April 2026
Dear Colleagues,
As this academic year comes to an end, I want to take a minute and thank you for another productive and mission-led year of achievements. In two weeks, we will begin our graduation exercises —18 to be precise — graduating a total of 7,819 students. Each one of us has contributed to this day, and we can take satisfaction in the opportunities we have created for our students to transform their lives.
Here are some important updates for your review.
Board of Regents Agenda and FY 2026-2027 Budget
The next meeting of the UH System Board of Regents is scheduled for May 21, and next year’s budget will be on its agenda for consideration. Included in this budget are recommendations for a merit increase for faculty/staff and health benefit adjustment for graduate assistants. Considering this year’s positive enrollment trends, we are comfortable presenting both of these to the board at this time. Talent retention is an important priority for the University, and it is a necessary investment that we must make.
Highest Honors for our Faculty
I am proud to mention that the University of Houston has a new Guggenheim Fellow and also a new member of the National Academy of Engineering — both from the Cullen College of Engineering. Dr. Haleh Ardebili has won the 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship for her groundbreaking work in mechanical and aerospace engineering, while Dr. Venkat Selvamanickam has been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering for his transformative breakthroughs in superconductivity.
On another note, Dr. Elena Grigorenko from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences has received the 2026 Big 12 Faculty of the Year Award.
Heartiest congratulations to all of them. It is the quality and caliber of the faculty that make other goals, such as student success and nationally competitive research, possible.
New Location for Faculty Café
At Faculty Council members Elena Grigorenko and Patrick Peters urging, and after consultation with Provost Diane Chase and Sr. Vice President Raymond Bartlett, we are relocating the Faculty Café from the basement of the E. Cullen Building to the second floor of the RAD Center. At 2,000 square feet, the new space is larger and will have expanded hours. You will find it to be brighter and more conducive to attending workshops and gathering over lunch or coffee. I am appointing Professors Grigorenko and Peters, along with staff members from the provost’s office, to help program the new space. The new Faculty Café should open by the fall of 2027.
Construction Update: Enjoy Wilhelmina’s Grove
Thank you for your patience as you navigate the campus amidst fences and construction zones. While all the projects are on schedule, it will still be a while before all the Centennial Construction is completed.
However, Wilhelmina’s Grove, the green space in the middle of the UH Arts District, is open and was formally dedicated in early April. The grove is green and serene and fosters creativity in the College of the Arts. If you have not yet visited this space, I invite you to do so. Thanks to the Cullen Foundation and various other donors for making this oasis possible.
In case you are wondering about the big building coming up in the residential district of the campus, it is our Centennial Hall with 1,000 beds for students. The hall will open in the fall of 2027.
Construction on the future home of the Hobby School of Public Affairs will start next month, and full renovation of the old pharmacy building in the Texas Medical Center is midway through construction.
We will soon break ground on the Innovation Hub in the heart of the campus.
Finally, we broke ground for the first building bearing the UH name in Rio Grande Valley. This building will facilitate the expanding health footprint of UH in the RGV, deepening our commitment to improving the health of all Texans.
Perfect Scorecard from the Fertitta College of Medicine
I am proud to say that the 2026 graduating class had a 100% residency match. The majority of students are joining primary care fields and will stay in Texas. However, those who are leaving Texas are going to prestigious residencies at Stanford University, University of California San Francisco, the University of Michigan and the Mayo Clinic. Several students are joining specialized residencies in urology, neurology and orthopedic surgery. Congratulations to the staff and faculty of the Fertitta College of Medicine on a job well done!
Redefining UH Sugar Land and UH Katy
We are in the process of negotiating a public-private-partnership agreement to build a research/innovation building on our Sugar Land campus. The negotiations are in phase one, and if we succeed, it will be a new milestone for UH in building a university-industry partnership in Sugar Land.
The UH Katy Campus has a new vision, given the legislative funding that we received in 2025. Five colleges — Business, Engineering, Education, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Nursing — are bringing new courses and programs to the Katy campus with the idea of building a talent accelerator, which will provide streamlined degree programs for the region.
Houston Cougars Rank Among the Best!
We can still bask in the glory of last season. The Houston Cougars were among an elite group of athletics programs where both Men’s Basketball and Football finished the year ranked among the top 25 nationally in the final AP poll — only nine Division I programs accomplished this. Men’s Basketball finished the season ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press, and Cougar Football ranked No. 22. If you have not secured your season tickets, the time may be now.
Thank you for your dedication and service. With the rhetoric on shrinking public trust in higher education, we know that we have to reform our strategies, but we cannot waver from our mission. Public universities were formed with one mission — to help people transform their lives — and this is exactly what we must continue to do while embracing change. Thank you for being a part of this all-important charge.
With warmest regards,
Renu Khator