For the second year, Entrepreneur magazine has named the University of Houston as a top-100 entrepreneurial college and university. The C.T. Bauer College of Business MBA program is ranked fifth among public universities for producing CEOs of Standard & Poor's 500 companies, according to Bloomberg Markets magazine.

The UH David M. Underwood Chapter of American Humanics is the recipient of the 2005 Outstanding Fundraising Award from American Humanics, a national alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofits dedicated to educating, preparing and certifying professionals to strengthen and lead nonprofit organizations. Under the direction of Program Director Margaret O'Donnell, UH has raised nearly $250,000 for the chapter and the endowment.

Donald J. Foss has been named University of Houston System senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and University of Houston senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Foss will assume his duties in July. He has been dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University (FSU). Prior to serving at FSU, he was psychology chair and professor at The University of Texas at Austin. Foss is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, Psychonomic Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Alumni

Tatcho Mindiola ('70), director of the Center for Mexican American Studies, Margaret Spellings, ('79), U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Herman Suit ('48), Andres Soriano Distinguished Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, and Patricia Potter Wilson ('79, '85), owner and vice president of Potter Farms, have been selected to receive the Houston Alumni Organization (HAO) 2005 Distinguished Alumni Awards. HAO also will give a 2005 Distinguished Service Award to J. Downey Bridgwater ('84), Sterling Bank president, and its 2005 Outstanding Volunteer Award to Sherman Smith Jr. ('76), account examiner and auditor at the Texas Work Force Commission.

Faculty/Staff

UH named the 2005 recipients of its teaching and research excellence awards.

Martin Melosi, Distinguished Professor of History, received the Esther Farfel Award, the highest honor accorded to a faculty member.

Harold E. Bedell, professor of physiological optics and vision sciences, and Howard Pollack, professor of music, received John and Rebecca Moores Professorships.

ENRON Teaching Excellence Awards were given to Luis Alvarez, assistant professor of history; Geoffrey J. Brune, associate professor of architecture; Meredith J. Duncan, associate professor of law; and Frank L. Holt, professor of history.

Susan D. Collins, political science and The Honors College assistant professor, and Jeffrey J. Morgan, professor of mathematics, received the Provost's Core Teaching Excellence Award. Simon G. Bott, professor of chemistry, received the Non-Tenured Teaching Excellence Award.

Excellence in Research and Scholarship Awards were presented to Kevin Bassler, assistant professor of physics; Ramanan Krishnamoorti, associate professor of chemical engineering; and Randolph Thummel, professor of chemistry.

The university honored Barbara L. Stewart, professor of human development and consumer sciences and coordinator of the Consumer Sciences and Merchandising Program in the College of Technology, with the Distance Education Teaching Excellence Award. Jon Lorence, associate professor of sociology and director of undergraduate studies, received the George Magner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising.

Alejandro Jacky, undergraduate teaching assistant in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and Louise Nemanich, doctoral researcher in the management department, were given Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards.

Giles Auchmuty, professor of mathematics, has been named program manager for the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

Geoffrey Brune, associate professor of architecture, received the 2004 American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Houston Education Award and the 2004 Edward J. Romieniec Fellow AIA Award for outstanding educational contributions from the Texas Society of Architects.

Suncica Canic, professor of mathematics, has been named one of the city's top women in technology by the Houston chapter of the Association for Women in Computing.

Monit Cheung, professor of social work, was named a 2005 Asian Pacific American Unsung Hero Award recipient by KHWB-TV, Channel 39, for her work with Catholic Charities.

Paul Ching-Wu Chu, T.L.L. Temple Chair of Science and professor of physics, has been elected as a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Engineering in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of science and engineering.

Arnold Eskin, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, was awarded two grants totaling $2,472,528 from the National Institutes of Health to continue pursuing his investigations of memory formation and the impact of the biological clock on learning and memory.

"Hispanic Literature of the United States: A Comprehensive Reference," written by Nicolas Kanellos, Brown Foundation, Inc. Chair in Spanish, was named an outstanding title for 2004 by Choice, an organization that reviews significant current books and electronic media of interest to those in higher education.

Lewis Wheeler, professor of mechanical engineering, received the Dedicated Service Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his leadership to the applied mechanics division.

Spencer Yantis, interim vice president for university advancement, was selected as the 2005 Texas Tech University's College of Human Sciences Distinguished Alumnus.

Students

Creative writing doctoral students Jennifer Grotz and Gemini Wahhaj received the 2005 Inprint/ Michener Fellowships.

The General Society of Writers of Mexico selected Edna Ochoa's play "La Paracaidista" ("The Female Parachutist") for production in Mexico City. Ochoa is a doctoral student in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages' Spanish graduate program.

The women's basketball team participated in its second consecutive NCAA tournament, playing Boston College Golden Eagles in the Chattanooga Regional in March.

The State Office of Risk Management awarded the facilities department the Bronze Safety Award for fiscal year 2004. The award is based upon promoting and furthering the occupational safety and health of state employees.

The Cullen Foundation has provided start-up funding for the Transfer Center to be housed and administered by the Office of Admissions.

The Department of Engineering Technology received a $950,000 educational program grant from Intergraph Corp. The grant includes software to be used in the accredited degree programs Control and Instrumentation Electronics Design, Process Piping Design and Structural Analysis and Design.

Patricia Golemon, assistant professor of English in professional writing, has been accepted as a Fulbright Fellow to teach in Taiwan. She will live in Tunghai for six months and teach American literature and business writing to graduate students at Providence University. Golemon has been with UHD since 2000.

Alumni

Mary Flood ('89) was named Star Reporter of the Year among major newspapers by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors for her Houston Chronicle coverage of Enron Corp.

Christopher Matranga ('97), research scientist in the Fuels and Process Chemistry Division at the Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory, was the 2005 UH-Downtown Student Research conference's keynote speaker. Matranga also is the recipient of the Pittsburgh Federal Executive Board's Silver Rookie of the Year Award, which honors excellence in government.

Faculty/Staff

The university has named Ed Apodaca vice president of student services and enrollment management; David Bradley, formerly assistant vice president of administration at UH-Downtown, vice president of administration and finance; and Ivonne Montalbano, formerly executive assistant to the president and director of constituent relations, vice president for employment services and operations.

Students

The Scholars Academy hosted the Texas 2nd Annual Environmental Leadership Conference titled "The Promise of Clean Energy." Kenneth Johnson, visiting assistant professor, and students Deedra Balli, Vera Rogers and Judith Vazquez presented research at the 39th annual meeting of the South-Central Section of the Geological Society of America at Trinity University.

More than 115 faculty and staff were recognized with service awards for five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service at the university's 27th Annual Faculty and Staff Awards Presentation. President William A. Staples was one of eight who received a 25-year service award. Honorees of the top 2005 presidential awards included Associate Professor of Mathematical Education Sue Brown, President's Distinguished Service Award; Associate Professor of Philosophy Keith Parsons, President's Distinguished Research Award; Professor of Decision Sciences Ken Black, President's Distinguished Teaching Award; Custodial Shift Supervisor Ana Palomeque, President's Distinguished Staff Service Award-the Hugh P. Avery Prize. Richard Adams, director of operations; Nina Perez, administrative secretary; and Janice Sauerwein, interim registrar and director of academic records, received Staff Merit Awards.

President Staples honored Lunar Rendezvous Festival Inc. with the 2005 UHCL Community Partnership Award. A longtime supporter of UHCL, the nonprofit organization established the Lunar Rendezvous Festival Scholarship Endowment at the university.

UHCL commemorated its 30th birthday with a communitywide event.

The School of Human Sciences and Humanities launched its bachelor of arts in women's studies with a series of events held on International Women's Day.

The Online Library Research Skills project received the Texas Library Association's Library Instruction Round Table's 2005 Library Instruction Project of the Year Award. Susan Steele, reference librarian and coordinator of library instruction, led the team responsible for creating the project. The team includes Pat Cuchens, lecturer in business writing; Deborah Griffin, lecturer in writing; Cynde Ferris, instructional designer II; and Chris Konkel, Web developer II.

The Healthcare Administration Program will provide two graduate-level courses a year via distance education at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. The program is offered in conjunction with the University of Kentucky and Arizona State University.

The Council on Social Work Education has accredited the university's bachelor of social work.

David Ortiz has been named dean of students. Ortiz is a former assistant professor of higher education at Oklahoma State University and the former director of student activities/special assistant for diversity initiatives at Baylor University. Ortiz is conducting research and presentations on leadership for diverse student populations, retention of students of color and Latino Greeks. He is principal author and researcher of the Five Pillar Assessment, a pilot study and assessment tool that measures levels of Latino Greek integration and success on college campuses.

Alumni

Kiki Chaput ('94), Barrios Technology group leader for crew provisioning on the mission integration contract, received the Silver Snoopy, which honors
individuals whose outstanding support contributes to NASA's mission success.

Todd Harrison ('89), attorney, joined the food and drug group at Venable LLP.

Mindy Hicks Evans ('00), assistant principal at Pasadena Independent School District's Vincent W. Miller Intermediate School, was named the Assistant Principal of the Year by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.

Faculty/Staff

Tom Fox, assistant professor of mathematics education and director of UHCL's Math Center, published "Transformation on Data Sets and Their Effects on Descriptive Statistics" in the "Mathematics Teacher" journal.

Angela Howard, professor of history, was selected as the UHCL 2004-05 Piper nominee.

Cheryl Sawyer, assistant professor of counseling, conducted the "Healing America's Hurts: Poetry, Painting, and Patriotism" workshop at the National Museum of Patriotism.

Mary Ann Shallberg, executive associate to the president, was elected to a three-year term to the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education Board of Directors.

Students

Marketing students took first and second places in the fall 2004 18th Marketplace Global Competition. First-place winners in the Advanced Strategic Marketing category, Synergy, were Scott Alpard, Holly Hughes, Tom Johnson, Trang Nguyen, Vikram Patankar and Cynthia Williams. Second-place winners included John Cook, Luis Del Aguila, Rance Fromme, Brian McKenzie, Maya Mapram and Jessica Niebuhr. Both teams consist of students in "Executive Decisions in Marketing" taught by L. Jean Walker, assistant professor of marketing.

Cynthia De Los Santos, Dawn Mulqueen and Cassie Smith presented with Kyle Killian, associate professor of family therapy, the poster titled "Who's Your Daddy? Adolescents' Perceptions of Father Involvement" at the 2005 Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapists conference. Rabia Ilahi and Ayesha Lakhani presented with Killian the poster titled "Strangers in the Wedding Bed? A Study of Arranged Marriages."

Hishara Godakanda received the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapists' Outstanding Master's Student Award. As part of her internship experience, she traveled to Sri Lanka to work with the Green Cross Foundation, where she is providing therapy services to children orphaned by December's tsunami disaster.

Elva Gonzalez, a graduate student and a teacher at Deer Park Independent School District's Parkwood Elementary, received a grant for Aprendamos Juntos (Let's Learn Together). The grant will enable parents to learn reading strategies to use with their children at home.

President Tim Hudson was appointed to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Committee on International Education. Hudson met with other university presidents and administrators from across the nation to discuss international initiatives for their respective institutions.

The university was welcomed as a new member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.

UH-Victoria and the Victoria College hosted the 10th annual Math-Computer Science Awareness Day.

Jeffrey Di Leo, assistant professor of humanities, published two books this past fall, "If Classrooms Matter: Progressive Visions of Educational Environments" and "On Anthologies: Politics and Pedagogy." He is working on another book, "From Socrates to Cinema: An Introduction to Philosophy," for publication this fall. He is co-organizing the "World Literatures and Global Disorder" conference for the Southern Comparative Literature Association annual meeting. Di Leo is a member of the association's executive committee.

Alumni

Cheryl Miller ('88, '02) and Holly Pickering ('00, '03) led a grant-writing effort, which resulted in a $634,005 award from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help the homeless.

Faculty/Staff

Charles Bullock, dean and associate professor of business, was elected to the Southwestern Business Deans Association board.

Chen Chien-Ping, visiting assistant professor of business, is the 2005 ENRON Teaching Excellence Award recipient.

Lynn Freeman, visiting professor of education, presented a paper titled "Voices from Prison: Advice to New Teachers from Inmates" at the Association for Teacher Education conference.

Vic Padelford, director of special projects, and Margaret H. Rice, executive director of Student Services and Regional Outreach, attended the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Capitol Forum titled "Capitol Strategies for Hispanic Higher Education."

Marie Plemons, professor of education, presented "Integrating Social Studies and Language Arts: Discovering the Stories of the Holocaust" at the Association of Childhood Education International conference.

Diane Prince, professor of education, has been asked to chair the committee selecting the Calhoun County Independent School District's Teacher of the Year. Her presentation, "Using Community Resources to Focus on History and Problem Solving," was accepted for the Rocky Mountain/Great Plains Regional Social Studies conference.

Dennis Riedesel, associate professor of education, was elected the Texas Computer Education Association's Area Three director for 2005 through 2007.

Hal Smith, professor of history and humanities, presented a paper on "Gender and the Labour Party" at the Southwestern Social Science Association annual conference, and "The Birth Control Movement in the 1930s" at the Western Social Science Association annual conference.

Students

With a 4.0 GPA in science, undergraduate student Desiree Arrambide was accepted into the University of Texas-Galveston's Physician Assistant Program.

Graduate student Hari Damodaran made a perfect score on the quantitative and verbal sections of the GRE and scored 5.5 out of 6 in analytical writing.

Karen Gincoo will graduate this summer with a 4.0 in science from both UHV and Wharton Community Junior College. She plans to pursue a forensic career.

Outstanding students for the spring 2005 semester are: Nadia Cano, outstanding graduate student, and David Felts, outstanding undergraduate student, the School of Arts and Sciences; Ayowale Ogunye, outstanding graduate student, and Kristen Hawes, outstanding undergraduate student, School of Business Administration; Dianna Hawes Rigamonte, outstanding graduate student, and James Kendall Smith, outstanding undergraduate student, School of Education and Human Development.