Upcoming Events

 

The Certified Public Manager Program is Now Offered at UH. Track #6 Information Systems for Managers Begins June 14, 2012

 

 

 

 

Previous Events

 

"Houston:  NASA Decelerating, but Economy Rocketing, Lubricated by Oil, Gas, Trade, and Other Accelerants"  A Real Estate and Economic Outlook for 2012

On May 8th the Institute for Regional Forecasting held its spring 2012 symposium. Dr. Ted C. Jones, Sr. Vice President-Chief Economist, Stewart Title Guaranty Company discussed the latest economic mega-themes of renting vs. homeownership, energy costs and a continual sputtering national economy. Trade and manufacturing (the Ports), the Medical Center (and the rest of the service industry), a renewed construction sector will all grow - with only transportation and government components adding drag. The $800 billion stimulus doesn’t seem to have stimulated much at all except a big pile of debt. The slide show and text from this program will be available for purchase in approximately two weeks. If you'd like to obtain a copy of CD-Houston, please call us at 713-743-3869 or complete the online publications form.

 

Graphing Political and Census Data with Former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Hobby.

 

On March 9^th former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby discussed Texas politics and demography by county, what makes Texas and urban state, how demographics affect voting, and more. This lecture took place in the Honors College. Download his presentation.

 

 

 

The Financial Crisis: Causes and Cures with John Allison, Retired CEO of Branch Banking and Trust & Distinguished Professor of Practice at Wake Forest

 

The American economy continues to suffer from the bursting of the housing bubble and subsequent collapse in the capital markets in spring of 2007.

 

On April 4^th, John Allison, retired CEO of Branch, Banking, & Trust, discussed the causes of this crisis, including government policies and errors by financial institutions, and potential short and long-term solutions. View Mr. Allison's presentation "The Long Term Consequences of the Financial Crisis". Read the press release about the BB&T gift to the Hobby Center for Public Policy.

 

 

 

Human Capital Development and Education:  Early Childhood, K-12, Workforce Preparedness  

 

Read the results of 15 months of research and investigation into education on the most critical issue of our time. The Center’s fourth Indicators Report Card on Human Capital Development and Education was released to the community at a public Symposium on February 10, 2012 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. To read through the 2012 Report on Education, visit www.futurehouston.org

 

 

 

Reunion Luncheon for UH Governmental Interns, Fellows and Sponsors Thursday, December 1

 

A reunion luncheon was held on Thursday, December 1st for University of Houston governmental interns, fellows and sponsors. The location was at the UH Energy Research Park. Former interns had the opportunity to catch up with fellow governmental colleagues and tour thew new UH Energy Research Park. View invitation.

 

 

 

 

 

Blood Drive Wednesday, November 16, 2011

 

 

2011 Institute for Regional Forecasting Fall Real Estate Symposium. Houston - The Teflon® Economy and Real Estate Markets: A Few Scratches, But the Bad Stuff is Not Sticking and We Keep on Cooking...

The fall symposium was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The symposium, entitled "Houston - The Teflon® Economy and Real Estate Markets: A Few Scratches, But the Bad Stuff is Not Sticking and We Keep on Cooking..." was presented by Dr. Ted C. Jones, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist for Stewart. Please visit the Institute for Regional Forecasting website for program highlights, read a summary on the symposium, and listen to a KUHF Houston Public Radio interview of Dr. Jones.

 

3rd Annual Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) Workshop: "Communication in Community-Engaged Research"

 

The theme of the 2011 CEnR Workshop was communication issues and processes in Community Engaged Research. In conjunction with the CEnR Workshop on October 27-28, PRIM&R offered three highly acclaimed educational courses on October 25-26. Presentations were highly interactive between presenters and with the audience. Some of the major topic areas include: Online Communities; Creating Community Networks to Promote Complex Goals such as Environmental Justice; Bridging the Gulf: A CEnR Approach to Assessing the Human Health Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Spill; Communicating About Human Subjects Protections in CEnR; Body & Soul: Promotion of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in an African-American Community; and Substance Abuse and HIV Prevention and Treatment in Minority and GLBT Communities. Read more about the workshop

 

 

 

Visiting Professor, Dr. Joy Langston, to Present “Party Change: Mexico's PRI, from Hegemony to Democracy, 1980-2006.” - Friday, October 21 at Noon - Agnes Arnold Hall, Room 106

 

“Party Change: Mexico's PRI, from Hegemony to Democracy, 1980-2006” presents a review on party change and goes on to construct a more complete theory of how hegemonic or authoritarian parties are able to adapt to new external conditions, especially rising electoral competition, by examining how different party factions take advantage of new electoral pressures to transform the structure of the party to suit their needs. It argues that political institutions filter these electoral pressures and help determine which party faction will be able to use competition to its advantage.  This work operationalizes party change over two dimensions: centralization vs. decentralization, and the power of party leaders vs. those of office seekers. Depending on whether institutions are more decentralizing and/or whether they benefit party leaders over office seekers, one should find certain groups rather than others win out in the internal battles over political resources that matter to ambitious politicians. 

 

“Party Change: Mexico's PRI, from Hegemony to Democracy, 1980-2006” also examines how Mexico's former hegemonic party, the PRI, is an excellent case to study the interaction between institutions and party change because of the importance of the party, its current success, and the temporal within-case variation it offers.  The author finds that those groups that were able to win elections - given the institutional rules in place - eventually took over the party and helped transform it into a more decentralized organization that is still under the control of party leaders (not office seekers).  Read Dr. Langston's research paper, a great introduction to her presentation this Friday.

 

Dr. Joy Langston is professor of political science at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics, CIDE, in Mexico City and specializes in party politics and federalism. She has a Ph.D. in political science from Duke University and a B.A. in political science from the University of Chicago.   In recent years, she has published articles in Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies and Party Politics. To RSVP, contact Mike Angel at mangel@central.uh.edu or at 713-743-3976. Click here for campus map and directions to Agnes Arnold Hall.

 

 

 

The Energy Management and Policy Group and KUHF News presents: Daniel Yergin -The Pulitzer winning author of The Prize will speak about his new book, The Quest.

Monday, October 31st
5:30 p.m. at Michael J. Cemo Hall, in the Stubblefield Auditorium

The lecture is open to the public, and books will be available for purchase for $20.00.
http://www.uh.edu/campus_map/buildings/CEMO.php

 

 

 

Lanier Public Policy Conference - America 2011: The Lines, Numbers and Politics of a Changing Nation

 

On September 16, 2011 the Lanier Public Policy Conference --  America 2011: The Lines, Numbers & Politics of a Changing Nation -- addressed the critical factors surrounding the results of the 2010 Census.  How has the nation's population changed? Will congressional lines differ greatly after redistricting? Has political power shifted from one area to another? If you missed the conference or would like to refer to one of the presentations, visit the speakers page. Read the interview with Lanier Public Policy Conference keynote speaker US Census deputy director Thomas Mesenbourg in today’s Houston Chronicle: Census data still fascinate agency's veteran leader. We thank conference underwriter Shell and the conference’s official airline United for their generous support. We really could not have done it without them! We also thank the following sponsors. AT&T, Ramona Davis, Global Unisource, Inc., Outreach Strategists, William P Hobby Center for Public Service at Texas State University, Gwen Essinger and Lone Star Strategies. Their gifts benefit the Hobby Center for Public Policy’s Certified Public Manager (CPM) program.

 

 

 

 

 

University of Houston Community Pet Food Drive for AniMeals on Wheels, April 11 thru May 2, 2011.

 

As a community service project, the Hobby Center for Public Policy held its 3rd Annual pet food drive on the University of Houston campus for AniMeals on Wheels, a program that benefits the clients of Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston.

Meals on Wheels of Greater Houston provide home-delivered meals to more than 3,600 homebound seniors. Many elderly and disabled people who receive food from the Meals on Wheels share what food they receive with their pets, which leads to neither the person nor pet receiving proper nutrition. For homebound seniors in the Meals on Wheels program, the companionship of a pet is essential to their health and happiness. However, the cost and ability to acquire food for their best friends is an impractical task. To help decrease the burden that seniors feel when it comes to feeding themselves and their pet companion, Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston has initiated the new AniMeals on Wheels program which provides donated pet food to Meals on Wheels households. Read more about the pet food drive for AniMeals on Wheels.

 

 

Greater Houston NGV Alliance Host Meet & Greet Luncheon, April 5, 2011

The Greater Houston NGV Alliance in partnership with the University of Houston’s Hobby Center for Public Policy cordially invites you to a Meet and Greet Luncheon, Tuesday, April 5th. The purpose of the luncheon is to bring fleet operators together to meet fellow peers who are converting their fleets to run on alternative fuels like CNG and LNG. The luncheon is being held at the City Centre Westin Hotel located at 945 North Gessner Road, Houston, TX 77024 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. At the luncheon you’ll hear from Alliance board members regarding the state of the natural gas industry, options for operating fleet vehicles on natural gas, initiatives currently underway to build fueling infrastructure and legislative initiatives designed to promote more widespread use of natural gas.  Furthermore, you’ll have the chance to learn more about the Greater Houston NGV Alliance and how becoming involved with the Alliance can benefit you and your organization by making the alternative fuel learning curve a little less steep. To register for the luncheon, please email Waukesha Taylor or click here. 

 

 

 

Haynesville, A Nation's Hunt for an Energy Future - March 2, 2011

 

Hosted by the Energy Management and Policy Group, this film documentary was shown on Wednesday night, March 2nd in Cemo Hall. The film has been well received at other local showings, and it presents a balanced account of the development of an important gas shale region in northern Louisiana and East Texas. After the showing, there was a question and answer session with the director and a panel including J. Lanier Yeates (an energy lawyer who is currently teaching a course on gas shale as an adjunct in our Law Center), Jacqueline Weaver from the Law Center, and Joe Pratt from GEMI and history. View trailer.

 

 

 

Counting on Quality of Place 2011 Regional Symposium - January 28, 2011

The Center for Houston's Future released its 2010 regional 'report card' on three critical indicators: Water Quality, Water Supply, and Green Buildings. The symposium took place on January 28, 2011 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Hobby Center for Public Policy director Jim Granato was one of the panelist in this informative conference. Read the biographies of the morning panel group. Click here for event details and program agenda.

 

Voter Participation & Community Outreach. UH & UHD Students are Involved...Are You?

As a service learning project for the fall semester, Civic Houston Internship Program (CHIP) interns may focus on voter participation as a project.  Various CHIP interns will volunteer their time on voter participation projects and get out the vote efforts on campus or in the community. Find out more and how you can also get involved.

Natural Gas Vehicle Odyssey Day, November 3, 2010 - UH MD Anderson's Rockwell Pavilion

A lot of consideration has been paid to natural gas and the benefits it poses to fleets across the country wishing to reduce their fuel costs and the toxic emissions produced by their diesel and gasoline vehicles. Much has also been said about the importance of natural gas being a domestic fuel and how it could help the United States reduce its dependency on foreign oil. Yet, with all of the public and political attention the fuel has been getting, two questions still remain. How much of what has been said is rhetoric and is the fuel right for all fleets? Record-high gas and diesel prices are compelling businesses and organizations to explore how to rein in fuel costs. Besides saving green, many companies are also interested in driving green.

On November 3, 2010, The Greater Houston NGV Alliance, in partnership with the Hobby Center for Public Policy and Public Solutions Group, held a workshop to answer these questions along with other important issues like fueling infrastructure, grants, and overall fleet economics. This workshop will help continue the steps towards building a region-wide natural gas infrastructure. This workshop will educate local governments, businesses, and school districts on the benefits of natural gas vehicles. View event flyer for details.

 

Institute for Regional Forecasting Fall Forecast Symposium - November 4, 2010

The Institute for Regional Forecasting (IRF) Fall Forecast Symposium "History May Not Repeat Itself, But it Certainly Does Rhyme*" featuring Dr. Ted C. Jones, Chief Economist, Stewart Title, was held on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. “The event has become a must-attend for bankers, builders and other business leaders in Houston”  - L.M. Sixel, Houston Chronicle. Read the full article City Expected to Add 30,000 Jobs Next Year: UH Institute Predicts Energy, Government and Retail to Lead Way.          *Mark Twain

 

 

 

An Evening with Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby

 

On Thursday, October 14 an evening of conversation with Bill Hobby and Saralee Tiede was held at the University Hilton to talk about his new book How Things Really Work: Lessons from a Life in Politics. Written with his former chief of staff Saralee Tiede, Hobby frankly discussed Texas politics with remembrances of working with state leaders Ben Ramsey, Dolph Briscoe, Bill Clements, and Ann Richards. Details. Missed the event? Another book signing is scheduled in Houston on Wednesday, November 10th at the Plaza Club in Downtown Houston  5:30 - 7:30pm. For information or to RSVP contact Ken Huste at 713-890-8822 or ken.huste@ourclub.com. Download event flyer.