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University leaders share ideas for future

Medical Center involvement, faculty shifts among issues at strategic planning meeting

by Jim Parsons
The Daily Cougar

Developing research, managing enrollment and increasing the number and diversity of faculty were among the goals representatives of the University asked a UH System strategic planning committee to consider when preparing a 10-year "blueprint" for System growth.

Academic officers, students and community leaders gave input to the strategic planning process during a meeting Friday at the University Hilton, laying out plans for, among other things, added medical research at UH.

Manuel Rearte/The Daily Cougar

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UH-Clear Lake President Willliam Staples, left, interim Provost Jerald Strickland, UH President Jay Gogue, UH-Downtown President Max Castillo and Vice President for Administration and Finance John Rudley hear reports during a UH System strategic planning meeting at the University Hilton on Friday.

"The University of Houston System should become the university of the Medical Center," he said.

Arthur Vailas, vice president for research and intellectual property management, agreed.

"The critical element that we need is to increase our presence in the Texas Medical Center," Vailas said, noting that UH has the chance to participate in a number of already-established programs at the TMC. "I think medical is something that's going to be with us for a long, long time."

Reports also indicated that faculty numbers, diversity and salary are concerns for the University's future. Faculty Senate President Giles Auchmuty said one problem is that the areas that have the most faculty are not the areas in which the most students want to study, but faculty are often stretched thin by external demands.

"This university cannot successfully be all things to all people on its current budget," Auchmuty said.

He expressed concern with the faculty merit raise system, saying those raises often barely keep up with the cost of living, and even then, "many of our best faculty have never received such raises.

"The University has developed a reputation for not rewarding faculty once they are here," he said.

Student Government Association President Dawona Miller called for more diversity among faculty, saying that students "want a mentor who looks like them."

"We do need to have a much more diverse faculty," history professor Steven Mintz said. "We need to create incentives so the departments will aggressively recruit the diverse faculty that are out there."

In the fall, about 24.8 percent of UH's ranked faculty were ethnic minorities and 25.7 percent were women, according to University statistics. However, Auchmuty cited low numbers of non-Asian minorities who earn advanced degrees from the University as an indication of a similar trend nationwide.

"Most of all, this problem is a pipeline issue," Auchmuty said, referring to the lack of qualified minorities to take faculty posts.

Several presenters said the University must also manage its student-to-faculty ratio, which is now about 12-to-1 overall and 40-to-1 counting only ranked faculty.

Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Marco J. Mariotto said the University has a goal of hiring 200 new faculty members in the next five to seven years.

In terms of enrollment management, Mariotto said UH must develop a long-term plan to help balance an increasing number of applicants and transfer students with the University's limited resources and work to bring UH's "topography" to 65 percent undergraduate and 35 percent graduate students. He said the percentage of graduate students is around 26 now.

In addition, Mariotto said UH should work to affect a "general attitude change so our undergraduates are seen as active participants" in the University.

"By definition, (students) are why we're all sitting around here," he said.

Friday's strategic planning meeting was the last of four held at each UHS campus. The steering committee will meet in mid-April and draw up recommendations for the Board of Regents as it forms its plan for the System.
 

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