110th U.S. Congress -
FY 2008 Federal Agenda
Introduction
The past two decades have been a time of profound change for the Houston metropolitan area. Our population has grown by more than a million people and by 2015 is projected to reach 6.2 million. We have also witnessed a remarkable shift in the economy toward one increasingly driven by the creation and exchange of new knowledge, where higher levels of critical thinking skills and educational attainment are paramount to successful participation in the workforce.
With the Houston metropolitan area representing more than 25 percent of the state’s population and economy, the future of Texas is dependent upon how well we educate the increasingly diverse and growing population in our region. As the only comprehensive university system in the region, the four University of Houston System universities are inextricably linked to the success of Houston and the Gulf Coast area as the primary providers of educational and cultural opportunities, skilled employees and leaders, and innovative research.
With more than 56,000 students and a budget of $984 million, the UH System includes: the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university expanding into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper-division and master’s level institutions. By 2015, the UH System expects enrollment to exceed 70,000 students. As the demands of our population and economy increase, the UH System universities will continue to serve Texas by ensuring that the degrees offered, the research conducted, and the community services provided are responsive to our citizens and our economy, now and for the future.
Research growth at the University of Houston over the past several years has been extraordinary. In 2001 total research awards were $63.2 million. By 2006 they had increased to $77.3 million, of which $42.0 million was from federal sources. Programs of research excellence at the University of Houston include areas of critical importance to the United States:
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Biomedical Science and Engineering
- Materials Science and Space Engineering
- Complex Systems
- Community Advancement
- Arts and Human Enrichment
On the following pages are a set of initiatives and priorities that we ask our delegation in Congress to consider. Included are federal funding requests for major UH System research and education initiatives, our priorities for major higher education policy issues, and our support for federal agencies critical to UH System research programs. Congressional support for these items will move the University of Houston System forward in accomplishing its mission on behalf of the Houston metropolitan area, Texas, the nation and world.
