October 19, 2010

As I approach my third year as Chancellor/President, the progress we’ve made together is striking.  From record-breaking research awards and fundraising to the strongest freshman class ever, all signs indicate that UH is on track for Tier One.

While I never tire of singing our university’s praises, I write you today to share a unique perspective – a view of UH from the community.  You have heard me say on many occasions that we cannot accomplish great things without the support and enthusiasm of our community.  We are very proud to be Houston’s university, and we are grateful to feel the embrace of this city in new and profound ways.

Recently, Jeff Cohen, the editor of the Houston Chronicle, came to Wortham House as a guest lecturer and offered some keen observations on harnessing the energy of change to shape the world around us.  I am sharing a copy of his remarks so that you can see another example that Houston is increasingly proud of its university, the University of Houston.

“The most important element in Houston’s future growth and quality of life is the education of its young people," Jeff writes.  “We have to make sure that this great institution remains a beacon of hope and opportunity...”

While his praise for UH is exhilarating – “a wonderful place of new people, new ideas, new beginnings and new opportunities” – I find his overall view of our city equally inspiring. He recognizes that a community is greater than the sum of its parts and, to truly prosper, each of the key parts of that community must align and support each other.  That’s why we often say its takes a great community to build a great university.

As I reflect on our journey so far, I am grateful that you have embraced a vision of excellence for your university, that you have raised your expectations of us, and that you have come to believe Houston deserves a nationally competitive university. And I am thankful that you have offered your support in countless ways.

I echo Jeff’s sentiments when he writes, “I’m very happy that we’re partners in this ongoing adventure together.” As they say in the newspaper business: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! And I hope you will.

Warm Regards,

Renu Khator