Fort Bend County leaders to advise business dean on program at UHSSL
"We want to get local community leaders involved with the decisions we are making about the school," said Jifu Wang, interim dean of the School of Business Administration. "They're very enthusiastic. No one even hesitated when we asked."
The kick-off reception for the 31-member Dean's Business Advisory Council took place Thursday evening at the University of Houston System at Sugar Land. UHV delivers the business program on the UHSSL campus, a multi-institutional teaching center. A similar Dean's Business Advisory Council already exists in Victoria, and Wang plans on holding meetings there soon.
"The UHV School of Business Administration has become a tremendously successful and key component of the rapidly maturing UHSSL campus one that has a very bright future, due in large part to the generous support of leaders such as those on this outstanding board," said Tim Hudson, UHV president and administrator of UHSSL operations.
The evening included hors d'oeuvres, tours of the building and speeches by UHSSL Associate Vice Chancellor Dick Phillips, Sugar Land Mayor James A. Thompson, Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert and Wang. Both Thompson and Hebert have agreed to serve on the council.
The group will begin meeting Oct. 9. Members will review and evaluate the school's missions and programs; provide counsel related to education activities and enhancements; assist in making curriculum decisions; and help facilitate communication between the school and other leaders and alumni, Wang said.
As a business school that is accredited by AACSB International The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, it was important to form the council to get more community input about programs, Phillips said. AACSB is the premier accreditation body for business schools worldwide. About 550 institutions hold AACSB accreditation.
"When you have the accreditation accomplishments the School of Business Administration has and are moving forward, it's critical to have a good advisory board," he said. "This group of leaders is certainly exemplary."
Larry W. Harrison, a local attorney and an adjunct professor for the School of Business Administration, said he was honored to be asked to serve on the council.
"As a local resident of Sugar Land and an attorney, it's been a real privilege to teach business law at my own university in my back yard," he said.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
