The University of Houston (UH) is a state research university and
the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, UH is the third-largest
university in Texas with nearly 41,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in
southeast Houston, and was known as University of Houston–University Park from
1983 to 1991. The Carnegie Foundation classifies UH as a Tier One research
university. The U.S. News & World Report ranks the university No. 189 (Tier
1) in its National University Rankings, and No. 106 among top public
universities.
There are more than 300 degree programs through its 12
academic colleges on campus—including programs leading to professional degrees
in law, optometry, and pharmacy. The institution conducts nearly $130 million
annually in research, and operates more than 40 research centers and institutes
on campus. Interdisciplinary research includes superconductivity, space
commercialization and exploration, biomedical sciences and engineering, energy
and natural resources, and artificial intelligence. Awarding more than 8,200
degrees annually, UH's alumni base exceeds 260,000. The economic impact of the
university contributes over $3 billion annually to the Texas economy, while
generating about 24,000 jobs.
The University of Houston hosts a variety of
theatrical performances, concerts, lectures, and events. It has over 400
student organizations and 17 intercollegiate sports teams. Annual UH events and
traditions include The Cat's Back, Homecoming, andFrontier Fiesta. The
university's varsity athletic teams, known as the Houston Cougars, are members
of the American Athletic Conference and compete in the NCAA's Division I in all
sports. The football team regularly makes bowl game appearances, and the men's
basketball team has made 19 appearances in the NCAA Division I
Tournament—including five Final Four appearances. The men's golf team has won
16 national championships—the second-most of any NCAA golf program.
The University of Houston began as Houston Junior College (HJC). On
March 7, 1927, trustees of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board
of Education unanimously passed a resolution that authorized the founding and
operating of a junior college. The junior college was operated and controlled
by HISD. Originally HJC was located in San Jacinto High School and offered only
night courses. Its first session began March 7, 1927, with an enrollment of 232
students and 12 faculty. This session was primarily held to educate the future
teachers of the junior college, and no freshmen were allowed to enroll. A more
accurate date for the official opening of HJC is September 19, 1927, when
enrollment was opened to all persons having completed the necessary educational
requirements. The first president of HJC wasEdison Ellsworth Oberholtzer, who
was the dominant force in establishing the junior college. University
beginnings The junior college became eligible to become a university in
October 1933 when Governor of Texas, Miriam A. Ferguson, signed House Bill 194
into law. On April 30, 1934, HISD's Board of Education adopted a resolution to
make the school a four-year institution, and Houston Junior College changed its
name to the University of Houston. UH's first session as a four-year
institution began June 4, 1934, at San Jacinto High School with an enrollment
of 682. In 1934, the first campus of the University of Houston was established
at the Second Baptist Church at Milam and McGowen. The next fall, the campus
was moved to the South Main Baptist Church on Main Street—between Richmond
Avenue and Eagle Street—where it stayed for the next five years. In May 1935, the
institution as a university held its first commencement at Miller Outdoor
Theatre. In 1936, heirs of philanthropists J. J. Settegast and Ben Taub donated
110 acres (0.45 km2) to the university for use as a permanent location. At this
time, there was no road that led to the land tract, but in 1937, the city added
Saint Bernard Street, which was later renamed to Cullen Boulevard. It would
become a major thoroughfare of the campus. As a project of the National Youth
Administration, workers were paid fifty cents an hour to clear the land. In
1938, Hugh Roy Cullen donated $335,000 ($5612635.93 when adjusted for
inflation) for the first building to be built at the location. The Roy Gustav
Cullen Memorial Building was dedicated on June 4, 1939, and classes began the
next day. The first full semester of classes began officially on Wednesday,
September 20, 1939. In a year after opening the new campus, the university had
about 2,500 students. As World War II approached, enrollment decreased due to
the draft and enlistments. The university proposed to be in a new, highly
unusual training activity of the United States Navy, and was one of six
institutions selected to give the Primary School in the Electronics Training
Program. By the fall of 1943, there were only about 1,100 regular students at
UH; thus, the 300 or so servicemen contributed in sustaining the faculty and
facilities of the Engineering College. This training at UH continued until
March 1945, with a total of 4,178 students. On March 12, 1945, Senate Bill 207
was signed into law, removing the control of the University of Houston from
HISD and placing it into the hands of a board of regents. In 1945, the
university—which had grown too large and complex for the Houston school board to
administer—became a private university. University of Houston, circa 1950 In
March 1947, the regents authorized creation of a law school at the university.
In 1949, the M.D. Anderson Foundation made a $1.5 million gift to UH for the
construction of a dedicated library building on the campus. By 1950, the
educational plant at UH consisted of 12 permanent buildings. Enrollment was
more than 14,000 with a full-time faculty of more than 300. KUHF, the
university radio station, signed on in November. By 1951, UH was the
second-largest university in the State of Texas and was the fastest growing
university in the United States. State university In 1953, the university
established KUHT—the first educational television station in the nation—after
the four-year-long Federal Communications Commission's television licensing
freeze ended. During this period, however, the university as a private
institution was facing financial troubles. Tuition failed to cover rising
costs, and in turn, tuition increases caused a drop in enrollment. After a
lengthy battle between supporters of the University of Houston, led by school
president A.D. Bruce, and forces from state universities geared to block the
change, Senate Bill 2 was passed on May 23, 1961, enabling the university to enter
the state system in 1963. As the University of Houston celebrated its 50th
anniversary, the Texas Legislature formally established the University of
Houston Systemin 1977. Philip G. Hoffman resigned from his position as
president of UH and became the first chancellor of the University of Houston
System. The University of Houston became the oldest and largest member
institution in the UH System with nearly 30,000 students. On April 26, 1983,
the university appended its official name to University of Houston–University
Park; however, the name was changed back to University of Houston on August 26,
1991. This name change was an effort by the UH System to give its flagship
institution a distinctive name that would eliminate confusion with the
University of Houston–Downtown (UHD), which is a separate and distinct
degree-granting institution that is not part of the University of Houston.
Restructuring and growth Moores School of Music Building, constructed in 1997
In 1997, the administrations of the UH System and the University of Houston
were combined under a single chief executive officer, with the dual title of
Chancellor of the UH System and President of the University of Houston. Arthur
K. Smith became the first person to have held the combined position. As of
1997, the University of Houston System Administration has been located on
campus in the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building. On October 15, 2007, Renu Khator was
selected for the position of UH System chancellor and UH president. On November
5, 2007, Khator was confirmed as the third person to hold the dual title of UH
System chancellor and UH president concurrently, and took office in January
2008. In January 2011, the University of Houston joined the ranks of the top research
universities in the nation with the announcement by the Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching that placed UH in its top category of research
universities. The university designation makes UH one of only three Tier One
state research universities in Texas. The university commemorated this
milestone on January 28, 2011 with a "Celebration of Excellence"
event on campus in recognition of the Tier One research designation.
