University of Houston–Clear Lake

UH Overview and Goals:

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) was authorized in 1971 by House Bill 199 in the 62nd Texas Legislature. The measure came in the aftermath of a 1968 report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas College and University System, calling for a second University of Houston campus to offer upper-level and graduate programs for students in the Houston metropolitan area. UHCL is situated on 524 acres midway between downtown Houston and the historic port of Galveston . The campus is adjacent to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and Armand Bayou Nature Center . UHCL serves an advanced technology economy by providing undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs for over 7,500 students, making it larger than the majority of the colleges and universities in the United States . Since its inception, over 47,000 degrees have been awarded, with over 2,100 awarded in 2006-2007.

UHCL primarily serves the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area of Texas, which includes the Gulf Coast Community College Consortium consisting of Alvin Community College, Brazosport College, College of the Mainland, Galveston College, Houston Community College System, Lee College, Lone Star College System, San Jacinto College District, and Wharton County Junior College.

An important asset of UHCL is the Bay Area Houston region itself. UHCL is the intellectual cornerstone of this highly educated and fast-growing region in Texas. Through its strong partnerships with the community, UHCL provides advanced educational programs, innovative training, and research opportunities to the region. The Bay Area economic base rests on key industries including aerospace, petrochemical, international trade, healthcare, tourism, and boating and recreation.

Mission Statement:

The University of Houston-Clear Lake is an upper-level educational institution with a distinct identity, whose primary role is to provide fair and equitable learning opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students. The university serves a diverse student population from the state, the nation and abroad, particularly from the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area by offering programs on and off campus. Reflective of the university's upper-level program orientation, a statutorily created council, composed of the presidents of the area's nine community colleges, advises the university's president.

The University offers a variety of bachelors, masters, professional, and selected doctoral programs. High academic standards are emphasized in all programs of the University. Each program develops the critical thinking, creative, quantitative, and communication skills of students.

The university enhances the educational, economic, cultural, scientific, business, and professional environment of the area. The university is committed to supporting research and scholarship. The university develops and strengthens programs which support the regions various commercial, engineering, human services and trade sectors, especially in the computing, medical, petrochemical, and space industries. The university pursues global outreach consistent with the community's international perspective.

The university’s faculty, staff, and administrators are committed to providing a humane, responsive, and intellectually stimulating environment for productive learning and working. The University of Houston-Clear Lake emphasizes (a) learning through teaching, research, scholarship and professional and community service; (b) the advancement of knowledge; (c) delivery of educational opportunities through new instructional technologies and through distance learning; (d) a commitment to high academic standards; (e) sensitivity to the needs of the students and communities served by the institution; and (f) above all, integrity in all institutional functions.

Funding Requests for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011:

Formula Funding
The University of Houston-Clear Lake supports the proposed increase in formula funding as recommended by the Texas Public General Academic Formula Advisory Committee. UHCL supports incentive funding, but only after the proposed increase in formula funding so that there will be a greater degree of stability and predictability for the university's budget. UHCL supports additional funding for the Texas Grant Program. UHCL does not support the proposed change of basing formula funding on completed as compared to attempted semester credit hours.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake, as a first priority, requests the additional funds necessary to improve formula funding for core instructional and academic support operations. These new funds would assist the university in increasing the college-going and college-graduation rates for the region served by UH-Clear Lake. The funds are especially critical given the changing demographics of the region and the number of first-generation college students. Additional funds via formula funding would help mitigate future increases in tuition. While various forms of financial aid have been increased significantly, the additional costs due to higher tuition and fees that students experience when they transition from a community college to a university is of growing concern.

Exceptional Items
The University of Houston-Clear Lake is committed to expanding access to higher education by offering academic programs both on-campus and off-campus and both in-person and online. Currently, almost 20% of the semester credit hours generated by UHCL are either off-campus or online. The university is now offering academic programs and courses at ten off-campus locations. UHCL is requesting one-time start-up funding for our Pearland Area Educational Partnership which is a partnership between the City of Pearland, Texas and UH-Clear Lake. The City of Pearland is building a facility on city-owned property that will be partially leased by UHCL to offer undergraduate and graduate programs commencing in 2010. Initial funding will be needed to hire employees and lease instructional space, classroom technology, telecommunications, as well as classroom and office furniture.

The Houston Partnership for Environmental Studies is a special item which funds the Environmental Institute of Houston, a joint project of UH-Clear Lake and the University of Houston. The institute supports research on environmental issues such as air and water quality, professional development of teachers, and broad-based participation in the resolution of environmental issues. Additional funding will be used to expand environmental education for K-12 teachers, enhance research and technical support in the area of geographic information systems, supplement research funding on environmental issues by university faculty in partnership with state and federal agencies, and to purchase research-related equipment.

UH-Clear Lake is requesting exceptional item funding for the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities which was established in 2008. The Center currently has contracts for services with local school districts as well as local and state agencies. At the present time, the demand for services outstrips the capacity to provide the services to an increased number of children afflicted with autism and other developmental disabilities. New funding will be used for parent training workshops, in-home training, development of web-based multi-media services for teacher and parent training across the state, expanded research into the science of disabilities, and expanded services to children with developmental disabilities other than autism.

Due to the number of programs offered by UH-Clear Lake in the basic and applied sciences, a major continuing need is for scientific instruments and equipment to support teaching and research in the fields of biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, geology, industrial hygiene and safety, and physics. This exceptional item funding request would be in support of the Advanced Science Instrumentation Enhancement Project which would benefit both faculty and students in various areas in the natural sciences. The equipment would enhance UHCL’s ability to serve and partner with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Texas Medical Center, and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

The High Technologies Laboratory is a special item which uses a collaborative model of research and development to develop and transfer new technology through joint research among UH-Clear Lake, NASA, and aerospace contractors. Key new research will focus on challenges faced by NASA as they prepare for the next crew exploration vehicle and the issues involved in long-term space flight, including mission and safety critical systems. Additional funding will be used for research as well as the expansion of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce for the region in support of the aerospace industry.

Tuition Revenue Bonds
At the University of Houston-Clear Lake, over 80% of the undergraduate students have transferred to the university from area community colleges.One of the major challenges facing these students is not only making the transition, but successfully adapting to the university environment. This funding would be used to construct an Academic Enrichment and Research Facility which would include a Center for Student Success. The Center for Student Success would provide learning assistance programs, tutoring programs, and academic early referral programs for students in academic distress in order to increase course completion and graduation rates.

In addition, this facility would provide a permanent home for the Environmental Institute of Houston. Major activities would include the professional development of teachers employed by area school districts as well as increasing the number of new science and math educators. Special laboratories and classrooms are needed to support academic programs in science and math while also enhancing faculty and student research activities.

Summary
The University of Houston-Clear Lake is committed to increasing the college-going and college-graduation rates for the Houston-Galveston region and the State of Texas. Due to changing demographics, UH-Clear Lake will focus increased attention on first-generation college students whose families may have little, if any, experience with higher education. Special attention will continue to be given to students who transfer to UHCL from area community colleges. At the same time, UHCL will enhance its course offerings at the graduate level via on-campus, off-campus, and online programs to meet the educational needs of working adults. As a partnership-oriented and community-minded university, UH-Clear Lake will continue to form partnerships with businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations as well as area school districts, community colleges, and universities to develop the educational resources to meet the needs of area employers and our community.

Houston Partnership for Environmental Studies
(Existing Item)

Description and Justification
This special item funds the Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH), a partnership among the University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Houston , government agencies, businesses and environmental organizations. The institute supports research, professional development for teachers, and broad based participatory efforts for environmental issue resolution. EIH provides funding for research efforts of faculty and students at both universities in four focus areas: pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, environmental public policy, and social and cultural issues related to the environment. Balanced environmental education is an important activity and an outcome of the research effort. Many state and federal agencies partner with EIH in research or education projects because our combined expertise enhances the service provided to the citizens of Texas . Ties with industry and environmental organizations permit EIH to facilitate dialog about environmental issues. EIH works toward a sustainable future by incorporating the views of all stakeholders and the breadth of university expertise from humanities to science. No other organization participating in resolution of environmental issues in Southeast Texas has the scientific and scholarly credibility and objectivity of EIH.

Factors Impacting Strategy
The Houston-Galveston area is a natural laboratory for studying the balance of economic development and environmental quality. A very large industrial complex is situated adjacent to a large human population and surrounded by sensitive wetland, forest, and bay ecosystems. The region has a long history of environmental disputes, but has gained a national reputation for broad-based consensus approaches to environmental planning and issue resolution. EIH is the major interface between the community and the UH System for participation in environmental discussions, e.g. ozone reduction strategies. The emphasis on education reform has provided an impetus for enhancement of environmental education (EE) in Texas . EE is a strategy for improving student motivation and performance. Government agencies and businesses are less likely to have personnel to devote to educational activities with environmental subject matter. Therefore, the services of EIH are in demand for professional development for teachers in EE and the needs are great.

Exceptional Funding Request
Local communities have identified the need for additional infrastructure to enhance research and technical support in the areas of GIS analysis to deal with critical regional environmental problems. Additional funding will be used primarily to support additional EE, and GIS technical support staff, enhancing faculty seed grant funding, and for procurement of additional research resources including laboratory space/equipment, research vessels, and field vehicle procurement. The EIH faculty grant program provides necessary seed and match funding needed to compete with various federal and state grant programs.

Federal, state and local government agencies are faced with the need to develop ecosystem based management approaches. Unfortunately basic research is often lacking on environmental systems. EIH has been called upon increasingly to provide basic and applied research in support of various environmental programs and initiatives implemented under the Clean Air Act (State Implementation Plan), Clean Water Act (Watershed Management) and Magnuson Fishery Management Act (Ecosystem Management). Many of these programs required GIS systems based applications to support important research and information needs.

Appropriated

Requested

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Priority

Base Dollar Funding
$ 415,626

$ 415,626

$ 415,626

$ 415,626

Exceptional Funding
520,000

725,000

2

Total
$415,626

$415,626

$935,626

$1,140,626

High Technologies Laboratory
(Existing Item)

Description and Justification
The High Technology Laboratory uses a collaborative model of research and development to develop and transfer new technology to the Texas economy while improving education of engineers, scientists and mathematicians who work to reduce risks to Mission and Safety Critical (MASC) systems essential to the goals of NASA. The funds are spent on needed faculty and student salaries and laboratories and computing support needed to conduct this research. In the past this special item funding has been highly leveraged by grant and contract funds from federal agencies and corporations. The primary goal of the High Tech Lab for this next biennium is to help NASA and its selected contractors to successfully develop the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Project as a part of its long range Constellation Program.

Factors Impacting Strategy
The announcement of the CEV contract awards in August 2006 is a major milestone in restoring NASA research and development funding to the Johnson Space Center more than a decade after the space station program became "Operational" and was no longer a "Research and Development" program. Because of the critical role of the CEV and its assignment to JSC, NASA/JSC is now the focal point for our nation's hopes for the future of the human exploration, research and development of space. The High Tech Lab provides an objective mechanism for conducting and reporting the needed research to reduce the Mission and Safety Critical risks of required computing and communications systems.

Exceptional Funding Request
The primary goal of the exceptional item funding for this next biennium is to expand the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) work force and to improve STEM education in the Gulf Coast area. This will be achieved by the following:

Consolidating the experience learned from our recent major STEM grants on education, curricular development, scholarship and mentoring to pursue additional major STEM grants;
Further strengthening our research partnership and incorporating the results into our STEM curricula;
Installing new laboratories in leading areas to serve as models for excellence and outreach, such as virtual laboratories for distance learning; and
Expanding the scopes of the collaborative research areas from MASC to other key STEM areas, such as robotics, Autonomous Systems, Internet computing, data mining, Smart Sensors, Secure Wireless Networks, Medical Care, Human Factors, Crew Training, Health and Safety, Plasma Physics, Radiation, Parallel Processing, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.

The additional funding requested will contribute to the continued development of the joint research among NASA, UHCL and the area aerospace contractors. Additionally, we will continue developing customized web-based training courses, developing virtual laboratories for web-based courses, and recruiting and mentoring STEM area workforce. We are at a critical point in development of engineering programs that support this joint relationship. The High Tech Lab provides a mechanism of reintroducing state-of-the-art technologies, which are transferred via joint research to the technical community of the State of Texas. The joint venture would end if this item is not funded.

Appropriated

Requested

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Priority

Base Dollar Funding
$ 57,546

$ 57,546

$ 57,546

$ 57,546

Exceptional Funding
5

Total
$415,626

$415,626

$935,626

$1,140,626

Tuition Revenue Bond – Debt Service
(Existing Item)

Description and Justification
This request is for a continuation of the current item which provides funding for the tuition revenue bonds issued for the University of Houston - Clear Lake for the Student Services/Classroom Building and Arbor Building . The Student Services/Classroom Building is the first new building as a result of a master planning process at UHCL.

Exceptional Funding Request
Debt Service Request for the new 160,000 gross square foot facility includes the Academic Enrichment and Research Facility.

Factors Impacting Strategy
All Bonds that were authorized by the 79th Legislature third called session in May 2006, will be issued in December 2008. UHCL has a required debt payment of approximately $3.2 million for 20 years.

Appropriated

Requested

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Priority

Base Dollar Funding
$3,236,224

$3,230,724

$ 3,204,841

$ 3,200,441

Exceptional Funding
$6,225,889

$6,225,889

6

Total
$3,236,224

$3,230,724

$9,430,730

$9,426,330

Pearland Area Educational Partnership
(New Item)

Description and Justification
The demand for quality higher education in Brazoria County is evidenced by the region's rapid rate of growth in population and employment. The area surrounding Pearland, Texas has many community colleges but there are no institutions of higher education that offer either a four-year college degree or a graduate degree. Starting in the summer of 2004, UH-Clear Lake began offering courses in Pearland at Alvin Community College's Pearland Center.

UH-Clear Lake and University of Houston System officials have an agreement with the City of Pearland and are in the final stages of building design for construction of a facility in Pearland where bachelor's and master's degrees will be offered. The public-public partnership would result in an educational facility being built by the city on city-owned property. UH-Clear Lake would work closely with area community colleges including Alvin Community College, Houston Community College, and San Jacinto College to enable seamless transfer by community college students to UHCL in Pearland. UHCL would also develop partnerships with area business and industry to offer programs which would enhance the economic development of the region including the recruitment and retention of businesses.

Factors Impacting Strategy
This project directly affects the Closing the Gaps goals of Participation and Success by providing additional space to house high demand programs including Business, Education and Psychology. This lease-purchase project to provide space for the UHCL Pearland campus was approved by the Coordinating Board in July, 2007. The facility will be available for classes in FY2010. At the conclusion of the lease-purchase period, the facility and the land on which it resides will be deeded to the University. The City of Pearland has committed a total of 40 acres for development of this educational opportunity.

The requested exceptional item funding would provide UH-Clear Lake with one-time start-up funding for the expansion of academic program delivery in Pearland, including leasing of instructional space, classroom technology, telecommunications and all classroom and office furniture. Additional faculty and staff will be needed to increase degree program offerings and provide student support services on site in Pearland.

According to forecasts of enrollment and expenses, the cost of operating this site will be fully covered by formula funding and tuition and fees by FY2012. Exceptional item funding will not be requested for this facility beyond FY2011.

Appropriated

Requested

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Priority

Base Dollar Funding

Exceptional Funding $1,996,770 $866,000
1

Total

$1,996,770

$866,000

Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
(New Item)

Description and Justification
The UHCL Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) is staffed by faculty and students in the Applied Behavior Analysis, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Education graduate programs. The Center has several goals: To support research on autism and developmental disabilities; To train current and future professionals to serve as leaders in the fields of psychology and education; and To provide services to children and their families through partnerships with area school districts and community organizations.

Current Center activities include school-based consultation for teachers of children with autism and developmental disabilities, clinic-based intensive therapy for children with autism ages 3 to 8, home-based early language intervention for children with Downs’ syndrome, and comprehensive diagnostic assessments for children suspected of having a disability. Funds for materials, equipment, student stipends, and staff support will provide the Center with the much-needed infrastructure to attract additional funding from national agencies such as National Institutes of Health and the Department of Education and expand vital services to an increased number of children afflicted with autism and other developmental disabilities. With sustained support from the state of Texas and project funding from other sources, some of the additional services which the Center would be able to provide include:

Parent training workshops,
In-home training,
Web-based, multi-media services to provide training to teachers and parents across the state and nationwide,
Expanded research into the science of disabilities and the best teaching methods for children afflicted with autism and Downs Syndrome, and
Expanded services from working only with children with autism or Down’s syndrome to working with children with any developmental disabilities or to children who are at risk for developmental delay.

Factors Impacting Strategy
The focus on research and services for individuals with autism has exploded both nationally and locally. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 6.6 per 1,000 (approximately 1 in 152) children eight years of age have an autism spectrum disorder. According to statistics available from the U.S. Department of Education, the prevalence of children with autism in the Texas public schools increased by 594% from 1992 to 2003. In 2003, almost 12,000 students in Texas—1 out of 291 children—had autism. The demand for services also is expected to increase in Texas as a result of a state law passed on June 16, 2007, which requires health plans to provide coverage for autistic children two to six years of age (Tex. Stat. Ann. Ins. § 1355.015). Eight states have recently passed similar legislation and many more states are expected to do so within the next few years. Nonetheless, Texas has a serious shortage of individuals who are qualified to work with this population. As the 4th most populous city in the U.S., Houston is well positioned to advance research, training, and treatment through a university-based Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. University of Houston-Clear Lake has already secured more than $400,000 in contracts from local school districts, private schools, and state agencies since August 2005 to provide treatment, training, and services to individuals with autism and their caregivers.

Appropriated

Requested

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Priority

Base Dollar Funding

Exceptional Funding $510,000 $525,000
3

Total

$510,000

$525,000

Advanced Science Instrumentation Enhancement Project
(New Item)

Description and Justification
The University of Houston-Clear Lake has a long history of interdisciplinary research and educational programs. Faculty in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science and Business participate in the Biotechnology program while faculty from Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Industrial Hygiene and Safety participate in the Environmental Science program. In addition, faculty and students in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics historically have worked closely together on research projects. Another traditional strength of the science programs at UHCL has been to provide students with the opportunity to use modern equipment in formal laboratory classes and research projects. This experience is important in preparing students for success in biotechnological and chemical industrial positions, as well as those in aerospace, environmental and biomedical fields, and also prepares students for advanced study graduate and professional schools.

To build on this strength we propose an Advanced Science Instrumentation Enhancement Project for Natural Science. This would improve an interdisciplinary facility that houses modern scientific instruments to be used in teaching and research in all areas of Natural Science. Some of the teaching research areas that would be supported are sampling and analysis of air and water from the Houston area, synthesis of novel inorganic and organic compounds with a wide range of uses, plasma physics for long-distance space flight, isolation of chemicals from corals with biological activity, development of crop plants with increased nutritional quality, increased understanding of proteins related to apoptosis and cancer and many others. The research and student training supported by this new laboratory will enhance research and development in government and industry in the Houston-Galveston area including NASA JSC and aerospace contractors, the Texas Medical Center, UTMB in Galveston, biotechnology firms, chemical and environmental companies and others.

Factors Impacting Strategy
The remodeled area will include a state–of–the–art instructional science laboratory to better prepare science teachers. This will also eliminate the safety issues with the current lab. Remodeling the Arbor building will result in improved space (clinical space, class labs and offices) supporting the School of Education's instructional and clinical programs. The remodeling will also create a model classroom for early childhood education. A critical need exists to accommodate the demand for art and design classes, especially in graphic arts. This demand comes from the need (by NASA, aerospace contractors and energy businesses) for people trained in computer graphics, digital photography and digital video.

To meet this need, the School of Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH) is developing the foundation for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, concentrating on these technical arts. Such programs are space intensive, hence the research done by HSH faculty and students in Social psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors, Applied Behavior Analysis and industrial and Organizational Psychology. This will not only improve student's education, but also will enhance the institution's capability to obtain externally sponsored activities. The three technologically enhanced classrooms in the Arbor Addition will support the above programs.

Appropriated

Requested

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

Priority

Base Dollar Funding

Exceptional Funding
$600,000

$700,000

4

Total
$600,000

$700,000

TRB Project Request Academic Enrichment and Research Facility
(New Item)

Description and Justification
In an effort to continue our commitment towards success and academic excellence, a new 160,000 gross square foot facility is needed. A major goal is to house a Center for Student Success, which is designed to cultivate the lifelong learning potential of UHCL students. The center's mission would seek to expand personal growth and opportunity, advance social and community development, provide outreach and support services to under-served populations, and improve the quality of life.

Support to all students will include College Transitions Programs, Learning Assistance Programs, Tutoring Programs, and Academic early referral programs.

A second goal is to provide additional space to support research and academic excellence in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic fields.

	Requested		Priority
TRB Bonding Authority Request		$68,600,000	1



Total		$68,600,000