Prepared Remarks
Leroy L. Hermes
Chair, University of Houston System Board of Regents
Legislative Appropriations Request ( LAR ) Hearing
Before Governor’s Office of the Budget and Legislative Budget Board
Hilton University of Houston Hotel
September 18, 2006
Good morning. I am Leroy Hermes, chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents.
Before I begin my brief welcoming remarks, I would like to note with sadness the passing of Governor Ann Richards, a true Texas icon who inspired a generation to become involved in government and public service.
Governor Richards was also a role model to those who had to overcome adversities and obstacles – whether personal or imposed by society – in order to succeed in their private or professional lives.
A memorial service is being held at the Erwin Center as we speak, and I know several members of the legislature that would have liked to be present for our LAR hearing are in Austin instead.
I would like to ask for a moment of silence and reflection in memory of our 45th Governor…
Thank you…
On behalf of Jay Gogue, UH System Chancellor and UH President, and of Presidents Bill Staples from UH–Clear Lake, Max Castillo from UH–Downtown, and Tim Hudson from UH–Victoria, I would like to welcome the staffs of the Legislative Budget Board and the Governor’s Office of Budget and Planning to the University of Houston campus.
And on behalf of the students and faculty of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, I welcome you to this facility that is both a working hotel and conference center, and a classroom for hands–on learning.
I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to the area legislators who are here with us this morning.
Thanks to all of you, for being here, and for all you do for Texas higher education. We couldn’t do it without your support and advocacy!
With us this morning are several of my fellow Regents, and I would like to note their presence…
I was honored to be appointed to the Board of Regents by Governor Perry in 2001. And just a month ago, it was my privilege to be re–elected by my fellow Regents to serve as Chairman for another term.
As you know, we oversee four universities, a public television station – the first in the nation – and two multi–institution teaching centers serving the western Houston suburbs.
Additional teaching centers are planned for Pearland in south Houston and the Texas Medical Center. A University of Houston satellite campus in northwest Houston is planned, pending approval later this month from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
We are as large and complex as a major corporation, and Chancellor Gogue will provide you with relevant facts and figures about the University of Houston System budget, enrollments, and economic impact in a moment.
We are unique because of the close geographical proximity of our four universities, three of which are within the Houston city limits.
And we are the only urban university system in the state, serving a region that accounts for almost a quarter of the state’s population.
The future of Texas is tightly linked to the future of our metropolitan areas, and that is why the success of our four universities is of such vital importance to all of us.
Just a few weeks ago, economist Barton Smith made a presentation on the impact we have on the region’s economy, and on the critical need for Texas to produce many, many more college degree–holders.
At the conclusion of the breakfast meeting, Chancellor Gogue noted that it would take a concerted effort – the business sector, the community, the legislature, and the university working together – to help Texas catch up to states like California and New York in the number of university degrees we grant.
Professor Smith found that, in spite of everything that we – and the other colleges and universities in the area – are doing, it is just not enough. The Houston region needs more college graduates to stay competitive, and more research and development in areas that support the industries that are essential for the state’s economy to thrive.
Over the next few weeks, Chancellor Gogue will be meeting with small groups of community, civic, and business leaders for conversations about our future. At these small, informal sessions, he will outline some of the ideas we have for the UH System and how they relate to the future of the Houston region and Texas.
And he will also listen to what these leaders have to say.
I am confident these conversations will prove fruitful and rewarding, and that the institution will both learn from our constituents, and engage them as advocates and supporters of higher education.
For our great state to thrive and compete in the world marketplace it must have economically stable metropolitan areas, where an educated workforce contributes to the economy, the tax base, and the progress of the state.
Two years ago, the Board of Regents adopted a set of eight strategic principles for the UH System to deal with the realities of Texas higher education today and in the coming decades.
Great progress has been made on many of those principles… maintaining excellence in all instructional, research and public service programs… ensuring that the institution continues to be accessible to as broad a student population as possible… maintaining and enhancing diversity at every level – students, faculty, and staff.
These principles will continue to guide us… ensuring the success of the “Closing the Gaps” initiative… strengthening our research in areas of economic importance to Houston and Texas, such as energy, healthcare, space, and the environment… and increasing outreach to the cultural, arts, and health and human services sectors, where we already are indispensable partners.
As I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks, we cannot do it alone. We can only do it working together, following these clearly defined strategic principles, and with the support of our private donors, our corporate partners, and our elected representatives.
I would like to thank all of you for being here today, and for your invaluable service in listening to our testimony and preparing your reports for the Governor and the Legislature.
I look forward to the upcoming legislative session… and I know I am speaking for the entire University of Houston System community when I pledge to you that we will work diligently to remain responsible stewards of the public trust in the advancement of our four universities, and of higher education in Texas.
If you do not have any questions, it is my pleasure to pass the microphone to Chancellor Gogue…