UHV reorganizes academic schools into colleges, adds college for sciences
The University of Houston-Victoria announced Thursday that its three academic schools will be renamed and reorganized into colleges, including the addition of a fourth college that will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs and will eventually be home to UHV’s first engineering degree.
The announcement was made Thursday afternoon by UH System Chancellor Renu Khator as part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for UHV’s newest building, University South, which is home to the university’s STEM programs. The university’s four colleges will be named the College of Business, the College of Education & Health Professions, the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and the College of Natural & Applied Science.
“While I’m always pleased to visit UHV and observe the steady progress being made here, I am especially delighted to take part in these two remarkable developments,” UH System Chancellor Renu Khator said. “The amazing new $30 million University South building is certainly an outstanding improvement, and the transition of the current three schools to colleges is every bit as important. This change, along with the addition of a fourth college, signals the increasing academic quality of this institution and the continuing commitment the UH System has to this campus and this community.”
The creation of the new college dedicated to the sciences allows UHV to make plans to grow and expand in areas that meet the needs of the area’s industries, said Chance Glenn, UHV provost and vice president for academic affairs. The Victoria and Greater Houston areas are full of industries that rely on employees with STEM experience.
“UHV has a commitment to offer its students an excellent education that serves their needs,” Glenn said. “This reorganization of the university’s schools into colleges will allow us to grow in all areas of academics and give our students a more accurate understanding of what each part of the university offers.”
In addition to serving the needs of area businesses and industries, the addition of a new college and the shift from schools to colleges will bring UHV more in line with other universities in the area. The shift is another step in the university’s plan and path toward growing a strong academic enterprise in the region.
“This is a natural part of our evolution as a university – one that will enable us to better serve the needs of our region,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “From UHV’s beginning in 1973 as an upper-division university to today, the university has moved forward in new and encouraging ways. This will make UHV an even stronger contender in the higher education marketplace and better serve our current and future students.”
Ashley Reyna, a UHV graduate student and vice president of the Student Government Association, was excited to hear about the university’s decision to change its academic organization and add a college. The change will allow the university’s colleges to each grow in their own areas of expertise and clarifies to students exactly what type of subjects each college offers, she said.
“Expanding the number of colleges will lead to some exciting new opportunities for students in the future and will enable them to pursue their passions along a clear pathway,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the visions and goals for each new college will come together to advance UHV’s goals for the university and the communities it serves.”
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.
