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President's Periodic Messages 2007-2008
December 19, 2007
An Update from President Hudson:
Another semester ends. A new one is about to begin. Part of the joy of academic
life is the sense of fulfillment that comes with completing a term and the
anticipation of starting anew, knowing one can build on what has been
accomplished. And, of course, commencement symbolizes this progression as we
experience with our graduates their celebration at reaching a goal and their
excitement of entering a new phase of life.
Our latest such celebration occurred Sunday, December 9 and was truly a day to
remember. Three thousand or so students and guests attended our commencement
ceremony at the Merrell Center in Katy where Senator John Cornyn joined us as
the first U.S. Senator to ever speak at a UHS graduation exercise. Our inaugural
BSN class graduated after earlier holding a very moving pinning ceremony that
featured testimonials from each graduate regarding the support they had received
from friends and family that had enabled them to achieve their dream of a
degree.
I want to thank all who helped make this a wonderful day possible – this is one
of few events that involves every department on campus. I have received feedback
from Dr. Rice and others about the wonderful spirit of teamwork that took place
as you worked to make this a memorable day for our graduates and guests.
Certainly, we have accomplished much this fall, and I want to express my
gratitude to you all for your dedication to our goal of becoming a university of
choice as we serve the higher education needs and aspirations of our students
and communities. Due to your diligence and hard work we are adding new programs,
at home and internationally; athletics has become a reality; outstanding writers
are visiting us through ABR; our infrastructure is expanding to accommodate
growth; the TxPEP grant is providing innovative training for school principals
statewide, and, downward expansion to a four year university is being discussed
actively in our community. And these are just a few of the initiatives underway
and gaining momentum at UHV
Most of you are probably aware of this, but in case you haven’t heard, our MSN
program has been approved by SACS and we have approximately 20 applicants who
hope to start in January ‘08. Speaking of SACS (our regional accrediting body),
Provost LaBrecque attended its annual meeting in New Orleans where we hosted and
introduced to SACS our colleague from Cuernavaca, Mexico, Rector Javier
Espinosa. UHV is mentoring Rector Espinosa’s institution, Universidad Internacional, as it ponders its opportunity to become only the fifth SACS
accredited university in all of Mexico. Rector Espinosa was also a special guest
at our commencement and at a community breakfast held in his honor in Victoria.
In the spring, UHV will be the fortunate recipient of a visiting faculty member
from Cuernavaca who will offer Spanish courses and continue our dialogue of
collaboration.
The President’s Regional Advisory Board (PRAB) met in the multipurpose room on
December 4th. This group, chaired by Susan Cain, is comprised of representatives
from our region who serve as ambassadors to promote UHV and keep us apprised of
information that will help fulfill our strategic goals. This meeting was
followed by the holiday open house at our home in the historic district of
Victoria which was so well attended that we literally spilled out into the front
yard – good thing that the Sheriff and mayor were among the guest so we avoided
any “disturbing” the peace charges. The conversations that day reinforced the
good work all of you do as I heard many compliments about UHV, its staff,
faculty and students.
It is always good to hear about the success of our alumni, so let me mention
that Lily Monroe, class of 2005, has been named teacher of the year at Arizona
Fleming Elementary School in Ft. Bend County. This is quite an honor and we
congratulate Ms. Monroe.
There are many exciting things on the horizon for UHV as we enter 2008. We have
several new degrees in the approval process: MS in Global Finance; MS in
Publishing and an alternate entry MS in Nursing. We are also starting to hear
positive rumblings about possible Ph.D. programs – very interesting! And many of
you have seen the great progress we are making on the new building in Sugar Land
– what a pleasure it is to see this “glorious mess” of building cranes, trucks
and mud after three long years of work. Thanks to our supporters, this new
building is truly taking shape.
We will have more to say on this later but we have just learned that UHV has
been selected as the host institution for the Society for Critical Exchange, an
interdisciplinary organization that promotes discussion among the disciplines on
significant topics. The competition for this distinction was tough, and UHV
chosen from three finalists: University of California-Irvine and University of
Sussex in Brighton England. Congratulations are in order to Dean Di Leo and
Professor Fairlamb for their leadership of this effort and for continuing to put
UHV on the intellectual map.
I know you are all looking forward to meeting our new chancellor. During her
first 100 days, Chancellor Khator will be visiting UHV, UHCL, and UHD. Our
campus will host Dr. Khator on February 1 for about four hours. She will arrive
between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m., so we will try to structure this brief time to
highlight those things that define UHV. She would also like us to identify three
events or activities to which we want to invite her during this 100 day period.
I look forward with pride to introducing her to UHV and our community. Dr. Rice
will be the contact person for arrangements, so if you have any input or ideas
regarding her time with us, please let Dr. Rice know.
I know you are anticipating the holiday. Dee Dee, Gianna Grace, Daisy, Nathanial
and I want to wish you a blessed holiday season and hope you create some
wonderful memories. And don’t forget that safest of all interactive gifts -- a
good book! I am looking forward to 2008 and working with you all as we help our
students achieve their dreams.
Sincerely,
Tim Hudson, Ph.D.
President
“The Family is one of nature’s masterpieces.”
George Santayana
“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him at
a department store and he asked for my autograph.”
Shirley Temple
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