Service to Our Community and Others

Arts and entertainment. Business and industry. Cultural heritage. Education and training. The environment, aging, health, and social services. Every part of life and time of life is addressed by one of more than 600 University of Houston System programs, institutes, or departments that directly serve the people of our region.

Generosity is a System hallmark. In 2004, University of Houston System students alone gave more than 1 million hours of volunteer service. That’s more than 2,700 hours every single day. That doesn’t even count the hours given by staff and faculty. And while many major public urban universities have accepted public service as part of their mandate, you’d be hard-pressed to find another willing and able to give so much.

The academic community associated with the University of Houston System maintains a deep reservoir of expertise that benefits local and regional organizations, as well as area residents. It also benefits government organizations. The university community often becomes their best and most affordable source of help. In fact, every major urban area in the nation has learned to rely on the unique resources of its university community.

But don’t think for a moment that the University of Houston System is simply sitting back and waiting to be asked for assistance. Our four universities have created more than 200 “service learning” classes and programs that put students and faculty directly in the field. By combining academic theory and practical experience, students apply their new knowledge to real-world problems, and faculty members are reminded of the urgent challenges faced by their non-academic counterparts.

Within the University of Houston System, experience has proved that community service is an invaluable extension of our teaching and research, one that yields sharper investigators, more relevant teachers, and more involved citizens. The same activities enhance lives in Houston.

The latter point might go without saying, but it shouldn’t.

Read on for examples of the University of Houston System’s response to matters of local needs, public health, and global crisis.

The Global Community

• The University of Houston System opened its arms to Hurricane Katrina’s victims, enrolling more students displaced by the tragedy than any other institution outside the affected states. The University of Houston set up housing, waived student application fees, and arranged for the entire Loyola School of Law to work out of the UH Law Center. College of Optometry faculty, staff, and students gave free eye exams, glasses, and laser surgery to those housed in shelters, and UH Police Department officers provided 450 overtime hours for additional security at the Astrodome.
• Following the Indian Ocean tsunami, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture Professor Bill Price’s fifth-year advanced studio class developed culturally and environmentally sustainable permanent housing plans used to help rebuild the village of Baan Triam in Northern Thailand. Professor EunSook Kwon’s industrial design students created a prototype for environmentally friendly paper supply kits suitable for worldwide use.

The Houston Community

• More than 500 Houston Independent School District teachers have participated in University of Houston’s Houston Teachers Institute, exploring fresh ideas and teaching concepts with the help of UH professors. More than 35,000 students have benefited from the resulting curricula.
• University of Houston-sponsored Net Day resulted in a major technology upgrade for Houston’s Third Ward East Side University Village Community Learning Center. A server, laser printers, digital projectors, and dozens of computers help the Center offer neighborhood academic and life-skills services.
• A partnership between UH-Clear Lake and the University of Houston, the Environmental Institute of Houston seeks new means of pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, environmental regulation and policy, and environmental education.
• With one of the largest criminal justice centers in the state, UH-Downtown makes a huge impact on Texas safety. In addition to thousands of volunteer hours devoted to criminal justice, the center has trained 100 police academy classes and more than 15,000 criminal justice professionals.
• UH-Victoria’s Access to Success program is helping to reduce the region’s teacher shortage.A partnership among UH-Victoria, Victoria Independent School District, and Victoria College, the program recruits and trains instructional aides and long-term substitute teachers to become certified teachers.
• Through the Good Neighbor Clinic and La Nueva Casa De Amigos Health Center in Houston and the Bridgebuilders Clinic in Dallas, College of Optometry students and faculty provide free or discounted vision services to thousands of patients annually. A partnership between the College of Optometry and the Lone Star Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society is the first of its kind and will dedicate its efforts to MS patients and research.