Omokhodion Iyore
Contributing Writer
The West Houston Institute at Cinco Ranch, one of the University of Houston's four off-campus instruction sites, will mark its 10th anniversary Saturday.
Residents of Katy and surrounding neighborhoods are invited to the celebrations, which are slated to begin at 11 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m.
The WHI serves Harris and Fort Bend counties, offering junior, senior and graduate level UH credit courses as well as non-credit classes. "We articulate with 13 community colleges," said Nancy Herron, the WHI admission outreach coordinator. "WHI is the biggest UH off-campus site in terms of enrollment figures," she said. The institute offers 13 complete degrees through distance education and has an annual enrollment figure of about 6,500.
"Plans for the anniversary are very simple," said Kristin Kautz, marketing coordinator for the division of distance and continuing education. "We are having speakers, giving tours, an interactive TV demonstration and serving lunch. We will have numerous displays up about credit and non-credit courses."
A press conference and the interactive classroom demonstration will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch.
UH began the distance education program in 1980 with two off-campus institutes and added live, closed-circuit television classes four years later. It wasn't until 1993, however, that complete degrees began to be delivered by way of the distance education program, and today its versatility has been enhanced with the inclusion of videotape and online resources.
In 1987, Cinco Ranch, a residential development company which was then a joint venture between American General Investment Corporation and MISCHER, undertook the magnanimous initiative of providing the WHI with a new 36,000-square-foot building on 10 acres of land in Katy.
The facility was commissioned in 1988 and began its first fall session with 1,000 students that year. Ever since, WHI and the Cinco Ranch venture have shared a vision of community development that involves a commitment to improving the living standards of the growing population in the West Houston area.
Two years ago, UH received the "Outstanding Distance Education Credit Program in the Nation" award from the University Continuing Education Association. Last year, UCEA awarded UH Distance Education awards for "Outstanding Instructor" and "Outstanding Promotional Video."
This year, UH Distance Education added an "Innovative Distance Education Program" award and two "Outstanding Faculty" awards to its list of accolades.
In addition to Fort Bend, the North Houston Institute and the University Center facility at The Woodlands make up the UH distance education program.
For more information about WHI and the anniversary celebrations, call (281) 395-2800.