Special Items Funding Request - UH System
Existing Special Items
System Office Operation
Current Biennial Funding: $3,570,713
Requested Biennial Funding: $3,570,714
The University of Houston System Administration provides leadership, coordination, support and some centralized services for the four universities in the UH System, whose mission is to serve the full range of educational and research needs of Houston, the Gulf Coast Region, and Texas with programs of highest quality and efficiency.
The role of the UH System Administration has been reviewed by the Board of Regents to ensure the greatest responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency of services to the community and the four UH System universities. The Board has combined the top two positions in the System, the Chancellor and the President of the University of Houston, into a single Chief Executive to effect greater cooperation, coordination and efficiency. This new management model will continue to bring the universities together for shared services where economically beneficial; for system-wide initiatives, such as the UH System in Fort Bend multi-institution teaching center, and for partnerships with community groups, public and private schools, corporate and industrial organizations; and for coordinating support from private individuals and corporations as well as federal, state and local governments.
NASA Programs
Current Biennial Funding: $400,000
Requested Biennial Funding: $5,430,000
Texas Aerospace Scholars (TAS) - The Texas Aerospace Scholars program provides distance learning opportunities and onsite experiences at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to students and teachers from across Texas. Through these unique experiences, students are be able to study and choose careers in engineering, math, science, or computer science. Two hundred and thirty students, nominated by their legislators, participate in a year-long educational program for high school juniors that includes an interactive web-based learning experience and a week-long workshop at JSC. State funds pay the transportation and lodging expenses for the students and teachers. TASP is a part of the statewide commitment to meet the critical needs of ensuring a highly qualified workforce in high-tech industries. Exceptional item funding would be used to expand the high school program to junior high and college students. The majority of state funding for these two expansion programs will go directly to student and teacher salaries.
Technology Outreach Program - The NASA/Clear Lake Area Economic Development Foundation (CLAEDF) Technology Outreach Program is a cooperative program, co-sponsored by NASA/Johnson Space Center and the State of Texas. It uses the latest space technology to accelerate the transfer of the technology developed for space exploration into the Texas market place, to help small businesses solve technical problems experienced in the design or manufacturing phase of creating a new product, to help inventors solve technical problems experienced in the prototype development of their designs, and to guide and refer small businesses and inventors toward assistance centers such as the UH Small Business Development Center.
Junior High Aerospace Scholars Program - Sixty-five junior high teachers will be selected to participate in a program that will combine distance learning with an onsite visit to the Johnson Space Center. Teachers will visit JSC for several days to receive training on a variety of NASA programs and projects, as well as training in distance learning activities. During the school year, these teachers will link up their classes in their home communities with distance learning opportunities at NASA/JSC.
College Aerospace Scholars Program - Through the college program, 170 Texas college and university students will be provided with work experience at the Johnson Space Center. This experience will allow them to apply classroom theory to real-world challenges and issues, encourage them to continue higher education in a high-tech field, and provide educational/work opportunities that they might not otherwise have access to.
New Special Items
UH System Center Support
Requested Biennial Funding: $600,000
Description and Justification:
Providing comprehensive service to the Houston metropolitan area requires the UH System universities to expand their operations in high demand communities in our region. This cannot be done, however, without an investment of significant resources for program development, infrastructure development and operations (e.g., facilities, information technology) and administration. In 1995, the UH System universities began the UH System at Fort Bend in Sugar Land, a multi-institution teaching center that has proven to be both cost-efficient and effective in serving the higher education needs of the region. The lessons learned in developing the UH System at Fort Bend in Sugar Land will enable the UH System Administration to successfully implement similar initiatives in West Houston and other high growth areas. Exceptional item funding would provide the resources needed to develop and operate these new enterprises, which would expand access to higher education in the Houston metropolitan area.
Tuition Revenue Bond Retirement
Requested Biennial Funding: $842,895
This project represents the second phase of development for the UH System at Fort Bend in Sugar Land. A second classroom/office building is needed to accommodate expanding student enrollment, which has grown consistently and is expected to experience a significant increase once the first new building (construction is scheduled to start this year) is opened. Without the second classroom/office building, the UH System will be limited in its ability to fully serve the educational needs of Fort Bend County, which is one of the fastest growing regions of the state and nation.
