In the days leading up to UH President Renu Khator’s investiture gala, two UH professors have organized three panel discussions emphasizing the need for the University to attain flagship status.
"(The investiture) gives us an opportunity to showcase our faculty, staff, students and alum and to bring the community to this campus to participate in an event that shows our readiness to improve our university," English professor Elizabeth Brown-Guillory said
She said the panels, organized by herself and Spanish professor Nicol’aacute;s Kanellos, echo calls for the University’s need to be recognized as a flagship institution by the Texas Legislature.
"When I was invited to serve on the investiture committee, I knew that I was going to make a commitment to work as hard as I could to bring visibility of this campus to the city," she said.
Brown-Guillory was responsible for two of the three panels. The first is "Defining Moments in the Lives Of Ordinary People Taking On Extraordinary Challenges" on Monday. UH President Renu Khator and UH professor emeritus William Lee Pryor will be guest speakers at the event.
"It’s a ‘Life Story’ panel," Brown-Guillory said. "These people serve as role models for our students and for anybody who comes to see the panel. It should be enriching."
Kanellos will host "First Tier or Tears? The Place of the Humanities in a ‘Tier-1’ Institution" on Tuesday. Brown-Guillory said the panel aims to outline the steps UH needs to take to advance the University. The panel will be comprised of professors from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
Brown-Guillory will head a second panel, "Inspiring Creative Artists: An Arts Town Hall Showcasing UH Faculty and the Houston Arts Community" on Wednesday.
The arts town hall will include performances by creative writers, novelists, poets, a pianist and opera singers for the first hour. During the second half, representatives from the Alley Theatre, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Menil Collection will discuss ways the University and the city’s art community can create partnerships.
"The arts town hall involves something like 25 or 30 artists and arts personnel. It’s probably the largest arts town hall we’ve ever seen on this campus. Quite possibly, the largest one we’ve seen in Houston in recent years," Brown-Guillory said.
Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to participate in all three panel discussions, which will be held at the University Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Ballroom. Brown-Guillory’s panels are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Kanellos’ panel is from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit http://uh.edu/ and click on homecoming and investiture event schedule.
