Dear Faculty,
Rising temperatures and rainy days—yes, it is summertime in Houston. Whether you’re taking time off or engaged in research and teaching, I hope you are beating the heat and staying dry.
There is quite a bit of activity taking place on campus this summer, and I want to share a few quick updates with you.
Course Files & Data Backup
You will recall that UH was among the institutions affected by a massive external
Canvas breach and outage. Fortunately, no UH passwords or login information were compromised.
Still, UH’s Education Innovation and Technology team has begun downloading course
files and grade data from past semesters and setting up a process to incrementally
backup current files hosted on Canvas and changes to grade data. These will be uploaded
to a secure website accessible by faculty. In addition, a Teams shell is now automatically
created for each course. Faculty will be able to activate these Teams shells in the
event of a Canvas outage so that they can communicate with their students and share
course material. Instructions for both faculty and students will be provided on a
website that will be made available soon.
Dean Search
The University has started the search process for a new dean for the Gerald D. Hines
College of Architecture and Design. The search committee has met, and an executive
search firm has been selected. A website will soon be online featuring the job prospectus
and other relevant information for this position.
A RAD Move for the FED
As President Khator recently communicated, the Faculty Cafe (home to UH’s Office of
Faculty Engagement and Development) will be relocated to a renovated space within
The RAD dining facility. The cafe and FED space provide wonderful areas to work, participate
in FED activities, and meet with colleagues. Faculty Council leadership will have
input into the design of the space and be involved in its planning discussions. The
new cafe is slated to open in Fall 2027.
Core Curriculum Review
In alignment with State Senate Bill 37, a formal review of our core curriculum is
underway. A Core Curriculum Working Group has been formed, facilitated by Teri Longacre,
Senior Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Student Success. This group, which
includes faculty from across UH’s colleges, will draft its initial recommendations
this month. In July, UH’s Faculty Council and campus stakeholders will have the opportunity
to offer feedback before the final proposal is submitted for UH System Board of Regents
consideration in August. We are deeply grateful to this group for their leadership
and service in this vital work. The Core Curriculum Working Group members are as follows:
Je’Anna Abbott, Professor, Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership
Maria Gonzalez, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Kristen Hassett, Department Chair and Clinical Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies,
College of Education
Norman Johnson, Professor, C.T. Bauer College of Business
Russell Larsen, Instructional Professor, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Melissa Markofski, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Patrick Peters, Professor, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design
Raul Ramos, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Blake Wilkins, Professor, Katherine G. McGovern College of the Arts
Finally, I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to the Faculty Council for a job well done during its inaugural year! Council President Elena Grigorenko and the council’s Executive Committee provided excellent leadership. I also must commend the efforts of its Curriculum, Faculty Affairs, and Research and Scholarship Committees.
Thanks for all you do! Have an outstanding summer!
Warm regards,
Diane