions of UH Sugar Land to the University of Houston a year ago “in anticipation of a process by which these types of recommendations would be considered.” “We are the regents for the UH System. Therefore, it is always, first and foremost, our responsibility to do what’s in the best interests of all four campuses in the System. We’ll work closely with the communities involved to make sure we live up to that standard,” he said. 0
Continued from p.11: Faculty Focus
chapter of the Black MBA Association Educator of the Year Award. Also, in 2010, the UH student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants established an endowed scholarship in Gamble’s name. Gamble’s commitment to UH and its students have not only earned him accolades but also the respect of his peers, including the same professor who spoke that offensive phrase to him. Gamble recalls his last conversation with the professor, just days before he retired.
New Men’s Basketball Head Coach Named By Jeff Conrad
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veteran of 13 NCAA Tournaments, former Houston Rockets assistant and college coach Kelvin Sampson was named as the University of Houston men’s basketball head coach by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades. Sampson becomes the ninth head coach in the history of the UH program, replacing James Dickey, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades, President who stepped down in late March Renu Khator and UH System Board of Regents Chair Jarvis Hollingsworth congratulated Kelvin Sampson (center left) on his appointment due to private family matters. as men’s basketball head coach. As a 25-year veteran at Indiana, Oklahoma, Washington at his previous institutions as well as current State and Montana Tech universities, Sampson and former NCAA officials. Those reviews compiled a 500-270 record. He led his teams to were extremely encouraging. Coach Sampson 13 NCAA Tournament appearances including is committed to leading a first-class program 11 in 12 years with the Sooners from 1994 to in all ways,” Rhoades said. 2006. During his Oklahoma tenure, he guided Sampson joins the Cougars after spending the Sooners to 10 consecutive 20-win seasons, the 1999 Sweet 16, the 2002 Final Four and an the previous six seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Houston Rockets and the MilElite Eight appearance in 2003. waukee Bucks. During the 2012-2013 season, he “As we conducted a national search, served as the Rockets’ acting head coach during we spoke with many people who employed, coach Kevin McHale’s leave of absence. 0 worked with and worked for Kelvin Sampson
Interim President of UHV Appointed By Richard Bonnin
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niversity of Houston System Chancellor Renu Khator has named Raymond Victor Morgan Jr., interim president of the University of Houston-Victoria, effective April 21. Morgan currently is president emeritus and professor of mathematics at Sul Ross State University. “Dr. Morgan has the right blend of experience, accomplishments and understanding of vital transitional issues such as the SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) accreditation process,” Khator said. “He is a proven leader with a strong background in academics and a demonstrated record of achievement in student recruitment and retention and student success."
“The man told me, ‘When I die, I want to come back just like you, George,’’’ Gamble says. Gamble credits his integrity, work ethic and success to his parents. They instilled in him and his five older siblings a sense of pride, he notes. “They taught us that our word means something,” Gamble says. “My father was a strong, but compassionate man. He never disciplined in anger. I learned a lot from him. My mother was quiet, reserved, but a firm disciplinarian, too. Both of them were religious. They led by example.”
Morgan was the 10th president of Sul Ross State University. He served 19 years as president, before stepping down in 2009. He then served as special assistant to the vice chancellor and president designate of the University of North Texas at Dallas from December 2009 until August 2010. His career at Sul Ross began in 1975 when he joined the university as an associate professor of mathematics. The following year he was named the mathematics department chair and was appointed science dean in 1979. In 1986, he moved to the President's Office to serve as executive assistant to the president. He served as acting president from Nov. 17, 1989, until his appointment as president in September 1990. 0
Gamble’s oldest sibling, Robert, also led by example. He was the first in their family to graduate from college, inspiring Gamble and his other brothers and sister to attend and graduate from Florida A&M University. Gamble went on to receive an M.B.A. and believes he is the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in business administration from Penn State University. Does he ever regret taking a gamble on a career in accounting and academia? “No,” Gamble says. He laughs then adds, “I made the right decision.” 0
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Photo courtesy of UH Athletics
Continued from p.2: Sugar Land
Campus • 12
UHNEWS
Arts • 13
By Mike Emery
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he University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts recently presented CounterCurrent, a citywide arts festival. This bold new interdisciplinary initiative featured local, national and international artists. The festival was comprised of approximately a dozen innovative contemporary and collaborative performances, installations and experiences that occured at various venues throughout Houston including galleries, outdoor sites and nontraditional spaces. This inaugural collaborative multi-arts festival encompassed works that blended theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film and literature. “It was our goal to offer Houston a cutting-edge festival – one that truly puts Houston on the international map,” said Karen Farber, executive director of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. Highlights of the lineup included Jonah Bokaer’s “ECLIPSE” and composer Byron Au
Yong’s “Piano Concerto Houston.” Bokaer, an accomplished New York choreographer and exquisite modern dancer, partnered with Anthony McCall, the British-born avant-garde artist specializing in cinema/projected film, to create a dance/installation that appears as a square of pure light and movement with an audio-visual time score. Commissioned by the Mitchell Center, the “Piano Concerto Houston” installation drew together a diverse group of 11 local pianists, Au Yong and visual artist collaborator Susie Lee to create a virtual piano ensemble which was viewed in an exhibition space. “It was my hope to create a groundbreaking event in the same genre of the first-class arts festivals around the world, from Europe to Mexico City and from New York to Portland,” Farber said. Festival themes included language experimentation, transit and transportation, and the collisions between natural and unnatural environments. CounterCurrent foregrounded Houston’s many communities by offering
Photo: Ben Nichols
Mitchell Center for the Arts Presents Citywide CounterCurrent Festival
Jonah Bokaer and Anthony McCall created the dance/ installation “ECLIPSE” for CounterCurrent.
Spanish-speaking works, as well as projects by Chinese-American artists. New works by UH faculty and students were also included in the festival. 0
Photo courtesy of the School of Art
Antena, Student Exhibitions Highlight Blaffer’s Spring Season
Jeremy Underwood’s “Wood Debris Spiral” is one of the works on display at the Blaffer Art Museum as part of the “School of Art Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition.”
Staff Reports
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he University of Houston Blaffer Arts Museum kicked off 2014 with distinctively different offerings from internationally acclaimed artists. The museum will end the spring semester with exhibitions displaying the works of some of UH’s most talented student artists. Earlier this semester, the museum welcomed Antena, a creative collaborative
comprised of Jen Hofer and John Pluecker, to campus for a spring residency that runs through May 10. Both Hofer and Pluecker of Antena are writers, artists, literary translators and activist interpreters. At UH, they are exploring how views on language can help re-imagine and re-articulate our world. Among the duo’s initiatives at UH is teaching the course In The Between: At the Intersections of Writing, Art, Politics – part of
the UH Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts curriculum. Antena will transmit their talents off campus as well, delivering performances, public readings and panel discussions in the community. Antena’s residency at Blaffer is supported through an Innovation Grant from the Mitchell Center. Blaffer also presented the first solo exhibition in the U.S. for St. Petersburg born, New Yorkbased Anton Ginzburg titled “Terra Corpus” and the telenovela-inspired “Tears and Politics: Works by Phil Collins and Christian Jankowski.” In April, the museum turned its focus to rising UH student artists. The museum is hosting the “36th School of Art Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition,” which closes April 19. This year’s Master of Fine Arts candidates are Jose Baez Franceschi, Aaron Bielish, Carlos Corona, Jessica Crute, Brenda Cruz, Jamie Davis, Lauren Moya Ford, John Forse, Betsy Huete, Bradley Kerl, Kyle Earl McAvoy, Linh O’Briant, Tom So, Jeremy Underwood, Joshua Ward, Arnea Williams, Rhonda Wolverton and Amy Beth Wright. These 18 artists represent five School of Art departments: graphic communications, interdisciplinary practice and emerging forms, painting, photography/digital media and sculpture. The museum wraps up its spring semester with the “UH School of Art Student Exhibition.” The exhibition opens with a free public reception at 6 p.m., April 25 and closes May 10. For details, www.blafferartmuseum.org. 0
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Arts • 14
Alley Theatre Will Perform Its 20142015 Season at UH
Arts Briefs The Seventh Annual University of Houston Libraries Student Art Exhibition, which features 30 selected works from rising UH artists, runs through April 25. The exhibition is located on the third floor of the M.D. Anderson Library.
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n exciting partnership between the University of Houston and the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre was announced recently, resulting in the Alley performing its 20142015 season at the University’s Wortham Theatre while its facili- L to R: Jim Johnson, director of the UH School of Theatre & Dance; Roger Plank, Alley Theatre capital campaign co-chair; Dean R. ties undergo major renovations. Gladden, managing director of the Alley Theatre; Renu Khator, UH “This is an outstanding oppor- president; and Gregory Boyd, artistic director of the Alley Theatre tunity for our theater students to directly engage with the Alley’s to prepare the theater for the Alley, in addition working professionals,” said UH President to some improvements to parking and a major Renu Khator. “In addition to specific interntransformation of the park space in the midst ships, simply sharing the hallways is a wonderof UH’s Arts campus.” ful chance for our students to make connections Johnson said UH and the Alley have had a number of interactions over the years. “UH alums and gain insight from the Alley’s experienced have been a part of the Alley team for decades, and talented actors and staff. I know they’ll and we’ve been lucky enough to have a number experience the energy of our students as well.” of Alley professionals work here with us,” he said. Khator said the partnership with the Alley fits In selecting a venue for the 2014-2015 well with the UH Arts Initiative, which features public programs that include premiere theater season, a comprehensive analysis of all possiand musical productions, art and architectural ble options was undertaken by the Alley. The exhibitions, literary readings and performances. Wortham Theatre was chosen because of its Jim Johnson, director of the School of Themodern amenities, similar size to the Alley’s atre & Dance at UH, said, “I’m excited to share Hubbard Stage, up-to-date stage technology and its proximity to the Alley Theatre’s downtown our facilities with some Alley patrons who home. The theater has excellent audience amemay not have visited the UH campus before. nities including ADA-compliant seating. We’ve been going through some renovations
Photo: Thomas Campbell
By Richard Bonnin
Author and alum of UH’s Arte Público Press Rolando Hinojosa received the National Book Critics Circle’s Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor is bestowed annually to a person or institution who has, over time, made significant contributions to book culture. UH’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center is among only six institutions in the U.S. to receive a Building Bridges: Campus Community Engagement grant awarded by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The $200,000 grant will support the center’s INTERSECTIONS project. INTERSECTIONS will assemble four artists in residence, who will use their talents to create awareness of Muslim culture. 0 With financial support from its Extended Engagement Capital Campaign, the Alley will begin extensive renovations to its facilities on July 14. These will continue through the summer of 2015, with the grand opening of the renovated Alley Theatre scheduled for fall 2015. 0
‘The Art of Observation’ Explored During Arts, Medicine Lecture At Baylor College of Medicine, Wolf specializes in general and medical dermatology. His clinical n the surface, the disciplines interests include acne, hair and nail of dermatology and art might diseases. Wolf is an honors graduate not have much in common. of the University of Texas Medical For noted dermatologist John Wolf, Branch. He holds a certification from the study of art has had a significant the American Board of Dermatology. impact on how he diagnoses skin He was the second guest to maladies. According to Wolf, chair participate in the Houston Arts and of dermatology at Houston’s Baylor Medicine Lecture Series, a collaboCollege of Medicine, interpreting rative effort by Blaffer Art Museum, works of art has much in common the UH Honors College and Houswith his clinical observations. ton Methodist Hospital’s Center for Wolf shared his insights on Performing Arts Medicine. this topic during the 2014 Arts and Additional partners included Medicine Lecture at the University In “The Art of Observation” lecture, dermatologist Dr. John Wolf examined how art co-sponsor Baylor College of of Houston. His lecture “The Art of historians and physicians apply similar methods of observation. Medicine and colleges within UH Observation” was held recently. René Magritte’s “Le Perreux-sur-Marne” (“The False Mirror”). – College of Liberal Art and Social The overarching theme of Image courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. Sciences, The Honors College, Wolf’s talk was observation’s cruCollege of Natural Sciences and cial role in medicine and how the Mathematics, Cullen College of Engineering powers of observation can be strengthened inspired Wolf’s talk, particularly the fictional and the College of Technology. Houston Pubthrough the study of art and literature. Sherdetective’s statement from “A Scandal in Bohelic Media also was a partner for this event. 0 lock Holmes stories are among the works that mia” – “You see, but you do not observe.”
By Mike Emery
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