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Office of the President	(713) 743-8820
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost	(713) 743-9101
Vice President for Administration and Finance	(713) 743-5550
Vice President for Governmental Relations	(512) 499-8787
Vice President for Institutional Advancement	(713) 743-0945
Vice President for Information Technology	(713) 743-1600
Vice President for Research and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies	(713) 743-9104
Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services	(713) 743-5390
General Counsel	(713) 743-0949

The University of Houston, the state's premier metropolitan teaching and research institution, stands on the forefront of education, research and service. The largest and most comprehensive component of the University of Houston System, UH is a leader in the state-assisted system of higher education in Texas. Our campus serves more than 30,000 students in 14 colleges and a host of schools and programs offering 291 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. UH ranks among the top one percent in the nation in size of enrollment and is 12th nationally in its enrollment of international students.

UH offers an undergraduate curriculum that provides students with a broad base in the liberal arts complemented by in-depth studies in disciplines of their choice, affording students a foundation for lifelong learning. First implemented in 1983, this universitywide core curriculum has served to strengthen the quality of our academic experience. The quality of our students is further reflected in increasing average SAT scores and growing enrollment in our Honors College. The Honors College, which enrolls over 1,000 students with an average SAT composite score of 1281, draws on the talents of the finest faculty members across the university to provide a wide range of special courses for gifted students.

Graduate and professional education programs at UH enable students to develop a mastery of chosen disciplines or professions. We conduct basic research in each academic department and operate more than 40 research centers and institutes on campus. Through these facilities we maintain creative partnerships with government and private industry, and the interdisciplinary research conducted here breaks new ground in such vital areas as superconductivity, space commercialization, biomedical engineering, economics, education, petroleum exploration and virtual technology.

As is the role of a metropolitan university, outreach and partnerships reflect our commitment to the community. UH seeks to provide an ongoing and expanding research and public service base to meet the needs of Houston's community. Recently, the university successfully exceeded its $263 million goal, a primary component of the UH System's $350 million Creative Partnerships Campaign ³ the largest coordinated fund-raising campaign in the city's history. These initiatives provide demonstrable and concrete evidence of how we seek to interact with and gain strength and direction from the city itself and help re-affirm the compelling case that can be made for the urban university as an agent of 21st-century urban change and transformation.

Grants and awards to the university have reached an all-time high of more than $50 million. Based on awarding at least 50 doctoral degrees annually and receiving approximately $27 million in federal research support annually, UH's institutional classification has been upgraded by the Carnegie Association from "Doctoral Research I" to "Research University II." Considering our commitment to excellence in education, research and service, the university anticipates continued support and growth in the amount of grants and awards.

A sampling of our academic and research accomplishments further demonstrates this commitment.

• The university's superconductivity lab drew international attention when researchers discovered a compound that achieves superconductivity at temperatures higher than previously thought possible. This breakthrough led to the establishment of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (TCSUH), which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with a symposium where four Nobel laureates and other distinguished scientists participated. TCSUH represents the largest university superconductivity research effort in the United States with over 250 faculty, research faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students from the disciplines of chemistry, physics, and chemical, electrical, materials, and mechanical engineering working in 15 laboratories.

• The university's Creative Writing program recently received a national No. 2 ranking by U.S. News and World Report in a survey of 197 graduate programs of its kind.

• According to a 1996 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board report, UH ranks third in the state among non-medical universities for total overall research expenditures, second for arts and humanities, second for the physical sciences, and second for psychology.

• Our university was ranked tenth in the nation in physical sciences (physics, chemistry, earth sciences, engineering, mathematics and applied sciences) by the science journal Nature when measured for the number of times UH faculty had their research cited by other scientists.

• The American Educational Research Association ranks our College of Education among the top schools of education in the country in research productivity.

• The UH Law Center is ranked in the top 50 programs nationwide; its Health Law and Policy Institute is ranked number one nationally; and its Intellectual Property Law Institute is ranked in the nation's top five, according to a recent U.S. News & World Report survey.

• Both undergraduate and graduate programs are available through our nationally ranked Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, the only school of its kind in the state.

• In April 1998, a graduate of the School of Communication won an Oscar for her work as producer in the animated short film category. And students in the Moores School of Music, home of the new 800-seat Moores Opera House, consistently receive first-place ranking in regional and national competitions, as do students in the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.

• The Department of Political Science is ranked eighth overall and sixth in productivity per capita by the discipline's three leading journals, according to an annual survey by the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Outstanding faculty and facilities draw students from across the country and around the world. As a result, the University of Houston is characterized by a rich mix of cultural and ethnic backgrounds in a student body that is approximately 49% white, 16% Asian American, 15% Hispanic, 11% African American, 0.5% Native American. Almost 7% of the university‰s students are from abroad, representing 110 countries of origin. To enhance student enrollment opportunities, we offer a full range of financial assistance through scholarships, grants and loans.

Libraries at UH provide abundant resources for research, with total collective holdings of more than 1.8 million volumes, 3.8 million microfilm units, 15,000 research journal subscriptions and various other research materials. The library is one of the most technologically advanced academic libraries with over 120 networked stations incorporating 75 CD-ROM products, local and Internet resources, expert systems technologies, and a library Gopher and World Wide Web service. A computerized catalog system links all four UH System libraries and the specialized libraries in architecture, law, music, optometry and pharmacy at UH.

Our computer-intensive environment enhances both teaching and research. A computer network links more than 4,000 workstations across campus, and we are connected to several wide area networks providing access to more than 1,100 universities, research institutions and corporations worldwide.

Our campus incorporates 548 acres of parks, fountains, plazas, sculptures and recreational fields surrounding modern classroom, laboratory and study facilities, affording students a comfortable and well-equipped setting for academic pursuits and proximity to the nation's fourth largest city. UH public service and community activities, such as cultural offerings, clinical services, policy studies and small-business initiatives, serve a diverse metropolitan population. Likewise, the resources of the Gulf Coast region complement and enrich the university's academic programs, providing students with professional expertise, practical experience and career opportunities. In fact, more than 75 percent of our students secure career-level jobs within three months after graduation. We have awarded more than 150,000 degrees, and roughly 70 percent of our alumni remain in the Houston metropolitan area.

Students throughout the greater Houston area are served through a variety of institutes, multi-institution teaching centers (MITC), and distance education. The West Houston Institute at Cinco Ranch and the North Houston Institute offer both credit and not-for-credit courses. The UH System at Fort Bend, located in Sugar Land, brings together faculty from UH and the three other UH System universities to teach courses leading to 30 graduate and undergraduate degrees. Faculty from UH teach at the University Center, a MITC located in The Woodlands. In addition, the state's largest offering of for-credit courses is available on UH's "Television With Class," carried via the UH System's PBS station (KUHT-TV, Channel 8), and various area cable outlets.

UH campus activities include more than 280 registered student organizations, film series, concerts, theatrical productions, art exhibits and NCAA sports representation. Our students also benefit from our metropolitan setting. Houston offers students an exciting blend of cultural and entertainment activities, including a number of acclaimed museums, concert halls and theaters, as well as rodeos, restaurants of all kinds, jazz and blues clubs and professional sports events.