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Regents to vote on flood relief bonds

Cougar News Staff

The UH System Board of Regents will meet at UH-Victoria today to vote on the issue of $25 million in bonds to help offset the cost of recovery from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.

UH sustained an estimated $100 million in damage as a result of the storm, about $75 million of which was recouped through insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency funds. The state Legislature approved the bond sale to cover the remainder last year.

Sale of the bonds, which will be sold by competitive bid this spring, would bring the System's total bond indebtedness to about $294.53 million.

The regents will also consider a proposal to create a bachelor of science degree in environmental systems and modeling at UH, a multidisciplinary program that will address air quality issues. The proposed program would draw on the chemistry, geosciences and mathematics departments and would not require any new courses, faculty members, facilities or equipment.

Five to 10 students are expected to be enrolled in the program each year to begin, increasing to about 15 majors per year within five years.

Among other items on the agenda is Don N. Smith's official promotion to interim president of UH-Victoria. Smith, who was provost at Victoria, takes the presidency while a replacement for Karen Haynes, who left to become president at California State University San Marcos, is found.

The regents will also vote on Daniel P. Jaeckle's appointment as UHV's interim provost to fill the position Smith is vacating. 

Following the board meeting, System officials will hold a strategic planning meeting in UHV's University Center. 

The board meeting begins at 9 a.m. today at the UHV University Center, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. in Victoria. The strategic planning meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m.
 

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