Gov. Perry Appoints Four New Regents For UH System

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed four new members to the University of Houston System Board of Regents. Nelda Blair (J.D. '82), Carroll Robertson Ray (J.D. '02), Jacob Monty (J.D. '93) and Mica Mosbacher were sworn in at a meeting of the board on Feb. 5. The 10-member Board of Regents is the governing body of the UH System, which includes UH, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, UH-Victoria, the UHS-Sugar Land and UHS-Cinco Ranch teaching centers as well as KUHT television and KUHF radio stations.

“The governor has selected four outstanding Houstonians who are real movers and shakers for these important posts,” said Board of Regents Chairman Welcome Wilson, Sr. “They are respected statewide and have the intellect and enthusiasm that the UH System needs and deserves. I am delighted to welcome them to the board,” he said.

“These four new Regents add to the engaged and energetic leadership we have on our board,” said Renu Khator, chancellor of the UH System and president of UH, “and I am confident they have the vision to take the UH System to the next level of excellence. We are well positioned to take bold new steps, largely due to the exceptional leadership and contributions of our retiring board members: Leroy Hermes, Michael Cemo, Raul Gonzalez and Morgan O’Connor. I’d like to express my personal thanks and gratitude to each of them for their exceptional service,” she said. more

$1 Million in Grants to Support College’s Green Vision

Creating an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient community starts small. It isn’t enough to design “green” buildings – the building materials and components themselves need to reflect “green” vision. The University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture is ready to forge that vision with industry partnerships and pioneering technology, all made possible by nearly $1 million in grants from the Houston Endowment and the Meadows Foundation.

“Several Texas foundations discussed how to best leverage limited resources to reduce greenhouse gases, and given the fact that approximately 50 percent of domestic energy use is linked to buildings, supporting sustainable design seemed a logical way to address the issue,” said Ann Hamilton, senior grant officer with Houston Endowment. “The University of Houston’s proposal marries architecture with industrial design to maximize energy efficiency in buildings for Houston’s future.”

The grants, disbursed over the next three years, will enable the college to create partnerships with industry professionals who will bring their expertise into the classroom, guiding students in the latest technologies and grooming the next generation of architects and designers. In addition, funds will be used to purchase state-of-the-art digital fabrication equipment and hire new faculty.

“We are grateful for this investment in our college,” said Dean Joe Mashburn. “We are in a unique position to make an impact not only in teaching sustainable design, but in developing sustainable building components for commercial use. more

UH-GEMI Conference to Focus on Alternative Energy Trading

For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Houston’s Global Energy Management Institute housed at the C. T. Bauer College of Business will bring together traders, risk managers, securities analysts, investors, consultants and lawyers to discuss the changing marketplace at its Energy Trading & Marketing Conference. The event, titled “Energy Trading: Beyond Gas and Power,” will be held March 11 at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel.

“In the past several years, energy trading volumes have exploded,” said Craig Pirrong, UH-GEMI energy markets director and Bauer College finance professor. “Not only have we witnessed tremendous growth in traditional energy commodities such as natural gas, oil and power, but there has also been a dramatic expansion in relatively new areas of the energy trading space.” Due to skyrocketing prices and increasing environmental concerns, biofuels, such as ethanol, have achieved increasing prominence and new environmental markets are growing dramatically.

The 2008 UH-GEMI Energy Trading & Marketing Conference will explore these important, but non-traditional, aspects of energy trading. A distinguished set of speakers will discuss the commercial, regulatory and political issues surrounding energy trading beyond gas and power.

For more information about the conference, including how to register or sponsor, visit www.bauer.uh.edu/UHGEMI/featured.htm.

For the latest news from UH, visit www.uh.edu/news-events/.