For years, commencement at the University of Houston-Clear Lake was familiar territory for Dr. Uttam Pokharel.

As an associate professor of chemistry in UHCL’s College of Science and Engineering, he had watched countless students prepare to cross the stage. He had attended ceremonies as faculty, celebrated graduates from the audience, and experienced the excitement that fills the arena each spring.

But this year felt different.

This time, his daughter, Shradha Pokharel, was among the graduates.

“We all went together as a family in the same car,” Shradha said. “That was definitely a very special and unique moment for me because it’s like I am graduating, but then also my dad is in his regalia as a faculty member. So it’s both of us going together.”

For Uttam, the moment carried years of memories with it.

“I remember all those days when she was going to her first class, first school day, up to that point,” he said. “I memorized all those events, all those dates. That was very special for me. It was emotional.”

The journey that brought them both to UHCL started long before commencement day.

Shradha was about three years old when the family came to the United States from Nepal while Uttam pursued his academic career. Over the years, the family moved to different cities as his career evolved, eventually leading them to UHCL.

“Wherever I took her, she adapted,” Uttam said. “That is her qualification.”

By the time Shradha arrived at UHCL as a student, higher education was already a familiar part of her life. She had grown up watching her father teach, conduct research, and attend professional chemistry conferences. Those experiences helped spark her own interest in science.

“I was always very interested in chemistry as a child,” she said. “As early as third or fourth grade, I started memorizing the periodic table.”

That interest continued to grow through high school and into college, eventually leading her toward organic chemistry and work as a tutor helping fellow students navigate one of science’s more challenging subjects.

“I definitely felt a very big passion toward organic chemistry,” she said. “I hope I can share that passion with my students and help them break down the concepts better.”

Today, Shradha is preparing for her next step: applying to pharmacy school, where she hopes to combine her love of chemistry with her desire to help others through healthcare.

For Uttam, seeing his daughter pursue a path connected to science has been a source of pride, particularly because he said her success has always been driven by her own determination.

“She is a very honest student and very hardworking,” he said. “Even if we live in the same house, she was never dependent on my help academically. Typically, she does not ask those types of things.”

Despite sharing the same campus and even the same discipline, both father and daughter said they intentionally maintained professional boundaries at the university.

“She used to call me ‘doctor’ while she was in class, and I treated her in the same way,” Uttam said. “We completely maintained the professional distance when we were on campus.”

Shradha agreed.

“I didn’t really see it as, ‘Oh, my dad is up there teaching,’” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, Doctor Pokharel is up there teaching.’”

Outside the classroom, however, the relationship shifted naturally back to father and daughter. The two often traveled to campus together, sharing rides and daily routines that became part of their experience at UHCL.

“I think it’s also the little things,” Shradha said. “Going in the same car together and coming back home in the same car together. Those are also memories that we have.”

During commencement, one of those moments became especially meaningful for her.

“As soon as I came into the arena, I was looking over and trying to find my family members,” she said. “Of course, I also tried to find my dad. He was sitting at the very front.”

Later, as she crossed the stage, she spotted him again.

“He was recording me at that time as I was getting my diploma,” she said.

For Uttam, the ceremony represented more than a graduation. It was the culmination of years spent watching his daughter grow both personally and academically.

“As a professor, I deal with several students,” he said. “It gave me an opportunity to closely observe where my child is academically and understand her real potential.”

When asked to describe each other in just one word, their answers reflected the qualities they most admired.

“Hardworking,” Shradha said of her father.

“Adaptable,” Uttam said of his daughter.

Together, those qualities helped shape a journey that brought both father and daughter to the same commencement stage, each experiencing the moment from a different perspective, but sharing the same pride in how far they had come.

The regalia feels familiar. The processional music begins. Graduates wait anxiously to hear their names called as families search the arena for a first glimpse from the stands.

For many faculty members, commencement has long represented a familiar rhythm of academic life, celebrating students, watching families cheer from the audience, and returning each year to mark another milestone.

But for several University of Houston-Clear Lake faculty members attending this spring’s ceremonies, the moment carries a different weight. Alongside the celebration of graduating students comes the realization that this will also be one of their final commencements as educators, mentors, and colleagues at the university they helped shape over many years.

“This will probably be the last time I see all my faculty together,” said Larry Rohde of the College of Science and Engineering, who spent 27 years at UHCL. “There is the community of the faculty. We have all been here for many years.”

As faculty gathered backstage and prepared for the ceremonies to begin, conversations drifted between memories, future plans, and reflections on students whose lives intersected with their own classrooms, labs, and offices over decades of teaching.

For Kathleen Garland of the College of Business, commencement has always been about more than the stage itself. During her 20 years at UHCL, she often viewed the ceremony through the eyes of students and their families.

“For them, this is sometimes once in a lifetime,” Garland said. “For so many of these families, it’s the first time in the family. It’s hard to put into words what this means to me.”

Faculty members described commencement not simply as an ending, but as a continuation of the work students will carry forward long after graduation.

“The future belongs to those who come after us,” said Kevin Wooten of the College of Business, who spent nearly five decades connected to UHCL.

Across generations of students, faculty members said the most rewarding moments often came long after a semester ended. Some spoke about former students returning years later to reconnect, share career accomplishments, or simply say thank you. Others reflected on watching students grow into professionals who once doubted whether they belonged in higher education at all.

For many of the retiring faculty members, that purpose extended beyond teaching course material. They described a university culture centered on accessibility, empathy, and helping students believe they could succeed.

“A real love of teaching, a love for our specific student body, tremendous empathy and compassion for our students,” Garland said. “This ongoing commitment to meeting them where they are and lifting them up.”

Yvette Bendeck of the College of Business said relationships with students often extended well beyond the classroom.

“If they emailed me at one o’clock in the morning and I was awake, I would answer,” Bendeck said. “I was very accessible.”

During her 38 years at UHCL, Bendeck witnessed the university’s transition into a four-year institution and helped support enrollment growth as the university expanded opportunities for students.

“Being part of the university’s transition into a four-year institution is something I’m very proud of,” she said.

For Lisa Jones of the College of Education, commencement now carries a very different meaning than it did earlier in her career.

“My very first commencement as a professor was exciting because I had never been on that side,” Jones said. “I remember just the year before that I got hooded as a doctoral student.”

Now, after decades in education, she sees commencement as both a conclusion and a beginning.

“It’s an ending and also a beginning at the same time for the graduates and their families,” Jones said. “And then thinking about how much hopefully I had a positive impact on that journey for those students.”

Jones said commencement often brings back memories of the challenges students overcame and the growth they experienced throughout their time at UHCL.

Several faculty members reflected on the resilience of UHCL students over the years, particularly students balancing careers, families, financial pressures, and nontraditional educational journeys. Rohde, who described himself as a former nontraditional student, said helping students believe they could compete and succeed remained central to his work.

“I’ve always worked towards creating an environment in biology and biotech that improves the chances of my students to be able to compete,” Rohde said.

That work eventually helped support the creation of UHCL’s biotechnology graduate program, where Rohde served as the program’s first chair. Over the years, he said many former students returned to share stories about careers, graduate school acceptances, and professional accomplishments.

“And I’ve seen many of them go on to get PhDs from very prestigious universities,” Rohde said. “It’s really fun to see their success. I love it.”

Even as retirement approaches, several faculty members said the relationships built with students would remain long after leaving campus.

For others, commencement itself remained one of the most meaningful parts of academic life.

“Every time I’ve been here, I’ve had students that I worked with and helped,” Wooten said. “To see them reach their goals, that really is a remarkable achievement.”

Long after the final recessional ends and the last commencement photo is taken, the influence of these faculty members will continue through the students they taught, encouraged, challenged, and inspired throughout their careers.

For graduates, commencement marks the beginning of what comes next. For UHCL’s retiring faculty members, it offers a final opportunity to reflect on decades of purpose, community, and the students who now carry that legacy forward.

Spring 2026 Retiring Faculty Recognized During Commencement

10 a.m. Ceremony

Yvette Bendeck, College of Business, 38 years
Kathleen Garland, College of Business, 20 years
Gokhan Gercek, College of Business, 37 years
Lisa Gossett, College of Business, 33 years
Kevin Wooten, College of Business, 48 years
Lisa Jones, College of Education, 28 years
Paul Wagner, College of Education, 47 years
Laurie Weaver, College of Education, 38 years

3 p.m. Ceremony

Janice Bethany, College of Human Sciences and Humanities, 23 years
Barbara Hales, College of Human Sciences and Humanities, 24 years
Richard Puzdrowski, College of Science and Engineering, 27 years
Larry Rohde, College of Science and Engineering, 27 years
Kwok Bun Yue, College of Science and Engineering, 38 years

Students from the University of Houston-Clear Lake College of Education (COE) partnered with Pasadena Independent School District (ISD) and Holly Yoes Glass, Pasadena ISD K–4 science specialist, to bring science to life during the district’s annual STEAM Fair, creating hands-on learning experiences for elementary students across the community.

Inside the district’s CTE Mobile Learning Lab, young learners explored interactive science activities designed to spark curiosity and connect classroom concepts to real-world applications. From engineering mini robots to explosive “Elephant Toothpaste” experiments, the event encouraged students to see science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics as exciting pathways for discovery and innovation.

For UHCL’s students, the event represented more than community outreach. It was an opportunity to put educational leadership into practice while inspiring the next generation of learners.

“Getting to work with the kids at the STEAM Fair was such a fun experience,” said UHCL science methods student Sara Bobo. “Assisting with the Elephant Toothpaste station and seeing their curiosity and excitement during the experiment was so rewarding. Moments like that remind me how important it is for students to experience learning, not just hear about it, and why I chose to become an educator.”

Meghan Pavone, a Doctoral Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI) student, reflected on the impact of experiential learning throughout the event. “My experience at the Pasadena STEAM Fair was extraordinary,” she said. “Students rotated through STEAM experiences, discovering new ways of thinking and problems to solve.”

District leaders also praised the partnership between UHCL and Pasadena ISD. Yoes Glass noted that UHCL students “did an excellent job engaging and educating the young scientists and engineers” and emphasized the district’s appreciation for the continued collaboration with the UHCL COE.

The STEAM Fair, held in March, highlighted the shared commitment between UHCL and Pasadena ISD to community engagement, innovative teaching, and creating meaningful educational experiences that inspire children long after the event ends.

Dr. Carol Waters, UHCL’s assistant professor of STEM Education and STEM conference coordinator, said that volunteering at the Pasadena ISD Elementary STEAM Fair reminds her why partnerships between universities and school districts matter so deeply.

“Watching our science methods students and EDCI doctoral students engage with children and create meaningful learning experiences shows the true impact of educator preparation beyond the classroom.”

Furthermore, these experiences not only inspire young learners to see themselves in STEM fields but also strengthen UHCL’s future educators’ commitment to service, innovation, and community engagement.

“We are proud of our continued partnership with Pasadena ISD and look forward to expanding opportunities that keep curiosity, creativity, and the love of learning alive for students across our region,” said Waters.

Learn more about how UHCL’s COE is preparing future educators to lead, serve, and inspire through hands-on community engagement at www.uhcl.edu/education/.

The 10th Annual Greater Houston Area STEM Conference, held March 28 at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, brought together educators and STEM leaders for a full day of learning, collaboration, and innovation. The milestone event celebrated a decade of growth for one of the region’s most established STEM education conferences, featuring nearly 80 sessions, 41 exhibitors, and welcoming K–16 educators, university faculty, students, alumni, and industry partners from across Greater Houston and beyond, including presenters and exhibitors traveling from Idaho, Milwaukee, and the Philippines.

“The Greater Houston Area STEM Conference represents more than professional learning. It is a decade-long commitment to collaboration, innovation, and the building of a stronger STEM community,” said Dr. Carol Waters, UHCL associate professor of STEM education and conference organizer. “Over the years, it has become a cornerstone for STEM education in our region, bringing together educators, students, and community partners to share ideas, inspire growth, and strengthen our collective impact.”

Dr. Brenda Weiser, professor emeritus at UHCL, delivered the welcome address. Dr. Weiser helped found the conference alongside Dr. Michelle Peters 10 years ago, and her return to open this milestone celebration honored the vision, leadership, and community partnerships that launched the conference, making it a meaningful full-circle moment for attendees.

Across five breakout sessions, topics included artificial intelligence in STEM teaching and learning, science phenomena, inquiry and sensemaking, engineering design and maker-centered learning, technology integration, cross-curricular and interdisciplinary STEM, culturally responsive teaching, support for emergent bilingual and multilingual learners, and STEM teacher leadership. Attendees moved between presentations and interactive spaces, often carrying ideas from one to another.

The Exhibit Hall served as a central hub throughout the day, connecting participants with more than 40 organizations, including robotics teams, environmental groups, and education-focused companies, while also hosting networking, resource sharing, and conference activities such as door prizes.

UHCL students and alumni were a visible presence across the event. Undergraduate students from the UHCLTeach program presented posters and participated in sessions, while doctoral students in Curriculum and Instruction led research-based presentations focused on classroom practice, equity, and professional learning. Students from programs including the Master of Arts in Teaching participated, and UHCL alumni returned as presenters and exhibitors, reflecting ongoing partnerships with local schools and organizations.

The conference also featured contributions from University of Houston System initiatives, including ALL RISE and RESET. ALL RISE supports middle school science teachers through mentorship and professional learning that integrates language-rich, inquiry-based STEM instruction, while RESET advances research-driven STEM teaching through translanguaging and community-engaged learning experiences.

Organizers credited the event’s continued growth to strong support from donors, the community, and industry. Sponsorship from the UHCL Alumni Association, Impulse Technology Services, Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union, RPA Science, EduSmart, and the Harris County Soil and Water Conservation District helped keep the conference accessible while enhancing programming, hands-on learning, and engagement.

As the conference concluded, participants gathered certificates and reflected on the day’s sessions and activities. For many, the day stood out as a practical example of moving beyond discussion to give educators firsthand experience with engaging, applied learning they aim to create in their own classrooms and districts.

After a decade, the STEM conference continues to evolve, with a consistent focus on building connections, sharing ideas, and preparing the next generation of STEM educators and learners across the region.

“Celebrating 10 years of the STEM Conference is a reflection on how far we’ve come and a glimpse into what’s possible,” Waters said. “The energy, ideas, and collaboration we witnessed at this year’s conference reinforce UHCL’s role as a catalyst for innovative STEM education. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue growing this work of preparing future educators, elevating student voices, and strengthening partnerships that will shape the future of STEM across our region.”

Mark your calendar for next year’s conference on Saturday, March 27, 2027, and be part of the next decade of STEM innovation. Contact Waters at WatersC@UHCL.edu to learn how educators, students, and community partners can get involved, share ideas, and help shape the future of STEM education in the Greater Houston area.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake has selected a highly accomplished leader with 35 years of experience as its next Dean of the College of Education.

The appointment of Dr. Stephanie Biagetti, currently Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at California State University, Sacramento, was announced by Dr. Edward R. Waller, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost after approval was granted by the University of Houston System Board of Regents February 26. Biagetti’s official start date will be June 1.

“Dr. Biagetti was the top choice in a national search to lead faculty and staff in empowering our students to reach their academic goals,” Waller said. “Drawing from her extensive background as an educator and administrator, Dr. Biagetti has a proven ability to connect initiatives with priorities, fostering collaboration and institutional alignment to support college and university goals. Her leadership style emphasizes student engagement and innovation to ensure strategies are both data-driven and focused on student experiences and success.”

In her new role at UHCL, Biagetti will lead initiatives to champion the university’s mission to foster lifelong learning and prepare graduates to make meaningful contributions to their communities. She will work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and partners to elevate the College’s reputation for innovation and impact, strengthening its commitment to teacher preparation and leadership development. She is eager to bring her vision and experience to UHCL to build upon its legacy of leadership and to shape the College of Education’s next chapter of educational excellence.

 “The University of Houston-Clear Lake has a robust legacy in educating and training teachers and administrators to lead Texas schools,” Biagetti said. “I am honored to be chosen as Dean and join with the College of Education faculty and staff in preparing students to become a powerful force for change in and out of the classroom.”

Biagetti possesses 23 years of higher education experience, 11 years of college administrative experience, and 7 years as an Associate Dean. In her current role, she oversees a broad portfolio encompassing academic policy, budgeting, program review, wrap-around student support services, curriculum development, and personnel management. 

She oversaw programs that directly increased graduate program application numbers and improved graduate student engagement, retention, and completion, including the Graduate Preparation Academy for undergraduates and the Graduate Student Research Showcase. She led university-wide efforts to align assessment of learning outcomes with accreditation expectations. She also facilitated development of initiatives that produced measurable increases in enrollment, student engagement, and graduation rates. 

Biagetti holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Schooling (Assessment Curriculum and Teaching Studies), a Master of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies with a Minor emphasis in Mathematics, all from the University of California, Los Angeles.

In addition to Sacramento State, Biagetti has experience with the University of California, Davis; California State University, Fullerton; UCLA; the University of California Office of the President; and Santa Monica (California) High School and Viewpoint School. She has served as a principal or co-principal investigator on seven research projects and lead or co-lead on another 10 projects and initiatives. She is also an author or co-author of more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Orphaned at a young age, Dean Pedro found stability and purpose in her grandmother’s care and the values of humility, faith, and service instilled within the walls of St. Joseph’s Convent. Even as a child, she stood out with a quiet compassion and eagerness to help others. She was a choir member, a leader, and a dreamer. Dean Pedro was already teaching neighborhood children at 12, unknowingly sowing the seeds of a lifelong calling.

“When I was around 12 years old, I started teaching my younger brother and the neighbor’s children to read and do math,” Dean Pedro said. “Throughout my academic journey, I focused on understanding and sharing concepts in a way that helped my peers and me pass exams. I believe that my experiences have shaped my passion for teaching.”

Teaching was never just a profession for Dean Pedro. It was — and remains — a sacred vocation and a purpose stitched into her identity. “I genuinely believe teaching is a calling,” she said. That calling led her through a rich and expansive career, beginning with teaching high school in her homeland, before finding her true passion in special education. Dean Pedro’s deep commitment to students with different abilities guided her to the School for the Hearing Impaired, and later to the Wharton Patrick Special School and beyond.

But Dean Pedro was never content being still. Her path was one of purposeful ascent. As she taught, she also learned, earning her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech, her master's in Special Education from the University of Miami, and continuing to build bridges between educational theory and lived experience.

Her early work at the University of the West Indies and the University of Sheffield set the stage for global influence. From coordinating international programs to training educators across the Caribbean and North America, she fiercely devoted herself to inclusive, reflective, and culturally aware teaching.

Then came her impactful 15-year tenure at the University of Hartford, where she held many academic leadership roles. She shaped the teacher education curriculum, advanced accreditation efforts, and created space for new ideas. But in 2016, a new horizon beckoned.

She arrived at UHCL with a heart full of vision and a spirit ready to serve. Drawn by the warmth of the Gulf Coast and the welcoming campus community, Dean Pedro quickly became a beloved figure. As associate dean and later as dean of the COE, she brought not just leadership, but transformational leadership, the kind rooted in care, collaboration, and courage.

“When I arrived at UHCL, I immediately felt at home, like part of a family,” Dean Pedro said. “The genuine acceptance and support I received from faculty, staff, and administration truly made a difference,” she continued. “I saw UHCL as a university with incredible potential and a bright future, especially in STEM education. The institution's commitment to preparing future leaders in education and counseling resonated deeply with me.”

From the beginning of her deanship in May 2020, Dean Pedro sought not just to manage, but to ignite. Under her guidance, the COE evolved in scope and spirit. She launched the college’s first-ever Board of Advisors, designed to fortify support and bring the broader community into the educational conversation. She spearheaded initiatives like the Middle School STEM Pipeline in Dickinson Independent School District (ISD), opening doors for young learners and educators in science and innovation.

Furthermore, Dean Pedro championed pathways for students through Teacher Residency programs, high school-to-career pipelines, and ongoing faculty development. Under her leadership, the UHCL COE did not just respond to the community’s needs — it anticipated them, growing stronger through intentional partnerships, bold innovation, and a shared belief in every student's potential.

Dean Pedro’s proudest accomplishments were not measured in titles or accolades, but in impact. The Teacher Induction Ceremony, now a cherished tradition, was her brainchild, born from a simple desire to celebrate students meaningfully. The first event filled the Bayou Theater and touched hundreds of lives. “We filled the theater each semester,” Dean Pedro recalled joyfully. “It became a space of pride, unity, and hope.”

That same spirit of purpose and compassion that sparked the Teacher Induction Ceremony carried into every challenge Dean Pedro faced. Through challenges like budget constraints and recruitment struggles, she remained a lighthouse of optimism, constantly reminding her colleagues that with perseverance, vision, and heart, obstacles could become opportunities. Her leadership was not loud, but unshakably strong — fueled by integrity, anchored in humility, and always focused on lifting others.

“Despite difficulties, I focus on motivation and encouragement,” said Dean Pedro. “My goal is to empower my team to navigate current difficulties and continue preparing teachers who can truly impact children’s futures.”

In reflecting on Dean Pedro’s profound influence and legacy, UHCL Provost Christopher Maynard said it is one of unwavering dedication, charismatic leadership, and a deep commitment to the transformative power of education.

“As Dean of the COE, she has inspired faculty, empowered students, and strengthened our community through her tireless advocacy for student success and experiential learning,” said Provost Maynard. “Her retirement marks the close of a remarkable chapter, but her impact will continue to shape UHCL for generations to come. We are deeply grateful for her service and wish her a retirement filled with happiness and fulfillment.”

Dean Pedro’s legacy is not only etched into programs and policies — it is alive in people: the faculty she mentored, the students she inspired, and the communities she served. She led with empathy and love.

After 56 years in education, Dean Pedro is entering a new chapter — not to rest, but to rediscover. With plans to write poems, paint, travel, and most importantly, be present with her children and grandchildren across the globe, she is stepping away from formal leadership, but not from a life of purpose. “I want to give back,” Dean Pedro said. “For all the wonderful opportunities and blessings I’ve received.”

Dean Pedro’s message to UHCL is simple and deeply reflective of who she is: “Continue to be the best you can be and move toward your highest potential. Every step you take contributes to your journey, and the strength and success of our community,” she said.

And her parting wisdom to future educators? “Always prioritize empathy and genuine connection. Remember that inspiring and supporting students is about understanding their unique journeys and fostering a love for learning,” Dean Pedro added.

In a world so often hungry for titles, power, and prestige, Dean Joan Yvonne Pedro chose something far greater — to walk in compassion, lead with grace, and teach in a way that transforms minds and hearts.

Her legacy is not just what she built, but how she loved — and that, more than anything, is what will endure.

At University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), faculty and staff are more than educators — they are mentors, innovators, and leaders. To support their growth, UHCL is launching the Leaders in Flight program, an initiative designed to develop strong, visionary leaders who can drive positive change across campus and beyond.

Built on a foundation of strategic growth and leadership development, the program is structured around three key pillars: leadership fundamentals, developing others, and creating a vision for change. Participants will engage in hands-on learning, covering essential skills such as leadership presence, team building, coaching, SWOT analysis, and change implementation.

The initiative goes beyond traditional leadership training by incorporating department and division presentations, panel discussions, and post-graduation support, ensuring long-term impact. By fostering leadership from within, Leaders in Flight will help shape the future of UHCL’s locations, networks, and the greater community — creating a stronger, more supportive learning environment where students can thrive.

The program’s tentative timeline includes a comprehensive build-out phase from May to October 2025, followed by a nomination process in November. Selected participants will be notified by December, and the first cohort will officially launch in January 2026.

“We are building leaders — one Hawk at a time,” the program’s founder, Esther Herrera, said, underscoring UHCL’s commitment to leadership excellence.  As UHCL continues shaping the future of education and community engagement, Leaders in Flight is poised to be a transformative force in developing strong, visionary leaders.

UHCL’s HR Training office, in partnership with the Center for Faculty Development (CFD), is seeking dedicated faculty and staff to serve as program partners. Volunteers will help build and facilitate portions of the program, playing a crucial role in shaping its success.

To learn more about the Leaders in Flight program or explore volunteer opportunities, contact Esther Herrera at HerreraEs@uhcl.edu.

University of Houston-Clear Lake’s (UHCL) Center for Faculty Development (CFD) recently hosted its 2025 Faculty Development Week, culminating in the annual Faculty Development Awards ceremony. The event recognized outstanding faculty who have made significant contributions to teaching excellence, research innovation, and student success.

Dr. Marci McMahon, executive director of the CFD, highlighted its mission to offer diverse opportunities that enhance UHCL faculty members' teaching and research roles and honor their contributions to the university.

“Honoring UHCL faculty through our annual awards ceremony is a highlight of our Center's programming,” said McMahon. “Our CFD Awards program ensures that faculty feel seen, heard, and recognized for their numerous contributions that elevate and enhance student success at UHCL.”

During the program, faculty members were honored in categories, including “Number of Students Taught,” “Go to 11 Award,” “Scholarship to Improve Higher Education,” “Early Career Award,” and the “Texas Research & Scholarship Award,” among others.

This year, the “College Cup” was presented to the College of Human Sciences and Humanities, awarded to a College with the highest faculty participation in CFD activities.

The annual CFD Awards program promotes a campus culture that values intellectual inquiry, scholarship, and creative engagement. This year’s winners are as follows:

Number of Students Taught

Faculty who have taught 5000+ students

Barry Marks, Alfredo-Perez Davila, Clifton Mayfield, Susan Sorensen, Faiza Zalila

Faculty who have taught 2500+ students

Krishani Abeysekera, Stephen Gruber, Jeffrey Lash, Ahmed Abukmail, Laura Guerrero, Judith Marquez, Said Bettayeb, Michael Heerey, Brian Stephens, Nelson Carter, Raymond Khoury, Felicia Thomas, William Kilgore

Faculty who have taught 1000+ students

 Manki Cho, Marjorie Paben, Sheila Schatzke, Rachel Hensley, Deani Quick, Joseph Stromberg, Anne Marcoline, Unal “Zak” Sakoglu, Steven Sutherland

“Go to 11” Award: Faculty who earned 11 or more credits for activities sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development.

 Sheila Baker, Giazú Enciso Domínguez, Michael LaMontagne, Donglai Bao, Leslie Gauna, Ashley MacPherson, Robert Bartsch, Anne Gessler, Shreerekha Pillai, Kazi Billah, Michelle Giles, Uttam Pokharel, Caroline Crawford, Shanna Graves, Roberta Raymond, Mary Curtis, Shivani Gupta, Christal Seahorn, Soma Datta, Kelsey James, Xiaojun “Gene” Shan, Kent Divoll, Lisa Jones, Christine Walther, Angela Kelling, Anna Klyueva, Jeffery Whitworth

“Go to 11” All-Stars: Faculty who earned the most credits in the “Go to 11” award category sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development.

Christine Walther, Angela Kelling, Gene “Xiaojun” Shan

 CFD Early Career Faculty Awards: Recognizing early career faculty who have performed at a very high level before they apply for promotion.

Jane Cooper, Giazú Enciso Domínguez, Charuksha Walgama 

Instructional Innovation Award: Recognizing faculty for stimulating a spirit of experimentation and creativity in trying out new ideas to enhance teaching and learning in specific, practical, and generalizable ways.

Kathleen Garland, Food Deserts Scavenger Hunt

Kimberly McGough, Counseling Intervention Infomercials: Shark Tank©Style

Daniel Silvermintz, Antigone vs Creon: Staging a Mock Trial to Develop Ethical Problem

Solving

Allyssa Wadsworth, 2008 Financial Crisis Interview and Round Table Discussion 

Scholarship to Improve Higher Education: Recognizing faculty for publishing or presenting scholarship to improve academia.

Dina Abdel-Zaher, Building Synergistic Mindsets in International Business Education: The Unmet Demands of a VUCA Marketplace

Debra Clark, A Case Study Discussion of ‘Strange Fruit’: Teaching an Interdisciplinary-Multimedia Lesson Regarding Vigilante Justice and Racism in the United States

Soma Datta, Using Kolb's Experiential Learning in Agile Software Development Course

Wanalee Romero, Abolishing the Language of Slavery: Critical Pedagogy for Anti-Racist Conversations 

Texas Research & Scholarship Award: Recognizing faculty for high level of scholarship on topics concerning the state of Texas.

Kimberly Dodson, Transforming Research into Practice: Holding Police Accountable by Examining Officer’s Attitudes Regarding Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) in a Border Community

Jennifer Grace, ‘Not Looking to Blame, Shame or Horrify People’: Texas Educational Leaders Reflect on Employing Anti-Racism in Everyday School Leadership

Lisa Gossett, Dow’s Reservoir and the Realities of Flooding in Texas

Michelle Peters, The Influence of COVID-19 on Campus Leaders’ Curriculum Integration, Perceptions Towards, and Acquired Expertise in Technology

CFD Staff Appreciation Award: Awarded annually to a distinguished staff member who has shown outstanding excellence and superior performance in assisting the Center for Faculty Development in accomplishing its goals.

Lee Hilyer, Executive Director, Alfred R. Neumann Library 

College Cup: Awarded annually to a UHCL college with highest faculty participation in Center for Faculty Development activities.

College of Human Sciences and Humanities

For more information about UHCL’s CFD, visit www.uhcl.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-development/.

Learning doesn't stop at graduation; it’s a lifelong journey. Thanks to UHCL's new Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), adults can expand their knowledge by gaining targeted skills in a specific area or exploring a new interest. PACE offers over a dozen expert-led courses throughout the year at UHCL, UHCL at Pearland, and online. These courses are designed to enrich lifelong learners, support career growth, and enhance professional expertise.

In collaboration with the UHCL Alumni Association, PACE also invites community members to apply to share their expertise in various subjects as volunteers in a weekly presentation series called The Scholars' Circle at the UHCL and UHCL at Pearland. Desired topic areas include food and nutrition, history and memory, and mindfulness and well-being, among others.

Launched in January 2025, PACE is led by Director Shannon Samuelson, who is committed to making professional development more accessible and impactful.

"The institution has always had continuing education," she said. “I was hired to create a centralized location for learners to find everything they need in one place.”

Packed with valuable information that learners can apply at work and in everyday life, the program underscores UHCL's mission of meeting the community's professional, educational, economic, and cultural needs.

Attendees can take courses in subjects ranging from human resources to digital marketing to learning about NASA’s vibrant history, to name a few. Certificate programs and customized training for organizations are coming soon. In addition to equipping attendees with knowledge and skills, many PACE courses issue continuing education units (CEUs), professional development credits, or other certifications that attendees may need to maintain professional licensure or credentials.

"We have the ability to be creative, innovative, and flexible in a way that credit courses don't have," Samuelson said. "Dreaming big is what we do."

PACE courses are accessible to everyone with no admission requirements, though some certificate programs and specialized courses may have application or experience prerequisites. Courses may also have prior experience requirements. Just as with many degree programs at UHCL, PACE offers flexible program options to accommodate various schedules, including online and evening classes, hands-on workshops, and weekend sessions.

This month's lineup includes "5 Voices for Leaders" on February 25, "Apollo's Deep Roots in Houston" on February 27, and "Introduction to Digital Marketing for Small Businesses" on February 28, among others. Courses are affordably priced, ranging from free to $125.

Samuelson expects more UHCL departments and career-centered organizations to play a role in developing and offering future courses.

"We are still in the building phases, but we currently have collaborations with the Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH) and Dr. Phalen with the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC)," she said. “We expect more exciting offerings soon.”

She also hopes that PACE will have the opportunity to host a second no-cost summer series again; in the summer of 2024, PACE hosted a free introductory series that was well-received by attendees. Her vision for future courses includes a focus on STEM fields as well.

"We are hoping to partner with industry leaders to create innovative solutions in safety, technology, environmental, and other STEM fields," she added.

To learn more about PACE, browse the complete list of courses, or to register, visit the PACE website.

Every year, thousands of university students celebrate the culmination of their collegiate studies by walking across a stage as family and friends proudly watch and cheer. At the University of Houston-Clear Lake, this celebration includes a unique group of individuals transforming their future through education. This year, UHCL welcomed 31 graduates from its Transforming Lives by Degrees (TLD) program into its 81,000-strong alumni network.

The TLD program, directed by Dr. William P. Powers and housed in the College of Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH), is a partnership between UHCL and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s W.F. Ramsey Unit in Rosharon, TX. The program offers incarcerated individuals the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences, or even a Master of Arts in Humanities.

The TLD ceremony was held on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at the Springfellow Prison Unit in Rosharon, TX, with dozens of family members, friends, faculty, and staff in attendance. This biannual service commonly stirs a range of emotions, both for the graduates and those in the crowd, and this year’s event was no exception.

“The ceremony was as beautiful and meaningful as always with students walking up to the stage to receive their degrees and shake hands with the president, provost, and dean of our college while their loved ones, faculty and staff watched in rapt attention the chapel,” said Dr. Shreerekha Pillai,  humanities professor and Associate Dean of the College of HSH. “I had the high honor of reading the names of our graduates, which was very moving as they walked up to the stage. The chapel was filled with tremendous joy and a positive feeling as the Alvin and UHCL teams congratulated the students.”

Of the 31 graduates, 12 received a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, 13 received a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences-General, and six received a Master of Arts in Humanities. For the recipients, these degrees are more than just a piece of paper or a symbol of completed coursework. They represent a second chance that many of these men thought they would never receive while still behind bars. They represent personal transformation and a hope for a better future.

Michael Loya was selected as the student speaker for the ceremony. He graduated with a Master of Arts in Humanities. To the surprise of his faculty members, Loya gave an inspiring speech from memory.

“He blew us away,” said Dr. Pillai. “He thanked the faculty and the university for providing rigorous, sophisticated and deep learning within the confines of the prison that in many ways helps to enlarge his vision, sharpen his critical thinking and writing skills, and deepen his compassion. He spoke from his heart on the importance of a humanities education and its value in his life and the lives of his peers.”

This commencement brings the total of TLD graduates to more than 700. More than 300 of those graduates have earned a master’s degree through the program, and many have found gainful employment after serving their sentence.

To learn more about UHCL’s prison reform program, visit the Transforming Lives by Degrees webpage.

The nursing shortage in the U.S. is a critical issue, projected to leave a gap of over 78,000 full-time registered nurses by 2025. Addressing this challenge head-on, Karen Alexander, the director of nursing and an associate professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), has secured a $378,753 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Nursing Shortage Reduction Program. This funding is set to bolster UHCL’s efforts in recruiting and retaining bilingual students in UHCL’s Nursing program, increasing overall enrollment, and fostering innovative teaching methods to ensure a new generation of nursing educators and professionals.

Alexander attributes the nursing shortage, in part, to a lack of nurse educators and believes the grant will enhance degree marketing efforts, ultimately leading to more qualified nursing educators and healthcare professionals throughout the state.

“This grant will help us market people to our new MSN Nursing Education and Leadership degree,” she said, “so we will be putting out educators who can help alleviate many of the waitlists that students sometimes have to go through to get into a pre-license nursing program.”

Targeting bilingual students is one of the primary subgoals of the grant. UHCL is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and 25% of Houston residents identify as Hispanic. Therefore, Alexander said reaching this population should be easy. She plans to draw other ethnicities to the program as well, not just Spanish-speaking groups. She said she wants to advertise on radio, movie theatres, social media, and streaming TV stations as well as magazines geared toward specific ethnic groups to help reach this goal.

“We have a large population of Asian nurses in the Houston area, and I think sometimes they get underrepresented in this profession, so we want to make that sure we include them,” she said. “We also have a large population of nurses who are from various parts of Africa. There is such a melting pot in Houston that we can tap into as well as other parts of the U. S.”

As a veteran, Alexander hopes to draw more veterans to UHCL’s nursing program as well, along with male students. Data USA calculates that men represent less than 13% of the workforce of registered nurses in Texas.

The grant funds are also slated to increase overall enrollment of nursing students. Alexander said she often encounters people who are not aware that UHCL offers nursing and healthcare degrees, so she emphasized the importance of advertising the highlights of this MSN Nursing Education and Leadership degree program which combines both. She mentioned UHCL’s unique Healthcare Administration MHA, program which provides courses for the MSN Nursing Education and Leadership degree that one would get in a MBA program and the accelerated and HyFlex (hybrid flexible) nature of the nursing programs as a couple of these highlights. In addition to recruiting new nursing students via marketing, she hopes current students will become ambassadors for the programs, thereby increasing enrollment by word of mouth.

In the area of instruction, Alexander expects the grant to help UHCL professors apply more innovative teaching methods in their classrooms. She said the faculty members always strive for innovation and stated that the HyFlex class format serves as an example. Giving students beneficial opportunities outside the classroom and providing exam-related resources are other ways of achieving this objective of innovation, she said.

“We are trying to give students the experience of being able to attend conferences, present, publish, and have their publications known before they even get out of school,” she said. “Also, because we are a master’s program of nursing education, we are going to ensure that we give students all the resources they need to be prepared to sit for the certified nurse exam so they can be certified educators when they walk out the door. That is very big.”

In accomplishing these goals, Alexander is confident that the THECB Nursing Shortage Reduction Program grant will position UHCL as a leader in addressing the statewide nursing shortage.

“We’re going to have those educators out here, and they’re going to be educating new and upcoming nurses,” she said. “The graduates of our RN to BSN program will be the best leaders that you can find at institutions out there, and they are going to be the next generation to move forward into not only our master’s program, but into shaping nursing and leaving a legacy.”

More information about UHCL’s nursing degrees can be found on the Nursing Program webpage.

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is committed to fostering global dialogue by welcoming two J-1 faculty scholars from Oman for the upcoming academic year. Dr. Said Al-Riyami will represent the College of Business (COB), while Dr. Laila Al-Salmi will join the College of Education (COE). The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program aims to provide participants with opportunities to engage with Americans, share their culture, enhance their English language skills, and develop new competencies that will benefit their future careers. Through this initiative, UH-Clear Lake is poised to create a vibrant academic environment that encourages collaboration and cultural exchange, enriching the experiences of both scholars and students alike.

This exciting initiative will enrich the university’s academic landscape through collaborative research and teaching, creating an invaluable opportunity for cultural exchange. As these scholars share their expertise and perspectives, UHCL is set to become a hub of international ideas, inspiring students and faculty to explore new horizons in education and innovation.

Al-Riyami, an assistant professor of organizational behavior and head of the Department of Management at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, specializes in research areas such as leadership, workplace ostracism, withdrawal behaviors, perceived organizational support, thriving, work-life balance, and mindfulness. Recently, he has expanded his focus to include entrepreneurship-related topics, specifically exploring digital readiness and entrepreneurial intentions.

“I am working on artificial intelligence in management education, job embeddedness, and high intention to quit among employees of the tourism and hospitality sector in Oman, workplace incivility in the hospitality sector, and exploring job crafting from a motivational perspective,” said Al-Riyami.

Additionally, Al-Riyami plans to be a guest speaker in the COB's management courses, particularly those focused on organizational behavior. He emphasized the welcoming environment at UHCL, expressing his enthusiasm for engaging with students and faculty.

“Honestly speaking, UHCL has been very supportive and responsive since day one, even before my arrival to the USA,” said Al-Riyami. “Before my arrival, an office was allocated for me with all the stationary needed plus a UHCL e-account where I can have internet access and other e-resources.”

Furthermore, Al-Riyami anticipates that this collaboration will lead to joint research publications and may inspire some faculty members to consider spending their sabbaticals in Oman.

The J-1 exchange visitor visa allows students and scholars to participate in educational and cultural programs in the United States (U.S.), after which they can return to their home countries to share their experiences and encourage colleagues in the U.S. to engage in similar programs abroad. To qualify for a J-1 visa, at least 50% of the total financial support must come from sources other than personal or family funds. Acceptable forms of financial support include scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships from external sources such as a home government, corporate sponsors, or UHCL. Individuals relying solely on personal or family funding are ineligible for a J-1 visa.

For more information about the J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program, visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/education-abroad/scholar-services/.

“Education has given me a new outlook on life. I firmly believe that knowledge is the vehicle for change.” These powerful words, spoken by an inmate of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), reflect the life-changing impact of University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Transforming Lives by Degrees (TLD) program. For 50 years, TLD has provided incarcerated individuals with the opportunity to earn a college degree while serving time, offering not just an education, but a second chance.

Founded in 1974, the program has transformed lives, empowered minds, and helped redefine their future, all while embodying UHCL’s mission to transcend boundaries and uplift communities. This year, as TLD celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year alongside the university that founded it, it serves as a powerful reminder of the lasting impact education can have on justice-impacted individuals, and the enduring dedication of the faculty, graduates, and supporters who have contributed to its success.

“Teaching the most marginalized people in society — the incarcerated — demonstrates these individuals’ hunger for knowledge, but more importantly, they are willing to work for their second chance,” said Dr. Kimberly Dodson, a criminology and criminal justice professor who began teaching for the program in 2019.

Adding to this, Dr. Shreerekha Pillai, the associate dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities, shared, “The faculty wanted to make a university that was inclusive for working adults, and I think part of their aspiration was that these ‘people’ should include those who are incarcerated. They need to be educated, too, because that’s going to serve our society in the long run.”

About the Program

TLD is a remote component of UHCL that allows inmates to become college graduates, without ever setting foot on campus. Instead, UHCL faculty bring the education to them at the W.F. Ramsey Unit, a TDCJ prison farm in Rosharon, TX. Inmates can earn one of two interdisciplinary undergraduate degrees from UHCL’s College of Human Sciences and Humanities: a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities or a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science-General. They can also earn a Master of Arts in Humanities after successful completion of their undergraduate degree. The degree requirements for incarcerated UHCL students are the same as the ones for any other UHCL student.

TLD courses are taught exclusively by UHCL faculty, and each professor chooses to teach in the program; UHCL has never required any faculty member to participate in TLD as a condition of employment. Many consider this a strength of the program and a testament to the unwavering support of its mission over the years.

Throughout TLD’s 50-year history, students have earned degrees via funding from various sources, including grants and loans. In 2016, UHCL was one of 62 colleges and universities selected to participate in the Second Chance Pell Experiment. The Obama-Biden Administration launched this initiative in 2015 to expand access to Federal Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals enrolled in a prison program. TLD still benefits from this initiative today.

After completing the program, students can participate in a commencement ceremony at the unit, donning caps and gowns like any other college graduate. They also have the opportunity to speak publicly about their experience with TLD in front of family, friends, faculty, and other program supporters. Dr. Amy Lucas, an HSH department chair associated with TLD, shared her thoughts about the program.

“The students and faculty are so dedicated to the true value of education, in terms of wanting to use education to develop skills to learn how to critically think and engage in dialogue,” she said.

Impact of the Program

To date, almost 700 students have graduated from TLD, including more than 300 who have earned a master’s degree. Many have found employment in sites such as the Texas Railroad Commission, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, community corrections centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, and even at UHCL. Others have furthered their education and started small businesses, but the benefits of the program transcend gainful employment. The recidivism rate, financial impact on the community, and psychological transformation of the graduates also play a role in the program’s impact.

“Across the board, studies of correctional education have demonstrated a remarkably consistent reduction in recidivism by as much as 50%, and in some cases to an untraceable amount at the master’s level,” explained Dr. William Powers, the program director.

Keeping people out of prison saves tax dollars, he added. The number of individuals in Texas prisons has a direct impact on the amount of money in correctional budget savings, according to RAND Corporation. In addition, correctional education programs help improve the prison environment.

“One of the clearest and most immediate benefits of correctional education is that in many cases, students who are also offenders take leadership roles in mentoring and tutoring programs in the prison,” said Powers. “The prison is a safer unit because of the presence of these academic programs.”

Pareshkumar Patel, a graduate of TLD, took on a leadership role while incarcerated. He said he encountered many men who lacked math skills, so he began teaching math for GED classes at the Ramsey Unit. After his tutoring proved successful, he was transferred to the education department at the unit.

From a psychological standpoint, the program makes a positive impact on the minds of the graduates as well. After completing the program, graduates do not leave prison the same way them came. Dr. Pillai has witnessed this change firsthand; she began teaching for TLD in 2007.

“They’re coming back to society as deeply reformed, deeply thoughtful, introspective, and kind people, people who have literally found their sense of themselves,” she said.

Faculty Testimonies

The program would not have lasted 50 years without the dozens of faculty members who believed in its mission. Many professors taught with TLD for several decades, including Dr. John Gorman. Gorman, a charter literature and humanities professor, was one of the program’s first faculty members and taught for 40 years before retiring. He described his time at the prison as “one of the key elements” of his life at UHCL and recalled meeting “many wonderful students.”

“It was a pleasure to provide intervals of civilized discourse on important matters where men were called Mr. X or Y or Z and a sense of friendly (usually) community and mutual involvement developed,” he said. “There was seriousness, but also laughter.”

Dr. Keith Parsons and Dr. Craig White are two other long-serving faculty members. Parsons taught from 1996-2022. He described the experience at the Ramsey Unit as deeply rewarding, adding that “education is the greatest healer and sows hope in the field of despair.” White taught from 1997-2019. He called his time at the unit an adventure, but he also expressed how challenging it was to have the freedom to leave the prison while his students stayed behind.

Dr. Christine Kovic started teaching at TLD in 2019 and experienced this same contradiction. She shared positive memories of her time teaching anthropology courses.

“I encountered new ways of seeing and understanding the world through the deep analysis of my students, who constantly connected the readings to their own life experiences,” she said. “We never had enough time for our discussions, and at times, there was so much excitement for ideas that I couldn’t get in a word.”

Student Testimonies

Several graduates of the program also shared their thoughts about their experience, including Antoine Thurston, Christopher Montez, and Johnny Ward. Thurston said his prison education helped him with day-to-day interactions and conversations with people, and made his life there “more enriching.” Montez said he chose to participate in the program to empower himself, make wiser decisions, and find his purpose. Ward wrote a book entitled “Gridlock: An Anthology of Prison Narratives” about his and his fellow inmates’ experience as TLD students.

Pareshkumar Patel, the graduate who provided math tutoring to fellow inmates, said his “passion to teach and make a difference” strengthened during his time in prison.

“I look for ways to humanize those who have transformed their lives through education and want to be contributing members of society,” he added. “I want to pave the way for the next ones coming behind."

The Houston Reentry Convening event that took place at UHCL in September 2024 featured Patel as a panelist who spoke about TLD. Educating an inmate helps to restore their dignity, gives them a sense of purpose, and helps them break a generational cycle, he said.

Spreading the Word and Looking Ahead

By 2010, hundreds of inmates had earned a degree from UHCL, and faculty members wanted even more individuals to benefit from TLD. To expose the program to a larger intellectual community, Pillai, a TLD faculty member, started recording her students at the Ramsey Unit giving presentations. She then displayed the recordings every year at UHCL’s Annual Research and Creative Arts Conference. Her efforts paid off; in 2018, TLD received the Academics for Excellence Award from the University of Houston System Board of Regents.

The desire to bring wider attention to the program included other professors as well, including Dr. Beth Merfish, who taught art history for TLD. She helped orchestrate the addition of a theatrical hip-hop and multimedia stage production called “Lyrics from Lockdown” to UHCL’s Bayou Theater 2023/2024 season lineup. The production showcased TLD while highlighting the need for prison reform on a national level. An exhibition at UHCL’s Art Gallery accompanied the show in September 2023.

Also in 2023, Pillai published an edited volume with University of Illinois Press called Carceral Liberalism: Feminist Voices Against State Violence. The volume includes excerpts from colleagues who have taught at the Ramsey Unit over the years, among others.

With 50 years to look back on, the faculty hopes the program will see another 50 years and more. Pillai said she wants to see more students have the opportunity to be part of TLD and for more resources to be made available to them. She also hopes for more faculty participation.

She and other faculty members, including the program director, also look forward to TLD’s expansion to female inmates. According to Powers, TLD is working toward using ITV to offer degrees at Lucile Plane State Jail, a women’s prison in Dayton, TX. Powers said he hopes the program will expand to other units as well and offer more bachelor’s degrees.

Recognizing the impact that the program has had on the community and in celebration of the 50^th anniversary, Houston Mayor John Whitmire declared September 5, 2024, as Transforming Lives by Degrees Day. The proclamation appears on a plaque and now hangs on the front wall of the HSH Dean’s Suite. Harris County also proclaimed this date to be “50^th Anniversary of Transforming Lives by Degrees Program Day” in Harris County, in recognition of the faculty’s contributions to the community and dedication to nurturing the next generation of leaders.”

To learn more about this 50-year program, visit the Transforming Lives by Degrees webpage.

Dr. Elizabeth Beavers’ journey into the realm of education began at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she initially majored in psychology. It wasn’t long before she discovered her true passion lay with teaching.  

 “That passion included advocating for others while creatively problem-solving, inspiring families, supporting other teachers, and continually growing myself,” she explained. “Within the field of early childhood special education, I found true joy in working with families, collaborating with peers, and mostly in seeing children thrive.”  

 Today, Dr. Beavers is an associate professor of special education at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL). Her commitment to service is profound, having held over 100 service commitments and leadership roles throughout her career. She currently co-chairs the New Teacher Mentoring Collaborative Initiative, through which she has mentored 15 new teachers. Her leadership extends beyond mentoring, as she also provides training and resources to adjunct professors year-round.  

 “Much of my early leadership experiences were due in part to leading by doing or supporting others, which opened opportunities to expand my leadership capacities in different realms of experiences,” she said. “My desire to lead is really rooted in a desire to advocate, empower, and evolve change or growth.” 

Dr. Beavers’ devotion to lead and serve others spans multiple facets of the university and higher education. She served on UH-Clear Lake’s Faculty Senate for three years as president-elect and president. She also served on the University of Houston System Faculty Senate Executive Committee. Currently, she serves as director of UHCL’s Special Education (SPED) program, for which she has led restructuring and actively recruits.   

Her long list of achievements has not gone unnoticed by her peers, leading to her selection for the 2024 President’s Distinguished Service Award.  

“The very things that are at the heart of my love for teaching are what attract me to opportunities to serve others,” she said. “My goals in serving UHCL and our community involve being an active contributor when appropriate, whether it’s recognizing where a voice is needed and speaking up, identifying where I may possibly contribute to solutions, or seeking to support others.” 

UHCL President Richard Walker highlighted the milestone celebration and the profound impact of the university’s educators on academic excellence and community growth.

“We launched in 1974, and as our university’s logo says ‘we’re still soaring,’ said Walker. “It is all about student success, and our students would not be successful without the dedication and support of our faculty.”

Furthermore, President Walker mentioned that UHCL is one of four universities in the University of Houston System, but it is a very distinct institution. UHCL’s unique focus on personalized education and flexibility has created a learning environment where innovation thrives and meaningful impact is achieved.

Dr. Christopher Maynard, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, emphasized that learning at UHCL extends beyond traditional settings. It happens not only in the classroom but also during faculty office hours, in the hallways, and in the library. Learning thrives in any environment where ideas are shared and knowledge is exchanged. This approach to education is a key factor in the university’s success.

 “It is the reason our students are successful and continue to be long after they leave UHCL,” said Maynard. “Students are the ‘why,’ and faculty are the ‘how.’ Our commitment to student success would not be possible without faculty,” he continued. “Thank you for everything you’ve done and for everything you will continue to do for our students.”

Honorees Dr. David Malin and Dr. Charles McKay, both charter faculty members and pillars of the UHCL community, exemplified the enduring spirit of the university. Malin continues his impactful research in behavioral neuroscience, determined to complete his significant work.

“With support from a pharmaceutical company, we’re working on the relationship between brain, drugs, and behavior and identifying one of the mechanisms of narcotics dependence,” said Malin.  “This is kind of my last ‘big project.’ I am determined to finish that, and they won’t get rid of me until I finish.”

McKay, a professor emeritus and retiree, continues contributing to students' success through mentoring, consulting, and staying connected with former colleagues. Residing in the Clear Lake area, McKay remains as proud of his community now as he was when he first arrived.

“This university was established to support the Human Space program and the community, as requested by Johnson Space Center,” said McKay. “Over the years, we’ve seen remarkable transformations, especially in technology, and our students now hold positions worldwide that continue to make us proud.”

 McKay said faculty have the responsibility of providing a first-class education for students to provide them with opportunities to serve the needs of people in the community and the organizations UHCL is lucky to be neighbors and partners with.

“As long as we are advancing knowledge to the best of our ability, we are fulfilling our role,” said McKay. “Being with my colleagues in the same room again is a great honor; it brings back many warm memories and reflects the many positive achievements of UHCL,” he continued. “The university deserves commendation, not only for the efforts of the faculty but for the significant contributions of the entire staff.”

As UHCL embarks on its next chapter, it does so with a legacy of excellence and a forward-looking vision, driven by the passion and dedication of its faculty and staff. The university’s commitment to shaping future leaders and advancing knowledge continues to define its success, ensuring that UHCL remains a beacon of innovation and excellence for generations to come.

“Most faculty members have been interested in how artificial intelligence (AI) will disrupt education since ChatGPT was first released in November 2022,” said Dr. Angela Kelling. “There was an initial panic about how these tools would enable cheating, but I wanted to learn more and truly understand what the AI tools could do and how they might enhance the classroom experience while still allowing students to meet learning goals.”

Dr. Angela Kelling started watching webinars and reading about how AI would transform job functions. She believes in embracing AI tools and shifting professors' focus to adapt to technological disruptions. With rapid advancements in education technology, professors invest significant time in understanding the capabilities and limitations of new tools.

“I believe it is essential not to deny the AI tools' existence but learn about them and determine how they can be helpful to both students and faculty,” she said. “Dr. Ward, Dr. Moreno, and I know that one issue for students is the expense of textbooks, so we wanted to use open-access resources for our Brain and Behavior courses.”

The professors noticed general topics covered early in the semester had decent OER options. However, they could not find the resources they wanted to cover lessons later in the semester. They applied for and received an OER grant from UH-Clear Lake’s Neumann Library to locate, refine, and develop OER resources over the summer so they could use OER resources for the entire fall semester.

Additionally, the professors are using CustomGPT.ai to create other tools that help students engage with interactive tools, statistics and research methods, and concepts, that will better meet learning goals and develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they hope students retain years after taking their courses.

“We are just beginning to use the AI tool as we delayed access to have time to plan and gather resources,” said Dr. Angela Kelling. “We are working together as a team and with the AI to determine how we want to organize the OER,” she continued. “We have a lot of articles that we will upload to the CustomGPT.ai and then ask it to draft text.  We will then collaborate to revise the created text and ensure it covers the topics well.  We also plan to integrate other resources, like websites and videos, to enhance the text and help students engage with the material.”

The OER text will be piloted in Dr. Angela Kelling’s Brain and Behavior course in the fall of 2024. She and the other professors will continue to refine the text and use the updated version in spring courses. The chatbot for statistics will be fed a lot of examples of calculations. The goal is to create a resource that helps students identify their mistakes and learn how to perform statistical calculations with better accuracy and confidence.

“For the Brain and Behavior course, we hope that by creating free, concise, and engaging texts, students will read them and engage with the material,” said Dr. Angela Kelling. “For the statistic and methods courses, we hope it will be another tool students can use to meet learning goals. We plan to collect data to help us refine the products we create.”

Professors will gather data and feedback from students to assess the usability of the OER materials and identify areas for improvement. The finalized OER text will be added to the Neumann Library’s OER repository for broader access and use.

Dr. Angela Kelling expressed her gratitude to UHCL’s Neumann Library and the Center for Faculty Development for their invaluable support throughout the project.

“Their investment in faculty development is very appreciated,” she said. “We are also thankful to CustomGPT.ai for the grant that allows us to enhance our products and faculty development.”

For more information about UHCL’s Department of Psychology, visit www.uhcl.edu/human-sciences-humanities/departments/psychology/.

Dr. Nelson Carter, Senior Lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) was recently named a 2024 Project New Experiences in Teaching (NExT) Fellow of the Mathematics Association of America (MAA). MAA’s Project NExT program is designed to support new or recent doctorates in mathematical sciences. The program prepares its fellows to become productive mathematics faculty members and future leaders of the mathematics community by fostering strong teaching, mentoring, and research skills. Project NExT annually selects a cohort of approximately 100 college and university faculty members across the United States and Canada.

Carter will be inducted into the ’24 Blue cohort at MathFest in August, joining Dr. Tom Fox, Department Chair of Mathematics and Statistics, who was inducted into the Silver Dot cohort in 1998.

“As a Project NExT alumnus, I was happy to see Nelson become a NExT fellow,” said Fox. “I have no doubt that he will benefit greatly from the mentoring it provides in teaching, research, and service as he continues his career as a faculty member in the Mathematics and Statistics Department here at UH-Clear Lake.”

Carter is engaging in a special pre-session focused on exploring alternative grading methods and is particularly eager to learn more about them.

“The abstract for the talk was intriguing because it challenges the typical method of ‘weighted averaging’ that most of us use,” said Carter. “I hope to integrate the information I learn into the core curriculum assessment process that Texas requires us to undergo for all core courses,” he continued. “Furthermore, I hope to incorporate what I learn into a capacity-building grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF) I’m working on with my colleagues.”

Although research support is an important aspect of NExT, Dr. Carter is more interested in the professional development opportunities related to teaching and mentorship. He aims to help students achieve their career goals, doing whatever he can to help them get their start.

“Unquestionably, NExT will make me a better teacher, which is why the program originally piqued my interest,” said Carter. “However, being a first-generation college student from the Houston area who attended UHCL, I find the mentoring opportunities even more exciting.”

Building on this passion for mentorship, Carter also addressed the key challenges and opportunities in mathematics education today, noting UHCL’s active role in addressing these through its programs.

“One thing is trying to help our students who lost learning opportunities during the pandemic. That’s a multifaceted challenge,” said Carter. “In terms of opportunity, I think integrating mathematics education into a more overarching STEM education is a big opportunity,” Carter explained. “To some people, STEM is an umbrella term for Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics. In other words, any one area is considered STEM. But research shows we should focus more on integrating STEM holistically.”

Ultimately, Carter’s goal is to impart knowledge and inspire a lifelong passion for learning in his students. He hopes his students look back on their experience with him years later, smile, and are proud of what they have become.

For more information about UHCL’s Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction program, contact Dr. Omah M Williams-Duncan at duncano@uhcl.edu. For information about UHCL’s B.S. or M.S. programs in Mathematics or Statistics, contact Dr. Tom Fox at fox@uhcl.edu.

Dr. Jennifer Irvin has been named the new dean of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), effective August 1, 2024. With a strong academic background and over 15 years of experience at Texas State University, Dr. Irvin brings a proven track record of leadership and innovation to her new role.

Irvin completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Florida, following her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Chemistry from Texas State University. Dr. Irvin had a distinguished faculty career at Texas State, achieving the rank of full professor and making significant contributions in teaching and research.

In her leadership capacities, Irvin has successfully managed several strategic initiatives. As the director of the Materials Application Research Center (MARC) at Texas State University, she managed a $3M annual budget and significantly advanced applied research and entrepreneurship efforts. She also held directorial positions in the Shared Research Operations at Texas State and the Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization (MSEC) program, where her efforts were pivotal in identifying research opportunities and fostering innovation.

As dean, Irvin aims to prepare students for success by aligning the college’s curriculum with the latest technological advancements and industry demands.

“Innovation is at the heart of STEM,” said Irvin. “Our disciplines evolve rapidly, and we must keep up with the changes,” she continued. “It is important that we identify opportunities to grow into new areas, developing programs to meet the evolving needs of the region and the interests of our students.”

She is also committed to expanding the college’s academic offerings and enhancing professional development opportunities for students, such as internships and cooperative education.

“I believe everyone in the College of Science and Engineering shares this goal,” said Irvin. “It means equipping our students not only with the technical skills but also with the career opportunities they need to thrive.”

Irvin is honored to join UHCL's vibrant community of passionate learners, dedicated educators, and innovative researchers.

“Together we have tremendous potential to make a positive difference in the world,” said Irvin.

For more information about UHCL’s College of Science and Engineering, visit www.uhcl.edu/science-engineering/. 

Dr. David Garrison, Associate Dean of University of Houston- Clear Lake’s (UHCL) College of Science and Engineering, has been named the 2024 Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network (SSMN) Higher Education Professional of the Year. The award recognizes an outstanding Sloan Scholar alumnus who has made significant contributions to their field. Garrison has dedicated 22 years of his career to UH-Clear Lake, making substantial contributions through his roles in research, teaching, and administration. This recognition reflects his passion, dedication, and innovative efforts to the field of STEM.

“I felt honored to be the recipient,” Garrison said. “There are a lot of highly qualified sloan alumni who could’ve won the award. To get selected out of the group is very impressive to me.”

Since Garrison’s arrival, UHCL and the College of Science and Engineering has transformed in numerous ways.  He served twice as president of UHCL’s faculty senate, as director of graduate programs, and as chair of the Physical Science Program and Physics Program, which he founded. He also helped establish the Center for Faculty Development.

Garrison successfully developed and oversaw the approval of various programs, including a revised bachelor's degree in physical science, a bachelor's degree in physics, an engineering physics sub-plan, a master’s degree in physics, a Computational Physics sub-plan, a professional Master of Physics sub-plan in Technical Management, and a collaborative Ph.D. program in physics. He initiated a distinguished lecture series featuring industry experts from NASA and the community, such as Neal Lane, President Bill Clinton’s science advisor, and Jim Gates, a distinguished professor from The University of Maryland. His research in computational and theoretical physics includes work in numerical relativity and cosmology.

Garrison discovered his love for STEM at an early age, attending science camp every summer and visiting the Museum of Science and Industry in his hometown Chicago. He always wanted to explore how things worked, solve the mysteries of the field, and use his creativity to advance STEM.

“I was experimenting a lot with science, radio-controlled airplanes and computers at a pretty young age,” said Garrison. “The museum was my favorite place to go in Chicago,” he continued. “When we moved to Missouri, I was always at the science center. There was always a progression of the things I wanted to pursue.”

Garrison chose to work at UHCL because he believed he could cultivate the College of Science and Engineering program at UHCL with his ideas.

“In higher education, ideas can be debated and discussed. There is academic freedom and ideas can be pursued,” said Garrison. “When I was in graduate school, I wasn’t thinking about a career in higher education. I was looking at working in a government lab as a researcher,” Garrison explained. “What inspired me to get into higher education was the thought of building an academic program and shaping what people were going to learn, building the knowledge they will have, and what they can do with that knowledge.”

Many of Garrison’s students have graduated from the program and have found success in their professional careers under his leadership. He believes it is a leader’s obligation to study leadership and constantly learn how to be the best leader possible.

“As a faculty member, especially a physicist, someone gives you a problem and you solve it,” said Garrison. “As a physics instructor, you give students problems and walk them through solving it,” Garrison continued. “As an administrator, you have to talk to people involved in a problem and those who are affected by it to get their perspective, and come up with a solution together. It’s not a simple thing, and this is what I’ve learned over the decades that went into the award.”  

Garrison also highlighted UHCL’s unique relationship with non-traditional students, setting the College of Engineering a part from other universities. A program once mainly filled with students who work at NASA has grown to include students from various backgrounds.

Garrison said the field is full of opportunities to advance and amazing things to discover that people thought weren’t possible, and STEM researchers make them work.

“I like to solve problems that no one else can solve,” said Garrison. “I love challenges, and to know that research is something we can ‘sink our teeth into’ makes me happy.”

Garrison continues to research, teach, and publish, aiming to bring more innovative practices to UHCL.

For more information about UHCL’s College of Science and Engineering, visit www.uhcl.edu/science-engineering/.

Humans can learn a lot from animals by studying their behavior. Dr. Angela Kelling, an associate professor of psychology at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), knows this from first-hand experience, as her main research interests lie in animal welfare. As the program director of UH-Clear Lake’s Behavioral Science Bachelor of Science program, she has conducted research on pedagogy and campus climate, and on improving the lives of animals in captivity through enrichment, training, and environmental design. Her past projects include African elephants, giant pandas, lions and tigers, and most recently, dog shelters.

Kelling’s journey into animal behavior research began during her student days at the Georgia Institute of Technology under the mentorship of the late Terry Lee Maple, a former professor and zoo director at Zoo Atlanta. It was Maple who encouraged her to delve into animal behavior, which led to her study on color vision discrimination in giant pandas, published by Learning & Behavior published in May 2006.

“A lot of the other research I did was on the welfare side and determining how I could improve the lives of animals,” she said. “We have these amazing animals in captivity, and that’s often the only way people can see these animals, so I wanted to make sure that while we’re housing them, we’re making their lives as good as possible.”

This desire sparked her interest in stereotypic behaviors, or behaviors with no discernable function, which led her to explore the relationship between cortisol and stereotypic swaying in African elephants at Zoo Atlanta for her dissertation. The Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research published her findings in April 2024.

“Two elephants exhibited the swaying behavior, so with my dissertation, I wanted to determine if the swaying was calming them or if they were doing it out of boredom,” said Kelling. “For the elephant that swayed more, the cortisol level decreased, revealing that she swayed to calm herself.”

Her research also includes a case study of the effects of a visual barrier on the behavior of big cats housed at Zoo Atlanta. She evaluated the daily pacing patterns of two tigers and three lions in different housings. The results suggest that providing big cats in captivity with sensory access to their social partners can reduce stereotypic pacing behavior.

In addition to large zoo animals, Kelling spent time with the more familiar household companion: dogs. As part of one of Kelling’s courses at UH-Clear Lake, she taught a lab at BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions in Houston. This experience inspired her to further examine the attitudes toward dog relinquishment via an online survey shared with more than 400 university students. Anthrozoös included an article about the survey in February 2021.

“I wanted to better understand what people think about relinquishment,” she said. “When do they blame the person vs. the dog? I wanted to come up with intervention ideas to prevent people from surrendering their dogs to shelters.”

She later wrote an article on exploring best practices in dog advertisements, which was published online in April 2024.

“There are many cute photos and playful descriptions about dogs up for adoption online, but what’s more important is providing information about the dogs’ behavior,” she added.

As a dog owner herself, Kelling is passionately committed to enhancing adoption practices and behavioral accommodations for dogs. She is currently planning further studies with her students, aiming to investigate screen processes and educational efforts by various rescues and shelters.

Kelling’s wealth of research and experience with wild and domesticated animals plays a role in her position as an associate professor and program director at UHCL. Sometimes she teaches an animal behavior course that brings her expertise to the classroom, but even when teaching other classes, she gives examples of her research, she said.

To learn more about UHCL’s Behavior Science program, contact hshadvising@uhcl.edu or 281-283-3333.

The Texas Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (TAMFT) recently honored Dr. Sofia Georgiadou with the Professor of the Year Award. Georgiadou, an assistant professor of family therapy at University of Houston-Clear Lake’s (UHCL) College of Human Sciences and Humanities, received the award for her exceptional guidance of students toward high standards of care for future practice in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). Students from UHCL’s Family Therapy program, who are also TAMFT members, nominated her.

“This was my first professional academic award in the 17 years I have been in the U.S., aside from the Fulbright Foundation Scholarship I received for my master’s studies,” Georgiadou said. “Knowing that this award came to me, thanks to nominations from students in our program made it even more meaningful. Their appreciation for all my hard work and efforts to teach them well and promote our Family Therapy program is the highest form of recognition.”

Georgiadou has been instrumental in increasing enrollment in the Family Therapy program through a comprehensive outreach campaign. This campaign included presentations and activities at UHCL and other locations. She also engaged with UHCL alumni and other undergraduate psychology programs in Texas to promote the program. Her efforts proved successful, nearly tripling the applicant pool compared to the previous year.

She also developed an undergraduate family psychology course at UHCL to enhance visibility for the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Family Therapy program. This course, PSYC 3332 Family Psychology, raised awareness about the family therapy profession among UHCL undergraduate students and attracted prospective applicants to the program. Over 20 undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2023.

In addition to the Professor of the Year Award, TAMFT honors students for their achievements based on nominations. Georgiadou nominated two of UHCL's Master's in Family Therapy second-year students, Sophie Synek and Lauren Godfrey, for TAMFT's Master Level Student of the Year Award, and both students won. Georgiadou, Synek, and Godfrey all received their awards during the TAMFT Annual Conference in San Antonio on April 11, 2024.

“Sophie and Lauren have not only been diligently and successfully advancing through their coursework, but they have also devoted significant amounts of time and energy to fundraise for our Family Therapy Student Association, generating funding for guest speakers, trainings, and many other student activities,” said Georgiadou.

This marks the second consecutive year that a student from UHCL’s M.A. in Family Therapy has received TAMFT's Master's Level Student of the Year Award. In 2023, John Kelly, a second-year student in the Family Therapy program, received the honor. This is a notable achievement for UHCL’s Family Therapy program, since TAMFT considered nominees from several other university family therapy programs in Texas for both the Professor of the Year and Master's Level Student of the Year awards. These include the programs at Our Lady of the Lake University, Texas Woman's University, Abilene Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Texas Wesleyan.

Georgiadou expressed hope that the MFT field gains wider recognition in the future through more states passing MFT license portability legislation and increased reimbursement rates for family therapists from insurance companies.

“Well-compensated family therapists are essential to resolving the mental health crisis we face as a nation,” she added. “Seeing people’s behaviors in context and understanding how their struggles may make sense given their relationships and broader societal barriers are more important than ever. We need more systemic thinkers in this world.”

To learn more about UHCL’s MFT program, visit the Family Therapy Program webpage.

Farming isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Houston, but it was the focus of a recent faculty panel discussion at the Alfred Neumann Library. University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) faculty members Dr. Dawit Woldu, Dr. Christine Kovic, and urban farmer Constance Ungola, spoke during the event. The presentation, “Sustainability and Refugee Urban Farmers in Houston: The Case of Plant It Forward,” highlighted the many valuable farming contributions of immigrants and refugees in the city. 

“This lecture was part of a five-part series created by the Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH) associate dean, Dr. Shreerekha Subramanian,” said Kovic, an anthropology professor. “She wanted to create a platform for faculty to share their ongoing research with their colleagues and the rest of the university community. The topic of the farming lecture is relevant to people in the city as it relates to fighting food deserts, flooding, and climate change.”

Kovic, Woldu, and Dr. Femi Ayadi, a UH-Clear Lake healthcare administration professor, spoke with farmers of the Houston community-based organization Plant It Forward to learn more about urban agriculture. This organization provides land to refugee farmers from Africa to grow and sell food in the Houston region. One of the study’s goals was to determine if urban agriculture could transform immigrant communities and build a socially sustainable society.

“We carried out interviews with the farmers of Plant It Forward, visited various farms, and joined several workdays,” said Woldu, an associate professor of anthropology. “Our research attempts to explore refugee farmers’ experience growing different kinds of produce, and how they connect themselves to these agricultural products both at the economic and cultural level.”

A sustainability grant from the UHCL institute formerly known as IHAPS allowed the faculty to conduct the interviews, visit the farms, and engage in other observations. Cross-Cultural Studies Master of Arts student Pete Torres assisted in some of the interviews and other aspects of the research. The professors’ discoveries address how the farmers apply their knowledge and expertise from their home countries to the city of Houston. Kovic, Woldu, and Ayadi also noted how these individuals connect with other Houstonians through farming. 

“In our presentation, we shared examples of how the farms make visible the work of producing the food we eat in Houston and some of the ways the farms support sustainability in the Houston region,” said Ayadi. “Our findings show that farming provided an opportunity for these individuals to introduce themselves to different vegetables and fruits from other cultures. It also created the opportunity to educate students from Houston school districts about how food is produced.”

The farmers provided information on what crops they grow at Plant It Forward farms and details on great creativity and cross-cultural communication. Roselle, cassava, chipilin, and sweet potato greens are just a few of the many plants currently growing on the farms.

Although it’s called a “faculty lecture series,” this series is a collaborative effort involving staff, students, and the community. Kovic said some other faculty colleagues have already expressed interest in supporting the overall mission of the series.

Whether you’re a faculty member, staff member, student, or community member, there are ways for you to get involved in the project, too. To learn more about Plant It Forward, including opportunities to volunteer, go to plantitforward.farm/takeaction/.

Recent demographic data collected by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board reveals an underrepresentation of people of color in the field of behavior analysis at the master’s and doctoral levels. This finding inspired Dr. Sarah Lechago and two former graduate students, Brianna Banks and Jennifer Nguyen, to act. Together, they developed and introduced a high school mentorship program as a component of Lechago’s Behavior Analysts for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (BADIE) research lab at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL).

Lechago has worked as an associate professor in UH-Clear Lake’s Behavior Analysis master’s program in the College of Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH) since 2010. In the summer of 2020, she founded the BADIE lab with 10 UHCL Behavior Analysis master’s students, fueled by their shared interest in issues related to culturally compassionate care and social justice, and the application of behavior analysis to study and address these issues.

“In the summer of 2020, one of my students expressed interest in social justice, so I provided her with some resources,” she said. “I wondered if others would be interested in similar work. Turns out, many people were interested, and so we founded the BADIE research lab.”

The BADIE research lab strives to explore, learn, and disseminate topics related to understanding how culture affects behavior. Lechago and her team engage in scholarship and various projects, including the high school mentorship program, to achieve this goal. She initiated a partnership with Clear Lake High School in 2022 to offer the mentorship program.

The program aims to expose students from historically underrepresented communities to the field of behavior analysis in a fun, hands-on manner by pairing the student(s) with a mentor. UHCL students enrolled in the Behavior Analysis master’s program serve as mentors, and one to two Clear Lake High School students are selected each spring semester to participate in the program.

“I reached out to some folks at Clear Lake High School to see if they’d be interested in having us mentor students,” Lechago said. “A Clear Lake High School faculty member selects the student or students from the junior-level AP psychology class. We then collaborate with their professor, obtain parental consent, obtain student assent, and introduce them to their mentor.”

The mission of the BADIE lab’s high school mentorship program is to provide a structured student mentorship system within the field of behavior analysis that provides representation, support, and professional development to high school students from historically underserved and underrepresented groups in an equitable, experiential, and network-based manner. Throughout the program, students meet weekly with their mentor to discuss the science of learning and behavior analysis and learn more about college and graduate school.

In addition to the weekly mentoring meetings, mentees participate in BADIE lab meetings, sit in on graduate-level courses in behavior analysis, and observe and assist with research and clinical sessions of the graduate students. Sometimes, high school students meet with graduate students and faculty members from other behavior analysis institutions to learn more about other sub-fields like organizational behavior management (OBM) and gerontology. 

The mentees also work with their mentor to craft a behavior analysis project to present during a final symposium at the end of the semester. Behavior analysis faculty and students, the UHCL HSH dean and associate dean, Clear Lake High School faculty, and the mentees’ families and friends typically attend the final symposium and graduation ceremony. Mentees keep track of their hours and activities in a manual that is provided by the BADIE lab.

UHCL Behavior Analysis graduate student Frances Feliciano serves as the program’s current mentor. She brings 18 months of experience as a registered behavior technician (RBT) to her mentorship role. Every month, she helps her mentee develop critical professional and academic skills and encourages her to explore behavior analysis career opportunities.

“It has been a very rewarding experience,” Feliciano said. “Our mentee is very motivated and excited to learn, which has made the position so fulfilling. This experience has also allowed me to refine some of my mentoring skills, such as teaching concepts, that I will have to apply in my career after graduation.”

Hannah Dean serves as the mentoring program’s current chair and has worked in behavior analysis for over four years. She said all the past mentees shared positive feedback about their experience in the program. They all have observed and participated in research and clinical sessions in the many UHCL Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) clinics.

“I really enjoyed learning more about applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the field in general,” said Matias Martin, the 2022 mentee, “I didn’t even know the field existed before this program, so I would definitely recommend the program. A lot of my friends are really jealous that I got this opportunity.”

His involvement in the program inspired him to complete a research study the following year, his senior year in high school. The study analyzed how behavioral skills training (BST), a behavior-analytic approach to teaching, can be used to teach people how to sail a boat. He used a research design characteristic of behavior analysis to execute his experiment.

Additionally, Martin presented a behavior analysis of slang over the decades for his final symposium, which he later presented in a Tedx Talk that can be found on YouTube. Martin will be completing his first year of college this spring. He will return to Houston this summer and participate in a UHCL behavior analysis grant-funded program designed to teach school teachers how to use behavior analysis in the classroom.

The 2023 mentees, Adaeze Nnadi and Mahek Manji, said they also benefited from the program and felt that learning about ABA helped them at school and at work. They considered the experience informative and fun and were grateful for the opportunity. Nnadi developed a particular interest in aphasia, the language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate, and hopes to major in cognitive science or neuroscience. Manji plans to pursue a career in psychology or business.

Lechago funds the high school mentoring program and all other aspects of the BADIE lab entirely, and all graduate students serve on a volunteer basis. Given the program’s impact, Lechago said she hopes to receive funding to expand and replicate the program at other institutions. She also hopes to offer scholarships and fellowships for future high school students.

In addition to the mentorship program, other BADIE lab efforts include, but are not limited to, experimental research, the Proyecto La Frontera (Borderlands Project), and the creation of a resource repository focused on culturally responsive care both within and outside of the field of behavior analysis. You can access and contribute to the repository by visiting the BADIE Resource Repository webpage.

To learn more about the BADIE lab or the high school mentoring program, contact Dr. Lechago at lechago@uhcl.edu. Below is a QR code to donate to BADIE. You may also donate through the Cashtag $uhclbadie.

Speed dating has been helping singles meet since the late ‘90s, but for a University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) research team, it inspired an award-winning research project that ultimately enhanced student connections in the classroom. Five faculty members from the College of Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH) worked on the research project: Drs. Christal Seahorn, Lisa Sublett, Amanda Johnston, Christine Walther, and Georgina Moreno. 

Also part of the research team was Latoya Brownlee, a UH-Clear Lake alumna, who contributed to the research by collecting data and identifying key themes from the data. They named the project “Speed-Interviewing for Classroom Group Formation: How a Clever Twist on the Classic ‘Speed-Dating’ Tradition Enhances Small Group Coursework.”

The project’s inception dates back to 2013 when Seahorn presented on the topic of "Collaboration in the 21^st Century” after winning the Teaching Innovation Award. After repeatedly allowing her students to choose their groups in her writing classes, she noticed that many chose based on friendships or proximity. This led her to develop the speed-dating activity to encourage students to “prioritize topic investment and work styles when selecting group partners.”

Realizing the approach’s benefits, Johnston began implementing the activity in one of her psychology classes.  After seeing the benefits in her classroom over the years, she later suggested developing a research project to track student feedback and test the activity’s effectiveness. She and Seahorn then recruited the rest of the research team to develop the study.

“Our research examined the effectiveness of an innovative group formation activity in higher education classrooms, inspired by the speed-dating exercises commonly featured in popular culture,” said Johnston. “HSH’s courses in writing, psychology, and industrial/organizational psychology served as a platform to explore our innovative ‘speed-dating’ activity in forming groups in classroom settings.”

Johnston and her colleagues implemented the “speed-dating” activity during their individual classes — 15-40 students per class — by first breaking their students up in small groups of three to five. Each student selected a topic of interest and spent 60 seconds with each classmate in their group to discuss the topic. The immediate goal of the activity was to find the most effective student combinations for future group assignments. After the discussions, students completed a structured rating sheet to list their preferred partners for these assignments.

“This creative approach to team formation allowed students to select their preferred teammates, instilling a sense of ownership and commitment to the team's success,” explained Seahorn. “Nevertheless, the final groupings were determined by the professors, simulating real-world scenarios where team assignments are often made by supervisors or managers.”

At the end of the semester, students had the option to share their thoughts anonymously on the activity. The research team then analyzed the qualitative and quantitative responses, many of which were positive.

“We determined several benefits, including its time efficiency and strategic group formation based on topic interest alignment,” Sublett said. “It enabled active student engagement through feedback and effectively reduced common biases.”

Walther added that many students enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to participating in the activity again in other classes, with other professors.

“This unique activity was well-received by students, many of whom expressed enthusiasm for future participation and recommended its adoption by other professors,” she said. “Our findings indicate that the activity enhanced student connections and fostered greater interaction, proving especially effective in facilitating team formation based on shared interests.”

Although other faculty members can use the activity, the research team suggests it be limited to classes with no more than 40 students. The team also mentioned the required time dedication, for which classroom projects it would be ideal, and when the best time is to execute it.

“The ‘speed-dating’ activity does require a significant amount of time, ranging from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the class size,” Sublett said. “We suggest this activity be used for projects where topic congruence is a priority. Implementing this activity at the beginning of the semester, when students are not yet acquainted, maximizes its benefits.”

According to Moreno, one of these benefits involved the students’ overall vibe about the class after completing the activity. She said it positively impacted the overall classroom atmosphere, especially during the first couple weeks of the semester.

“It motivated students to interact with peers they might not normally engage with, promoting a more inclusive and welcoming environment from the outset,” she said. “Students valued the opportunity for groups to form based on meaningful attributes, such as shared topic interests.”

The research team members published their speed-dating activity and findings in Teaching of Psychology. They were also acknowledged by UHCL’s Center for Faculty Development, which annually honors faculty members who demonstrate intellectual inquiry, scholarship, and creative engagement. The Center awarded Sublett, Johnston, Walther, Seahorn, Moreno, and Brownlee with the Scholarship to Improve Higher Education for publishing their data to improve academia.

If you’re a professor interested in using the speed-dating activity in your classroom, you can find detailed instructions on Figshare.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is mourning the loss of Joyce Delores Taylor, who served as the coordinator of internship programs and senior lecturer in behavioral sciences in UH-Clear Lake’s College of Human Sciences and Humanities. Taylor passed away on Feb. 20, 2024, leaving a significant void in the university community.

"Professor Taylor's passing is a profound loss for our UHCL community,” said UHCL President Richard Walker. “We were fortunate that she chose to build her illustrious career with us. Faculty, staff, the broader community, and especially our students, were the fortunate recipients of her teachings and the embodiment of her character. Her commitment to academic excellence and personal growth for every individual she encountered has left an indelible legacy—one that will resonate and contribute to the university’s success for generations to come."

With three graduate degrees from UHCL in Behavioral Sciences (2004), Criminology (2006), and Cross-Cultural Studies (2008), Taylor was a beloved figure who exemplified excellence and service, earning accolades such as the ‘Marilyn Sims Leadership Service’ Award and the ‘Distinguished Alumni’ Award.

Taylor’s impact was profound, touching every facet of university life. She served as chair of the Alumni Association Executive Council, taught as an adjunct instructor, and was the spirit of countless university events. Her commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence and her participation in thought-provoking productions and lectures underscored her passion for advocacy and mentorship.

Joyce embodied UHCL’s hawk spirit," said UHCL Provost Christopher Maynard. “From earning three master’s degrees to a career as a dedicated colleague and educator in our College of Human Sciences and Humanities through to her efforts to address domestic violence, she combined her talents with hard work and a commitment to making our communities better.”

Beyond UHCL, her dedication extended to the larger community, involving service with the Texas Workforce Investment Council and organizations such as 'Children at Risk' to combat human trafficking. Taylor's infectious enthusiasm for service, her dedication to mentoring students, and her indomitable spirit are the hallmarks of her lasting legacy at UHCL—a legacy of excellence, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to enriching every life she touched.

Taylor is survived by two of her three her daughters and her grandchildren. Her daughter, Jesika, preceded her in death.

Dr. Patricia Reed, an adjunct professor at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), stands as a testament to the impact that dedication and expertise can have in the occupational safety, health, and environment (OSHE) field. As we observe Black History Month, we acknowledge leaders like Reed as they make significant strides in their professions and communities.

“This time is taken to honor the Black/African-American individuals who have given so much of their time helping improve things in our country in terms of freedoms/civil liberties, patents/inventions, etc.,” Reed said about Black History Month. “This time is also sacred to me, as I remember my early days in elementary school when it was Black History Week, but this distinctive honor of recognizing those contributions have sustained many decades.”

Reed began working as an adjunct professor within UH-Clear Lake’s College of Science and Engineering in the spring semester of 2023. She teaches occupational safety and health classes for the OSH program, which offers students the option of a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. She also works as a health, safety, environment, and security (HSES) and facilities manager at Kraton in Houston, a chemical manufacturing company. Previously, she worked in the oil and gas industry as an environmental health and safety (EHS) manager.

She chose to enter OSHE field after receiving her master’s in civil and environmental engineering in 1996.

“I wanted to enter the field to help protect workers on the job,” she said.

The OSHE field is one that Reed has been passionate about for decades, which is evident in her years of involvement in the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). She has held many volunteer roles of increasing responsibility within ASSP. Currently, she volunteers as the region III south area director.

“I have been a volunteer for ASSP and held many elected and appointed positions in my chapter and at the society level for almost 20 years,” she said. “I was also my chapters’ first African-American female president.”

She serves on the Professional Development Planning Committee (PDC) as well and is involved in common interest groups within ASSP. These include the Women in Safety Excellence Common Interest Group (WISE) and the Blacks in Safety Excellence Common Interest Group (BISE).

“Serving in ASSP BISE is important to me because I believe in giving back to the next generation of those students and professionals in the OSHE industry,” said Reed.

Dr. Robert Phalen, a professor in the OSH program at UHCL, commented on the impact that she’s had on her students.

“Dr. Reed brings years of valuable experience to the courses she teaches, but most importantly, she is an inspiration to our students and young professionals in the field,” he said. “I admire her dedication to the profession and desire to help others reach that same level of success.”

As an adjunct professor, Dr. Reed has had the opportunity to help dozens of students enter this industry as she did. However, she recognizes the challenges that may surface along the way, so she offers a word of advice and encouragement for students of all ethnic and racial backgrounds.

“Stay committed. Seek out help if needed, and don’t lose focus,” she said.

To learn more UHCL’s OSH program, including the national recognitions and specialization options available for both the undergraduate and graduate degrees, visit the Occupational Safety and Health Program webpage.

Within the academic community at University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), faculty members like Dr. Sofia Georgiadou are at the forefront of research that advances their fields and enhances student learning and success. Georgiadou, an assistant professor of family therapy, conducted a survey study aimed at improving the educational journey of students in U.S.-based couple/marriage and family therapy (C/MFT) master’s programs. 

Her project, titled “Advancing Marriage and Family Therapy Education: A Mixed Methods Study of Students' and Graduates' Perceptions of MFT Training,” leverages a comprehensive approach to uncover how current teaching methods align with real-world need and competencies of future therapists. Her research and findings led to the opportunity for more active learning strategies to be implemented in higher education instruction, and over $18,000 in grants and

“Over the years of teaching in my field, I have seen students become overwhelmed when they complete their ‘theory-based’ courses during the first year of their master's program and when they begin their practicum/internship, where they see actual clients,” she said. “They often report feeling unprepared and not at the level of competence where they would feel at least somewhat confident in their ability to serve clients.”

She added that in recent years, she has noticed that family therapy education in the U.S. has shifted towards more outcome-based training. This training focuses on a series of competencies and common factors across different family therapy models. However, she said there needs to be more broad data to determine if current curricula and teaching methods can effectively prepare students to help their clients during various stages of their training. This realization led to employing this study.

“This mixed-methods survey study aimed to give a voice to the students of U.S. C/MFT master’s programs by asking them to assess how well their graduate training helped them build competency in MFT common factors and MFT core competencies,” said Georgiadou.

For the project, she and Dr. Ashley Hicks from The Ohio State University collected data about students’ perceptions of teaching and assessment methods and how these methods impacted their ability to apply common factors and core competency skills in their therapy practice with clients. Three hundred graduate students in family therapy programs from all over the country participated in the study.

Approximately 1/3 of the sample felt their program prepared them substantially well across all competency domains,” she said. “We also discovered that student participants valued experiential learning and practicing skills in mock sessions and roleplay. They felt unprepared in interactions with multiple family members and more complex family dynamics in the therapy room.”

She added that students in the study expressed the need for more training in areas like emergency and crisis interventions, as well as safety issues. Eighteen percent of students reported feeling anxiety during their first term of practicum, but approximately 45% said their program prepared them to manage anxiety about seeing clients. The study also revealed that students felt confident applying approaches based on cognitive behavior therapy, narrative therapy, mindfulness techniques, as well as trauma-informed and solution-focused approaches.

Drs. Georgiadou and Hicks presented their results at the Coalition of Associations for Systemic Therapists' (COAST) virtual conference last November and plan to also present them at the International Family Therapy Association (IFTA) Conference in Toyama, Japan, in April 2024. 

“We are hoping that our fellow educator colleagues will use these results to incorporate more active learning strategies in their teaching and more opportunities for students to bridge the learning gaps our participants identified,” she said.

At UH-Clear Lake, Georgiadou has revised her courses to fill these learning gaps. Her instruction now focuses more on evidence-informed treatment approaches and incorporates role plays with multiple clients in the classroom.

For their study, she and Hicks, received a $12,751 faculty research grant from the Bluenotes Explorance. This allowed them to present their findings at the Bluenotes Global conference in the summer of 2023. UHCL also awarded Georgiadou $6,000 in faculty research support funds.

To learn more about Georgiadou, visit her faculty bio webpage. More information about UHCL’s Family Therapy program can be found at www.uhcl.edu/human-sciences-humanities/departments/clinical-health-applied-sciences/family-therapy/.

University of Houston- Clear Lake’s (UHCL) Center for Faculty Development recently hosted its 2024 Faculty Development Week and Faculty Development Awards program. After a week of participating in online learning sessions, faculty met for an in-person mini-conference that concluded with an awards ceremony to celebrate milestone. Executive Director of The Center for Faculty Development Marci McMahon, said the goal of the Center is to provide a range of opportunities for faculty that enrich their teaching and research roles on campus.

According to UHCL Provost Christopher Maynard, the Center for Faculty Development is at the heart of the university, and fosters teamwork and continuous improvement.

“Every day we are all working to get better. We all have room to grow, room to improve, and we are life-long learners,” said Maynard. “As faculty, staff, and students of this university, we support each other. The Center for Faculty Development makes us more effective, helps improve our university community, and makes the work environment more enjoyable.”

At the awards program, several faculty members were honored in various categories such as “Number of Students Taught,” “Go to 11 Award,” “Scholarship to Improve Higher Education,” “Early Career Award,” “Texas Research & Scholarship Award,” and more.

This year’s “College Cup” was awarded to the College of Education, with the highest faculty participation in Center for Faculty Development activities. College of Education Dean Joan Pedro accepted the award on behalf of the college.

The Center for Faculty Development Awards are held annually by the Center to promote and sustain a campus culture that values intellectual inquiry, scholarship, and creative engagement. This year’s winners are as follows:

Number of Students Taught

Faculty who have taught 5000+ students

• Christine Kovic

Faculty who have taught 2500+ students

• Anne Anders, Linda Giles, Toneluh Yang, Sarah Costello, Jian Lin, Se-Hyoung Yi, Hunter Stephenson

Faculty who have taught 1000+ students

• Joshua Baker, Sheila Baker, Janice Bethany, Ariful Bhuiyan, Michael Brims, Silvana Chambers, Mohsen Daghooghi, Soma Datta, Kimberly Dodson, Leslie Gauna, Lorie Jacobs, Preeti Jain, Monica Khural, Nataliya Markina, Nancy Ramirez, Skylar Rolf, Linda Sansing, Cengiz Sisman, Viola Vela, Lauren Yandell, Yipeng Yang

“Go to 11” Award: Faculty who earned 11 or more credits for activities sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development.

• Hisham Al-Mubaid, Robert Bartsch, Kazi Billah, Mary Curtis, Soma Datta, Kent Divoll, Giazú Enciso Domínguez, Leslie Gauna, Anne Gessler, Michelle Giles, Jennifer Grace, Shivani Gupta, Emily Horton, Kelsey James, Lisa Jones, Angela Kelling, Lana Kharabi-Yamato, Anna Klyueva, Michael LaMontagne, Ashley MacPherson, Anne Marcoline, Georgina Moreno, Janice Newsum, Ivelina Pavlova-Stout, Roberta Raymond, Thais Sant’Ana, Lory Santiago-Vázquez, Christal Seahorn, Gene “Xiaojun” Shan, Donna Stringer, Neelofer Tajani, Christine Walther, Jeffrey Whitworth

“Go to 11” All-Stars: Faculty who earned the most credits in the “Go to 11” award category sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development.

• Christine Walther, Angela Kelling, Gene “Xiaojun” Shan

CFD Early Career Faculty Awards: Recognizing early career faculty who have performed at a very high level before they apply for promotion.

• Kazi Billah, Emily Horton, Carol Waters

Instructional Innovation Award: Recognizing faculty for stimulating a spirit of experimentation and creativity in trying out new ideas to enhance teaching and learning in specific, practical, and generalizable ways.

• Silvana Chambers, AI Teaching Assistant to Personalize Student Learning
• Kelsey James, The Cognitive Psychology Media Project
• Leticia French, Discussion Board Activity Using Blooms Taxonomy
• Maria Curtis, Cultural Heritage and Community Partnerships in Experiential Learning

Scholarship to Improve Higher Education: Recognizing faculty for publishing or presenting scholarship to improve academia.

• Lisa Sublett, Amanda Johnston, Christine Walther, Christal Seahorn, and Georgina Moreno; Speed-Interviewing for Classroom Group Formation: How a Clever Twist on the Classic ‘Speed-Dating’ Tradition Enhances Small Group Coursework
• Femi Ayadi, Writing-to-Learn: Strategies to Promote Engagement, Peer-to-Peer Learning, and Active Listening in Economic Courses
• Leslie Gauna and Jane Cooper, Dialogue Practices in Teacher Education Classrooms: Students and Teacher Educators’ Perceptions
• Silvana Chambers and Clifton Mayfield, The Impact of COVID-19 on Students’ Perceived Justice, University Support, Professor Support, and Intentions to Drop Out

Texas Research & Scholarship Award: Recognizing faculty for high level of scholarship on topics concerning the state of Texas.

• Stephen Cherry, Importing Care, Faithful Service: Filipino and Indian American Nurses at a Veteran’s Hospital
• Kalanka Jayalath, A graphical alternative for multiple group comparisons in analysis of covariance
• Roberta Leal, The impact of Strong Families, Strong Communities on relationship functioning in low-income African American and Hispanic individuals: Findings from a federally funded randomized control trial

Faculty Fellows: Faculty receive time and funds to gain expertise, create programming, and advocate for institutional change.

• Angela Kelling, Georgina Moreno, HSI Best Practices
• Gene “Xiaojun” Shan, Using Analytics to Improve Student Outcome at UHCL

CFD Staff Appreciation Award: Awarded annually to a distinguished staff member who has shown outstanding excellence and superior performance in assisting the Center for Faculty Development in accomplishing its goals.

• Briana Ramos, Administrative Assistant II, Office of Planning and Assessment

College Cup: Awarded annually to a UHCL college with highest faculty participation in Center for Faculty Development activities.

• College of Education

For more information about UHCL’s Center for Faculty Development, visit www.uhcl.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-development/.

Established in 1974 as University of Houston at Clear Lake City, offering select graduate courses for Manned Spaceflight Center (MSC) employees, UHCL has become an essential institution of higher education in Texas, contributing to the world's leading challenges for half a century.

With over 90 degree programs in business, healthcare, humanities, STEM, and human sciences, UHCL has produced innovative leaders for the city, region, and the world. Its four colleges of Business, Education, Human Sciences and Humanities, and Science and Engineering offer courses leading to bachelor's and master's degrees in over 40 fields of study, enabling thousands of graduates to pursue new careers or advance their current paths.

Although the birth of UHCL came from the need for graduate engineering programs at MSC, the primary focus for achieving national prominence in transformative education grounded in creative activities, innovative research, and community partnerships that serve regional, state, and global locations remains steadfast at the university.

In honor of UHCL's 50th anniversary, Professor Kevin Wooten, one of the university's longest-serving faculty members, takes us down memory lane, reflecting on his time as a student and professor.

The bench was placed on the walkway of UH-Clear Lake’s STEM Building. 

For more information about 'Josh’s Bench,’ visit joshsbenches.com/. For information about UHCL’s Counseling and Mental Health Center, visit www.uhcl.edu/cmhc/. 

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is mourning the loss of Dr. Miguel Gonzalez, who served as the dean of the College of Science and Engineering. Dr. Gonzalez passed away on Dec. 27, 2023, after a brief struggle with cancer. His passing has left a significant void in the university community.

Born in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, he received his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Houston. 

Gonzalez's tenure as the college dean at UHCL began in 2019 and was marked by his commitment to institutional growth. His dedication to fostering opportunities for UHCL students, alumni, and the surrounding community will endure, leaving a lasting impact across the university.

He arrived at UHCL with a wealth of knowledge and more than 20 years of experience in higher education. Before joining UHCL, Gonzalez served as director of the Rio Grande Regional Center for Innovation and Commercialization.

As a college dean at UHCL, he aimed to foster university partnerships with existing and developing industries. Gonzalez also strived to utilize community resources to enhance the region's economic opportunities in manufacturing and high-tech industries, particularly aerospace, energy, robotics, and biotechnology.

UHCL President Richard Walker remarks that the legacy that Gonzalez leaves behind at UHCL is a testament to his steadfast commitment to student success and academic resilience.

“As a leader, Dr. Gonzalez was strategic in devising processes and plans for future organizational growth and sustainment at the University of Houston-Clear Lake,” said Walker.

“The loss of such a kind and talented individual is devastating, and our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. He was an invaluable asset to our institution and will be missed dearly by his UHCL family.”

Provost Christopher Maynard said Dean Gonzalez will be remembered for his passionate commitment to providing a transformative educational experience for students.

“He established UHCL’s partnership with Boeing, creating a new experimental learning model that UHCL continues to expand with additional industry partners. Dean Gonzalez’s legacy will continue to impact us all, and UHCL is a richer university community because of his time with us,” he added.

Gonzalez’s contributions and passion for creating opportunities for UHCL and its surrounding communities will be remembered for years to come.

Corrales obtained a Master of Science in Educational Management and in 2015, a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UH- Clear Lake. He planned to work as a superintendent of education throughout his career. However, his career trajectory took a different turn after he applied for a job at UHCL.

“I applied for a job here and was selected. I was scared in the beginning because it was not like being a superintendent,” Corrales said. “Teaching at UHCL ended up being the best decision of my life. I started writing books, attending conferences and helping school districts nationwide.”

Corrales said his objective is to always add value to organizations and anyone he is helping. He said sometimes it isn’t “politically savvy” to start all over again, but it can be necessary to achieve a goal along with proper planning.

“I base a lot of my approach on strategic planning,” Corrales said. “I teach strategic planning and everything we do is based on that. It’s more dynamic and allows stakeholder involvement.”

Corrales said he is committed to developing individuals who have a strong work ethic, grit, flexibility, adaptability and can perform in school achievement.

“I always tell my applicants for the doctoral program that we are not a number-based program; we accept students based on our needs. Most importantly, we want students who have a reason ‘why,’” Corrales said. “We want students that really want to make a change in society.”

Corrales added that when he became director of the EDLS program, there was work to do with increasing enrollment, and he is glad he could make a difference.

“Enrollment has tripled, and there are over 100 students in the program today. It’s one of the best programs in the state of Texas,” Corrales said. “We have produced many superintendents, higher education professionals and administrators. Eighty percent of our students secure better jobs while in the program.”

Corrales said he is able to fulfill his life mission at UHCL and is devoted to helping students reach their potential. He helps students discover their “superpowers” that make them outstanding leaders.

For more information about UHCL’s College of Education, visit www.uhcl.edu/education/.

Additive manufacturing (AM) involves building an object layer by layer, typically using 3D computer-aided design (CAD).

The findings of this research are expected to generate new knowledge on material-extrusion based AM of embedded heating composite molds for energy-efficient composite manufacture.

The researchers involved in the study are Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kazi Billah and mechanical engineering students; Neel Rathod, Jeffrey “Jeff” Gleasman and Mario Gonzales.

 They all agreed that this project helped them develop technical and communication skills, benefiting their future careers.

“In research, if you cannot effectively communicate your work with the rest of the scientific community, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the next big thing; it will have no value,” said Rathod.

Rathod transferred to UH-Clear Lake after receiving an Associate of Science in Mathematics from San Jacinto Community College. He chose to attend UHCL because of its convenient location and the Mechanical Engineering program, which aligned with his professional goals.

Rathod chose mechanical engineering due to his interest in the science of how machines work and his desire to make a notable impact on this project.

 Gleasman is a transfer student from San Jacinto Community College who dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer and contributing to space exploration. His lifelong passion for science, coupled with his experience as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army and certification courses he completed, have fueled his interest in working on this project.

 “I was excited to be a part of this novel project because it bridged the gap between classroom theory and practical application, going from a concept sketch to a practical application,” said Gleasman.

Gleasman was inspired by Billah’s passion for research and his ability to inspire students toward innovative thinking. The project has been a great learning experience for him as it has helped him to improve his 3D computer-aided design (CAD) modeling and design skills, as well as his knowledge of the maintenance and operation of 3D. Gleasman believes effective teamwork is as essential as technical skills when completing projects.

“We learned where to focus our time and that in certain prototyping processes, capability and functionality can be of higher priority, while aesthetics can be addressed as the design matures,” said Gleasman.

 Mario Gonzales reached out to Billah for an opportunity to work on the project due to his curiosity about how machines work.

  “It sounded really exciting and interesting to me,” Gonalez said. “Our research focuses on additive manufacturing and composite materials. It consists of designing parts, manufacturing them, and testing them.”

Gonzales also mentioned that the team is developing a tool head for a 3D printer that can embed wire within a plastic part while 3D printing.

“From researching information to designing the components and manufacturing prototypes, all of the research assistants have been heavily involved,” said Gonzales. “The current design has been achieved by bringing everyones' ideas together.”

Since beginning the project in July 2023, the students have gained valuable information and would like to highlight Billah's ambition and hardworking nature.

“This project could not have been done alone. I am inspired and humbled by such a talented and motivated team of fellow students under Dr. Billah's guidance and mentorship,” Gleasman explained. “I am excited to take my understanding of design, automation and systems integration to the next level.”

Gleasman expressed his hope that the team would gain valuable experience and learn from it as they advance into their careers.

According to Billah, this project is crucial in UHCL's pursuit of scientific excellence and innovation while also inspiring future generations of STEM enthusiasts.

For more information about UHCL’s College of Science and Engineering, visit www.uhcl.edu/science-engineering/.

Moya was nominated in February 2023 by Kaylyn Sellers, one of his clinical seniors. She said Moya exemplifies what it is to be an educator, an advocate, a mentor and friend.

“During my time at UHCL, Dr. Moya has shown dedication to the Art School and has served as an advocate for the arts at UHCL, within the local community and the Greater Houston area,” she said. “During the pandemic, he transformed the Art School for Children programming to be fully remote and offered livestream classes to serve more students throughout Houston.”

Sellers added that Moya has been instrumental in creating a bridge between the public and UHCL “in the name of art.”

“He created the Art for Educators workshops program, which provides professional development for art educators,” she said. “These workshops allow local art educators to visit our campus, and experience our faculty and facilities, which further advocates for the Art Education program.”

Sellers said she truly believes Dr. Moya is a transformational leader in education and is worthy of recognition from his peers.

“I wish more than anything to bring about visibility of the fine work he is doing at UHCL so that it can be implemented by more educators,” she said.

Moya was surprised to be selected for a state recognized award in his discipline.

 “There are too many emotions to recount. I’m honored that someone would see the work I’ve done through the years and nominate me,” he said. “I’m grateful to be an example for my family, students and community. I feel validated because people don’t always praise your work, and on the contrary, are quicker to point out faults."

 Moya’s achievements were competitive among his peers in the state. He can still remember wanting to become an art educator, but never thought he would be an ‘Outstanding Art Educator.’

Moya’s love for art began at age 4, when his father, a deployed U.S. Marine, sent him drawings of trains and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Young Moya had no idea that the drawings would inspire his future artistic endeavors.

“I connected with those little drawings and was amazed by them. Art has always been a great challenge and a greater reward,” Moya said. “The challenge of creating something from nothing makes me feel awake. The greater reward is the impact the work has on my soul.”

One of the ways art saved Moya’s life, was by helping him cope with suicidal thoughts and ideations during his high school years. He said the impact a visual image holds on a person can fuse the past and the present, giving hope for the future.

It was also in high school when Moya realized he wanted to be an art educator. He said his teachers, Laura Grundler and Amy Semifero, played a monumental role in shaping his passion for art and serving people. As a UHCL alumnus, he also credits his professors for his success.

“During my time at UHCL, Jason Makepeace, Dr. Ann Waltz and Dr. Jana Willis were my mentors in helping me navigate visual arts and education at the collegiate level," he said.

Moya is deeply committed to continuing his mission in expanding art throughout UHCL and the community and looks forward to what’s to come for the Art School. He said they plan to start offering courses at UHCL at Pearland in the spring, establish an after-school program at the intermediate school level, and host an Art and Design Open House to showcase the studios, faculty and Art School next fall.

For more information about UHCL’s Art School for Children visit, www.uhcl.edu/childrens-art-school/.

Every year, select faculty members are recognized and awarded either for their achievements at University of Houston-Clear Lake, within the community, or both. Among the honorees for 2023 was Hisham Al-Mubaid, a professor of computer science and computer systems in the College of Science and Engineering. Al-Mubaid received the 2023 President’s Distinguished Research Award as a testament to his professional triumphs throughout his tenure at UH-Clear Lake. This award recognizes professional feats in a discipline or field through published work, exhibitions, or similar activity, as recognized by peers for high contribution to the intellectual growth of an academic area.

Al-Mubaid’s colleagues can attest to his extraordinary academic accomplishments. “He has been very active in all aspects of research and scholarly activities, including producing high-quality publications, developing grant proposals, helping graduate and undergraduate students to develop their research skills, etc.,” one of his fellow professors said. Many of his students also shared positive feedback, describing him as a “respected” professor, “a good helper,” and “very sincere and keen about student learning.”

He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2000 and began teaching at UH-Clear Lake the following year. He served as chair of Computer Information Systems (CIS) from 2009-2015. Since 2000, he has had nearly 100 works published on a wide range of topics, including word sense disambiguation, data mining, and most recently, functional annotation of disease genes for disease clustering.

Today, his research interests focus on natural language processing and bioinformatics, including data mining, machine learning, and biomedical text mining. He is actively working to prove the virtue of the context-based approach to natural language processing (NLP). He developed several algorithms and systems to prove the point, including detecting and correcting context-based errors, word prediction, word classification, text categorization, biomedical term disambiguation, and document clustering.

“Both Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) exist under the umbrella of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is a subject that I like,” he said. “I like this subject (AI) because it wants to simulate or imitate human thinking (natural intelligence) in solving problems; as you know, nowadays, AI is the most important topic in the world. Bioinformatics is also one of my favorite areas of science, and it also adapts and imports from AI.”

Students and community members have benefited from Al-Mubaid’s expertise, as he gives at least one technical presentation annually. He also developed four new courses for the university, but his contributions to the UHCL community didn’t end there. He also secured funding for five external grants and received an S-STEM grant from the National Science Foundation for just under $1 million. As a result, students who needed financial assistance could complete their education and pursue a STEM-related profession.

For more information about the President's Distinguished Faculty Awards, visit www.uhcl.edu/human-resources/service-awards/. 

Since opening in 2017, University of Houston Clear- Lake’s Human Health and Performance Institute has used science and engineering to guide research, testing, nutrition and exercise, to overcome barriers that limit human performance and become champions on the field of their health. Not only has the HHPI been successful in its numbers, but also by building relationships in the community, and preparing students for their future careers. Its ongoing partnership with KBR demonstrates its efforts to collaborate and help others define best science practices worldwide, while also providing opportunities for students.

Associate Professor of Exercise and Health Science William Amonette, who is also the executive director of the HHPI, said he and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ariful Bhuiyan, have found common research interests in biomechanics. They are using exposure to science and engineering through the HHPI, as a mechanism to better prepare students for the multidisciplinary nature of work in the 21st century. 

“One such project uses data collected on women professional soccer players in the HHPI, to run robotic simulations to quantify stress in knee ligaments," Amonette said. “We are working towards using real kinematic data collected in professional athletes, coupled with 3D printing of the major bones in the leg, to determine how the geometry of the bones affects knee stress and potential injuries.” 

Bhuiyan said that he teaches engineering, but in this case, his biomechanics experience allows him to explain various mechanical concepts to his students in a more engaging manner.

“In our lab, we take data and ask students to analyze it using engineering techniques. Students learn a lot of engineering calculation and aspects of physics from my course. They use it to solve real world problems," he said. 

Bhuiyan explained that the mechanical engineering program alone doesn’t give students the human performance knowledge that is missing, so working with the HHPI team helps them understand that piece. The combination of engineering and human performance is what many in the industry are searching for in employees. 

Amonette and Bhuiyan’s collaboration provided UHCL alumna Sascha Henderson the opportunity of a lifetime, because NASA was looking to hire someone with a mechanical engineering background that was also familiar with human performance technology.

 “She was the ideal candidate,” Amonette said. “The spaceflight industry recognizes the importance of using multidisciplinary approaches to solve the problem of humans living in space. My relationship with Dr. Bhuiyan provided a unique opportunity for a student to couple her engineering skills with human performance science to land a job in the space flight industry, and even better, working for UHCL."

Amonette added that Henderson was also a research assistant at the HHPI, and demonstrated a unique ability to independently problem solve and critically think from the start. 

Henderson graduated this past spring and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Not only is she working For NASA in a KBR lab, but she is employed by UHCL. She is an OCHMO/HMTA Integrator, which serves as a liaison with other NASA organizations, federal agencies, and international partners, to ensure the assigned areas and special projects adequately meet the needs of OCHMO and NASA. Their purpose is to ensure safe and successful execution of human spaceflight exploration.

She said that she always wanted to be a personal trainer growing up, but mechanical engineering was her calling. Having both interests has made her very successful in her role.

“I really enjoy what I do, and the people I work with,” she said. “I’ve been learning a lot, and the team I work with is open to my ideas. They listen to me, give me feedback and make me feel like I belong.”

Henderson added that she was originally afraid to try research, but Bhuiyan saw something in her that she didn’t see in herself.

“I didn’t think I was smart enough, but ‘just doing it’ got me to this point,” she said. I never imagined having a job like this before. I think expanding my horizon and getting to know people was very helpful. UHCL turned out to be such a great experience, and I love the community.”

Amonette said it’s the relationships that have been cultivated over many years that have led to opportunities like this, and he is happy UHCL students are receiving them.

“I believe that our uniqueness as a university, specifically our academic programs, all tie to application. Our instructors see through the lens of not just teaching somebody about something, but teaching them how to do something,” he said. “The reality is, when you go into the workforce, they aren’t really interested in what you know. It’s ‘what can you do?’.”

He added while they are teaching students fundamental concepts, they also teach the application of those concepts through testing, training and technology development. The experiential learning opportunities that students have at UHCL better prepare them for their future careers.

Amonette and Bhuiyan said their goal is to expand and continue to develop the relationships in the community, and to grow UHCL's presence on human health and performance at NASA.

Two other UHCL alumni, Vanessa Jones and Dana Gardner, are also now UHCL employees working with the HHPI and KBR. Jones is a human factors engineer and Gardner is a human performance scientist.

“We want to continue growing our presence on the Johnson Space Center Campus, and also grow UHCL's reputation for producing industry-ready graduates," Amonette said. “As a university and institute, we are grateful to work with KBR as a teammate on their unique mission to preserve astronauts' health while in space. Personally, I am just happy that the university and our great students get to contribute a piece of that mission.”

For more information about UHCL’s HHPI, visit www.uhcl.edu/hhpi/.

 

“Celebrate the culture.” That’s what University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Assistant Professor of Social Work Roberta Leal encourages Mexicans and other Hispanics to do, extinguishing the cultural stigmas that once existed. Leal recently received the honor of being recognized as an “Influential Latina” by The Mariachi Festival, a non-profit Houston organization.

Since 2019, the Greater Houston area celebrates Hispanic culture at this three-day event. The organization aims to promote Hispanic culture through the arts and to establish mariachi and ballet folklórico programs in schools. In the spirit of celebration, it also gives the community the opportunity to nominate a Latina who has made noteworthy contributions at her job or school, or within the community.

This year, 23 other women were chosen among the pool of nominees as “Influential Latinas of 2023,” alongside Leal. The recipients received plaques and were publicly honored on stage at The Wortham Theater, where the festival was held last month.

Leal said she enjoys being engaged in the community with cultural and theater arts, so she saw the event as another cultural opportunity. “I was planning to attend as a patron, and that’s when I received a phone call, saying I was nominated,” she said.

As a professor in UH-Clear Lake's College of Human Sciences and Humanities, Leal focuses her time and expertise on teaching, social work field education, and researching topics such as immigration and health disparities. Leal also coordinates events with non-profits across Harris County that impact thousands of minority families every year.

The American Jewish Committee, in partnership with the Mexican Consulate in Houston recognized her as a Mexican-American Emerging Leader in 2009. University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work presented her with the Humanitarian of the Year award in 2013, 2015, and 2015, and with the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2015. In 2019, she was selected as the Social Worker of the Year by Latino Social Workers of Greater Houston Network. She was also nominated and invited to be a Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education Leadership Fellow at the 3rd annual Career and Leadership Development Institute in 2023. 

Leal was chosen as an “Influential Latina” for her community engagement and activism in helping underserved individuals with access to healthcare and education as well. “I do a lot of mentoring in the community for high school students, and their parents, who are working their way to college in a community setting,” she said. “I also provide professional development meetings for recent graduates launching their careers and professors teaching or conducting research for the first time.”

She shares the recognition with Latinas from a range of professions, including other university professionals as well as CEOs, an attorney, a mental health therapist, company founders, and a neuroscientist, among other professions. She hopes The Mariachi Festival continues to recognize influential Latinas in the area next year and every year. “I also hope to be able to serve the board or advisory committee one year,” she added.

­As a Mexican-American, Leal understands the challenges that other Mexican-Americans face regarding their culture. “We grew up with stigmas about our culture and lost some of it, so this festival is a way to revive that,” she said. "Celebrate the culture.”

For more information about UHCL’s Social Work program, visit www.uhcl.edu/human-sciences-humanities/departments/clinical-health-applied-sciences/social-work/

Since University of Houston- Clear Lake opened its doors nearly 50 years ago, it has demonstrated a commitment to making higher education available to everyone, including those in the criminal justice system. In celebration of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities ‘Transforming Lives by Degrees Program,’ the Art Gallery is presenting a retrospective of the history, evolution and important milestones of the university’s involvement with prison reform through education. Associate Professor of Art History Beth Merfish said it has always been among UH-Clear Lake’s primary missions to be involved with prison education reform.

“TLD is at the heart of the work of a public university. That is, to make higher education accessible to all, and to provide transformational educational experiences,” Merfish said. “These exhibitions will allow visitors and members of the university community to engage with the program, and the issues that intersect with it.”

Merfish said UHCL’s faculty and staff have been essential for a successful TLD program for 50 years, and the TLD art exhibition will be a video highlighting that success.

“We have a dedicated faculty and staff who have persevered despite challenges,” she said. “We are fortunate to have the support of  our Dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities,  Glenn Sanford, and our university administrators. We also have incredible students.”

Merfish added that UHCL’s vision for expansion into other prisons to educate more incarcerated people is being discussed. 

“We currently offer the only graduate degree available to incarcerated students in Texas. In addition to the Master of Arts in Humanities, we offer the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and the Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Sciences,” she said.

For more information about UHCL’s TLD initiatives visit, www.uhcl.edu/human-sciences-humanities/centers-initiatives/academics-for-offenders. For more information about upcoming exhibitions in UHCL’s Art Gallery visit, www.uhcl.edu/art-gallery/

“The name ‘Counseling Services’ often gets confused with academic advising with high school students or transfers from community colleges,” Cook said. “The new name more accurately reflects the psychological and mental health nature of our services. There are sometimes more mental health concerns than basic counseling would imply to students.”

Cook said another reason for the name change was to reflect the comprehensive range of mental health services offered by the Counseling and Mental Health Center.

“We have more than just counseling; we have psychiatry and other services,” she said.

The UH-Clear Lake Counseling and Mental Health Center offers various services such as individual, group and couples therapy, psychiatric services, self-help resources, workshops and presentations. It also offers ‘The Mind Spa’ which is a free biofeedback lab and relaxation room. The lab features massage chairs, aromatherapy, yoga mats, coloring for calm, water features and sound spas, and more. This room can be reserved by calling the Counseling and Mental Health Center.

All counseling at UHCL’s Counseling and Mental Health Center is confidential and follows the privacy and confidentiality practices policies. Most services are free to enrolled UHCL students. For more information about the Counseling and Mental Health Center, visit www.uhcl.edu/cmhc/

UH-Clear Lake’s Senior Associate Vice President of Information Technology LeeBrian Gaskins and Associate Professor of Social Work Heather Kanenberg were recognized for completing their one-year TALA experience, and Associate Dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities Shreerekha Subramanian and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Youssef Hamidi were recognized for joining the incoming cohort of aspiring leaders.

The four-day event featured presentations from seasoned higher education administrators from around Texas, as well as multiple professional development opportunities aimed at equipping emerging leaders for the challenges that they will face throughout their careers.  

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Christopher Maynard said that although there were many excellent national academic leadership development programs, Texas was large enough to warrant its own separate leadership academy.

“The Texas Council of Chief Academic Officers recognized the need to establish an academic leadership academy and requested interested universities to submit proposals. At the time, I was a member of TCCAO and worked in the Provost’s Office at Sam Houston State University,” he said. “Along with two of my colleagues, we wrote a proposal that was presented to TCCAO, and were awarded the grant to start this leadership academy in 2018.”

Maynard said the academy meets three times each year and rotates locations. In previous years, the first meeting for each cohort has been held at SHSU’s campus in The Woodlands.

 “This is the first time that TALA has been hosted in Houston by any other university,” he said. “It is a privilege to host the academy at UHCL. It provides the university with visibility to academic leaders across the state, and demonstrates that UHCL is an important part of the higher education landscape in Texas.”

Maynard said he has been involved with TCCAO since 2017, serving as its president in 2020-2021.

“Through the establishment of the leadership academy as well as other meetings and outreach efforts, TCCAO has worked to bring together academic leaders from across Texas to work collaboratively,” he said.

He added it was impactful to have so many administrators on the UHCL campus sharing ideas. “When we hear what others are doing, it helps us find ways toward continuous improvement of our academic mission,” he said. “We are always looking for new ways to further academic excellence and promote student success.”

But there are many other works of art, large and small, that don’t always get the same recognition.  Some are tucked away in areas of campus that don’t receive a lot of foot traffic or in buildings that many students and employees never have a reason to visit. Others do receive a lot of traffic, but only from a distance.

Some of the art pieces on campus have a permanent home at UH-Clear Lake while others are on display temporarily as part of a public art exhibition. Regardless of how they got to UHCL, each tells a unique story. Each speaks to its audience in different ways, and all should be celebrated. Here are just a few of the secluded art pieces on campus worthy of a visit:

“Steel Study,” 1977

With its combination of round and straight edges and reflective surface, this sculpture sits boldly in the STEM Building lobby as part of Public Art of the University of Houston System’s temporary exhibition. Artist William Crovello created this stainless-steel structure in 1977 after learning classical calligraphy while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Japan and Korea in the ‘50s. Feeling inspired by the artistic elements in this writing style, he often included them in his sculptures, including his “Steel Study.”

“The Firebird,” 1978

Nestled on the lawn near the rear entrance to the Bayou Building is this sculpture made from welded cor-ten steel in 1978 by world-renowned sculptor Richard Hunt. Also a talented metalworker and welder, Hunt created this and other pieces to demonstrate his interest in forming hybrid figures “derived from anthromorphic, zoomorphic, or plant-based forms.”

His creations span over seven decades and have been featured all over the country. Dozens of cars drive past “The Firebird” daily, but since it can blend in with the adjacent trees, it takes some intentional observation, on foot, to truly appreciate it. This sculpture was added to the campus, courtesy of Public Art of University of Houston System.

Untitled running figure, circa 2008

This untitled artwork can be found behind the Arbor Central Building, courtesy of a UHCL student enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program.  Associate Professor of Art Jason Makepeace shared his recollection of the piece. “The running figure was created in ceramics by an international exchange student from Czech Republic more than 15 years ago,” he said. “He worked with former ceramic professor Nick de Vries and was a part of the former international arts consortium which was ran by Nick and Sandra Hu.”

Untitled metal sculptures, circa 2011

According to Makepeace, these sculptures were created about 12 years ago. “The figure was created by Jason Shaw, and the three folded paper style planes were created by Cameron Rowe,” he said. “Jason and Cameron are local and are BFA alumni, and their pieces were created under my guidance in ARTS 4311 Process Sculpture.”

The hollow figure features elements akin to a human skeleton, with a ribcage protecting a large heart. The airplanes portray the clever artistic contradiction of paper airplanes, made out of metal. Both can be found next to each other behind the Arbor Central Building.

“Moldable Subtractions,” 2014

Every student who has taken a course in any of the Arbor Buildings since 2014 has likely walked past this towering red figure near the Arbor Building sidewalks and parking lot. Others who have noticed it have seen only from the parking lot or street. Made of concrete and powder coated steel, this work of art reflects the personal interests of its creator,  who happens to be Makepeace.

An experienced kayaker, Makepeace fashioned this piece to celebrate his fascination with the continuity of the basic design of the kayak, despite centuries of technological advancements. “Representing the underlying structure of a modern kayak, Makepeace uses red to heighten and to give a bold and balanced contrast to its base, which has been made to resemble a tree stump. This juxtaposition of these two forms results in the illusion of the kayak being carved straight from the tree,” the plaque reads.

Veterans from American Indian and Alaska Native populations have a strong tradition of serving in the military, enlisting at the highest rate per capita of any ethnic or racial group. Yet this segment of the population has been traditionally underrepresented and disenfranchised, often returning from service with an array of physical and mental health needs.

A project, funded by several grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs, investigated mental health care access in the American Indian and Alaska Native veteran population before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Isabelle Kusters, associate professor of Public Health at University of Houston-Clear Lake, is the lead author of an article to be published this month in JAMA Psychiatry, part of the Journal of the American Medical Association’s network.

As a group, American Indian and Alaska Native veterans experience serious health issues and generally report a poorer quality of life, compared to their peers. After the COVID lockdown, Kusters said all these health outcomes were exacerbated.

“Almost overnight, we had to switch solely to telehealth,” she explained. “This rapid period of virtualization truly affected how people accessed their health care. We looked specifically at that time when health care was forced to go virtual and we wanted to investigate how that shift may have impacted this specific group.”

She said the VA was already doing great work to increase video telehealth use prior to the pandemic. “We wanted to see if there were differences in the use of that mental health care technology for this population, whether they lived in urban or rural settings,” she said.

Kusters said the research findings showed that, although all groups increased their use of video telehealth for mental health care overall, there were significant disparities between rural and urban dwellers, especially for the American Indian and Alaska Native population.

“We must address geographic barriers and also socioeconomic and infrastructural barriers," she said. “We need to work to improve collaboration between patients and providers, create better outreach to communities, build trust, and increase access to available services.”

Kusters said the research highlights the importance of addressing these inequities. “This research is ongoing with the VA, in order to improve the quality of care they are providing this important group,” she said.

Teaching is a tough job. So tough that the Texas Associate of School Boards reports that about half public school teachers nationally have seriously considered leaving the profession within their first five years of teaching. Although many teachers cite low pay and underfunding as a main source of frustration, TASB says that about 62% consider a different profession because as teachers, they feel undervalued and unsupported.

University of Houston-Clear Lake professors in the College of Education have a plan to address the shortage of teachers in local school districts. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they came up with the idea to create a mentoring collaborative with the aim of setting up a progressive, responsive approach to mentoring new teachers.

“We have ideals and values that we want to embrace through this collaborative, such as communication and continuity,” said Associate Professor of Special Education Elizabeth Beavers. “We were experimenting with what we wanted mentoring to look like. From the beginning, we wanted to do something so students could stay connected with faculty after leaving.”

 She said it was their goal to walk alongside them, support them, and to be a resource to them in their first years in their own classrooms. “We want to do this in partnership with the mentorship they could be receiving from the teachers they’re assigned to in their districts,” she explained.

Beavers said that the first year of teaching can be an emotional journey for new teachers. “They need to have someone they know with whom they can be vulnerable and who will help them build confidence in their first year,” she said.

Associate Professor of Literacy, Language Arts and Literature Studies Roberta Raymond said she hoped connecting with newly-graduated students, ensuring they had their professors’ cell phones if they wanted to text, and letting them know she was available would make them feel there was support close by.

“In collaboration with a committee, we create a webpage with some additional resources and email addresses for our new teachers to reach out to if needed,” she said. “When they graduated, we sent students emails to welcome them to the profession and let them know about this mentoring collaborative.”

Beavers said that building strategic partnerships within districts to support UHCL’s new teachers as well as new teachers from other universities is an important part of the plan.

“We have established agreements with area school districts and facilitated professional development trainings with district mentors on how to coach mentees and one-on-one mentorship,” she continued. “It’s still an evolution. Mentors are choosing to work with new teachers out of their desire to support aspiring, but it’s all organic.”

Because UHCL teachers are employed in so many area school districts, finding ways to remain connected is a challenge, so Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Kent Divoll said he began working on creating partnerships with those districts that did not offer many professional development options to teachers.

“So far, we have offered professional development to La Porte Independent School District, Goose Creek I.S.D., Texas City I.S.D., and Santa Fe I.S.D.,” Divoll said. “We have done presentations on classroom management, and training mentors to be the best possible coaches to first-year teachers.

“Our larger plan is to remain as connected as possible to the school districts, not just to help our own teachers be successful in the classroom, but all teachers in the area,” he continued. “We want them to know we are here to support them if they want to advance their education. We want to give everyone the tools they need to remain in the profession.”

Beavers added that all UHCL students in the College of Education must complete various teaching field experiences, and those with a special education concentration can do theirs in Clear Creek I.S.D.’s Extended School Year program, designed to support students with significant learning and behavioral disabilities during the summer, when many often regress and lose the skills they acquired over the school year.

“Our current students are engaged in partnership with Clear Creek I.S.D. and there are some UHCL alumni who are now teachers, and they’re mentoring current UHCL students who are involved in the ESY program,” Beavers said.

She said the teachers’ willingness to offer mentorship says so much about UHCL’s partnerships.

 “Teachers are so willing to help, no matter where they graduated from, and they give of themselves and support our aspiring teachers,” she explained. “Most of what our graduates talk about is their experience with their mentor teachers. Clear Creek I.S.D. loves our students there, and the reciprocal part is that there’s another set of hands and another perspective to help students who are becoming teachers.”

Andrea Simmons is currently working toward her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with Core Subjects EC-6 and Special Education EC-12. In June, she completed a three-week practicum in Clear Creek I.S.D.’s Extended Year Program, embedded in a structured learning lab working with second-grade students on the autism spectrum.

“My mentor teacher is a UHCL alumna,” Simmons said. “And Dr. Beavers has always stayed connected with me as well. There have been many times where I wondered if I was cut out for this, but Dr. Beavers and my mentor teacher have always built my confidence and told me to believe in myself.”

 She added that she’s had consistent support, and Dr. Beavers checked in with everyone regularly, floating in and out of the classrooms, observing her and all the other UHCL teacher interns.

“This mentoring has had such an impact on me,” Simmons said. “It has made me feel that there is always someone who’s interested in me and making sure I am getting the most out of this educational experience. If more teachers had this kind of mentorship, I think they would stay in education longer.”

Simmons said that when she graduates, she will apply to Alvin I.S.D., where she lives and where her own children went to school. “I know my professors will stay in touch with me even when I have graduated,” she said.

For more information about UHCL's College of Education Mentoring Collaborative, visit www.uhcl.edu/education/centers-initiatives/mentoring-collaborative/.

University of Houston Clear Lake's College of Business offers multiple accelerated programs that allow students to complete coursework in a shorter period. The Master of Science in Finance program is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and can be taken in a fully online format. This degree allows students to specialize in financial management, sharpen their skills in business analytics, and take fewer classes with shorter hours than a traditional graduate degree.

A traditional M.S. Finance program can be 45 hours or more. Some programs also require 9 to 12 hours of foundation classes. UH-Clear Lake’s M.S. Finance program is accelerated because of the foundation class requirements being eliminated, and the condensed classes to 30 hours, with all the same information.

Associate Professor of Finance Tim Michael said the degree is specialized to technical tools.

“It’s designed for people who already have a business degree or business experience. They come in and learn more about being an analyst. Our accelerated program has attracted a lot of people from outside of business fields,” Michael said. “In some of those cases, that’s an engineer who has a family, a full-time job, and just wants to get a degree to sharpen their business skills.”

He said that in other cases, they also ended up with students from outside of business who have been able to change their career path through the program.

“We teach people to be financial analysts,” he said. “The four assessment areas of the program are business ethics, oral communication, critical thinking, and a common body of knowledge in finance.”

The emphasis of the accelerated M.S. in Finance program is on giving students the same experience that they would have in a longer, more traditional program.

“The idea is that people can get in, specialize in what they want to learn very carefully, and then get out and that’s the advantage,” Michael said. “Plus, it’s all online so it can be really convenient. The program has been very successful for students. Students are engaged in their fields and their classes often help them immediately in their jobs.”

He added that AACSB is the world’s premier business accreditation organization. “We are accredited both in business and accounting. It’s really unusual to see that in a smaller university,” Michael said.

The faculty also strives to make the experience for students pursuing this degree a beneficial one.

“The professors in finance are really trying to get our students the best outcomes after graduation. Not only do we all have experience of some kind, but we regularly talk to former students and employers, and we have a good idea of what our students need in the world to be successful,” Michael said.

Michael’s former student, Brenda Garcia, received her Master of Science in Finance in 2022, and said that the program taught her so much on a personal, professional and national level.

“I’ve learned to take care of my finances in a way that I had not before. I am able to be part of conversations with broader understanding from different aspects. I am also able to comprehend issues our country faces daily with more insight,” she said.

Garcia completed her Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Houston in 2017. She enrolled in UHCL’s master’s program to further her education, and said it worked for her in many aspects.

“The enrollment process was tremendously easy. The people I dealt with were extremely resourceful and caring. I knew I was meant to be a part of this program when I spoke to registration, advisors and others,” she said. “I am a full-time employee, wife and a mother. This program allowed me to have the flexibility to study in my own time, and take exams when they were convenient for me,” she explained.

She said that sometimes, she even took advantage of the opportunity to take exams at 4 a.m., which for her, worked wonders.

“My life is already busy enough,” she said.

Garcia said she had great professors that were flexible, and able to work with her schedule and personal life. She said Dr. Michael influenced her the most on her journey.

“Dr. Michael was the professor that influenced me the most. I can say that without thinking twice. He has a passion for what he does. His lessons are a part of my daily thoughts, and I became more open-minded,” she said. “He taught me so much about finance and provided excellent reading materials that I still reread today to understand our current markets.”

Her experience in the accelerated program left Garcia feeling confident and prepared for whatever comes next.

“The program gave me confidence to keep pursuing education.,” she said. “I am currently an analyst for a major oil and gas corporation and have the confidence and knowledge to keep learning every day.”

UHCL’s College of Business also offers Master of Business Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration, and joint MHA/MBA accelerated programs. For more information, visit www.uhcl.edu/business/

It’s been two years since President Joe Biden signed the legislation officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. Juneteenth is a chance to celebrate freedom for all Americans. Although the actual end of slavery came with the Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863, the news did not reach Texas for another year and a half, on June 19, 1865.

“On Juneteenth, we remember our extraordinary capacity to heal, to hope, and to emerge from our worst moments as a stronger, freer, and more just nation.  It is also a day to celebrate the power and resilience of Black Americans, who have endured generations of oppression in the ongoing journey toward equal justice, equal dignity, equal rights, and equal opportunity in America,” Biden said.

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Brice Yates said it’s a day to celebrate and to educate our community.

“It’s not just Black history, it’s American history. It is important that we educate the campus, the community, and the country about the importance of Juneteenth and understanding what it truly means," he said. 

Freeing the remaining slaves happened in Galveston, Texas which is approximately 33 miles south of UH- Clear Lake’s campus. On June 19, 1865 — over two years after President Lincoln declared all enslaved persons free — Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and Union Army troops marched to Galveston to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas.

“The announcement happening in Galveston impacts us here too. It’s just down the road, in the Bay Area. They are a part of our service region. This was a local thing that happened, and it isn’t often discussed,” Yates explained. “We need to find more ways to celebrate that. While grateful for having this day off, it’s also a day for reflection.” There are many pieces of history that tie together. This is the opportunity to show UHCL’s  community that no matter what their background or race is, there are more similarities than differences.

“Our student population reflects individuals from various backgrounds. We are a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority Serving Institution (MSI). We have a large Latino(a) student population and when speaking of Latino(a) identity, it is important to incorporate Afro-Latinos in the conversation,” he said. “In Texas there were enslaved African Americans and further west enslaved Native Indigenous people, a piece of history often not discussed. We look at history from certain perspectives, but don’t try to tie the pieces together. That’s one of the things we can look at moving forward. Juneteenth is the true Independence Day for America because all Americans were freed at that time.”

UHCL students are also excited about observing Juneteenth. Taylor May, a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, said that she grew up in a predominately Black neighborhood in Galveston County and said it was nice to see the holiday recognized on a federal level.

“It’s always been important where I am from. National recognition is long overdue,” she said. “I am happy that our campus is observing Juneteenth and it’s very appreciated.”

For more information about UHCL’s Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, visit www.uhcl.edu/student-affairs/student-engagement/diversity-equity-inclusion/

University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Office of Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion hosted the fourth annual Diversity Graduation on May 11, inviting multicultural, LGBTQ+, veteran, and first-generation college students to be highlighted in a celebration spotlighting underrepresented populations that bring diversity to the campus.

 “We had about 80 graduates who brought along an additional 140 family members and friends to celebrate graduation,” said Joshua Quinn, coordinator of Women, Gender and Sexuality Programs in the Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

This was the first year that veterans were included in the Diversity Graduation celebration, which took place in the university’s Bayou Building. Sam Tijerina, who received his Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, was among seven veterans crossing the stage.

Tijerina is a first-generation college student who transferred to UH-Clear Lake from San Jacinto College. Ultimately, he hopes to complete law school and begin a career in union advocacy.

“I thought the Diversity Graduation was really special,” Tijerina said. “I really pride myself on being a veteran. Of everything I do, I hope that people look at me and associate that more than anything else about me.”

Tijerina, a husband and father of three small children, said he discussed it with his wife and decided the kids would not be able to sit through the commencement ceremony on May 13 at NRG Arena.

“This way, the kids saw their dad walk up, I have a video of my sons running up to me, and it was a lot more intimate,” he said. “I would not have gotten this at the Arena. I really walked for my kids. I wanted to be an example for them and see themselves in higher education someday.”

Although he did attend the main event at NRG Arena with his wife, he said he felt that the Diversity Graduation was his “real” commencement because his children could be present and participate as well.

“It’s really important to me that this university does an alternative graduation,” he said. “I’m a very proud veteran graduate and the big commencement should be for everybody. But, it’s important to have this kind of ceremony to show the diversity in the crowd.”

The group of graduates is so diverse, Tijerina said it was important to acknowledge everyone. “They all have had a struggle and they all have a story,” he said. “It’s nice to have this recognition and know the university cares enough to do this. We feel that this is the moment when it all comes together and we are told we’ll always be a part of the UHCL family.”

Quinn said that each diverse population receives a certain commemorative item with historic significance as his or her name is called. The historical context of each item is explained to the audience, along with its importance in bringing inclusivity and granting access to populations who have been denied access to higher education in the past.

“Military graduates receive a challenge coin and not a stole,” he said. “There is a history to that. They receive a red, white and blue honor cord, and a challenge coin designed by the Office of Military and Veteran Services. Our veterans have met the challenge and have become UHCL alumni, so they receive one-of-a-kind challenge coins. This is the first year for this new tradition; no one else will have those.”

For more information about events and programs in the Office of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, visit www.uhcl.edu/student-affairs/student-engagement/diversity-inclusion/

On May 13, Farinacci received her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with Core Subjects EC-6 and ESL Supplemental from University of Houston-Clear Lake. “I’m really glad this is where I got my degree,” she said. “I grew up in Pearland and I did not want to go to college far away from home. I met someone who was majoring in education at UH-Clear Lake and she said her experience was rigorous, but very satisfying. That had a lot of influence on my decision.”

She said she’d had many courses with (Assistant Professor of Studies in Language and Culture) Leslie Gauna, who inspired her and kept her going. “Dr. Gauna molded me into who I am now as a teacher, and she taught me what I want to carry into the classroom in terms of diversity and multiculturalism,” she said. “She was my most impactful professor.”

She said each of her professors were willing to go the extra mile. “I had the feeling that in college, my professors wouldn’t care so much about me,” she said. “But every step of the way, even through COVID, my professors were reassuring and supportive and told me to keep on pushing.”

Receiving a teaching internship in Pearland Independent School District  was important to her. “It meant a lot to me to intern in my home district, because I gained so much there,” she explained. “It’s so important to me to give back to my community. I would not be here without the teachers I had growing up. And now, I’m going to be starting my teaching career here.”

Before her internship at E.A. Lawhon Elementary, she thought she might want to teach kindergarten. She was a little worried that her students might have difficulty with her name.

“At the time, I thought ‘Farinacci’ might be a struggle for little kids, so I allowed them to call me Ms. Fairy,” she said. “I had an idea to create a library in my classroom with a magical forest theme. Then I got matched to a third-grade teacher for my internship and I didn’t think the older kids would want to call me Ms. Fairy, but they did. So, now I’m Ms. Fairy.”

She said she would be getting married in September, but for school, she would remain Ms. Fairy. “My fiancé says he doesn’t mind being called ‘Mr. Fairy,’” she joked.

In the fall, she will begin her first year teaching third grade at H.C. Carleston Elementary in Pearland I.S.D. “I have woven the ‘Ms. Fairy’ theme into my future classroom,” she said. “In my mind, I’m envisioning a reading corner with a tree and butterflies. I have a giant wooden ‘F’ with stained glass that a parent painted for me, with a fairy. It’s beautiful.”

Farinacci said she was taking much more than fairies and butterflies into her new classroom. “The most important thing I learned from my time at UHCL is that I need to have good relationships with my students,” she said. “Without that, it doesn’t matter how great the lessons are. Students need to know they are cared for and respected. I learned from my professors that students need to feel valued. Any good instruction will begin with building good relationships.”

She said that although she has graduated, her time at UHCL is not complete. “I’m counting down until I go back for my  master’s degree,” she said.

For more information about undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs available in  UHCL's College of Education, visit www.uhcl.edu/education/.

Associate Professor in Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Studies Maria Curtis said she makes sure she goes to one ceremony a year, if not each semester. She was among approximately  80 professors who attended one of the day’s two sessions.

“I am the first person in my family to walk across a stage and graduate, and I very clearly remember the look on my parents’, grandparents’ and siblings’ faces when 
I graduated, and I realized how meaningful that was,” she said. “I come from a working-class family. They encouraged me to go to school. I had a job—sometimes multiple jobs, and I paid my way and I had scholarships.”

She said that’s when she learned that beyond being in college, education was supposed to bring a kind of ease to life. “You have more options, and you don’t have to have that paycheck-to-paycheck mindset. You can have time to think and do other things,” she said. “It’s fine to be  hard working and I appreciate my parents instilled that in me, but the worry about how to pay for things was not easy. I never thought of myself as a person who would fit into the educational sphere, but then I heard about a scholarship offered through my grandfather’s employer, who had worked very hard in his life.”

 Her grandfather was the one who encouraged her to apply for this scholarship so that she could work less and study more. “The scholarship allowed me to work less and join a research group with my anthropology professor,” she recalled.

She said that was the scholarship that made her think about going on to graduate school and even studying abroad—two things no one in her family had ever done.

“When I graduated, that’s when it dawned on me what a big deal it was. My family really honored it. My grandmother was the child of sharecroppers. She was just beside herself when I graduated.  There are no words to explain how much it meant to her. She said that my education had given me a different confidence, which I hadn’t realized.”

As an anthropology professor, Curtis said that she’d taught students from all over the university because of the diversity course requirement.

“I’m the one who’s reading the list of students graduating in the College of Human Sciences and Humanities,” she said. “I’m so excited to see how many students I know. I think about each student’s struggles and their ups and downs. We all had them. A lot of our job as professors is to just to tell students to keep going and that they can do it.”

She said she reflected on the fact that as she read the names, there was a tremendous lifetime accomplishment behind each one, as well as for the family members sitting in the crowd. “It never bothers me when people are screaming in the audience,” she said. “They are so excited. There is so much joy. They have earned this day.”

 Curtis said that in reading the names before graduation, she identified at least 20 different languages.

“It is incredible to think about our student diversity and take in the fact that there were proud parents and grandparents in the audience whose hopes for their graduates may have once started in so many distant places,” she said.

And as she listens to the shouts from happy family members in the audience, Curtis said she was happy to be with her colleagues in that moment.

“There is a day-to-day grind during the semester with exams, grading, and prepping for teaching, but to see my colleagues in such a happy moment, it’s very special, and it’s an important reminder of why we are here,” she said. “Most of our students are in the same situation I was in. Students think professors operate in a different dimension where things are somehow easier for us, but they don’t realize we faced similar struggles to get our degrees and how much we identify with them.”

And that, she said, is why she goes to commencement.

“I’m reading some of the names of my own students and I’m so excited about that,” she said. “Even if they’re not in my program, I have had many in my classes and I am honored to witness this important rite of passage.”

 She said students often have self-confidence issues to overcome and this is why graduation is so beautiful—they have stuck with it, they did their best, and they grew and persevered. 

“They probably learned that the journey to the end of degree is not about perfection but staying the path, learning new content material, but also learning about how to tap into their own unique strengths,” she said. “They did the work, they made it, and now they’re here.”

The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic created many setbacks in people’s lives, but none of them stopped University of Houston - Clear Lake alumna, Vivian Quintero from achieving her academic goal.  Despite the unknowns, challenges, and adjusting to new norms, the Houston, Texas native completed her Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies at UH- Clear Lake in spring 2020 and got accepted into New England Law | Boston the same semester.  

 “I was making decisions blindly because no one I knew ever experienced anything like that before,” Quintero said. “Not only did the pandemic take away my experience as a graduate, but also as a future law student because I completed my first year of law school online. There were a lot of doubts.”  

When she was finishing her credits at San Jacinto College to transfer into a four-year program, she discovered that UHCL was the best fit. Upon enrolling, she utilized available resources that opened doors for her.  

 “UHCL has a unique introduction to the law that I could not find with other universities. UHCL offered the ability not only to learn about different areas of the law, but also offered the ability to intern at different government offices,” she said. “I interned at the Galveston County District Attorney’s office. I think aside from the academics, UHCL also offered professional legal experience.”  

 She added that (Associate Professor of Legal Studies) Vanessa Johnson influenced her and opened her eyes to many possibilities.

“Prof. Johnson is an attorney. Attending her classes and getting the experience from an attorney directly created that motivation to keep going and reach a level like hers,” she explained. “If it were not for Prof. Johnson, I would not have met Melinda Metz and Linda Telfah, who work at the Galveston County District Attorney’s office. They influenced me as well. They all opened my eyes to what an attorney can do for people.”

She said that her classes in the Legal Studies program were important, but her internship experience at the Galveston County D.A. really allowed her to see the power attorneys can have, and how they can use it for good.

“I would not have had that experience if Prof. Johnson had not opened that door for me,” she said.

Being Latina, Quintero knew how important it would be to have minority representation in the legal profession.   

“There is a space for everyone no matter their shape, background, color, or education level in the legal world. UHCL helped me see that through the opportunities they offer,” she said.  “The intense process with the LSAT exam and applying to numerous law schools to see who would admit me is very intimidating. UHCL helped remove that intimidation because of the resources that were given to me through the Legal Studies program.”  

She added that as a first-generation  Latina, and the first lawyer in her whole family, UHCL offered her everything she needed to succeed. “I could not have achieved that without the resources and assistance that were available to me,” she said.  

Quintero advises students to never settle for less. “UHCL offers so much more when you strive to ask questions and become more informed. I would not have known all about what the Legal Studies program offers if I had not reached out to UHCL directly,” she said. “They were more than happy to help me. UHCL offered me so much and more, and I am forever grateful for that.”  

Quintero currently is a court-appointed attorney with the Department of Justice, offering U.S. citizens legal support through the court system. She will be graduating from New England Law Boston this spring. For more information about UHCL's Legal Studies B.S. Program visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/degrees/legal-studies-bs 

Over 1,265 University of Houston-Clear Lake spring 2023 graduates will earn their degrees and be recognized during a commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13, at 10 a.m. for the Colleges of Education and Business, and 2 p.m. for the Colleges of Science and Engineering and Human Sciences and Humanities at NRG Arena, 1 NRG Parkway, Houston.

Of the 1,265 graduates, 759 will receive their undergraduate degree, and 506 will be recognized for receiving graduate degrees.

The Colleges of Education and Business will confer degrees to 223 and 328 graduates, respectively, including 15 COE graduates who will be receiving doctorates. The College of Science and Engineering will confer 367 degrees, and the College of Human Sciences and Humanities will confer 347, including one doctoral candidate.

Stephanie Martinez, who is receiving her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with Core Subjects Early Childhood-6 with Bilingual Supplemental from the College of Education, will deliver the commencement address for the earlier ceremony. During her time at UH-Clear Lake, she served as vice president and president of the Bilingual Education Student Organization and hopes to become a second-grade teacher in an area school district this fall.

The commencement speaker for the second ceremony is Marian Lai, who is receiving her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the College of Science and Engineering. Lai joined the Hawk Leadership Institute upon entering UHCL, ultimately becoming a peer mentor. She credits her experience in HLI with helping cultivate her leadership skills, and plans to attend nursing school in the fall. 

There is no limit to the number guests that can attend for each graduate. Tickets are not required to attend.

This spring's candidates will join over 78,000 others who have graduated from the university. UHCL began as an upper-level university in 1974, admitting juniors, seniors and graduate students. The university expanded to admit underclassmen in 2014.

For more information about UHCL's spring 2023 commencement, go online.