NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2006

Contact: Eric Gerber
713.743.8189 (office)
713.617.7130(pager)
egerber@uh.edu
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WITHDRAWS PROPOSAL FOR NORTHWEST CAMPUS
Additional Restrictions From Coordinating Board Make It Impossible to Proceed

HOUSTON, Sept. 29, 2006 – The University of Houston has withdrawn its proposal to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a campus in Northwest Houston.

Although the board recently voted to approve such a proposal, a number of last-minute amendments were included that significantly altered the nature of the original proposal. After careful consideration of these amendments, UH officials determined that they would make moving forward with the creation of this campus unfeasible.

“We are committed to supporting the state’s ‘Closing the Gaps’ initiative to meet the growing need for higher education resources in Texas. Establishing a campus in northwest Houston, where there is such a clear need for upper-level and graduate programs, would be a considerable challenge, but we were prepared to undertake it,” said UH President Jay Gogue. “However, these additional restrictions placed on us make it impossible to proceed. It’s no longer financially viable.”

The board amended its original proposal to substantially extend the time period that Prairie View A&M could preclude UH from offering more than a dozen academic programs at the proposed Northwest campus. It also extended the time period in which Prairie View A&M and Sam Houston State University could choose to exercise an option to lease and/or purchase space at the newly created facility.

“Naturally, we are disappointed with this outcome,” said Donald J. Foss, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at UH. “We made this proposal for a new campus at the urging of many community and business leaders in the area who were understandably concerned about the need for additional higher education resources in this northwest part of Houston. That need still exists and the University of Houston will now begin exploring alternative approaches to help address it.”

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