A-1  Sources of Information

For a brief history of the university, see the university catalog.  The catalog also lists members of the Board of Regents and President’s Advisory Council, as well as administrative offices and faculty.
 

In addition to the Faculty Manual and college catalog, the following sources of information may be helpful.  Most are on the university web site and available in hard copy in the documents room adjoining the Provost’s office.
 

Information Source	Office(s) Responsible
Institutional Effectiveness Planning and Assessment Activities Guide to Institutional Effectiveness System SWOT  Long-Range Strategic Plan Annual Strategic Plan Performance Indicators of the Institution	Provost/Institutional Research
State Agency Strategic Plan	Provost/Institutional Research
Schedule of Courses	Admissions and Records
Student Handbook	Student Services
UHV Budget Book	Administration and Finance
UHV Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual	Administration and Finance
UH System Administrative Memoranda	UH System
Coordinating Board Policies and Procedures	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Deans' Guide to Duties and Dates	Provost
Faculty Information Sheets	Provost
General Office Procedures Guide	Administration and Finance
Job Searches and Hiring Guide	Affirmative Action
Guide to Collaboration at the UH System Centers	UH System CampusNet/Provost

Periodical publications of the university include:
 

Information Source	Office(s) Responsible
UHV Voice--quarterly	University Advancement
Fact Book--yearly	Institutional Research
President's Annual Report	University Advancement

In addition to the above documents, council and committee minutes may be found on the university’s web site www.vic.uh.edu or are communicated by e-mail.
 

Other informational guides that provide instructions, directions, and explanations of processes and services are developed and maintained by the relevant office or unit--e.g., Library, Information Technology, Instructional Support Services, Academic Center.
 

A-2 University of Houston System
 

UHV is one of four institutions of the UH System, each with separate degree-granting authority.

• The University of Houston (UH) is a major research institution, granting bachelor’s through doctoral degrees and serving both commuting and residential students.

 

• The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is an upper-division institution, granting bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

 

• The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is a four-year institution, granting mainly bachelor’s degrees and serving especially inner-city educational needs.

 

• The University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) is an upper-division institution, granting bachelor’s and master’s degrees and serving commuting students from the region surrounding Victoria, including Fort Bend County. The UH System (UHS) institutions are governed by a nine-member Board of Regents. The System is administered by a chancellor, to whom the president of each campus reports. The chancellor is also president of UH. System offices are located on the UH campus. Those services provided by the System include fiscal, personnel, legal, legislative, computing and data processing, as well as fund raising and investment.

A-3 Coordinating Board
 

The Coordinating Board, Texas College and University System, was created by the Texas Legislature in 1965 for the purpose of achieving “excellence for college education” through “efficient and effective utilization and concentration of all available resources and the elimination of costs duplication in program offerings, faculties, and physical plants.”  Additional duties are assigned by the Legislature from time to time.  The Board reports biennially to the Governor and Legislature on statewide needs in higher education.
 

The Coordinating Board meets four times a year to:

1.  Develop and recommend formulas for consideration in determining legislative appropriations for the adequate and equitable financing of public institutions of higher education;
 

2.  Recommend policies concerning the establishment, discontinuance, alteration of role and scope, or combination of public senior institutions;
 

3.  Approve or disapprove requests for new degree and certificate programs and administrative changes;
 

4. Review periodically all degree and certificate programs to assure they meet present and future needs;
 

5. Develop general policies for academic faculty workloads and services;
 

6. Approve off-campus course offerings of public colleges and universities, as well as course offerings by out-of-state public institutions;
 

7. Recommend tuition policies for all institutions of higher education, and administer student loan and grant programs;

8.  Approve or disapprove major new construction, repair, and rehabilitation at public institutions of higher education;
 

9.  Collect comprehensive data on Texas colleges and universities to aid in higher education decision-making;
 

10. Administer Texas College and University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Program.

The Board members are all appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Governor also designates the Chairman and Vice Chairman.  Members must be appointed from various geographical sections of the state, and no member may be employed professionally for remuneration in the field of education during the six-year term of office.
 

A-4 State Government
 

4.1 Governor

The Governor is a factor in higher education primarily because of the Governor’s appointive power.  A two-term Governor will appoint all persons serving on institutional Boards of Regents as well as all members of the Coordinating Board.  The Governor also exerts influence through the power to veto bills and designate emergency legislation.
 

4.2 Texas Legislature
 
Final authority for Texas higher education rests with the Legislature which creates all public institutions, makes all appropriations, determines policy, accepts or overrules decisions of the Coordinating Board, and influences appointments through the advice and consent powers of the Senate.
 

The Legislature functions through committees and agencies it creates, the most important of which is the Legislative Budget Board.  This Board . . . is one of the most influential groups in all state government because it recommends appropriations for each institution and agency for the following biennium and its recommendations become standards of reference for all legislative actions.  It is chaired by the Lt. Governor, with the Speaker as vice chair, and is composed of four Senators appointed by the Lt. Governor and four other Representatives appointed by the Speaker. [This section on state government is quoted from a publication of The Texas Association of College Teachers, issued around 1990].
 

The House Higher Education Committee is the only legislative committee devoted exclusively to higher education issues.  It reviews all legislation concerning higher education including appropriations for each university and operates as an interim committee between sessions.

The Senate Education Committee considers all education matters, both public and higher education, does not review appropriative proposals, and is less active in the interim.  The Senate Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee exert considerable influence on higher education by controlling the purse strings.

A-5 Regional Accreditation
 

In the United States accreditation of universities operates according to a system of regional accrediting bodies.  UH-Victoria is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Land, Decatur, GA 30033-4097; Telephone 404-679-4501) to award bachelor's and master's degrees.  Every ten years SACS sends a team to review the university's compliance with its standards.  The next review has been set for 2014.

The university complies with the requests of SACS to refer to its accreditation status only in the terms.