Committee on Academic Centers and Institutes
Academic Centers and Institutes (ACIs) draw on the strengths of multiple faculty members, academic departments, and/or colleges to provide an inclusive foundation for collective scholarly activity and foster the sharing of ideas through activities devoted to scholarship, education, training, and/or dissemination that promote the mission of the University. In contrast to ACIs, centers and institutes where research is the primary purpose are designated as Research Organizations (ROs) that are governed by separate MAPP guidelines and are administered by the Division of Research.
ACIs are distinguished by their reporting structure. A University-level Center or Institute must be interdisciplinary, involving multiple colleges, and/or departments. A University-level ACI reports directly to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (SVPAA/P). ACIs may also have a reporting structure at the level of the College or Department and may or may not be interdisciplinary. A College-level ACI reports to the Dean of the College and typically (but not necessarily) involves multiple departments. A Department-level ACI reports to the Departmental Chair, and is usually centered on activities of faculty within that department. Both College-level and Department-level ACIs may expand to include other faculty and departments across colleges to reach a level where the ACI could apply for designation as a University-level ACI reporting to the SVPAA/P.
Members of the Committee on Academic Centers and Institutes are appointed by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost from a pool of nominees submitted by College Deans and the Faculty Senate. Appointments are for two-year terms with the possibility of reappointment.
Committee Members
Administrative Guidelines, Policies and Procedures
- Bylaws of the Committee for Academic Centers and Institutes
- Guidelines for Establishing and Operating ACIs
- Annual Report Guidelines for ACIs
- Guidelines for Terminating ACIs
List of Academic Centers and Institutes
University-Level Centers and Institutes
Name of Center/Institute | Activities | Scope | Director or Contact | Phone | |
Advancing Community Engagement and Service Institute (ACES) | Service Learning / Community Engagement | University-wide | Anne McClellan | amcclellan@uh.edu | (713) 743-0750 |
Asian American Studies Center (AASC) | Education/Research | University-wide | Yali Zou | yzou@uh.edu | (713) 743-4982 |
Center for Information Security Research and Education (CISRE) | Education/Research | University-wide | William Arthur Conklin | waconkli@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-1556 |
Center for Mexican American and Latino Studies (CMALS) | Education/Research | University-wide | Pamela Quiroz | paquiroz@uh.edu | (713) 743-3134 |
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts (CWMCA) | Arts | University-wide | Melissa Noble | mlnoble@uh.edu | (713) 743-9726 |
Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute (Humana Institute) | Education/Research | University-wide | LeChauncy Woodard | lwoodard@uh.edu | (713) 743-6463 |
UH STEM Center | Education/Research | University-wide | Heather Domjan (Interim) | hdomjan@uh.edu | (713) 743-4799 |
Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship (WCE) | Education | University-wide | Edward Blair | blair@uh.edu | (713) 743-4565 |
College-Level Centers and Institutes
Name of Center/Institute | Activities | College | Director or Contact | Phone | |
All Kids Alliance (AKA) | Education/Research | Education | Bob Wimpelberg | rwimpelberg@uh.edu | (713) 743-5008 |
Center for Economic Inclusion (CEI) | Education/Research | Business | Saleha Khumawala Charles Becker |
saleha@central.uh.edu cdbecker@cougarnet.uh.edu |
(713) 743-4829 (832) 842-2955 |
Center for International and Comparative Studies (CICS) | Education/Scholarly | CLASS | Zachary Zwald | zjzwald@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-0409 |
Center for U.S. and Mexican Law (US MEX LAW) | Research/Scholarly | Law | Julian Cardenas | jcardena@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-2267 |
Environment, Energy & Natural Resource Center (EENR) | Education/Scholarly | Law | Victor Flatt Gina Warren |
vflatt@uh.edu gswarren2@uh.edu |
(713) 743-6437 (713) 743-8404 |
Ethics Center | Education/Scholarly | Hobby | Daniel Engster | daengste@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-7367 |
Gutierrez Energy Management Institute (GEMI) | Education/Research | Business | Praveen Kumar | pkumar@uh.edu | (713) 743-4770 |
Health Law & Policy Institute (HLPI) | Research/Scholarly | Law | Jessica Roberts | jroberts7@uh.edu | (713)743-2105 |
Houston Area Teacher Center (HATC) | Education | Education | Amber Thompson | ammeuth@uh.edu | (713) 743-5024 |
Institute for Educational Policy, Research, and Evaluation (IEPRE) | Education/Research | Education | Cathy Horn | chorn@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-5032 |
Institute for Health Care Marketing (IHCM) | Education/Research | Business | Partha Krishnamurthy | partha@uh.edu | (713) 743-4576 |
Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law (IPIL) | Education/Scholarly | Law | Greg Vetter | gvetter@uh.edu | (713) 743-3596 |
Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality (IRWGS) | Education/Research | CLASS | Elizabeth Gregory | egregory@uh.edu | (713) 743-0938 |
Sales Excellence Institute (SEI) | Education/Research | Business | Ed Blair | blair@uh.edu | (713) 743-4565 |
Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA) | Education/Research | Engineering | Olga Bannova | obannova@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-2352 |
Stanford Alexander Center in Real Estate (SACRE) | Education/Scholarly | Business | Keith Richards | krichards@bauer.uh.edu | (713) 743-2522 |
UH Coastal Center (UCC) | Education/Research | NSM | Steven Pennings | scpennin@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-2989 |
Department-Level Centers and Institutes
Name of Center/Institute | Activities | Department | Director or Contact | Phone | |
Center for Immigration Research (CIR) | Scholarly | Sociology | Pamela Quiroz | paquiroz@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-3134 |
Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) | Education/Research | Civil Engineering | C. Vipulanandan | cvipulanandan@uh.edu | (713) 743-4278 |
Center for Public History (CPH) | Education/Research | History | Monica Perales | mperales3@uh.edu | (713) 743-3003 |
Center for the Study of African American Culture (CSAAC) | Education/Research | African American Studies | Tara Green | ttgreen2@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-2813 |
Language and Culture Center (LCC) | Education | English | Jodi Nelms | jnelms3@central.uh.edu | (713) 743-0541 |
Center for Arab Studies (CAS) | Education/Scholarly | CLASS | Abdel Takriti | artakriti@uh.edu | (713) 743-4381 |