NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2006

Contact: Angie Joe
713.743.8153 (office)
713.617.7138 (pager)
ajoe@uh.edu

 

UH SYSTEM REGENTS APPROVE $984 MILLION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007
Initiatives for New Student Financial Aid, Additional Faculty, Pay Raises Announced

HOUSTON, Aug. 18, 2006 – A $984 million budget for fiscal year 2007 has been approved by the University of Houston System Board of Regents effective Sept 1.

The budget represents a 2.6 percent increase from the previous year’s total of $959 million. The new budget allows for $2.5 million in new financial aid funds, adds 53 new faculty members and provides raises of 2 to 3 percent for faculty and staff. The UH System is projecting an enrollment of more than 56,000 for Fall 2006 at its four universities and two teaching centers.

“Despite a significant increase in our utility expenses and benefits costs, we are undertaking new initiatives that will continue to improve our institution,” said Jay Gogue, University of Houston president and UH System chancellor. “Additional financial aid resources will be available for students. We will hire new faculty members. And our employees will enjoy a modest pay increase.”

University by university, the budget breaks down this way:

  • University of Houston -- $716.6 million
  • UH-Clear Lake -- $84.6 million
  • UH-Downtown -- $128.1 million
  • UH-Victoria -- $36.1 million
  • UH System Administration -- $18.9 million

UH Downtown experienced the largest budget increase with a 13.9 percent increase from FY06. This is due in part to a $3.6 million student success initiative, which allocates funds toward scholarships, student assistance programs and the addition of new support staff, and $3.7 million to be applied toward facilities enhancement.

The budget also funded salary increases of 2 percent for faculty and staff at UH, UH-Clear Lake, UH- Downtown and UH System Administration and 3 percent at UH-Victoria. The raises take effect Sept. 1 at UH-Clear Lake and UH-Downtown and Jan. 1, 2007 at the other institutions.

In other business at the Aug. 17 board meeting held at UH, Donald L. Birx was named vice president and vice chancellor for research and intellectual property effective Sept. 1 (See separate Birx release). Previously, Birx was the interim vice provost/president for research and professor of physics at New Mexico State University.

Additionally, Leroy L. Hermes and Michael J. Cemo were re-elected UHS Board of Regents chairman and vice chairman respectively. Calvin W. Stephens was elected secretary.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM

The University of Houston System is the state’s only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers. The universities are the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master’s-level institutions. The centers are the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston’s National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV, the nation’s first educational television station.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.