August 19, 2004

UHS REGENTS TO VOTE ON PARKING GARAGE, BUDGET

The University of Houston System (UHS) Board of Regents will meet Thursday, Aug. 19, in the UH Athletics/Alumni Center to vote on several items, including a proposed parking garage for UH, a $933 million UHS budget and the UHS strategic principles and initiatives.

If approved, the parking garage would cost $25.8 million to build and would be located at the at the north end of Parking Lot 1A at Calhoun Road and University Drive, near Entrance 4 and the Hilton University of Houston Hotel. It would contain 1,200 parking spaces, a visitor’s center, retail spaces and an academic service center.

With the start of FY2005 approaching on Sept. 1, the board will vote to approve a $933 million system budget. Included in this budget is $300,000 that will be dedicated to UH staff scholarships. It also allows for a 2.25 percent merit pool for faculty and a 2.25 percent across the board salary increase for staff members, as well as funds to hire of 83 new UH faculty members.

Also on the board’s agenda is to vote on accepting “final draft status” of the UHS strategic principles and initiatives it received during a special meeting in May.

These principles and initiatives were developed following several spring public strategic planning meetings at each system university. Each meeting consisted of input from faculty, staff, students, community leaders and business representatives.

The principles and initiatives developed from these meetings include the creation of a University of Houston Health Science Center and UH System Multi-Institutional Teaching Center at the Texas Medical Center. Other initiatives include increasing system enrollment from 70,000 – 75,000 by 2015 and creating more professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

A board chair will be elected during the meeting. Currently, Thad “Bo” Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Smith Global Services, Inc. is serving as the board’s chairman. Smith was appointed to the board in 1999 and was named chairman in 2003.

Another item the board will vote on is a budget increase for the M.D. Anderson Library expansion and renovation. This project’s current budget is $47 million. The proposed increase is an additional $2 million. These new funds would come from student use fees and would be used to complete the remaining shell space, improve computer capabilities, create additional meeting rooms and allow for additional library shelving.

UH Director of Athletics Dave Maggard will also be on hand at the meeting to deliver a presentation on intercollegiate athletics to the board.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu