University of Houston–Downtown

The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is a public university in Houston, Texas. It is part of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 40 acres (16 ha) in Downtown Houston, with a satellite location in northwestern Harris County.[4] Founded in 1974, UHD is the second-largest university in the Houston area with more than 14,000 students.[5]

University of Houston–Downtown
TypeState university
Established1974 (1974)
EndowmentUS$34.7 million[1]
PresidentDr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz
ProvostDr. Eric Carl Link
Academic staff
631[2]
Administrative staff
476[2]
Students14,640[3]
Undergraduates13,136
Postgraduates1,504
Location
Houston
,
Texas
,
United States

29.765931°N 95.359684°W / 29.765931; -95.359684
CampusUrban, 20 acres (0.08 km²)
ColorsBlue and Red
         
NicknameGators
AffiliationsUH System
SACS
MascotEd-U-Gator
Websiteuhd.edu

The university serves students in four academic colleges. UHD offers 52 degree programs: 45 bachelors and seven masters.[6] Awarding more than 2,400 degrees annually, the university has more than 40,000 alumni.[7][8]

History
One Main Building (formerly Merchants and Manufacturers Building)

Recognizing the need for a university presence in Downtown Houston, the Board of Regents of the University of Houston acquired the assets of South Texas Junior College on August 6, 1974 and opened the University of Houston–Downtown College (UH/DC) as a four-year institution under the organization and control of the University of Houston. By August 1979, it became a stand-alone university when the 66th Texas Legislature established UH/DC as a separate and distinct institution in the University of Houston System.[9][10]

The college's first four-year degree was a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and resident students attended for $4 per credit hour.[11] The school purchased its first and only dormitory in 1981.[12][13] The dormitory, formerly the Harley Hotel located at 101 Main Street and known as the University Center, remained in the university's possession until 1991 when it was demolished in favor of renovation.

On April 26, 1983, the word "College" was dropped from the institution's name to become University of Houston–Downtown (UHD). During this decade when Houston was booming, UHD succeeded in having the Merchants and Manufacturers Building named to the National Register of Historic Places, degree programs continued to grow, and UHD's first Red Rose Ball became a signature fundraiser. Tuition increased in 1984 to $12 per credit hour.[11] By fall 1988, more than 8,300 students were enrolled on campus.

In 1992, Max Castillo came from San Antonio College to lead the university. During the 1990s, UHD focused on becoming a metropolitan university—appealing to traditional students as well as working professionals. During the early 1990s, UHD also began key partnerships with community colleges and it moved to meet greater Houston's demand for qualified teachers when it added a teacher certification program in urban education. During this time, the Weekend College Program began and a new Academic Building and the Jesse H. Jones Student Life Center opened.

The Willow Street Pump Station on the UHD campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004

As the 1990s ended, UHD moved ahead again, earning full approval from the Texas Legislature and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer graduate programs; the University's first master's degree in criminal justice was approved. UHD also began offering degree programs at Lone Star College–University Center and eventually at the UH System teaching center in Cinco Ranch. UHD's expansion and growth continued as a new millennium arrived. Master's degree programs in criminal justice and teaching were added. Physical growth also continued and the Willow Street Pump Station was renovated while a new, bricked-face Commerce Street Building opened at the corner of Commerce Street and Main Street—providing a new home for the College of Public Service. As UHD grew so did the number of students participating in commencement. In 2002, UHD became the first university to award degrees in Minute Maid Park. UHD won national recognition for its wireless campus and the Bachelor of Business Administration degree program in general business became the university's first on-line degree. In November 2007, the Shea Street Building opened as the new home of the UHD's College of Business.[14]

After 38 years as an open admission institution, the Board of Regents of the UH System approved admission standards for UHD in February 2012.[15] The new admission standards went into effect for applicants entering the university in fall 2013 and onward.

Institutional structure

The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is one of four separate and distinct institutions in the University of Houston System. The institution is separately accredited, offers its own academic programs and confers its own degrees, and has its own administration. UHD is a stand-alone university; it is not a branch campus of the University of Houston (UH). Although UHD and UH are both component institutions of the University of Houston System, they are separate degree-granting universities.

The organization and control of the University of Houston–Downtown is vested in the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. The Board has all the rights, powers, and duties that it has with respect to the organization and control of other institutions in the System; however, UHD is maintained as a separate and distinct institution.

Administration

The president is the chief executive officer of the University of Houston–Downtown, and the position reports to the chancellor of the University of Houston System. The president is appointed by the chancellor and confirmed by the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. Since April 2017, the president of the university is Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz. The UHD administration is located on the ninth floor in the One Main Building.

  • William I. Dykes (interim), 1974–1975
  • J. Don Boney, 1975–1979
  • Alexander F. Schilt, 1980–1987
  • Manuel T. Pacheco, 1987–1991
  • George W. Magner (interim), 1991–1992
  • Max Castillo, 1992–2009
  • William V. Flores, 2009–2016
  • Michael A. Olivas (interim), 2016–2017
  • Juan Sánchez Muñoz, 2017–Present

Academics
University rankings
Baccalaureate
Washington Monthly[16] 402
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[17] Tier 2

The University of Houston–Downtown is primarily an undergraduate institution. It offers 44 undergraduate and eight graduate degree programs in the following academic colleges:

As of 2012, UHD had a six-year graduation rate of 15%.[18]

Admissions

UHD was the final state university in Texas which had not yet abolished open admissions.[18] In August 2011 the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved new admission standards for University of Texas at Brownsville,[19] the second to last such school,[18] and awaited the approval of the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges.[19] The University of Houston System Board of Regents unanimously approved new admissions standards in February 2012, with closed admissions for that university beginning in the northern hemisphere fall of 2013.[15] The UT Brownsville closed admissions were also scheduled to begin in the northern hemisphere fall of 2013.[19]

Campus
Shea Street Building

The main campus of UHD is located in eight buildings at the north end of Downtown Houston and the south end of Northside,[20][21] next to the crossing of Interstate 10 and Main Street. The university is located near the site where Houston was founded, Allen's Landing.[22] Two of the university's buildings—One Main Building (formerly the Merchants and Manufacturers Building) and the Willow Street Pump Station—are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. UHD also offers classes online, and at three satellite campuses:[23][24]

  • UHD Northwest
  • LSC Kingwood
  • LSC Cyfair
Commerce Street Building

UHD's 2019 student ethnic demographics are 51% Hispanic, 20% African American, 14% White, 9% Asian American, 3% foreign nationals (regardless of race and/or ethnic origins), and 2% multi-racial. 60% of the student body identified as female, 40% identified as male.[3]

Although UHD does not have an intercollegiate varsity athletics program, it does offer its students a number of club sports and intramural sports in addition to numerous fitness programs. The Department of Sports & Fitness coordinates these activities out of the Jesse H. Jones Student Life Center located on the UHD campus. UHD's club sports teams are known as the Gators. The UHD mascot is known as Ed-U-Gator.[25] The university and its community offer additional activities for students such as clubs, organizations, fraternities, and sororities.

The campus of UHD is served by METRORail's UH–Downtown station on the Red Line.

Notable people and alumni
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References
  1. "University of Houston–Downtown Progress Card" (PDF). University of Houston System. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  2. "UHD Fact Book 2010-2011" (PDF). UHD Office of Institutional Research. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  3. https://www.uhd.edu/administration/institutional-research/Documents/Fall_Fact_Sheet_2019_Certified.pdf
  4. Sarnoff, Nancy (May 23, 2016). "UHD Buying 17 Acres Downtown". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  5. "University of Houston-Downtown Fact Book 2016-2017" (PDF). University of Houston-Downtown. University of Houston-Downtown. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  6. "Degree and Major List | University of Houston-Downtown". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  7. "University of Houston-Downtown | University of Houston System". University of Houston System. University of Houston System. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  8. "UHD Fact Book 2016-2017" (PDF). University of Houston-Downtown. University of Houston-Downtown. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  9. "http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/sessionLaws/66-0/SB576_ch148.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved May 31, 2016. External link in |title= (help)
  10. "http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/LASDOCS/66R/SB576/SB576_66R.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved May 31, 2016. External link in |title= (help)
  11. "A Short History of the University of Houston-Downtown". UH-Downtown. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2008.
  12. "Commuter School Closes the Doors Of Its Last Dorm". The New York Times. July 7, 1991. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  13. Ackerman, Todd (June 18, 1991). "Only dorm on campus to be closed/UH-Downtown plan Protested". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  14. "Open For Business". Houston Chronicle. November 22, 2007. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  15. Rhor, Monica. "UH-Downtown ends open admissions." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday February 15, 2012. Retrieved on September 18, 2012.
  16. "2019 Bachelor's College Rankings". The Washington Monthly. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  17. "Best Colleges 2020: Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  18. Rhor, Monica. "Open admissions may end at UH-Downtown." Houston Chronicle. Friday February 10, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2012.
  19. "NEW UT BROWNSVILLE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS." (Archive) University of Texas at Brownsville. Retrieved on September 18, 2012. Click on the orange "NEW UT BROWNSVILLE FRESHMAN ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS" to see the date when open admissions begins.
  20. " Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine." University of Houston-Downtown. Retrieved on July 28, 2011.
  21. "Our Boundaries Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine." Greater Northside Management District. Retrieved on July 28, 2011.
  22. Kleiner, D.J: Allen's Landing from the Handbook of Texas Online (2005-02-03). Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  23. https://www.uhd.edu/academics/online/Pages/default.aspx
  24. https://www.uhd.edu/academics/off-campus/Pages/distance-index.aspx
  25. https://www.uhd.edu/student-life/gatorpride/Pages/default.aspx
  26. "Bombaywala, Ghulam Bombaywala transcript, 2 of 2" (Oral Histories from the Houston History Project) (Archive). University of Houston Libraries. (Interview of Ghulam Mohammed Bombaywala, HHA #00570, July 19, 2007, Interviewer: Uzma Quraishi, Transcribed by Suzanne Mascola) p. 1. "I started out going to school - University of Houston downtown campus. It used to be South Texas Junior College."
  27. "Bombaywala, Ghulam Bombaywala transcript, 2 of 2" (Oral Histories from the Houston History Project) (Archive). University of Houston Libraries. (Interview of Ghulam Mohammed Bombaywala, HHA #00570, July 19, 2007, Interviewer: Uzma Quraishi, Transcribed by Suzanne Mascola) p. 3. "GB: Karachi. I went to school there. Unique English School. Then, from there, you know, in Karachi, of course, called CMS. Then, the college was National College. I did my Inter [as in, intermediate school diploma] from there and then came here. Then got my associate degree from the University of Houston."
  28. "UH System Success Stories". University of Houston System. February 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  29. "Phil Montgomery: Biography". Wisconsin State Legislature. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
  30. https://www.uhd.edu/academics/humanities/undergraduate-programs/english/Pages/Daniel-Pena.aspx
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