A new academic year usually brings many fresh faces to
the University of Houston, but this fall, clusters of eager
young freshmen will not be the only new Cougars on campus.
A few high-level administrators, faculty members, and even
a newly appointed regent have joined the university in
distinct capacities and are more than ready to solidify
their respective roles in helping UH achieve future excellence.
Often, wherever there are new faces,
there also are new places. And, since the development
of UH’s twenty-year
Framework Plan two years ago, the campus community has
grown quite accustomed to the sounds of construction and
renovation enhancements throughout UH’s ever-expanding
campus. Currently, a number of new campus facilities are
on the horizon and will be making their debuts in the coming
year.
So, let’s take a look at a
few of the newest faces and places at the University
of Houston.
Tamara Goodwin
University
of Houston graduate student Tamara Goodwin was appointed
to the UH System Board of Regents by Governor Rick Perry.
The Texas native received a bachelor’s
degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara
and is pursuing a law degree and a master’s degree
in accountancy from the University of Houston.
Goodwin, who replaces former regent Christopher Sharpe,
is a student member of the American Bar Association and
the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. She
also is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and is the
articles editor for the Houston Journal
of International Law. In 2007, Goodwin was recognized for her volunteer
work by the UH Law Center with the Pro Bono Volunteer Initiative
award.
Goodwin is among ten students appointed by the governor
to serve as student regents to their respected university
systems. Her term as regent is effective through May 31,
2009.
Carl
Carlucci
Veteran
higher education administrator Carl Carlucci assumed
the role of UH System executive vice chancellor and UH
executive vice president for administration and finance
in May 2008. In this position, Carlucci serves as UH’s
CFO and is responsible for the direct oversight of UH Plant
Operations, Human Resources, and the Department of Public
Safety.
Carlucci served for seven years
as executive vice president and CFO at the University
of South Florida (USF), where he is credited with spearheading
the development of USF’s
Research Park. His leadership led to nine new buildings
on USF’s campus including two clinics and a faculty
office building for the Health Sciences Center; two research
buildings with research labs, core facilities, and incubator
space for spinoff biotech companies; 1,000 beds for student
housing; and three parking garages.
“Every project is a team effort,” Carlucci
says. “There are high expectations for me at the
University of Houston, and I look forward to working with
President Khator and her team to achieve her vision of
excellence and prominence.”
Carlucci earned his bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from SUNY–Stony Brook
and his Ph.D. from New York University.
Raymond
Nimmer
Raymond
Nimmer, a familiar face to many Cougars, was appointed
dean of the UH Law Center. Nimmer, who has served as the
college’s interim dean since
2006, was the top candidate identified after a national
search.
Nimmer holds the Leonard H. Childs
Professorship and is a founding member of UH’s Institute for Intellectual
Property & Information Law. In 2007, he served as the
Fulbright Distinguished Chair of International Commercial
Law at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon.
“I am excited by the opportunity to continue to lead the
University of Houston Law Center to ever-increasing prominence
as one of the top urban law schools in the country,” Nimmer
says. “We have ambitious plans for the future, and
I look forward to working with our faculty and staff to
quickly make these plans a reality.”
Admitted to practice in Illinois, Texas, and the United
States Supreme Court, Nimmer previously served as a consultant
to the National Science Foundation and the Office of the
Legal Advisor of the U.S. State Department. In addition
to his expertise in technology issues, he is the author
of more than twenty books and numerous articles.
Nimmer
earned his bachelor’s degree and J.D. from Valparaiso
University.
Barry
Adams
Barry Adams, a proven leader in
the alumni relations field, began his new post as president
and CEO of the Houston Alumni Organization in April 2008.
He has dedicated his first few months in office to getting
to know the UH community as well as HAO’s various
constituent associations, clubs, and volunteer leaders.
“The University of Houston is a rising star among
higher education institutions nationwide,” Adams
says. “Its alumni have long been passionate in their
own beliefs that the positive experiences in the classroom
and on the campus have been instrumental in their own success.”
Adams has a wide background in higher education administration
that extends across three decades. He has served as the
executive head of alumni associations for three public
institutions: Florida State University, The College of
William and Mary, and Ohio University. During those thirty
years of directing alumni programs, he has been honored
by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education
numerous times for overall programming, excellence in publications,
and special events.
Adams, a U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve
veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from Ohio University.
Breaking Ground:
Michael J. Cemo Hall
...
New Places
by Kelli Ferrell
When
it comes to the C.T. Bauer College of Business, Michael
J. Cemo’s (’68) pride runs deep. It is this
pride that prompted Cemo, a UH alumnus, a former UH System
regent, and a successful businessman, to provide the lead
$3 million gift for an additional business building.
The 33,000-square-foot Michael J.Cemo Hall will feature
a 450-seat auditorium, three classrooms, and faculty offices.
Not only will the new hall benefit
business students, it also will serve as a cornerstone
to the campus’ new
look.
Construction of the building “is
very special to us all and something we should all feel
proud of,” says
President Renu Khator. “Not only because we’ve
reached another milestone in our journey toward top-tier
national status, but because, similar to the Calhoun
Lofts, this project provides visual evidence that
we are truly ‘building our future’ at the University
of Houston.”
Cemo Hall will be located adjacent to Melcher Hall, where
Bauer College currently is housed. It also will serve as
the home of the Global Business Minor program.
Pictured (l-r): UH System Board of
Regents Chairman Welcome W. Wilson Sr. ('49), UH President
Renu Khator, UH alumnus and former Regent Michael J. Cemo
('68), and Bauer College Dean Arthur Warga
Renovations
&
Rejuvenation:
Science Facilities
As new buildings pop up across campus, older ones need
to step it up to compete.
To better serve ongoing research efforts, $57 million
is being spent to spruce up three existing science facilities.
Lamar Fleming Jr. Building
The Lamar Fleming Jr. Building, completed in 1965, will
be getting an additional wing, which will house chemistry
and biology labs. Construction should be complete by
June 2010.
The rest of Fleming will undergo
a complete renovation—scheduled
to begin July 2010. Once that’s done, the building
will house geoscience and physics labs as well as College
of Natural Sciences and Mathematics offices and classrooms,
according to Dave Irvin, associate vice president of plant
operations.
Science Building
The Science Building has stood across from the Roy G. Cullen
Building since the early 1940s as one of the first two
buildings on campus.
Now, the Science Building will take on a new look and
will house new tenants. After the extensive makeover, the
building will be more conducive for classroom and office
space, Irvin adds. The work is scheduled to take place
between July and December 2011.
Science and Research 1 Building
The Science and Research 1 Building, built in 1977, will
be brought up to code to meet current fire, life safety,
and elevator specifications. This project also will include
renovations to the building’s public areas and
the first and second floors. Work will begin in June
2009 and is scheduled for completion in August 2011.
In
the Works:
Hilton Hotel
The
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management
is redeveloping its existing property into a state-of-the-art
hotel
and conference center.
Also, the Cougar Grounds Coffee
Shop, near Barron’s
Restaurant on the first floor of the Hilton College,
is scheduled to open this fall—offering another
campus alternative for a good cup of coffee or tea and
stimulating conversation.
The student-run coffee house will
partner with Diedrich Coffee owner and UH alumnus Dirk
Smith (’82, MHM ’92).Jim “Mattress
Mac” McIngvale will donate the furniture. In spring
2009, a class will be developed using the shop as a lab
for experiential learning.
In the meantime, repairs are being made to the underground
garage, which sustained water damage during Tropical
Storm Allison in 2001.
East Garage
Parking at any college campus comes with its challenges,
but parking at a campus that continues to grow is especially
difficult. At UH, we are working to remedy that problem.
Soon, parking worries will be eased with the construction
of the East Garage.
The garage will offer 900 spaces for Calhoun Lofts residents,
commuter students, and visitors and is scheduled to open
in July 2009.
“Our goal is to have this garage up and running
by the time the lofts are completed,” says Irvin.
The new garage is the first of six to be built on campus,
in accordance to the UH Framework Plan.
Making
Progress:
Calhoun Lofts
For graduate or professional students who want a taste
of urban living right here on the UH campus, the Calhoun
Lofts could be the answer.
The lofts are one of the earliest projects related to
the UH Framework Plan that is guiding campus expansion.
The facility has a variety of options
when it comes to a student’s housing desires: efficiencies and one-
or two-bedroom lofts—many with panoramic views of
Houston’s skyline.
The building will offer retail space to meet the multiple
needs of students. Two courtyards will encompass the lofts,
one providing privacy for students living in the lofts
and the other for those using retail areas.
The 552,000-square-foot facility is budgeted at $107 million
and is scheduled to be completed by fall 2009.
