Comprised of Division features, accolades and achievements, as well as valuable "In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)" news you can use, each edition of the newsletter highlights key information and resources across the Division's departmental, operational and service unit areas. Subscribe to the A&F listserv.

Dear Colleagues,

As we put a bow on fall semester 2024 and the end of another calendar year, I want to express my appreciation to each of you and my very best wishes this holiday season.

The Division closed out the fall semester with an A&F holiday celebration aptly named, Making Spirits Brighter. It was fantastic to see so many of you at this holiday event. I hope that each of you enjoyed the division holiday event and were able to spend time connecting and networking with colleagues from across the Division.

In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find plenty of helpful campus information to help you close out the fall semester and prepare for the winter holiday break. Additionally, this newsletter includes holiday shopping tips from the University of Houston Police Department and University of Houston Information Technology departments to help you stay safe while shopping in person, and online.

Additional items in this month’s newsletter include:

• A feature story on the traditional Finals Mania event.
• A photo gallery from the ‘Making Spirits Bright’ holiday event.
• Safety tips for holiday parking, online shopping, and a checklist to get your office ready for the winter break.

I wish you and your families a wonderful, healthy, and joyful holiday season, as well as a prosperous New Year. I look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2025, recharged and ready to build on the division's successes during calendar year 2024.

A&F's Making Spirits Bright Holiday Celebration

The Division of Administration and Finance held a holiday party to celebrate the festive season. Division employees danced to holiday tunes from the DJ while snacking on finger foods and snapping pics with fellow division employees. Additionally, 40 lucky attendees won raffle gift cards, adding to the festive spirit of the event. Relive the festive celebration by viewing the photo gallery from the event.

Finals Mania Provides a Needed Study Break for Students 

Finals Weeks is a stressful time for University of Houston students with tests, presentations, and essays at the forefront of their mind. To help ease students’ stress and give them a break from their long study sessions, UH held its traditional end-of-semester Finals Mania event at Cougar Woods Dining Commons. 

This marks the second time the event has been held at Cougar Woods Dining Commons, after it moved from the M.D. Anderson Library earlier this year where the event had been held since 2008. While the event is a long-standing tradition, something new for this year was the addition of a deejay to welcome in the students. The music, provided by DJ Fresh AF, permeated throughout Cougar Woods Dining Hall. Read more about Finals Mania.

2025 to Bring New Dining Experience to Cougar Woods

Cougar Woods Dining Commons will unveil a revamped dining experience starting in spring semester 2025. UH Dining Services is giving Cougar Woods Dining Commons more than just a facelift for the spring semester. Along with changes to the look, Cougar Woods 2025 will feature an enhanced feel, updated stations, and plenty of flavors to create a new dining experience. 

During the fall semester’s Finals Mania event, students got a much-needed break from studying to enjoy breakfast for dinner, while getting a peek at the upcoming features of the new Cougar Woods set to debut Jan. 16. Read more about the upcoming changes to Cougar Woods Dining Commons.

UH Dining Services Reveals Students Favorites Campus Eateries

Did you know Chick-fil-A was the top retail dining location at UH in 2024? Or that Oktoberfest was the most attended event from the department? UH Dining Services revealed those facts, plus more, as part of its 2024 UH Dining Wrapped, taking inspiration from Spotify’s famous wrapped series that gives users a breakdown of their most listened to music. Swipe through UH Dining Wrapped carousel of photos to see the rest of the top retail dining locations, top events, and more.

End of Year Office Tips

As the University of Houston heads towards the winter holiday break, the Administration and Finance department has prepared a safety checklist to help you prepare your office for the winter break. Take a moment to browse through these tips. Read the checklist to learn more.

Online Holiday Shopping Tips

Online holiday shopping is a perfect time for cybercriminals to take advantage of unsuspecting online shoppers. Fortunately, many cyber threats are avoidable when you develop habits to protect your personal information and keep your devices safe and secure when shopping online. Learn more about how to stay safe when shopping online.

Facilities/Construction Management Engages in Career Day for Kids

Facilities/Construction Management engaged with over 120 students at Black Elementary in Aldine Independent School District for their Career Day event. Assistant Director of Campus Services DeAnthony Thomas, Refuse Collector/Driver Justin Luera and Facilities Communications Manager Erica Vazquez spoke about the various career opportunities within F/CM at the University of Houston. Read more about how F/CM engaged at Career Day.

Houston Public Media and KTSU Programming Partnership

Houston Public Media and KTSU, a radio station based in Texas Southern University, have partnered on a new content collaboration that will expand the reach of the local Urban Alternative station, The Vibe, which will now broadcast on HPM's KUHF 88.7 HD3 radio platform. KTSU is a licensee of Texas Southern University, and Houston Public Media is licensed by the University of Houston. Both public media broadcasters reside in Houston's historic third ward. Read more about this partnership.

Stay Cougar S.A.F.E.

	Holiday Parking Safety Tips The busy holiday season brings joy, festive foods, and fun times with friends and family. The holidays also bring a busy shopping season including crowded parking lots that can post safety risks and an increased chance of theft. Before heading out to shop in-person this year, read the following holiday parking shopping tips to stay ahead of the game.
	Student Resident Safety Tips The University of Houston Police Department wishes each residential student a safe and peaceful holiday season. To make the best of your holiday break, we have prepared a safety checklist to aid you while away from your apartment or residential room. Take a moment to browse through these safety tips.

Cougar Cudos

To nominate a fellow staff member, fill out the Cougar Cudos Nomination Form.

UH Fire Marshal’s Office Awarded 2024 Achievement of Excellence

At the 2024 Annual Texas Fire Marshal’s Conference, the University of Houston Fire Marshal’s Office received the 2024 Achievement of Excellence Silver Level Award from the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association (TXFMA). This award recognizes outstanding performance in fire prevention and has been presented to only 23 fire marshal’s offices in Texas since its establishment in 2008. It is the second time in five years that the UH Fire Marshal’s Office has received this honor.

“On behalf of the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association, I would like to congratulate you on receiving this Excellence Award for your community. The Excellence Award is one of the most prestigious awards that a department can receive in the field of fire prevention. You have now become one of the few fire marshal’s offices in Texas to receive this award. The criteria for this award is competitive and takes professionalism, dedication and hard work to be honored with this award,” said TXFMA President Omar Garza.

UH Fire Marshal serves as Keynote Speaker at Fire Executive Management Graduation

University of Houston Fire and Life Safety Executive Director and Fire Marshal Chris McDonald delivered the keynote address to graduates of Sam Houston State University’s Fire Executive Management Training Program. The course is a two-week series of classes that focus on leadership and management for the day-to-day operations of the fire marshal service. The University of Houston System has had four participants graduate from this program in the last three years.

Unclaimed Cougar Cards Await Pickup as Semester Winds Down

This fall semester began with a roar and Cougar Card Services was there to meet the challenge. Faced with a record-number class, the Cougar Card team worked diligently to provide students and faculty with their Cougar Cards. But as the semester is winding down, there remains a few cards that are waiting at the office to be picked up.

The office has the cards because a card was lost but found and turned into Cougar Card Services, or a card was preprinted in July or August 2024 and an appointment or virtual line request had been submitted at that time, and the appointment had been missed and the card had not been collected. Learn more about the Cougar Cards the department has.

UH Dining Services Winter Hours

The arrival of winter break brings updated hours to campus dining locations. If you’re planning on eating on campus this month, look up if your favorite dining spot has adjusted winter hours by visiting the UH Dining Services website to see the operating hours for all UH eateries.

Save the Date for A&F Staff Appreciation Event set for April 2

Mark your calendars and save the date for Administration & Finance’s Staff Award Appreciation event set for Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The event, now in its third year, provides an opportunity for the division to gather, share a meal, and celebrate those that demonstrated exceptional service in 2024 via three individual awards in the V.I.S.I.O.N. Award, Silent Service Award, and the Star Performer Award, and two team awards, the Team Innovation Award and Team Impact Award.