January 24, 2017

Dear Students –

Hello again to you returning students, and welcome to all you new Cougars. I’m so glad to have you here. This University is a large and, at times, complex operation, but our ultimate goal is simple: Student Success.

Just about everything you see around you – all of these buildings, each professor and researcher, each administrator and staff member – has a common purpose. And that purpose is to help you stay in school, acquire a first-rate education and earn your degree.

Of course, that requires a good deal of hard work and commitment from you. So, take advantage of this special opportunity – study diligently, learn prolifically and engage completely – and you will be amazed at what you have accomplished.

As we begin this spring semester, I want to share a few items of interest with you.

Are You Satisfied?

By now, all returning students should have received a Student Satisfaction Survey by email. Your responses (which are confidential) will help us make sure we are providing the resources you need to be successful here. Please do everyone a favor and find time to respond to this important inquiry.

‘Here, We Go’ Campaign

We have officially launched our $1 billion “Here, We Go” campaign that will help fund the bold vision we have for this University’s future. The good news is that we are ahead of schedule, having already collected $684 million of that targeted amount during the quiet phase of this campaign the past few years. The even better news is that we are confident that we can meet – and even beat! – our total by the conclusion of the campaign in 2020. We are already off to a wonderful start with a transformative $20 million gift from the John P. McGovern Foundation, which we have acknowledged by renaming our newest college the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts.

For those of you who are wondering how something like this affects the average student, I’d like to point out that as the University improves and its reputation gets even better, the value of your degree from UH increases as well. So, when we say, “Here, We Go,” that most definitely includes you.

Staying Alert with UH ALERT

Nothing is more important than the safety of our campus community. With that in mind, we are in the process of implementing a new emergency communication system that will allow us to reliably alert and inform the campus when circumstances require us to. Called UH ALERT, this system can be used to contact faculty, staff and students in a variety of ways, including email, web posting, social media, phone, digital signage and text messaging. Of those, the quickest and generally most effective is text messaging. But that requires UH having your mobile phone number – information that is NOT available in our database unless YOU submit it.

If you have not done so, let me strongly suggest you go online and provide that information. It’s this simple – if we don’t have your cell phone number, you won’t receive vital emergency information in the most timely manner possible. Be smart. Stay safe.

By the way, we will be testing the new UH ALERT system this week. These messages should be clearly identified as Emergency TEST, so please do not be alarmed when you receive one. 

UH Day at the Capitol

Please mark March 1 on your calendars to join us for UH Day at the Capitol when the Cougar community will meet with legislators and their associates to show our support for key issues. It’s a great way to demonstrate your commitment and take advantage of a unique educational opportunity.

Seeing Red

Remember to show your spirit on Cougar Red Fridays, when we all proudly wear something that displays our school color. T-shirt or sweatshirt? Terrific! Cap or scarf? Go for it? Red cowboy boots? Why not! It’s a great tradition and one that unites us all. It’s a wonderful feeling to walk across campus on a Friday and see all that Cougar Red. And it’s even more fulfilling when you’re an active part of it.

I hope this spring semester will be rewarding for you, filled with a sense of academic achievement and personal growth. And, as always, if you find yourself confronted with a problem you have been unable to resolve yourself, please contact my office.

With warm regards,
Renu Khator
President