Focus on Learning

Lyondell Chemical Co. received the University of Houston-Clear Lake Community Partnership Award during the Report to the Community breakfast event hosted by UH-Clear Lake President William A. Staples. The company was recognized for its support of environmental education and the university’s Environmental Institute of Houston’s educational efforts. Also speaking at the event were representatives of the institute and educational partners.

Pictured are Environmental Institute of Houston Executive Director George Guillen; Environmental Institute of Houston Habitat Curriculum Specialist Sheila Brown, Lyondell Chemical Co. plant managers Joe Marschhauser and Mike VanDerSnick; Staples; Lyondell Chemical Co. Regional Public Relations Manager Gayden Cooper; and Westbrook Intermediate School Science teacher Tiffany Garcia.

UH-Clear Lake recognizes ‘Natural Resources’

University reports on the progress during the past year

From the Office of Communications at University of Houston-Clear Lake

May 2, 2007

New academic degree programs, additional research funding and the importance of community partners highlighted University of Houston-Clear Lake President William A. Staples’ remarks as he presented the university’s Report to the Community at a breakfast event in March. Titled “Natural Resources,” the report offered readers a chance to review university activities for the past year.

“We continue striving to meet the needs of our community,” said Staples. “Adding degrees, conducting research and building partnerships are the best way we can do it.”

Staples remarked on the addition of several degrees including UH-Clear Lake ’s first doctoral program, the Doctor of Educational Leadership. The first cohort began the program this year and include administrators from several local school districts.

In addition to the doctoral program, UH-Clear Lake responded to local needs with the creation of the Master of Science in Biotechnology. Located in the middle of the Biotech corridor – halfway between the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Houston ’s medical center – UH-Clear Lake became the obvious choice for such a degree.

Staples also spoke about new degree programs slated for the future including the Master of Arts in Digital Media Studies, which was recently approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Master of Science in Engineering Management. Not only did the university add new programs, it gained prominence as the first of its kind when the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc. granted accreditation to the Bachelor of Science of Computer Information Systems. With this accreditation, which extends retroactively to 2004, UH-Clear Lake becomes the first Texas university to be accredited by ABET under this curriculum.

Other highlights of the morning presentation included the recognition of faculty grants taking place at the university. During 2006, Professor of Computer Science and Computer Information Systems Kwok- Bun Yue and Associate Professor of Computer Science and Computer Information Systems Sharon Perkins-Hall received a four-year $477,200 grant from the National Science Foundation to create the NSF Scholars Organization, a group that organizes resume workshops, arranges guest speakers and helps students build a community around success.

UH-Clear Lake’s Environmental Institute of Houston Executive Director George Guillen also spoke during the event as well as Environmental Institute of Houston Habitat Curriculum Specialist Sheila Brown and Westbrook Intermediate School Science teacher Tiffany Garcia. The three spoke of the importance of environmental education and partnerships with community businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to assist them in their goals.

“Many people do not realize how important the environment is,” said Brown. “But the children we work with understand it.”

In keeping with the topic of environmental education, Staples presented the 2007 Community Partnership Award to Lyondell Chemical Co. for their continued support of the Environmental Institute of Houston and the institute’s School Habitat Program.

“UH-Clear Lake salutes Lyondell Chemical Company and presents this award for the company’s continued support of the communities it serves,” said Staples. “Their dedication to social responsibility included not only an $8,000 check to fund a habitat, but also a personal commitment of more than 70 Lyondell employees who took part in a daylong habitat-building work session.”

Lyondell representatives present to receive the award included plant leaders Mike VanDerSnick and Joe Marschhauser. Also present was Lyondell’s Regional Public Relations Manager Gayden Cooper.

Sponsors of this year’s Report to the Community breakfast included Amegy Bank of Texas and GHG Corporation. Table decorations included sketches and brief descriptions by local elementary school students relaying their work in school habitats.

Since 1974, UH-Clear Lake has provided higher education opportunities to students in the Bay Area. The university offers upper-level courses leading to bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 fields of study, master’s degrees in more than 40 fields of study and a doctoral degree.

For more information about UH-Clear Lake , visit http://www.uhcl.edu. To obtain a copy of the Report to the Community, call 281-283-2004 or visit http://www.uhcl.edu/annualreport for an online version of the report.