There’s not a business, a school, a corporation, or a community that hasn’t felt the impact of the University of Houston. Period.

If it’s not a million hours of volunteering, it’s helping small businesses get off the ground, or addressing a desperate shortage of social workers, or delighting thousands of music fans, or informing frazzled consumers of their rights. Somewhere, there’s a Cougar who’s changing lives in Houston in a way that will make you proud.

Each and every year, Cougars—alumni, faculty, students, and staff—give their time and expertise to make our university a place you can be proud of and our city a dynamic place to live, work, and play.

BUSINESS SAVVY
Mike Young

Everyone likes Mike—small business owners, bankers, even the taxman. As executive director of UH’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Mike Young (J.D. ’89) has helped many people realize their dreams. The center, a part of the C.T. Bauer College of Business, offers one-stop shopping for small businesses—from developing a business plan to marketing consultation. And they’re good at what they do. Young and his staff assisted nearly 22,000 clients last year; created 5,511 jobs in the Houston area; saved another 2,980 jobs; secured $104 million in funding; and helped businesses raise sales by more than $255 million. “Good information leads to good business decisions,” says Young. That information, which is free, is helping. SBDC clients average a 17 percent annual sales growth versus the average 4.5 percent for Texas businesses. As for Uncle Sam’s share, SBDC returned $7.73 for every tax dollar invested—that’s $37 million in new tax revenue.

—Chris Evans (’01)

SOCIAL CONSCIENCE
Barbara Henley

In a life-or-death situation, the ability to understand and be understood is critical. But a severe shortage of bilingual social workers threatens access to medical care for Houston’s growing Spanish-speaking population. Forty-seven percent of clients seeking social work assistance speak mostly Spanish. Just 17 percent of Houston’s social workers do. So Barbara Henley, assistant clinical professor and assistant to the dean at the Graduate College of Social Work, helped launch a three-year initiative to address the city’s desperate need for Spanish-speaking social workers.  As a result, fifteen culturally competent, Spanish-fluent master’s-level students will receive full tuition assistance. After a trailblazing twenty-five-year career at Ben Taub Hospital—where she founded and directed the social work program—Henley came to UH to teach and mentor students. In Henley’s thirteen years at UH, she’s also helped raise hundreds of thousands of scholarship dollars to entice some of the best and brightest students to UH.

—Mary Brolley (M.A. ’03)

CONSUMER CHOICE
Robert Johnson

That TV you just bought is already on the fritz. Or your neighbor’s tree limb just fell on your car. Is the law on your side, or is the burden on you? The answer is a phone call away. Robert Johnson, a second-year law student, is among the law students working with Professor Richard Alderman—“The People’s Lawyer”—at the UH Consumer Law Center which helps thousands of Texans navigate consumer laws. He’s a busy guy. His fellow students—all 35,000 of them—know Johnson as their peer representative to the UH System Board of Regents. You might remember his TV appearances on HoustonPBS and ABC-13, offering legal help for hurricanes Katrina and Rita survivors. But his true passion is consumer law, a calling to which he devoted more than 500 hours last year. “He’s intelligent, hard-working, and committed to the public good,” says former Law Center Dean Nancy Rapoport. “He represents others very well—he’s a perfect choice for a regent.”

—Mary Brolley (M.A. ’03)

MUSIC MAN
Alan Austin

As Houston’s concert season winds down each summer, the Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival (TMF) steps in to fill the silence. More than 400 young musicians from around the world play for audiences of more than 6,000. Now in its seventeenth year, TMF provides hands-on training and guidance by the Moores School of Music faculty as well as other internationally renowned musicians. A student participant in the very first festival, Alan Austin (’91, M.M. ’93) is in his tenth year as TMF’s general director. A Baroque violinist, Austin also teaches and performs for the festival. Programs include a full-sized orchestra and specialized institutes from guitar to flute to jazz to a highly competitive piano camp. “Our programs can be life-changing,” says Austin. “That’s the reason we do this,” he says. “It’s extremely rewarding to see our students make their way in the world.”

—Sheryl E. Taylor