Tim Hudson

HOUSTON - Having successfully led the way to the University of Houston-Victoria’s downward expansion that begins this fall with the admission of freshmen and sophomores, UHV President Tim Hudson has accepted a new challenge. He is stepping down as president to become Special Assistant to the Chancellor for International Programs and Initiatives.

Hudson will report directly to UH System Chancellor Renu Khator, who will be appointing an interim president to take the helm of UHV.

“Tim Hudson is a proven leader who has helped UH-Victoria grow from its beginnings in 1973 with 350 students into an ambitious, productive institution that has become a full-fledged four-year ‘Destination University’ that now attracts 4,000 students,” Khator said.

“I am enthusiastic about his accomplishments at UHV, but I look forward to the important contributions he will make in this next phase of his career,” she said. “His broad range of experience in international education makes him an ideal choice to work with our presidents throughout the UH System to expand and enhance our existing programs and initiatives.”

Having achieved the recent expansion of UHV into a full, four-year institution with student housing and intercollegiate teams in baseball and softball, Hudson said he is ready for a new challenge. The appointment offers him a “unique opportunity to expand our international partnerships throughout the UH System, a demanding and rewarding responsibility I am passionate about,” Hudson said.

A fellow for the Royal Geographical Society, Hudson holds the 2002 International Association of Continuing Higher Education Distinguished Credit Programming Award (Vietnam Studies), a Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award from the National Council for Geographic Education and a certificate of excellence from the U.S. Department of State. The recipient of an ITT International Fellowship to study in Colombia and two Fulbright Scholarships to study in Germany and Mexico, Hudson was awarded an honorary doctorate by London Guildhall University in 1996 for his lifelong contributions to global understanding and economic development.

In 2001, Hudson was invited to serve as the sole U.S. representative on the European Commission''s Spain-based "Millennium Committee," which was charged with producing a strategic plan for European higher education for the decade ahead. Hudson wrote large sections of the committee''s final report (in Spanish), including chapters on community-university relations and the utilization of higher education as a platform for economic development.

Hudson has initiated more than 40 study-abroad programs worldwide. Among these are the British Studies Program, the largest credit abroad program operated by any U.S. university in London; the Abbey Program in Pontlevoy, France; thriving Spanish-language programs in Mexico and Spain; the pioneering Cuban Studies Program and the award-winning Vietnam Studies Program.

His professional memberships include the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Texas International Education Council, Texas Council of Public University Chancellors and Presidents, and the International Economic Development Council. He is a member of the International Affairs Committee of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and on the Advisory Board for AASCU''s New Presidents Academy.

Previously, Hudson served as provost and founding dean of the College of International and Continuing Education at the University of Southern Mississippi and as an analyst for the U. S. Department of State. He received his Ph.D. in geography from Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

For more information, contact Richard Bonnin, director of media relations for the University of Houston, at 713-743-8155.