The Board of Trustees of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools voted to reaffirm the accreditation for University of Houston-Clear Lake in December 2012.
On Feb. 2, UHCL hosted its first-ever freshman information session. Prospective students attending the Hawk Premiere will be offered university and University Forest Apartments tours in addition to having the opportunity to speak with UHCL faculty, staff and current students. UHCL will welcome its first class of freshmen in fall 2014.
UHCL President William A. Staples has been elected to serve as a member of the 2013-2015 Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Board of Directors.
Faculty
The National Science Foundation awarded $1,117,769 to co-principals Thomas Fox, program chair of mathematics and associate professor of mathematics education for the School of Science and Computer Engineering, and Jana Willis, associate professor of instructional technology and curriculum and instruction for the School of Education. The grant, based on their proposal “Robert Noyce Program in Mathematics at the University of Houston-Clear Lake,” is for a five-year scholarship program that will capitalize on local resources and programs while allowing UHCL to provide academic and financial support for 15 future secondary mathematics teachers.
William Hoston, assistant professor of political science in the School of Human Sciences and Humanities, received the university’s 2012-13 Piper Award nomination for outstanding teaching. Professors are nominated for the award by students, and the final nominee selection is made by the UHCL Piper Award Committee composed of four students and four faculty members. As UHCL’s nominee, Hoston represents the university in the Minnie Stevens Piper Award competition, which honors Texas college and university professors.
Professor of Instructional Technology Kathryn Ley, School of Education, will serve as division president of Distance Learning within the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, an international professional association whose activities are directed toward improving instruction through technology.
Interim Associate Dean for the School of Education and Professor of Reading and Language Arts Kathryn Matthew was named as a 2014 Odyssey Award Committee Member. The Odyssey Award is presented to the producer of the most notable audiobook recorded in the United States each year for children birth to age 18.
Emeritus Associate Professor of Literacy, Language and Library Science Maureen White, School of Education, was named chair of the 2014 Mildred Batchelder Award Committee. The committee selects the most outstanding translated children’s book published each year in the United States.
Students
School of Education doctoral candidate Sundie Dahlkamp was awarded a Public School Research Scholars Program grant by the Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education, a consortium of four Texas universities dedicated to exploring quality and effectiveness issues related to teacher preparation, retention and student achievement. Dahlkamp’s dissertation research explores “Principal Efficacy and School Climate – A Recipe for Retention.” She received a Master of Science in Educational Management from UHCL in 2007.
Art students Jennifer Windham and Karen Fiscus, School of Human Sciences and Humanities, have works on display in “Roughneck: A Juried ClayHouston Exhibition” at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Jan. 25-March 31. Windham’s work was used as cover art for the event. Fiscus is also the gallery assistant at the UHCL Art Gallery.
Members of the UHCL International Chinese Student Association won the 2012 Gulf Coast International Dragon Boat Competition Regatta Division Championship. The team, which is made up almost entirely of UHCL ICSA members, was sponsored by the Space City Professional Association. Sixty teams competed in the regatta, which took place at Brooks Lake in Sugar Land.
School of Education student Evelyn Aaron and School of Education alumni Jehovanissi “Jo” Solis and Martha Pacheco were named Exceptional Teacher Candidates by the Texas Quest for Quality program. Quest for Quality is the first phase of a three-part program that partners with Texas universities to identify and highlight exceptional students and faculty, exemplary instructional and programmatic practices, and applicable research.
Alumni
Premeela Chacko, ’04 PB BS, was awarded “Special Recognition” at the Women of Color Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference in Dallas for her support of an orphanage in India and her volunteerism at a rehabilitation center in India that supports girls with HIV-AIDS. Chacko is an information technology professional with Boeing Test & Evaluation.
Jan Johnson, ’95 MA, ’86 BS, published “Walking Historic Galveston: A Guide to its Neighborhoods.” This is her second guidebook about the island. Carmen Laffey, ’04 MA, is working as a criminal investigator for the Harris County Public Defender’s Office.
Linda Matheson, ’06 BA, is the 2011-13 president of the Brazosport Art League in Clute, Texas.
Shannon K. McClendon, ’89 BS, was appointed to a second term on the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. This is her fourth appointment by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Previously, she served as gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers.
Paul McRee, ’00 BA, published “Hell has Torments of Cold, Rebels on Johnson’s Island,” a book about a Civil War prison for Confederate officers.
