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Hall For Big Business
It started with a $3 million gift to help fund the $9 million
construction price tag. And to say thank you, the UH System
Board of Regents is naming the building in honor of the lead
donor, Regent Michael J. Cemo (’68). The new structure, the
Michael J. Cemo Hall, will be home to the Elizabeth D. Rockwell
Career Center and provide space for the new global business
minor program, which is open to all UH students and one of
Bauer College’s fastest-growing programs. The 33,000-square-foot
multistory building will feature a 450-seat auditorium, three 80-seat
classrooms, and faculty offices. “There’s been no other important
figure as Mike Cemo to Bauer College’s future, other than Ted Bauer
himself,” says Arthur D. Warga, dean of the C. T. Bauer College
of Business. “This major commitment on Cemo’s part raises our
mission and will build a strong foundation for a lasting legacy.”
The building is expected to be completed in January 2009.
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Architectural Recycling
It was one of the first buildings on campus—serving
as an auto shop to teach a trade to returning World
War II vets, a print shop, and more recently, the annex
for the Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band.
Now, it serves as a symbol of innovation, technology,
and a four-decade legacy of a beloved professor,
architect, and mentor. The Burdette Keeland Jr.
Design Exploration Center, located adjacent to the
Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, will house
the Graduate Design/Build Studio and the latest
equipment to accommodate industrial design and
digital fabrication projects. It also will serve as a lab
and work space for architecture students—featuring
the only sloped, green roof in the city. Green roofs
serve to help cool buildings and prevent flooding by reducing storm-water runoff. The project began with a generous donation
from the Harvey R. Houck Jr. (’49) and Patricia W. Houck Foundation and
has relied on donated materials and labor from area construction firms and
other individuals.
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A Very Good Year
Throughout his illustrious career, Fred Parks had a passion for law and rare French
wines. The late Houston attorney forged a fifty-year career as a trial lawyer, serving
as counsel in many famous Houston cases, including the murder case of River Oaks
socialite Joan Robinson Hill detailed in the best-seller
Blood and Money. He also
was a dedicated philanthropist as well as an enthusiastic wine connoisseur. The new
Fred Parks Boardroom at the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant
Management is a testament to both. In 1994, he donated a portion of his collection—
resulting in the college’s Fred Parks Wine Cellar—featuring more than 1,000 bottles
from the early 1900s to contemporary vintages. He bequeathed the remainder of his
collection to the college upon his death in 2001. Today, the collection is displayed in
the Fred Parks Boardroom, which will serve as an international repository for research,
education, and training in the study of wine. Cheers!
Creative Kudos
Buildings Magazine recently recognized two of UH’s
newest campus structures. The magazine’s Annual
Projects Awards showcases building and creative design
projects across the country. Designs for the Cynthia
Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts received the Citation
of Excellence Award; and the UH Welcome Center received
the Projects Innovations Award— the first Texas
higher education facilities to be honored. “This
11,800 square feet of entrance, rehearsal, and office
spaces particularly resonated with our judges,”
read one of the comments about the Mitchell Center.
“Materials, colors, furnishings are all placed
together with crisp precision; nothing is overdone.
The finesse of the detailing clearly fits, and the project
has been dealt with great sensitivity.” Buildings
Magazine, with a readership of 72,000 building
owners and professional facilities managers in North
America, offers information on the development, construction,
modernization, management and operation of buildings,
and the products and services needed to support such
facilities. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the
Arts and the Welcome Center are featured in Buildings
Magazine’s October issue.
News Bits...
- UH Graduate College of Social Work Dean Ira Colby was selected as the U.S. representative
to the International Association of Schools of Social Work.
- The colleges of Architecture and Optometry are tops in the nation for graduating Hispanic students, according to The Hispanic
Outlook in Higher Education Magazine. The College of Pharmacy rose to number five from last year’s thirteenth spot.
- Associate Professor of Chemistry Eric Bittner was one of two North American chemists selected for
a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship.
- Steven Wallace, former dean of Florida State University’s theater department, takes the lead of our School of Theatre & Dance.
- Professor of Geology Kevin Burke received the Geological Society of America’s 2007 Penrose Medal for his
pioneering research in plate tectonics.
Houston Cougars vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
November 17
Come home and have a rip-roaring time.
Enjoy a week filled with fun, food, friends, family, and football.
Mark your calendar and pump up your Cougar Spirit
as we paint the city red for our 80th birthday. Go Coogs!
Check out the happenings and stroll down memory lane at www.uh.edu/homecoming2007.
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