For University of Houston-Victoria student Svetlana LaFleur, an international business simulation competition for a graduate course was more fun than it was work, and when her group kept earning top spots in the competition, she was not surprised.

“The group work for the simulation was enjoyable,” said LaFleur, a Sugar Land resident. “We all had fun and learned a lot, so earning top rankings was truly icing on the cake. It gave me a sense of pride and appreciation for the opportunity to learn so much.”

As the spring semester begins and high school students are making their college selections, Goliad High School will host recruiters and faculty members from the University of Houston-Victoria on Jan. 24 to showcase what the university has to offer area students and to connect with the university’s Goliad alumni.

“UHV is proud and excited to visit Goliad High School,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “The university offers students the chance to get ahead through dual credit courses, and this event will help our faculty and staff spread the word about the advantages available through UHV. Our university is growing, and it’s a wonderful time to join the UHV family.”

The University of Houston-Victoria has released the names of undergraduate students who made its fall 2019 President’s and Deans’ lists.

The President’s List honors undergraduates who earn a 4.0 grade-point average on all work completed during the fall semester. To qualify for the Deans’ List, undergraduates must earn at least a 3.5 grade-point average.

University of Houston-Victoria students who plan to take courses in the graduate special education program with an applied behavior analysis concentration will begin taking new courses this summer to help them prepare for a national exam to become a board certified behavior analyst.

New educators who need to become certified to teach and current educators who need to renew their certifications now can take their state-mandated tests at the University of Houston-Victoria’s new Pearson VUE Test Center.

Pearson VUE is the testing vendor authorized to give certification and licensure tests for the state of Texas. UHV’s test center offers the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program, which includes the tests required for new and current educators.

As a character writer, Jennifer duBois has found herself asking a foundational but profound question when creating a new character: Who is this person?

“It feels to me that there is a tendency to moralize characters and write a vision of a world we would like to see,” said duBois, who will be the first speaker in the spring University of Houston-Victoria/American Book Review Reading Series. “We have to be resistant to the thinking that we have everyone’s number.”

When the University of Houston-Victoria was choosing a student who had an inspiring message about what receiving his UHV ring meant to him, the university asked Ismael Gutierres to share the story of his journey from dropping out to earning his degree.

“To me, it was an accumulation of a 10-year plan,” he said. “So, basically I submitted kind of my life in a nutshell, and I got selected.”

Gutierres said he first attended UHV when he was 18 after graduating from Industrial High School in Vanderbilt. 

When Ken Colwell published his first book less than a year ago, he didn’t expect to wake up one day to find out his book on how to start a business would climb to the top of some of Amazon’s Best Sellers lists.

“I think most of the time when people publish a book, they don’t think of it as something that will be a bestseller,” said Colwell, dean of the University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration. “There are millions of books on Amazon, and being in the top 2,000 paperbacks sold is beyond anything I would have expected.”

Area residents interested in attending the University of Houston-Victoria will have the opportunity to learn more about what the university has to offer and tour the campus on Feb. 8 during Jaguar Day.

The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. throughout the UHV campus, beginning in UHV University Commons, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St. Prospective students of all ages and their families are invited to the free, come-and-go event. This is the final Jaguar Day of the 2019-2020 school year.

As the University of Houston-Victoria steps into the spring semester, the university also is preparing for its 2020 Homecoming, which will take a trip back to the 1960s and 1970s.

“Peace, Love and Jaguars” will be the theme for this year’s Homecoming from March 30 to April 4, and events during the week will follow the theme. Students chose the theme through an online poll at the end of the fall semester.

The University of Houston-Victoria awarded 478 degrees to undergraduate and graduate students who completed their coursework during the fall semester.

Undergraduate candidates with honors wore gold braids over their robes during a Dec. 14 graduation ceremony at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy.

The University of Houston-Victoria is preparing for Black History Month with free and public events that include a poster contest for area fifth-graders and a night of poetry.

The first event is the annual Black History Month Poster Contest. The contest is a partnership between UHV, Victoria College and the Victoria Black History Committee Inc., and is open to all fifth-graders in Victoria, including homeschooled, public school and private school students.

Through her writings about a small town in Texas called Muleshoe, University of Houston-Victoria alumnus Alice Liles has made a Texas-sized splash on the World Wide Web and on bookshelves throughout the state.

Liles, who graduated in 1980 with a Master of Education from UHV, lived and taught in Edna while taking classes. She credits the regular commute to campus as a source of inspiration for her first blog and, later, book title. During one of these drives, Willie Nelson’s “Denver” played on the radio.

Like many people, Adrian Chavana Jr. grew up watching Disney movies and visited the Disney theme parks. So when the Port Lavaca native found out The Walt Disney Company offered internships, he took a chance and applied.

The chance paid off for the University of Houston-Victoria kinesiology major, who was accepted into the Disney College Program for the spring. He started the program at the end of January in Orlando.

For fiction writer Sarah Etter, letting her imagination mix with a dash of surrealism has led her down a curious and extraordinary path in her literature.

Etter, the second speaker in the spring University of Houston-Victoria/American Book Review Reading Series, enjoys combining reality and the abstract to create new worlds for readers.

A $100,000 disaster preparation grant from the Rebuild Texas Fund has allowed the University of Houston-Victoria to purchase a backup power generator to help supply power to Jaguar Hall Dining during a power outage.

The generator, located behind Jaguar Hall, 2705 Houston Highway, will be able to power UHV’s dining hall to help meet basic power and communication needs of the university community, especially students who might be stranded on campus during a natural disaster.

The University of Houston-Victoria’s preliminary spring enrollment reached 4,378 students thanks to a large increase in new student and graduate enrollment.

As of Wednesday, UHV experienced a 50.3 percent increase in the number of new students enrolling in the university compared with the previous spring. The overall preliminary enrollment for the spring is 5.2 percent higher than the previous spring. 

When Tuff Bretz was working on his Black History Month poster, he knew he wanted to feature someone who was the perfect example of voter activism.

That’s when he learned about Mary Church Terrell, an early activist for civil rights and suffrage.

“I thought she was a good example of someone who was an activist,” Tuff said.

Tuff, a 10-year-old student at DeLeon Elementary School, won first place Friday for his poster during the Black History Month Poster Contest reception at the University of Houston-Victoria. He received a $2,000 UHV scholarship and a Victoria College summer camp voucher.

Marble Falls resident Robert Schiener has a goal of helping as many people as possible who need the services of a mental health professional, and now that he’s received a national certification, he has taken a major step toward that goal.

Schiener, who graduated from the University of Houston-Victoria in May with a Specialist in School Psychology degree, recently received a Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential from the National Association of School Psychologists. He is the first graduate of UHV’s specialist program to receive this certification.

Members of the Victoria community now have the opportunity to celebrate the works of authors and artists under one roof as the University of Houston-Victoria/American Book Review Reading Series presents its new ABR Porch Readings hosted by the Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art.

The new ABR Porch Readings will feature authors from the readings series and will take place on the porch of artist Travis Whitfield’s installation, the “Shotgun House.” These readings are in addition to the UHV/ABR Reading Series in the Alcorn Auditorium inside UHV University West, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St.

University of Houston-Victoria Athletics supporters got a glimpse of the future Saturday during a Night for the Jaguars Dinner, Auction and Dance when sketches of the university’s proposed athletics complex were unveiled.

The proposed complex is the result of a study by CannonDesign, a global architecture, engineering and design firm with an office in Houston. The complex will be built on 65-acres off of Business Highway 59 on Big Bend Road near the Victoria Regional Airport, about four miles from the university’s main campus. The land was gifted to UHV Athletics in 2018 by the Bennett-Wood family and is valued at $820,000, the largest donation ever made to support UHV Athletics.

Since she is studying cybersecurity at the University of Houston-Victoria, graduate student Olufunmilayo Oguntoyinbo was hoping to get a travel grant to attend the international Network and Distributed System Security Symposium.

The Nigeria native waited about two months before receiving the news she was chosen to be among researchers and practitioners of cybersecurity at the symposium next week in San Diego.

About 15 years ago, University of Houston-Victoria alumnus Chad Hall’s health had reached rock bottom, and his doctor said Hall was the source of the problem.

Fast forward to the present, and Hall recently competed in the Ironman World Championship, a journey that he will share with attendees at the second UHV Alumni Networking Luncheon on Feb. 26 in the UHV University Commons Multi-Purpose Room, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St.

University of Houston-Victoria employees gathered Thursday to celebrate the service of longtime faculty and staff members, including the 2019 Employee of the Year and a faculty member who has worked at UHV almost as long as the university has existed.

Leonard Buckner, events technician in UHV Facilities, was recognized during the event for two reasons: he has worked at the university for 20 years, and he was voted the 2019 Employee of the Year by the university’s faculty and staff.

Paul Carlson, professor of education in the School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development, was recognized for 45 years of service to UHV. 

When Faith Academy Superintendent Larry Long wanted to figure out a way to use social media to promote the private school, he knew the best idea would be to turn to the University of Houston-Victoria.

The life of former Victoria resident William Henry Ellis is one for the books – literally.

The Victoria community can learn more about the amazing life of Ellis during the inaugural History Day on March 6, hosted by the University of Houston-Victoria history program, when Columbia professor and author Karl Jacoby presents the lecture, “The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Slave from Victoria Who Became a Mexican Millionaire.”

The University of Houston-Victoria School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development will host a second symposium on homelessness to help provide more information on the topic for community members.

The Homeless Symposium will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 10 in the UHV University North Walker Auditorium, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The event is free and open to the public.

When it comes to planning for positive changes, Ed McMahon knows that successful communities are ones with a clear vision for the future, and his presentations in Victoria will help the community find ways to develop that vision.

McMahon will visit Victoria on March 11 and 12, and give multiple presentations to different groups, including a public presentation that will focus on how to plan for and implement effective growth in a community.

He is a senior resident fellow and holds the Charles E. Fraser Chair on Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. His visit is sponsored by the University of Houston-Victoria.

As a longtime educator, Jill Fox has traveled around the state, the country and even internationally to speak about the benefits and importance of the arts in education.

Now, the University of Houston-Victoria education professor will have the opportunity to promote the arts as a new member of the Arts Education Task Force of the Texas Cultural Trust.

The writing process for Somali-born poet Ladan Osman includes studying, reading, music, walks, photographs and, most of all, time.

Osman, the next speaker in the spring University of Houston-Victoria/American Book Review Reading Series, always keeps the reader in mind every time she creates her literature.

Lindsey Ortiz, University of Houston-Victoria softball coach, hit another milestone on Feb. 28 when she notched her 200th career coaching win.

Ortiz, who is currently 202-102 as the Jaguars’ head softball coach, earned No. 200 in a 5-3 win over LSU-Alexandria in a Red River Athletic Conference opener for the 2020 season.

Area community members who need resources and support to grow in new and exciting ways now have access to a University of Houston-Victoria center focused on forming partnerships to promote long-term job growth, economic prosperity and stability.

The university launched a new office in October called the UHV Center for Regional Collaboration. UHV recognized the need for regional outreach to area rural communities, center director Joe Humphreys said. The goal of the outreach is twofold: bring university resources to area communities and increase awareness about UHV in the region. 

For the past decade, Ricardo Teixeira, associate professor of mathematics at University of Houston-Victoria, has prepared magic tricks, or “mathemagics” for the annual UHV Math & Robotics Awareness Day.

“Students get excited over the tricks,” Teixeira said. “I do different tricks every year to show the students how mathematics can be used to perform magic tricks.”

The University of Houston-Victoria and UHV Katy will start its spring break early at noon on Thursday. All face-to-face and online classes are canceled.

Offices at both UHV and UHV Katy remain open. UHV spring break for students starts Monday, so no classes are scheduled next week.

All University of Houston-Victoria classes will be taught online starting March 25 through the end of the spring semester because of smoke and fire damage in UHV University West that has made the building unusable.

Although the Thursday night fire was eventually contained, there was smoke damage throughout the building along with some water damage.

The University of Houston-Victoria canceled on Tuesday all university events through the end of the spring semester as part of its adjustment of operations in response to the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19.

University of Houston-Victoria student Tiarah Figueroa picks out canned food Wednesday at JP’s Market, located in the Jaguar Suites residence hall. JP’s Market is a food pantry for students enrolled at UHV and Victoria College.

A University of Houston-Victoria graduate accounting program recently was ranked by a national website as one of the five most affordable programs in the nation.

Master’s Program Guide, a website that ranks higher education programs, named the UHV School of Business Administration’s Strategic Master of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting fifth on its 10 Most Affordable Online MBA Programs in Accounting list. The website determined the rankings based on factors that included tuition, financial aid, online courses, success of alumni and the school’s accreditation.

Construction workers install poles and wiring Wednesday for one of two temporary crosswalks on Ben Wilson Street between the University of Houston-Victoria University Commons student center and library, and the rest of campus. The crosswalk is intended to allow pedestrians to cross the street safely by pressing a button to halt oncoming traffic. When not activated, the lights will remain off so traffic can continue. The university plans to have the crosswalk working by April 3.

The University of Houston-Victoria is continuing to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic, including assisting those experiencing financial hardship.

One way the university is looking to support students is through the Student Emergency Fund, which helps cover students’ unforeseen emergency expenses that could cause them to drop out. 

In response to concerns about COVID-19, the University of Houston-Victoria is postponing its May 16 spring commencement ceremonies.

Jeffrey Di Leo, a University of Houston-Victoria professor of English and philosophy, grew up around juke boxes and vinyl records, and of course, searching for the perfect vinyl record to add to his collection.

His longtime interest in the history and cultural phenomenon of the record helped him to write a book about the intersection of vinyl records, philosophy and critical theory called “Vinyl Theory,” which was published in March by Lever Press.

Students at Texas State Technical College who want to add a bachelor’s degree to their credentials soon will benefit from a new transfer agreement with the University of Houston-Victoria.

The plan allows students who receive an Associate of Applied Arts & Sciences at TSTC to transfer to UHV to continue their studies toward a Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences at the Victoria campus, UHV Katy or online, depending on the students’ chosen concentrations.

Community members and undergraduate students majoring in criminal justice at the University of Houston-Victoria have requested that the university add a graduate degree in the field, and soon they will have that option.

The university will begin offering a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice this fall after recent approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, said Elise Hendricker, chair of the UHV School of Arts & Sciences’ Social and Behavioral Sciences Division and an associate professor of school psychology.

In response to orders from state and local government officials, the University of Houston-Victoria will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday through April 30, except for essential personnel.

All employees able to work remotely have been instructed to do so, and the university has taken steps to help ensure employees have access to necessary technology and resources, UHV President Bob Glenn said.

Two websites recently ranked the University of Houston-Victoria’s graduate creative writing program as one of the best online degrees as well as one of the most affordable in the nation based on UHV’s alumni salaries and tuition rates.

When Ken Colwell, dean of the UHV School of Business Administration, started looking for members to be on his Dean’s Advisory Board, he wanted a variety of perspectives representing diverse industries, backgrounds and ages.

University of Houston-Victoria student Danielle Charles was in the middle of dyeing her hair when she received the biggest news of her life.

The 20-year-old McAllen native, who will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts in English, had applied to nine graduate creative writing programs in the past few months. She had been rejected from eight and thought her biggest goal – the University of Iowa – would pass on her as well, but then she got the phone call.

As universities across the nation search for ways to continue offering classes, University of Houston-Victoria faculty and staff quickly moved classes online and shifted their focus to how best to help students succeed despite the current circumstances.

A free University of Houston-Victoria Virtual Open House will allow current and prospective students to “visit” the university and get all their questions answered from the comfort of their homes.

The online open house will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. April 23 and is open to the public. The open house is for those interested in earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree online from UHV; attending the main UHV campus in Victoria as a freshman, transfer student or graduate student; or attending the UHV Katy instructional site in Greater Houston as a transfer or graduate student. Registration for summer and fall classes opens Monday.

Charlie Striedel, assistant director of Facilities Services, was ready for retirement at the end of March, but he didn’t get to say goodbye to his friends and coworkers after his University of Houston-Victoria retirement party was canceled.

Striedel, a 68-year-old Port Lavaca resident, retired on March 31 after the university announced the cancellation or postponement of all spring semester events because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He first joined UHV’s staff in November 2004 as a custodial supervisor after working for 15 years for Calhoun County Independent School District.

For the past couple of weeks, University of Houston-Victoria alumnus Terry Harryman has trained for a job that will put him in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Harryman recently took a position as a clinical laboratory extraction technician at Sparrow Health Care, a small biotechnology lab in Houston that soon will begin COVID-19 testing. He was working at Dow Chemical when he applied to the health care lab.

One of the University of Houston Victoria’s newest employees started her job working from home, but she has been getting support from her co-workers until a time when everyone can return to campus.

Corpus Christi native Angela Bigby began her new position on March 30 as the UHV registrar, the person in charge of student records at the university. UHV administrators previously had announced that all spring semester courses would be offered online through the end of the spring semester after smoke and fire damage in UHV University West made the building unusable after a fire. The COVID-19 pandemic added another layer of uncertainty.

After an intensive, five-year information accumulation process and a visit from reviewers, the University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration has been reaccredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

To maintain accreditation, the business school must undergo a rigorous review every five years. The school must demonstrate its continued commitment to quality standards related to faculty qualification, strategic management and assurance of learning. Less than 5 percent of business schools worldwide earn this mark of excellence.

Jessie Allen, left, trustee for the Dickson-Allen Foundation, presents a check for $25,000 to Courtney Middleton-Sides, UHV senior director for corporate and foundation relations. The $25,000 was given to the university for the Dickson-Allen Scholarship, which offers scholarships to students from Lavaca, Wharton and Gonzales counties. 

National website Best Colleges Online recently listed the University of Houston-Victoria Master of Arts in forensic psychology as the second most affordable, quality degree in the U.S. based on tuition, accreditation and inclusion in major publications.

The website included UHV’s degree in its 2020 Top 25 Most Affordable Master’s in Forensic Psychology Online Programs list. The programs were selected from universities listed in the National Center for Education Statistics, a federal entity that collects and evaluates data related to U.S. education.

More than 20 years ago, Teri Moten sat in on a business course taught by Louie Ren, a University of Houston-Victoria faculty member, and now her life has come full circle.

In late March, Moten spoke to Ren’s class and a class taught by associate professor John Kagochi during the annual UHV School of Business Administration Alumni Week.

For several years, Laura Mammina, a University of Houston-Victoria assistant professor of history, has worked toward presenting a tribute to a beloved history advisor.

That tribute, in the form of a collection of essays, is now a published book called “American Discord: The Republic and Its People in the Civil Era.”

Tiarah Figueroa of San Antonio has been a leader on campus since she started the FASHION student organization her freshman year at the University of Houston-Victoria, and now she’s taking that leadership to the next level.

Figueroa is preparing to step into the position of president of the UHV Student Government Association for the 2020-2021 school year. She was elected by the UHV student body through an online vote, and she will start her term on June 1.

As universities continue to adjust to circumstances around the coronavirus pandemic, University of Houston-Victoria Student Affairs staff members have created ways to help keep students entertained and mentally healthy during stay-at-home orders.

“It is important that we let the UHV community know we are all going through this together,” said Michael Wilkinson, senior director of UHV Student Services & Judicial Affairs. “Even though most of our students are at home, we want to make sure they have a healthy well-being during this time.”

A recently formed University of Houston-Victoria task force is planning how the university will reopen its campus for the fall semester after offering online classes during the spring and summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UHV administrators previously announced that all spring semester courses would be offered online beginning March 25 through the end of the spring semester after smoke and fire damage in UHV University West, the main academic building on campus, made the building unusable after a March 12 fire. 

University of Houston-Victoria men's soccer defender Uriel Garcia has been named a 2020 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar finalist.

Garcia, a December 2019 graduate of UHV with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, is one of three finalist selected for the award. Award winners will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony on May 28 and in the upcoming digital issue of Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

During the course of his 29-year career, Jeff Blodgett has taken advantage of leadership opportunities to help advance the marketing discipline, improve his home institutions and encourage others to get involved in shaping the higher education landscape.

Blodgett has taught at the University of Mississippi, the University of Illinois at Springfield, North Carolina A&T State University and now the University of Houston-Victoria, where he also served from 2011 to 2015 as associate dean for graduate programs and external affairs for the School of Business Administration.

University of Houston-Victoria students from the School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development recently were awarded free membership into a national strength and conditioning organization.

Raymond Tucker, a UHV assistant professor of kinesiology, said the National Strength and Conditioning Association awarded UHV with three one-year memberships into the association. Since 2015, UHV has been nationally recognized by the association for its kinesiology programs. Tucker also is a member of the association and said UHV’s participation will only strengthen the university’s program.

Students in the UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development achieved positive results on the state teaching certification tests, with 100 percent of students passing in more than three-quarters of the testing areas.

Students who plan to be teachers and other educators must take the Texas Education Agency’s Texas Educator Certification Examination in order to be certified to teach in state schools. From Sept. 1, 2018, to Aug. 31, 141 UHV students took the examination in 13 different subject areas. UHV students received a 100 percent passing rate in 10 of the 13 areas.

In the five years since he graduated, University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration alumnus A.J. Villanueva has learned what it takes to be a good leader and establish a business.

 “In general, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to put people first and serve others,” said Villanueva, executive director of Courtyard Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, and owner of AJ’s Detailing. “When you put your employees first, they will move mountains, and everything else falls into place.”

Twins Sofia and Soledad Vallejo grew up hearing a request and challenge from their mother: to graduate so that she could hang their graduation photos on the living room wall of their home. 

Now the two are planning to have not only their high school graduation photos in their living room, but also their college photos after they graduate from the University of Houston-Victoria.

When Rylee Morrow moves into her own classroom this fall to become an elementary school teacher in Edna, she plans to keep a piece of advice in mind: If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.

Morrow, who also lives in Edna, recently was named the Spring 2020 Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the University of Houston-Victoria School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development. Alyssa Cano of San Juan and Jennifer Southern of Victoria both were named the school’s Outstanding Graduate Students.

After holding a successful online open house in April, the University of Houston-Victoria is hosting an Undergraduate Virtual Open House to give interested freshman and transfer students an opportunity to visit with university staff and faculty without leaving their homes.

The UHV Undergraduate Virtual Open House will take place from 2:30 to 5 p.m. June 4 and is open to the public. This event will be for undergraduates interested in earning a bachelor’s degree from UHV though online courses, attending the main UHV campus in Victoria as a freshman or transfer student, or attending the UHV Katy instructional site as a transfer student. UHV also offers master’s degrees in Victoria, Katy and online.

Although the school year is winding down for most high schools, students can get a jump-start on learning about the growing field of data science through the University of Houston-Victoria Online Data Science Boot Camp.

The free, two-day camp is scheduled for 12:30 to 5 p.m. June 10 to 11 through a conference app. The camp is for high school students who will be seniors in the fall.

The University of Houston-Victoria recently was included in the top tier of Texas universities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with action that benefited and protected students, especially in terms of available online learning resources.

Educate to Career, a national website that ranks colleges and universities based on the economic advantage the institutions offer their students, included UHV in Tier 1 out of four tiers on its ETC College Rankings Results for the COVID-19 Economic Crisis list.

The University of Houston-Victoria is experiencing an outpouring of support for its students during the COVID-19 pandemic as donors have provided $63,195 to two funds, including some matching funds.

Donations from 182 UHV faculty, staff, alumni and community members have been made to the Student Emergency Fund and the School of Business Administration Student Assistance Fund to help students who have been impacted by COVID-19.

When Katie Parker registered for graduate courses at the University of Houston-Victoria in 2016, she had no idea a life-changing event would cause her to juggle several surgeries and physical therapy along with her classes.

Four years ago, Parker was hit by a driver while she was walking her dog, and her recovery has been a long journey.

“The last few years was really tough,” she said. “It has been a little overwhelming, and now everything has been happening really fast. It is a huge relief to graduate.”

The University of Houston-Victoria recently honored three faculty members for their outstanding contributions to the university, its students and the community through teaching, research and service.

The faculty members are selected by their colleagues and students each spring for the prestigious awards.

Area residents interested in continuing or starting a college education can take advantage of reduced students fees being offered this summer for online undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Houston-Victoria.

University of Houston-Victoria men’s soccer defender Uriel Garcia was named a 2020 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar first runner-up on Thursday during a virtual awards ceremony in New York.

Garcia, a graduate of UHV with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, was one of three finalists selected for the award. He was recognized from the more than 790 student-athletes from 42 sports that were nominated for the award.

When Sydney Fitch received the news that the Walkie Talkie Journalist group had won the University of Houston-Victoria Student Organization of the Year award, she was surprised but happy that others recognized the group’s dedication.

“It is such a shock because I just never thought we would be selected,” said Fitch, a Houston native and president of the organization. “All of our hard work and passion actually paid off, and I am really proud of our organization.”

For University of Houston-Victoria alumnae Liza Lybolt and Zhen Yan, academia always has been their goal.

Now, both UHV School of Business Administration graduates will embark on their respective journeys to get their doctoral degrees.

Mark Ward Sr., a University of Houston-Victoria associate professor of communication, recently was selected as the winner of the 2020 Digital Religion Research Award for his research and article about the economics of religious media.

Originally, the award was scheduled to be presented in August during the International Society for Media, Religion and Culture conference in Sweden, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was postponed until 2021. Ward, who also would have given a lecture at the conference, will instead speak about his article this fall at Texas A&M University, home of the Network for New Media, Religion and Digital Culture Studies that sponsored the award.

Huan “Henry” Pham was doing a medical internship at a Houston hospital when he decided to switch his career course to pursue one of his other passions – business.

Pham, a Houston resident, enrolled in fall 2018 as a graduate student in the University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration, and a year and a half later, he has graduated with a Strategic Master of Business Administration with concentrations in marketing and management.

Pham recently was named the Spring 2020 Outstanding Graduate Student for the UHV School of Business Administration. Theresa Salas of San Antonio was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the school.

WACO – Recognized nationally with a major award and as a leader within the NAIA, Ashley Walyuchow of the University of Houston-Victoria can now add 2019-20 RRAC Athletic Director of the Year to his resume.

The University of Houston-Victoria user services administrator first became interested in technology through his enjoyment of computer-based video games.

“Back in the early days of computers and dial-up modem connections, it was not the easiest thing to do,” Lawrence Nelson said. “When a game didn’t work correctly, there was no Google to help solve the problem, and heaven forbid if someone picked up the phone while you were using the modem.”

When Brenda Tally, the artistic director of the Victoria Ballet Theatre, was looking for a way to develop a marketing strategy for the nonprofit, she knew she could turn to the University of Houston-Victoria for guidance.

“As a small nonprofit with part-time employees, we are looking for ways to maximize our small budget to research the best methods for us to market to our community,” Tally said. “This is a great way to collaborate with the university as a resource.”

Students will be able to take classes at the University of Houston-Victoria this fall as the university moves into a phased reopening of its Victoria campus and the UHV Katy instructional site.

“We are excited to have our students back on campus as we limit our occupancy to reopen slowly and safely,” UHV President Bob Glenn said.

Classes will be offered both in-person and online this fall with classrooms limited to 50 percent occupancy. Lectures will be streamed in real time and uploaded for students who aren’t in the classroom.

Crossroads residents have an opportunity to share their COVID-19 pandemic experiences with the community through a new digital collection at the Victoria Regional History Center.

The center is collecting submissions for a project called “Stay Home, Stay Safe Stories,” which will serve as a historical record of the area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Houston-Victoria and Victoria College communities, and residents of the surrounding Victoria area are invited to submit first-person accounts for the collection. The Victoria Regional History Center is a collaboration between UHV and VC that holds institutional records and other material that document the history of UHV, VC and the greater Victoria area.

Students interested in attending the University of Houston-Victoria as undergraduates or graduates this fall still have an opportunity to learn about the university by attending summer virtual events, including a newly scheduled town hall. 

A Family Town Hall with UHV is scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. June 28 for parents and families of prospective students and students who have applied to UHV so that they can hear from UHV President Bob Glenn and Jose Cantu, UHV vice president for enrollment management.

For the first time in nearly a decade, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has named a University of Houston-Victoria student as the student regent on the UH System Board of Regents.

Alvaro De la Cruz Jr. of Converse will serve on the UH System Board of Regents until May 31. The graduate student is the second UHV student to serve as student regent since the university was founded more than 45 years ago. The previous student regent from UHV was Kristen Lindley Sayegh, who was appointed in 2009 by Gov. Rick Perry and served through May 31, 2010.

The University of Houston-Victoria has awarded 425 degrees to undergraduate and graduate students who completed their coursework during the spring semester.

Students graduating cum laude, with honor, had grade-point averages of 3.5 to 3.67 on a 4.0 scale. Students graduating magna cum laude, with high honor, had GPAs of 3.68 to 3.84, and those graduating summa cum laude, with highest honor, had a GPA of 3.85 or higher.

Current educators and professionals who want to become school district superintendents can get the help they need quickly through the University of Houston-Victoria’s affordable graduate certificate preparation program that has an option to earn a master’s degree with a superintendency concentration.

Four faculty and staff members in the University of Houston-Victoria School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development recently were recognized by their peers for their outstanding teaching, research activities and service.

Full-time students who are new to the University of Houston-Victoria this fall will benefit from the UHV Cares Scholarship after they submit federal and state aid applications.

New freshmen, transfer and graduate students enrolled full time this fall may apply for the new scholarship in addition to other aid and grants.

A part-time student worker for University of Houston-Victoria Athletics tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19.

“To the best of our knowledge, the student worker has only been in the UHV Athletics building and outside on campus, so exposure to others has been very limited,” UHV President Bob Glenn said.

The University of Houston-Victoria has released the names of undergraduate students who made its spring 2020 President’s and Deans’ lists.

The President’s List honors undergraduates who earn a 4.0 grade-point average on all work completed during the spring semester. To qualify for the Deans’ List, undergraduates must earn at least a 3.5 grade-point average.

University of Houston-Victoria student Barbara Alaniz always has been a fan of numbers and equations, so when she found out she was awarded a scholarship from the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics for her last semester of college, she was ecstatic.

The University of Houston-Victoria and Geico have created a partnership to help Geico associates complete a business degree.

The Employee Partnership Program was established during the spring between UHV and the Geico regional office in Katy. The partnership is ideal because the Geico regional office is only a few miles from the UHV Katy instructional site, said Karla DeCuir, senior director of enrollment and external affairs at the instructional site.

Just, fair and friendly are three words Joseph Ben-Ur, a retired University of Houston-Victoria professor, focuses on when he thinks of outstanding universities; their faculty, staff and students; and the communities they serve.

That attitude is one of many reasons Ben-Ur was awarded the title of professor emeritus this spring by the UH System Board of Regents. He worked at UHV for 23 years before retiring Aug. 31, 2019. During that time, he taught marketing classes, conducted research in several influential areas and served in key roles at the university.

When Alma Gutierrez opened an email that let her know she was the 2019-2020 University of Houston-Victoria Student Volunteer of the Year, she froze and had to make sure she was reading it right.

UHV student Alvaro De la Cruz Jr., center, stands with UHV administrators after being sworn in Tuesday as the newly appointed student regent on the UH System Board of Regents. De la Cruz was appointed student regent through May 31, 2021, by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. 

Crossroads fans will have the opportunity to score free admission July 21 to a Victoria Generals collegiate baseball game sponsored by the University of Houston-Victoria.

After a 52-year career working in and promoting education, including eight at the University of Houston-Victoria, Fred Litton is preparing to enjoy his retirement. 

Litton, dean of the UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development, will retire at the end of July. He and his wife, Beverly, who worked in special education at Howell Middle School, decided to retire together. They plan to move to Arkansas to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

The University of Houston-Victoria’s undergraduate computer science program recently received recognition as one of the best online programs of its kind in the nation because of its affordability, quality and satisfaction of its students.

Edsmart.org listed the UHV Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in its Top 34 Best Online Computer Science Degree Programs list.

When Dr. Cody Walthall was studying to become a doctor, he always knew there was a possibility that there could be a global outbreak of illness. He just didn’t think it would happen so early in his career.

“Working through a pandemic has been an interesting experience, and as a doctor, I do like being in the thick of it all,” Walthall said. “I appreciate being a part of history and something that will be studied in the future.”

Karen Locher started her career in 1973 as the first student assistant hired by what was then the University of Houston Victoria Center to work in the library the school shared with Victoria College.

Now, 47 years later, she has been promoted to senior director of the UHV Library located in UHV University Commons, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St. Before the UHV Library opened a year ago, she worked at what was the VC/UHV library on the VC campus.

Two staff members in University of Houston-Victoria Facilities have tested positive for COVID-19 and remain in quarantine.

“Both employees were in direct contact with others who are not affiliated with UHV but who had tested positive for the virus,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “To the best of our knowledge, no other UHV faculty, staff or students had direct contact with the two employees, but contact tracing is ongoing.”

In light of the state of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the Victoria and Katy areas, the University of Houston-Victoria has chosen to delay the Aug. 3 move to Phase 3 in the university’s phased reopening plan. The university still plans to open for fall classes in late August.

A national website recently included the University of Houston-Victoria’s undergraduate digital gaming & simulation program in its Top 10 list of programs in the southwest region for the school’s academic reputation, program quality, value for graduates and employment data.

An education degree offered at the University of Houston-Victoria has a new name, thanks to a change in how Texas allows universities to offer education programs across the state.

Uche Ehiemua has known for some time that she wants to be a doctor. So when the University of Houston-Victoria alumna received the news that she was accepted into a Texas medical school, she was thrilled.

“I’ve always thought of working with Doctors Without Borders and helping as much as possible in underdeveloped countries,” Ehiemua said. “Getting into medical school is a step in that direction.”

Ever since Lori Maurer was a fifth-grader, she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. With a passion for learning and a teacher who inspired her, the Houston native and two-time University of Houston-Victoria alumna began picturing herself as a teacher.

“My teacher was just amazing. She saw the potential is every single one of her students, and she had a heart for teaching,” Maurer said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than being in education and watching students grow.”

Maurer is just one of hundreds of UHV alumni teaching in the state, and she completed her first year this spring as an assistant principal at Mayde Creek Elementary School in Katy.

Students interested in becoming video game developers or working in the field of augmented reality will be able to earn a degree focusing on digital gaming and simulation starting this fall at the University of Houston-Victoria.

A Bachelor of Science in Digital Gaming & Simulation will be offered for the first time at the university. Students interested in digital gaming and simulation previously studied these areas as a concentration within the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. The new degree will allow students interested in digital gaming and simulation to focus more on those areas in their classes.

A third staff member in University of Houston-Victoria Facilities has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in quarantine.

“We are taking these cases very seriously because our faculty, staff and students are our greatest assets,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “Contact tracing on campus is being conducted by the UHV COVID-19 Operations Center so that we can help prevent further transmission and make sure everyone stays as safe as possible.”

A member of the University of Houston-Victoria community has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in quarantine.

“As the pandemic continues to affect our communities, UHV is taking precautions to monitor and protect the health of our students, faculty and staff,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “We are making every effort to ensure a safe learning and working environment to continue offering a quality higher education while also protecting our students and employees.”

The readers of Living Magazine have once again named the University of Houston-Victoria as Best College/University in Katy/Fulshear for the second year in a row.

Readers in the Katy and Fulshear area nominated UHV this summer for the magazine’s annual “Best of” Readers’ Choice awards. The university will be featured on a list of other winners in the August issue of Living Magazine. Readers cast votes by writing in UHV on the online ballots this past spring.

Caterpillar Inc. made a $10,000 gift to assist the University of Houston-Victoria with COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. The donation is earmarked for general use during the pandemic – from emergency grants to other continuing education initiatives.

Students planning to return to stay at the residence halls this fall at the University of Houston-Victoria will see some changes to the move-in process and other areas of Residence Life as the university focuses on providing a safe place for students to pursue their education.

A local hospital nurse practitioner with multiple peer-reviewed publications about infectious diseases has been chosen to serve as the COVID-19 response coordinator for the University of Houston-Victoria COVID-19 Operations Center.

Jessica Helms, a nurse practitioner at DeTar Medical Group in Victoria, began her new position this week with UHV. She will help manage COVID-19 preparedness and response and serve as the primary contact person for UHV and the UHV Katy instructional site.

The University of Houston-Victoria welcomes several hundred new freshmen and transfer students every year. More than 200 miles from the Victoria campus, Victoria De Leon plays an integral role in the university’s growing enrollment numbers by working as a recruitment coordinator in the Rio Grande Valley.

The University of Houston-Victoria recently was informed about an individual on campus who tested positive for COVID-19.

The individual has been quarantined since Aug. 1, and it has been determined that there was no significant contact with other individuals on campus. In addition, the individual was wearing a mask, and all affected areas have been sanitized.

Dependents and spouses of full-time University of Houston-Victoria employees now have access to a scholarship to help them pursue a higher education degree from the university.

On Friday, university administrators modified the UHV Faculty & Staff Tuition Scholarship program to include the dependents and spouses of employees.

Students from the Coastal Bend region who are planning to take honors courses and major in a health-related field this academic year have the opportunity to be awarded a new scholarship at the University of Houston-Victoria.

With more than 20 years of management experience and 15 years of dedication to the University of Houston-Victoria, Mary Field is ready to take on a new role to help her colleagues.

Field, an administrative assistant in the School of Business Administration, is the 2020-2021 UHV Staff Council chair. She also will represent the university’s staff on the UHV President’s Cabinet. Field has been a member of the Staff Council for several years.

The University of Houston-Victoria’s new Chick-fil-A and Jaguar Java coffee bar, featuring Starbucks coffee, sandwiches and other food options, opened for business Wednesday morning.

The dining options are located on the first-floor food court area of the UHV University Commons, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St., the university’s student center and library. They are available to the public and opened for business the same day as the first UHV students began moving onto campus for the fall semester.

As the University of Houston-Victoria started the 2020-21 school year on Monday with a limited number of students living on campus, including in the new Don & Mona Smith Hall, campus officials are taking safety measures to help ensure the year goes smoothly.

“At UHV, we have taken steps to make sure we are all taking care of each other,” said Chance Glenn, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are trying to create the highest quality educational experience for our campus community as best we can under the current situation and environment.” 

The University of Houston-Victoria will close its Katy instructional site Wednesday through Friday because of Hurricane Laura, and all instruction there will move online those days.

At this time, the main UHV campus in Victoria will be open on Wednesday, and further updates will be provided midday through the UHV Emergency Alert system at www.uhv.edu/alert.

The world looked very different when Ricardo Teixeira became the UHV Faculty Senate vice president at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. Now, as he steps into the role of president, the university and its faculty are working together to find ways to handle new and ongoing challenges.

More than a dozen University of Houston-Victoria faculty members recently were promoted with nine of them receiving tenure and three becoming full professors.

University of Houston-Victoria student-athletes from the Coastal Bend area planning to major in a health-related field now have the opportunity to be awarded a new scholarship at the university.

The Victoria Region Student-Athletes Health Career Scholarship will provide scholarships starting this fall for up to a dozen UHV student-athletes. Students chosen for the scholarship will be awarded over the next two years. The $100,000 in scholarship funding is from a 2019 grant.

The University of Houston-Victoria will reopen its Katy instructional site on Friday after closing it Wednesday and Thursday because of concerns about Hurricane Laura.

The University of Houston System Board of Regents recently gave approval for the University of Houston-Victoria to move forward with its plans to build a student recreational center requested by its students, who are assessing themselves a student fee to fund part of the building.

With the board’s approval, UHV has begun searching for qualified architectural firms to design the new UHV Health & Wellness Center.

Area students and teachers who have attended the University of Houston-Victoria’s annual Math & Robotics Awareness Day know Ricardo Teixeira, a UHV associate professor of mathematics, always has a trick up his sleeve. 

Teixeira enjoys showing those who attend the annual event and others how mathematical equations can be used to perform magic tricks. Now, area residents can learn the tricks and the math behind the illusions through the book “Mathemagics: A Magical Journey through Advanced Mathematics.”

Victoria area high school students interested in learning how to use advanced robotic tools, programming, engineering and artificial intelligence have an opportunity to take a free virtual course built around the topics this year at the University of Houston-Victoria.

Crossroads entrepreneurs, University of Houston-Victoria students and the community are invited to participate in a new virtual speaker series focusing on personal growth and building connections in the area.

Bridge to Brilliance – Building Resiliency to Inspire, Develop and Grow Entrepreneurship is a virtual three-part series created by the Personal Growth and Mentorship subcommittee of the UHV School of Business Administration Dean’s Advisory Board.

The M.G. & Lillie A. Johnson Foundation has committed to providing the University of Houston-Victoria with $2 million for the construction of a student recreation and health center. This is the biggest gift in the university’s history.

The gift will help fund the construction of the UHV Health & Wellness Center. Also funding the center is a student fee that UHV students voted in December 2018 to approve. The University of Houston System Board of Regents gave its approval in August for UHV to move forward with searching for qualified architectural firms to design the center.

University of Houston-Victoria faculty members are seeking participants for a free, virtually held public health program that focuses on combating chronic kidney disease.

The Victoria Alliance Against Chronic Kidney Disease program has become an online program because of concerns about COVID-19. The program started in March but had to be put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is funded by a grant through Healthy Kids, Healthy Families® – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’ signature community investments program.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is adversely affecting higher education enrollment nationwide this fall, the University of Houston-Victoria is bucking that trend with an increase of more than 9 percent in preliminary enrollment compared with the previous fall.

As of Wednesday, when preliminary enrollment must be reported, UHV had 4,967 students enrolled, a 9.2 percent increase from the preliminary enrollment for fall 2019. 

After years of trying to find a balance between teaching her love of science and literature, University of Houston-Victoria alumna Laurie Vogt is happy that she found her place as the Rowland Elementary School librarian.

Vogt’s innovative and creative lessons as the school librarian earned her recognition from her peers, and she was named the Rowland Elementary School Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year. She is one of 12 UHV alumni who were named teachers of the year in the Victoria Independent School District that year.

A University of Houston-Victoria assistant clinical professor of nursing spent the spring supporting nursing students as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer establishing the UHV COVID-19 Operations Center. Now, she has been named the M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation Endowed Professor of Nursing.

Tara Vaughn, the interim director of nursing at UHV, recently received the endowed professorship thanks to a grant from the foundation. The professorship is intended for a doctoral-prepared Registered Nurse who has a Master of Science in Nursing and is a full-time faculty member at UHV.

The University of Houston-Victoria’s annual employee giving campaign had record-breaking participation from faculty and staff members for the fourth consecutive year.

From Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, the One For All, All For One campaign received donations from 282 UHV employees, about 69 percent of the university’s full-time employees. For the 2018-2019 campaign, 215 employees donated, while 203 employees donated in 2017-2018, and 189 contributed in 2016-2017.

Beloved literature characters Scout Finch and Captain Underpants do not share much in common except for one thing – both their stories have been challenged or banned in certain communities.

The University of Houston-Victoria Library is hosting events this week for students and the community to help raise awareness about national Banned Books Week.

When Jose Cantu and Abran Rodriguez joined the University of Houston-Victoria in 2019, they were surprised to learn that despite the university being designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, it did not have a Latino Faculty & Staff Association. They decided that needed to change.

Cantu, vice president for enrollment management, and Rodriguez, assistant professor of counselor education in the School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development, recently co-founded the UHV Latino Faculty & Staff Association.

The first-ever virtual Jaguar Day on Oct. 24 will allow prospective University of Houston-Victoria students and their families a way to learn more about the university all without leaving the comfort of their homes.

The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon through Zoom and is free to those who sign up. Prospective students of all ages and their families are invited to participate in Jaguar Day to learn more about UHV.

The University of Houston-Victoria will be an early voting site for the first time as a convenience to both students and community members ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

The location will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24 and noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 in the UHV University North Multi-Purpose Room, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. Voters must wear a mask to enter the building. Only those registered in Victoria County can vote at this location.

Mary Jane Morgan, former first lady of the University of Houston-Victoria, passed away Friday night after a difficult battle with cancer.

From the first day she and her husband, Vic, joined UHV in 2014 until her passing, Mary Jane was a treasured member of the UHV family. She was an ardent supporter of higher education, the university and the Victoria community. Services are pending.

Local banking professional Lori Zamora is a leader and active member of community organizations including the Northside Rotary Club and Victoria Chamber of Commerce. This past spring, she added another entry to her long list of accomplishments: magna cum laude graduate of the University of Houston-Victoria.

As social unrest sweeps across the nation, the University of Houston-Victoria is taking steps to address the issue as a university and as a part of the community it serves.

The UHV Diversity and Race Task Force was created in July at the request of UHV President Bob Glenn after Victoria Mayor Rawley McCoy and representatives from Texas Rep. Geanie Morrison’s office approached him about taking the lead in a community conversation about a Confederate soldier statue in downtown Victoria.

A recently released study of the economic impact of the University of Houston-Victoria estimates that the university will add $490.8 million in income to the region’s economy in 2028-2029, an increase of 53 percent compared with 2018-2019. 

“It is an exciting time for UHV as we continue to grow and make a difference in the economies of the communities that we serve in the Coastal Bend,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “I am grateful to know that UHV is part of a region that values higher education. We are committed to helping the region prosper.”

Cuero High School teachers interested in teaching University of Houston-Victoria dual-credit courses now have the opportunity for required UHV graduate courses to be paid for by the Cuero Community Foundation.

The foundation recently made a $5,600 donation to a teacher preparation scholarship fund to help Cuero High School teachers meet graduate credit requirements to teach UHV dual-credit courses, beginning this academic year. All UHV dual-credit teachers must meet minimum adjunct requirements to teach dual-credit courses, including having a graduate degree. Instructors also are required to have 18 graduate credit hours in the field they are wanting to teach dual credit.

A $30,000 grant from Alcoa Foundation will allow the University of Houston-Victoria to continue to host public events focused on math, computer science and robotics for middle and high school students in the Crossroads.

“The Alcoa Foundation is proud to have a longstanding relationship with UHV and for the impact this institution has on our community,” said Kevin Riggs, site manager for Alcoa Point Comfort Operations. “It is hoped that this contribution enables math and robotics goals at UHV and inspires tomorrow’s technical leaders for local industry.”

The University of Houston-Victoria will host six in-person commencement ceremonies in Victoria and Katy for 2020 spring, summer and fall graduates.

“Earning a degree is one of the proudest moments of many of our graduates’ lives, and UHV is excited to be able to give them the opportunity to celebrate that achievement with their friends and family,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “It was disappointing when we had to postpone our spring commencement ceremonies, but we think these new ceremonies will be worth the wait.”

Mark Ward Sr., a University of Houston-Victoria associate professor of communication, will be the featured presenter during the annual Digital Religion Research Award Lecture on Nov. 4 after winning the 2020 Digital Religion Research Award earlier this year.

The free, virtual lecture, presented by the Network for New Media, Religion and Digital Culture Studies, is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. through the webinar platform Demio. 

Diane Kliem, a University of Houston-Victoria alumna and the 2020 American Business Woman of the Year, will lead a virtual seminar about the importance of networking during the last installment of the fall series of Bridge to Brilliance – Building Resiliency to Inspire, Develop and Grow Entrepreneurship.

The virtual event will begin at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 10 through Microsoft Teams. It is free and open to the public.

The University of Houston-Victoria plans to host its seventh annual ROAR Leadership Conference virtually for the first time to give area high school seniors and college students a chance to learn about developing skills that can help them in their careers and other leadership positions.

The conference will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 7 and will take place on Microsoft Teams. Attendance is free, but students must register by Nov. 4 to attend.

Area residents can learn more about becoming a transfer or graduate student at the University of Houston-Victoria during a Nov. 10 virtual open house that for the first time will feature a panel of UHV students.

The UHV Virtual Transfer & Graduate Programs Open House is scheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. through Zoom. It is free and open to the community. 

In order to help ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff at the University of Houston-Victoria, the university will continue to offer most of its classes virtually and hold limited events on campus during the spring semester.

“It is important that UHV continues to provide a safe environment for our students and employees,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “At every step of the way, we have emphasized transparency with our students, employees and the public, and we plan to continue to keep those lines of communication open.”

For the first time, the University of Houston-Victoria will host a virtual annual report event for the region it serves to celebrate highlights from its 2019-2020 fiscal year, make a special announcement and present awards to community members and a student leader.

The 2019-2020 UHV President’s Annual Report & Excellence Awards will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. Nov. 10 and will be streamed live.

Brandon Lee, University of Houston-Victoria Residence Life director, was recently elected as incoming president of the Kiwanis Club of Victoria.

Lee has volunteered with the local Kiwanis Club for three years. He also serves on the board of directors for the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators and volunteers at the annual conferences of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

University of Houston-Victoria publishing professor Kyle Schlesinger received a nice surprise this year: a nomination for one of the highest awards in the arts in the state.

Schlesinger, the co-director of the UHV graduate publishing program, recently received a letter from the State of Texas informing him that he was nominated to be the 2021-2022 State Poet Laureate.

The University of Houston-Victoria is bringing back its Alumni Networking Luncheon series, and the first one will feature a presentation by Diane Kliem, who will share her story of starting a new career later in life and how she reached success.

The luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 11 in the UHV University North Multi-Purpose Room, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The university is taking precautions to ensure adequate social distancing, including limited seating and boxed lunches. Attendees are required to register beforehand and wear masks except while eating.

The University of Houston-Victoria saw an increase in the number of donations to the university in 2019-2020 that were equivalent to almost five gifts being donated every day of the year.

The university received 1,709 donations in Fiscal Year 2020, the highest number of gifts the university has ever received. This was despite the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Gary Masculine, a University of Houston-Victoria senior studying kinesiology, received free membership for a year into the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a nonprofit that provides industry-leading certification, research journals, career development services and more to sport science professions around the world.

“It’s an honor to receive a membership into an association that offers a wealth of knowledge,” Masculine said. “I have gone through the website daily to see what new studies are available and learn more about kinesiology that I can use in my career.”

Shameka Davis is someone who likes to see children succeed, especially children whose path to success may not look like the same road as their peers. As a licensed specialist in school psychology at Alief Independent School District in Houston, the University of Houston-Victoria alumna makes sure that children receive adequate support.

“With patience and possibly more time, every student can obtain success,” Davis said. “Every child can learn; it may just look a little different for each kid, and that’s OK. I enjoy working with students and their families to help them reach their maximum potential.”

University of Houston-Victoria leaders gathered at noon Tuesday to present the virtual 2019-2020 UHV President’s Annual Report & Excellence Awards, celebrating a year of successes, handing out awards to community partners and a UHV student, and announcing the final results of the Here, We Go fundraising campaign.

The public event was held virtually for the first time and was streamed to the university’s Facebook page and on UHV’s annual report website at www.uhvannualreport.com.

Students studying kinesiology at the University of Houston-Victoria will have the opportunity to gain real-world experience in exercise science careers through a new internship agreement with Citizens HealthPlex fitness and wellness facility.

“We are excited for this local community partnership and the opportunity for our students to prepare for their careers after graduation,” said Rachel Martinez, interim dean of the School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development.

When Courtney Soliz was in a terrible car wreck in high school, she got an up-close look at the medical field. That experience inspired her to pursue a career in medicine to help others the same way doctors and nurses helped her.

“Everyone, from doctors and nurses to my physical therapists, made it a personal goal to see me recover,” Soliz said. “They put in so much effort and pushed me to heal. They never let me fall, and it really showed me how being there for others is so important.”

With the arrival of the holiday season of giving, community members are invited to support the University of Houston-Victoria during the university’s fifth annual Giving Tuesday campaign, including an opportunity to help UHV meet a donation goal.

The 24-hour fundraising campaign will begin at midnight Dec.1 and end at 11:59 p.m. that day. The fundraiser encourages all supporters of UHV, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members and corporations, to donate to the university.

The University of Houston-Victoria announced Nov. 10 the results of its multiyear fundraising campaign titled “Here, We Go” that raised $13.4 million, 12 percent more than the university’s $12 million goal.

“The Here, We Go campaign that ended Aug. 31, highlighted just how incredible UHV’s community is,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “These donations are all individual endorsements of the university’s mission to offer a quality, affordable education to our students and serve our communities. I can’t thank our supporters enough for their confidence in us and our mission.”

For Quyen Trinh, the road to a bachelor’s degree has included unexpected stops along the way. After about 10 years, the Houston resident will graduate from the University of Houston-Victoria this month.

“I have been a student on and off for so long, it’s going to feel great to finally spend some quality time with my family,” Trinh said. “My whole family is as excited as I am because I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from college. I would not be at this point without the support of my family.”

A graduate student studying creative writing and publishing at the University of Houston-Victoria won first place in the third annual UHV President’s Holiday Card contest and will receive a $1,000 university scholarship for her artwork.

Sadie Atha of Winnie placed first out of 19 art submissions. Atha’s winning design will be featured on the front of the president’s holiday card. 

A new federal grant will help University of Houston-Victoria students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics prepare for internships and defense-related careers with the U.S. Department of Defense.

UHV recently received a $198,028 U.S Department of Defense National Defense Education Program for STEM grant in collaboration with Alabama A&M University and Navajo Technical University. The project is titled “A Three-Step Approach Providing a Pipeline of Skilled Minority STEM Professionals for the Department of Defense Workforce.” 

In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Texas, the University of Houston-Victoria is postponing its 2020 commencement ceremonies that were planned for December and January.

“Although it is unfortunate that we will have to postpone commencement again, our first priority is always the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” UHV President Bob Glenn said.

Like many college students, University of Houston-Victoria student Prabha Sapkota pulled an all-nighter during the fall semester to complete a project. And her hard work paid off when she won a data challenge at a national conference.

Sapkota, a senior from Houston studying computer information systems, recently won first place along with a University of Houston-Downtown student in the Data Analytic Hackathon during the Great Minds in STEM national conference.

To help small business owners in the Crossroads find ways to keep their companies afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Houston-Victoria Small Business Development Center is using funds from the federal CARES Act to offer a free Master Class virtual series.

The new Master Class series will bring in experts to share their knowledge in four key areas to help small business owners and entrepreneurs find ways to survive and thrive in the current economic situation, UHV SBDC Director Lindsay Young said. 

The University of Houston-Victoria announced Thursday that it will move to Phase 2 of its reopening plan from Dec. 14 to Jan. 18 in order to ensure a safe campus environment for students, faculty and staff.

“As always, our primary concern is the health and safety of our campus community,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “With the current increases in COVID-19 cases and concerns about possible spikes after holiday gatherings, we thought this adjustment would be wise. We want to encourage our faculty, staff and students to take precautions during the holidays to minimize any possible exposure they may have to COVID-19.”

A study published by Mark Ward Sr., a University of Houston-Victoria associate professor of communication, won two awards for Article of the Year at the annual conventions of two national communication associations.

Ward’s winning publication, “Sermons as Social Interaction: Pulpit Speech, Power and Gender,” was named the year’s outstanding scholarly article by the Religious Communication Association and the Spiritual Communication Division of the National Communication Association at the associations’ joint virtual conference in November.

When Candice Trybull and Trevor Babbitt first met with their teammates to plan out the workload for the 27th University of Houston-Victoria Bachelor of Business Administration Case Conference, they all agreed they weren’t going to worry about placing well in the competition. They just wanted to get an A in the course.

On Saturday, they did more than get an A. Trybull, a Sugar Land resident; Babbitt, who lives in Austin; and their teammates, Bianca Garcia of Harwood and Luke Labeff of Inez, won first place for their analysis of Comfort Systems USA, a building and service provider for mechanical, electrical and plumbing building systems.

For University of Houston-Victoria student Cole Guthrie, getting his undergraduate degree was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The beginning of his college education started when he tried to get a haircut but realized his usual place was closed for the day. Instead of going home, he saw that registration for college courses was going on and decided to enroll.

The University of Houston-Victoria was the recipient of a $10,000 challenge donation from a Victoria business after the university surpassed a goal of 250 donors during its fifth annual Giving Tuesday campaign on Dec. 1.

In total, the university received $45,614 from 256 donors, including UHV faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members, as well as donors from Australia, Canada, Nigeria and Colombia. 

A University of Houston-Victoria graduate computer science program recently was ranked by a website as one of the nation’s most outstanding and affordable online programs.

Master Degree Guide, a website that ranks higher education programs, placed the UHV Master of Science in Computer Science program on its Best Affordable Online Master’s in Computer Science list.

The University of Houston-Victoria recently received approval to form a student branch of an international technological society that will help students learn more about advancements in science and technology and give the university opportunities to host student conferences, workshops and more.

In November, UHV received approval to form a student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest technical professional organization.

The University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration’s Strategic Master of Business Administration program has been recognized as a top program in the nation.

The Princeton Review included the business school in its The Best Business Schools 2021: Best On-Campus MBA Programs list. The list includes schools from across the country and the world and is determined by using factors including institutional and student survey data.

The University of Houston-Victoria School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development held its first virtual pinning ceremony Friday afternoon to celebrate the accomplishments of the university’s nursing students.

“After all nurses have gone through during the pandemic, we didn’t want to miss this opportunity to honor them and their accomplishments,” said Tara Vaughn, UHV interim director of nursing. “They’ve faced so many challenges and persevered, and we are so proud to see them reach this goal.”

The University of Houston-Victoria soon will showcase the work of Houston artist Tom Sayre with the installation of “Contemplation,” a painted steel sculpture that is part of the Public Art of the UH System collection.

“Texas and regional artists are important to UHV and the Victoria community, and this significant outdoor sculpture will be a welcome addition to our campus landscape,” UHV President Bob Glenn said.

The University of Houston-Victoria nursing program recently was recognized as one of the best nursing programs in Texas by a national nursing website.

Nursing Schools Almanac, an online guide to nursing schools in the U.S., named the university’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program as one of the state’s top 75 nursing programs for 2020.