WARNING. This might sound like bragging to some—UH and its alumni have built and shaped the nation’s fourth largest city. But as the poet Walt Whitman said, “If you done it, it ain’t bragging.”

Let’s start with home first—our campus. We’ve grown in more ways than you might think. We have more high-tech research, more nationally ranked programs and faculty, more community outreach programs, and more top companies lining up to hire our grads.

In the past five years, we’ve made more than $220 million in improvements to the campus, with much more planned for the near future. If you haven’t seen the new
Campus Recreation and Wellness Center or the expanded M.D. Anderson Library, you’re missing out.

But what does that growth mean to the city? It’s a staging point for all we do. An improved campus attracts more students and faculty to Houston than ever before, which allows us to do more for the city than ever before. And we do a lot.

So, we asked Barton Smith, the city’s most respected economic forecaster and director of the UH Institute for Regional Forecasting, to take a look at our impact on the city.

His findings might surprise you. they surprised him.

COUGARS IN DEMAND
We have more than 160,000 alumni and we’re growing by 6,800 each year. Add in the other UH System universities and that total jumps to more than 200,000.

But what’s truly impressive is that more than 80 percent of our graduates stay in Houston to build their careers. UH alumni teach our children, work in our businesses, perform in our symphony and opera, and build our city.

That means that UH is a prime hunting ground for Houston firms looking to hire well-trained professionals. Just ask Preston Johnson (M.B.A. ’83), vice president of human resources for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. His company employs more than 120 Cougars.

“We’ve had such a great experience with the people we’ve hired from UH,” says Johnson. “Most of those individuals are in key positions today, where they’re driving significant parts of the organization. From an academic standpoint, UH measures up quite well against the other top schools in the Southwest.”

BILLION-DOLLAR CLUB
Houston is home to a few billion-dollar organizations, including NASA, Dynegy Inc., Continental Airlines ... and the University of Houston System.

Every year, we attract $1.08 billion to the local economy—this includes research grants, tuition, and everyday spending that would not come to the city without the UH System.

By attracting more than $1 billion in new funds, the UH System is responsible for more than $3 billion in sales to the local area. As you can imagine, that $3 billion is responsible for a lot of jobs — 24,000 to be exact.

“No more than a handful of economic institutions, public or private, are more important to the Houston economy,” says Barton Smith. “With the thousands of firms in Houston, it’s impressive that the UH System generates one out of every 100 jobs in the city.”

THE IDEA PEOPLE
The world’s progress depends on new ideas and new technology. And Houston depends on our University.

We improve air quality, find new sources of energy, develop life-saving medical devices, and find and preserve Hispanic literature, to name just a few among hundreds of examples.

Because we’re only minutes from the Texas Medical Center, much of our research is devoted to health. Last year, we had 360 health research projects with overall research totaling $78.7 million — an increase of more than $25 million in only four years. But we don’t go it alone — UH is part of a revolution in medical research in which research universities partner with hospitals and medical research institutions. These partnerships, like our thirty-year agreement with The Methodist Hospital, can bring medical advancements to patients much sooner.

“This is one of UH’s finest hours,” says Michael Lieberman, M.D., director of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute. “It’s been an extraordinary partnership: one of common purpose, of interpersonal goodwill, and of real progress in developing scientific solutions.”

WE’RE HERE FOR HOUSTON
When our neighbors need help, we’re there—our students givemore than 1 million volunteer and internship hours every year.

Optometry students help thousands to see better; pharmacy students host health clinics for the homeless; architecture students design and build facilities for local schools and nonprofits; business students teach personal finance in inner-city high schools; and the list goes on.

But helping out in the community is not all we do. We want you to think of UH as a second home. Our music program alone entertains 130,000 people a year with nearly 300 events. And we have 200 more programs open to the public. Want to see an opera premiere? Dine in a first-class restaurant? Get free legal advice? UH is the place.

And UH is a place for the whole family. We have the answer to kids’ summertime blues, including the Children’s Theatre Festival, arts clinics, and 184 summer camps ranging from sports to engineering.

THE ALUMNI FACTOR
You — our alumni — add some of the most significant value to a UH degree.

For all the great things we do as an institution, the impact of our alumni is equally powerful. The strength of our alumni is not in lofty titles, but in the people. You are the UH story.

“The value of a University isn’t a sum total of academics and research,” says Jay Gogue, UH president. “Value also is perceived, and that perception stems from those who know us best — our alumni. So be proud of your University — hang your diplomas, visit campus, and tell people about the impact the University has had on you.”

For more on the impact study, visit www.uh.edu/impact.

Editor’s Note: The UH System’s impact on Houston includes data from the University of Houston, UH-Downtown, and UH-Clear Lake. UH comprises more than 60 percent of the totals.