This spring, the Office of the Provost launched a new annual keynote presentation to the community, offering an overview of academic progress at the University of Houston.
The Provost’s Academic Outlook was presented in April and provided faculty with updates on faculty excellence, student success, University goals, and what lies ahead for UH. UH Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Diane Z. Chase took the stage at the O’Quinn Great Hall to a full house that included faculty, UH leadership (including President Renu Khator), and staff members.
“When I arrived on campus for the first time, I researched the University of Houston. I learned quite a bit, but I’ve learned much more during the past three years,” Chase said. “When asked about the University’s Strategic Plan and which three goals would be a focus during my first five years, I responded as any provost candidate should: with student success, research, and community engagement. In looking back at that presentation, I am impressed to see that we have already accomplished much of what I suggested at that time.”
Chase acknowledged the campus as evolving to meet the needs of future Cougars and touted the faculty as innovators who are helping advance UH’s trajectory. Likewise, she recognized the fortitude of the University’s faculty in facing a constantly changing higher education landscape.
“Universities across the nation are experiencing many of the same changes as we are,” she said. “Challenges faced by UH and other institutions include the need to grow in times of uncertainty, answering questions about the value of higher education, and increased interest in university life, including how and what we teach. I am aware that recent circumstances have required all of us to spend more time on a variety of tasks that were not originally on our radar or part of our annual assignments. You have stepped up to such challenges admirably, and I appreciate your efforts.”
Chase applauded recent data provided by UH’s enrollment team that showed growth among student applicants for the fall semester. She also encouraged faculty to remind students to sign up for both summer and fall courses.
Working together, she said, faculty can make an impact on UH’s ascension toward Top 50 status and its overall success as an institution of higher education. She commended the efforts of the still-fledgling Faculty Council, led by Professor of Psychology Elena Grigorenko, and cited recent efforts from her office to assist faculty, including Promotion and Tenure and Non-Tenure Track Faculty seminars.
Chase also spotlighted other initiatives led by her office. These include the Teaching Innovation Program grants that fund AI-driven projects and Institutional Research’s (IR) acquisition of the Qualtrics EDGE license, which streamlines the contract process for faculty. She also highlighted IR’s use of the data tool Lightcast. Using this platform, IR can identify the skills and competencies employers are seeking; likewise, the tool can recognize what kinds of positions UH alumni are securing after graduation.
Shifting gears to student success, Chase highlighted the University’s emphasis on creating a four-year graduation culture.
“It is not an expectation that all our students will graduate in four years, but we are attempting to remove the barriers to four-year completion,” she said. “Thanks to those of you who are offering courses that students need and making complex subjects more approachable, increasing success rates in highly challenging classes.”
Among the initiatives focused on four-year success and completion is The Gardner Institute’s "Transforming the Postsecondary Experience." The initiative redesigns first-year and transfer student pathways. Through collaborative campus communities, the program focuses on increasing persistence, retention, and graduation rates.
Likewise, the Student Experience Project focuses on enhancing students’ academic performance. Led by faculty members Kristen Hassett and Jamie Kovach, this initiative focuses on bolstering student perceptions of faculty and preparing professors to be empathetic toward students’ academic needs. Following a successful fall pilot program, the Student Experience Project expanded its reach this spring to include more than 4,000 students across 62 courses taught by 44 faculty members.
Chase also spoke of the increased number of Residential Colleges on campus, including the STEM and White Coat communities that will launch in the fall. UH currently hosts more than a dozen Residential Colleges for freshmen and five aimed at graduate communities.
Beyond student success, Chase applauded the achievements of UH’s faculty. In recent months, many professors have earned distinguished honors. These include Venkat Selvamanickam, M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, the latest UH faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
She cited other faculty success stories, including Kamel Salama Endowed Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Haleh Ardebili, who was named a Guggenheim Fellow. Chase also placed a spotlight on the seven UH professors elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), as well as Professor of Chemistry Eva Harth being named an NAI Fellow. She also pointed out Grigorenko’s recent Big XII Faculty Member of the Year honor.
In addition to national honors, Chase reminded the audience of a new internal recognition initiative: UH’s Faculty Medallions. The Office of the Provost awards these to faculty who have served the University for at least 10 years; they were introduced in fall 2026.
Other UH highlights included UH’s newest Barry Goldwater Scholar, Brandon Than; the latest class of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society members; 19 graduate programs earning Top 50 rankings in U.S. News and World Report; and UH’s climb in the rankings, particularly its No. 48 ranking in Most Innovative Schools.
Looking toward the future, Chase expressed optimism regarding the growth of UH at Sugar Land and UH at Katy, with their respective new academic programs and increased enrollment. She also reminded the audience that UH’s Centennial is approaching quickly. With that celebration comes a transformed campus and many events highlighting UH as an institution for the future.
Working together, Chase said, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished at UH. It is through the united efforts of all Cougars that UH will achieve student success, faculty excellence, and institutional momentum.
“Thank you ... all of you ... for working together to not only support our students but for demonstrating the value of higher education,” she said in her closing remarks. “Your work is elevating the University of Houston and accelerating its momentum past the Centennial and into its next 100 years.”
Back to the May 2026 edition of Academic Update.