Excellence—what exactly is it?

We know it’s something that we all should strive for, but how is excellence truly defined? Is it greatness? Is it superiority? Is it exceptional quality? The truth is excellence has always been difficult to explain because it can mean different things to different people.

The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle may have captured it best when he said:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”        

Defining Excellence

In its eighty years of existence, the University of Houston has embodied this particular philosophy and in turn, created a first-rate academic institution where excellence is not just a goal, it’s the norm. This commitment has enabled UH to develop a strong academic reputation including nationally ranked programs that have earned the right to be cited with several of the nation’s top universities.

Simply put, we’ve given our entire Cougar community—including talented students, world-renowned faculty, dedicated staff, successful alumni, and generous donors—the opportunity to define our excellence. And today, as we venture deeper into the twenty-first century, boasting accomplishments greater than ever, we know there’s still really no need to brag. At the University of Houston, our excellence speaks for itself.

 
Did you know that we offer the only space architecture graduate program of its kind in the world, or that our College of Optometry is No. 1 in the nation for awarding professional degrees to Hispanic students? If you did, it means that you pay close attention to rankings.

For years, publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and a host of others have compared and contrasted universities through rankings—the primary indicator when it comes to analyzing universities and gauging levels of academic excellence.

UH is no stranger to receiving such accolades.

Our Health Law and Intellectual Property and Information Law programs are among the best in the nation, both ranking in the top 10.

The C.T. Bauer College of Business proved to be one of the nation’s leading business schools in 2007, offering the No. 2 ranked entrepreneurship program in the United States. In addition, Bauer’s evening MBA program ranked No. 1 in the city of Houston, No. 4 in the Southwest, and No. 27 in the country.

Outstanding rankings bolster our excellence and bring notoriety and credibility to the university. In today’s competitive job market, it’s only natural for students to want to earn a degree from a university that’s highly respected. And our alumni have always wanted an alma mater that they can be proud of and a degree that increases in value. Therefore, having UH regarded as a world-class institution of higher learning deeply affects recruitment, retention, and funding for the university. Our graduates also benefit greatly by receiving a real-world education that prospective employers look for in potential job candidates.

Excellence does not happen by chance. While we value our many achievements, UH also recognizes that academic excellence is more than just numbers.

The true quality of a university is often gauged collectively.

For instance, our faculty plays a huge role in our efforts. Individuals like Nobel Laureate Jody Williams and National Medal of Science Recipient C.W. “Paul” Chu—two distinguished professors—epitomize excellence and are dedicated to shaping young lives, producing great minds, and fueling the dreams of thousands of Cougars.

The quality of our students is reflected in the increasing average SAT scores of our entering freshmen and the growing enrollment of our Honors College. More than 35,000 UH students have the opportunity to choose from more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors and nearly 200 graduate programs. Many are exposed to cutting-edge research in the energy capital of the world.

UH’s strong reach is local and global. More than 110,000 UH alumni live in the Houston area. UH ranks second in the number of alumni in the Texas State Legislature. Globally, UH has cultivated viable, international partnerships in seventy-one countries and six continents.

The 550-acre campus also features world-class facilities that are second to none. Our educational environment includes high-tech laboratories, modern classrooms, nationally renowned centers, a state-of-the art Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, and a renovated M.D. Anderson Library that is home to The Honors College and a 2.4 million-volume collection.

One of the newest facilities on campus is the 191,730-square-foot Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex. The threebuilding complex includes a five-story research tower, a two-story classroom building, and a two-story auditorium. This facility addresses the evolution and future direction of collaborative research and will facilitate cross-disciplinary interaction among UH scientists and engineers, the Texas Medical Center, and other universities and research centers. The $81 million complex is the only academic facility of its kind in Houston.

Let’s not forget about our future growth.

• UH Law Center— one of the top 60 law schools in the country
  (U.S.News & World Report)
  
  
• C.T. Bauer College of Business—top 50 among public undergraduate
  business schools (Business Week)
  
  
• UH Athletics— 77 Olympic athletes and 71 NCAA titles
  
  
• College of Optometry— No. 1 in the nation for awarding professional
                                             degrees to Hispanic students
  (The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine)
  
  
• Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship—second in the nation
  (The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine)

We recently completed a twenty-year master plan framework that will transform the campus by creating newly segmented art, professional, undergraduate, and stadium districts—nearly doubling our current amount of learning and residential living space. More than $225 million has been approved to enhance the campus over the next five years, and several other potential development projects currently are in the planning phase. The master plan framework has had a significant impact in garnering support from potential contributors who embrace the university’s commitment to excellence. This past fiscal year, we celebrated a milestone year in fundraising—more than $49 million— exceeding the previous year’s total by more than $11 million.

We’ve awarded more than 235,000 degrees and our graduates include many successful alumni who have gone on to make tremendous strides in all areas of life. Astronauts like Bernard Harris (’78) and
Danny Olivas (M.S. ’93)…Actors such as Dennis Quaid and Loretta Devine (’71)…And athletes and Olympians such as Carl Lewis (’82), Clyde Drexler (’03), and Shannon Miller (’03)…author Alice Sebold and artist and Oscar® nominee Julian Schnabel (’73)—all proudly proclaim themselves as Cougars. Even in the corporate world—our alumni base boasts the second-most CEO s—more than 3,500 UH graduates head their own businesses.

We pride ourselves in providing our students with the skills needed to succeed in a global economy
and in preparing them to work and live in an increasingly multicultural and economically diverse society. Our dynamic campus community reflects a population that mirrors the thriving Houston metropolitan area—with students representing more than 150 nations.

• David M. Underwood Chapter, American Humanics—
  No. 1 ranked program in the country
  (American Humanics Management Institute)
  
  
• Space Architecture—only graduate program of its kind in the world
  
  
• UH Student-Athletes—662 NCAA All-Americans in sixteen sports
  
  
• UH Department of Health and Human Performance—
  No. 1 ranked program in the country
  (Academic Analytics’ Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index)

UH will not rest on its laurels.

We will continue to thrive as a model metropolitan university and utilize ingenuity and innovation to prepare today’s students for successful lives and careers.

Achieving excellence is a habit, a culture, and perhaps a never-ending journey, not of perfection, but one of continuous improvement.

We are what we do. The University of Houston is proud of its commitment to excellence in all facets of academia for more than eight decades. And we’re still going strong.

Our Cougar pride permeates even deeper and stronger because UH’s academic excellence has now become a force that is recognized throughout the nation more than ever before.