After being involved with The Honors College for 30 years, Dean of the Honors College Ted Estess announced Dec. 4 that he will step down from his position.
The Honors College has grown and blossomed into a full-fledged college over the years, Estess said.
"During my tenure, the program has developed from a relatively marginal unit at the University into a college that is highly important for undergraduate education at UH," Estess said.
Despite stepping down next August, Estess will continue at UH as a faculty member in The Honors College. He said he looks forward to being inside of the classroom again.
"The noblest activity for a person as an educator is to be directly in the teaching role with the students, and an administrative job necessarily takes you away from that," Estess said.
Estess began as director of what was then known as the Honors Program in 1977 and has been dean since it became The Honors College in 1993.
He also said that he is pleased to have been involved with the thousands of students who have participated in The Honors College over the years.
"It has been an immense pleasure and privilege for me to be director and then dean of (The Honors College) at the University of Houston and I’m very grateful for the several thousands of Honors students I’ve known here," Estess said.
The search for a new dean will take place in the spring and a successor should be named by late spring or early summer, Estess said. He also said that the students would have several opportunities to interact with candidates.
He said he hopes to assist the new dean as best he can, and help him or her to meet new people. Estess also said that he hopes the new dean will continue the traditions of the Honors College and will keep in touch with the number of alumni and "external supporters."
Estess said he will be teaching Human Situation, an Honors course, and several upper-level English courses as a faculty member.
"I’m immensely gratified by what has been accomplished through the hard work of many persons," Estess said. "And I’m grateful for the unstinting support of other deans and provosts and presidents over the years."
