Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back to another exciting yet challenging year ahead. We welcome nearly 14,000 new students and 147 new faculty this fall. Having this new energy among us is exciting and inspiring during a time of unprecedented change and transformation in higher education. This year will bring more challenges, but I am confident that, together, we can inspire and innovate to continue our march forward.

Here are a few updates for you:

Campus Mobility and Parking: As you may have already noticed, many sections of the campus are enclosed with fencing, and some parking areas have been temporarily relocated. Several construction and renovation projects are underway, with the completion dates within 18-24 months: Innovation Hub, Centennial Plaza, Wilhelmina’s Grove, demolition of Farish Hall, a new residential building, which will be called Centennial Hall, a Dining Commons, University Drive expansion and new campus lighting. Together, these projects are expected to transform the campus forever, but unfortunately, we will all have to deal with some inconvenience and traffic issues in the meanwhile. Our team has worked hard to put together robust signage, constant communications and an interactive map to help everyone navigate the campus. Please be patient and give extra time to reach campus meetings.  Please also be helpful to students, especially during the first weeks of the semester, as they learn how to navigate the campus.

Salary Increase: Last week, as part of the university’s annual budget, the Board of Regents approved a 2% merit pool for eligible faculty and staff. You have probably read that budgetary pressures are forcing many universities to take tough measures, such as hiring freezes, salary freezes and workforce reduction. Thanks to our collective efforts in retaining our students and admitting new ones, we successfully increased the fall 2025 enrollment and were therefore able to present this recommendation to the Board.

Enrollment Breakthroughs and Challenges: This year, we received a record number of freshmen applications, which were nearly 48,000. This is good news; however, the bad news is that international student enrollment is expected to take a hit because of visa delays and denials. Changes in the in-state tuition structure for some students are also putting pressure on enrollment. I urge you to do whatever you can to help students remain enrolled and graduate without ever sacrificing academic integrity.

Faculty Hiring Authority: We will continue to hire faculty in two categories: new faculty under the Presidential Frontier Faculty program consistent with our research plan; and replacement hires as authorized by the provost.

SB 37 and SB 2615 Implementation: Last week, the Board of Regents approved two new policies in accordance with the two new laws passed by the 89th Legislature: SB 37 (Faculty Governance, Core Curriculum and Board Responsibilities) and SB 2615 (Limitation on Remote Work). SB 37 stipulates that as of Sept. 1, 2025, the Faculty Senate in its current form will cease to exist. To ensure continued faculty participation, in June, I appointed a 10-member task force consisting of my cabinet members, deans and faculty, to draft a policy framework. This draft was circulated to all the faculty for input. Faculty raised many questions and concerns and also offered many suggestions, which the task force considered and incorporated within the framework provided by SB 37, accordingly. The new policy passed by the Board of Regents will allow us to hold elections in the next 2-3 weeks and seat the Faculty Council, so we can continue to seek faculty advice on important matters like the curriculum and new degree programs.

The policy created to implement SB 2615, which requires “work from campus” for all faculty and staff, also required substantial effort from the task force. Similar to SB 37, this policy draft was also circulated campuswide, and modifications were made before taking it to the Board of Regents.

I thank the members of the task force for their hard work. If you wish to learn more about the policies, please visit the following webpages:

Faculty Council Bylaws >>

Work Hours, Locations and Schedules >>

Campus Infrastructure — You Tell Us: Higher Education Fund (HEF) is a state allocation solely dedicated to maintaining buildings and infrastructure on campus.  Thanks to the hard work of the UH Government Relations Team, we secured a modest increase in HEF funding during this session. However, our needs exceed even the new allocation; and therefore, we must make some choices. I ask you to help my team prioritize our spending in this area. Click here to take a 1-minute survey and give your perspective on which deferred maintenance areas should be the priority. Thank you.

Fertitta College of Medicine to Expand: The State Legislature also allocated new funding for the Fertitta College of Medicine to double its freshmen class from 60 students to 120 in coming years. The College currently receives more than 5,000 applications for the limited number of seats available. The College also had a 100% residency match for its graduating class this year.

UH Expansion in Sugar Land and Katy: The State Legislature provided dedicated funding to UH to expand in Katy. The provost has asked colleges to submit expansion plans to better meet student needs in the region. The UH Sugar Land campus now fully houses the Cullen College of Engineering’s Technology Departments and looks forward to growing its offerings.

It's Football Time: The football season kicks off the year on Thursday, Aug. 28 at TDECU Stadium against Stephen F. Austin State University. In his second year, Coach Fritz has assembled an amazing team. I encourage you to come and see the progress and experience the Big 12 atmosphere.

As you know, the college sports landscape is changing rapidly. As per the recent House vs. NCAA settlement, the Power Four schools are beginning to share revenue with student-athletes this year. Many of you have asked questions related to this change. Please allow me to direct you to www.collegesportscommission.org to find the latest information on revenue sharing and NIL.

In closing, I thank you for your dedication and passion toward our students and wish you a productive and successful year ahead!

Go Coogs!

Renu Khator
President