Whether you’ve been at UH for years or it’s the first time you’ve set foot on campus, one thing is certain: you can expect a lot from this semester.
The University has a new president and, pretty soon, the country will too. While disparate in scale, these leadership changes will have a large impact on the students, faculty and staff here and we plan to chronicle them along the way.
However, those aren’t the only things that will shape the University and, incidentally, not the only things on our radar.
Tuition has tripled in the last decade, but a bill passed in Congress could monitor such increases and ease the financial aid process for students. A search for a new provost is under way, but Interim Provost Jerald Strickland, appointed in July, said he plans to address problems with financial aid and PeopleSoft 8.9 in the six months he holds the job. Those problems are sure to cause a few headaches, though, as kinks in the process affect student enrollment and finances. UH President Renu Khator is rigorously pursuing flagship status and should that goal be met, the words "University of Houston" on a diploma will carry a lot more weight.
But Khator isn’t the only new face around here and not the only one with big plans. New head football coach Kevin Sumlin has his eyes on conference championships and brings with him techniques to reshape the team.
Some of these changes will be good and some bad, but change itself is exciting, and we’re eager to see what transpires in the coming months.
We plan to stay on top of things and hope to serve as a resource, relaying what we find to you. As a student-run paper, we are focused on what affects the University and those who are a part of it, whether for work or an education. It is our duty to report these events without any bias, and we plan to fulfill that duty to the best of our ability. Things may be changing this semester, but that fundamental goal of ours is not.
It’s an exciting time to be a part of the University and an exciting time to cover it. If you’d like to take a closer look at what happens here, come join us. We’re always looking for enthusiastic, skilled writers. If you prefer to watch from the sidelines, continue grabbing a copy of The Daily Cougar – we’re sure there will be something interesting to read.
