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University of Houston Downtown Campus Developments


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  • 3 years later...
I'm a student there, planning to graduate in May 2009. Everyone in Houston knows where UHD is and doesn't get it confused with UH. It's been that way for 35 yrs, why does an outsider (Renu Khator) all of a sudden feel the need to change it?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/hei...ws/5953919.html

For someone not very familiar with Houston, seeing "University of Houston - Downtown" and "University of Houston" both on the list of places to send applications to can be confusing. Even after I first moved here and started going to UH, if someone asked me which campus I was going to, I would tell them "downtown" because I didn't realize that 1) UH-D existed, or 2) that there was a difference between "downtown" and "central" in terms of describing the place.

So I can see their motivation, especially as they try to position themselves as a top-tier research university appealing to non-locals. At the same time, I can't imagine what else they might call it that would both sound respectable and not be confusing.

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I'm a student there, planning to graduate in May 2009. Everyone in Houston knows where UHD is and doesn't get it confused with UH. It's been that way for 35 yrs, why does an outsider (Renu Khator) all of a sudden feel the need to change it?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/hei...ws/5953919.html

Well, I think it's a stretch to say that "everyone" doesn't get it confused with UH. I think it has to be explained to every newcomer to town, of which there are thousands each year. Further, universities have to compete on an international scale these days, so making the name distinct helps with its recognition abroad.

Also, is Khator new to the university? If not, I'm not sure how the chancellor is an "outsider." Moreover, the regents also think it's a good idea, so I don't see any point in trying to make one person out to be the bad guy.

I'm OK with the name change, as long as it's done right.

The article mentioned Houston International University, but that sounds too much like one of those fly-by-night internet operations or a trade school to me. It just sounds like it's trying too hard.

Gulf Coast University: Maybe, but downtown Houston is still a ways from the Gulf. That's probably more appropriate for something in Galveston.

Houston University is OK, but I don't think does enough to alleviate the confusion. People here always confuse University of Illinois at Chicago with University of Chicago, especially when speaking in abbrevitions ("U. of C." versus "U.I.C.")

I can't come up with a better name off the top of my head, but I hope they don't try to name it after a person. Again, the ones you haven't already heard of tend to sounds like diploma mills. Or worse -- I remember when Glassboro State College (New Jersey) because Rowan University because some guy named Rowan donated $100 million to the college.

Lone Star University would be cool, but there would be confusion with Lone Star College.

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Houston University is OK, but I don't think does enough to alleviate the confusion. People here always confuse University of Illinois at Chicago with University of Chicago, especially when speaking in abbrevitions ("U. of C." versus "U.I.C.")

I think Houston University is more confusing than UH-Downtown. I agree that the abbreviations would be really confusing, especially since a lot of schools that are "University of..." use the _U abbreviation. People might think HU was University of Houston.

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I'm a student there, planning to graduate in May 2009. Everyone in Houston knows where UHD is and doesn't get it confused with UH. It's been that way for 35 yrs, why does an outsider (Renu Khator) all of a sudden feel the need to change it?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/hei...ws/5953919.html

Oh yeah some people get them confused. And even more people think the school is part of UH system, you know...with UH Clear Lake, UH Sugar Land, UH Victoria...

I say change the name. How about Houston City University?

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Oh yeah some people get them confused. And even more people think the school is part of UH system, you know...with UH Clear Lake, UH Sugar Land, UH Victoria...

I say change the name. How about Houston City University?

Is it not part of the UH system??? It shares a Board of Regents. What is the difference?

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Oh yeah some people get them confused. And even more people think the school is part of UH system, you know...with UH Clear Lake, UH Sugar Land, UH Victoria...

I say change the name. How about Houston City University?

It is a part of the UH system.

They could call it University of Houston at Allen's Landing, or University of Houston at Buffalo Bayou.

Edited by skyphen
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Cullen University would be very cool. Not every school in the UH system has to be UH-something. Just look at Lamar, Angelo State, Texas State (now that is a bad name).

Some folks call anything in the loop "downtown". Maybe that's the confusion.

At one time the main campus was called UH - University Park.

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It is a part of the UH system.

They could call it University of Houston at Allen's Landing, or University of Houston at Buffalo Bayou.

I like these names. They are similar to the other UH names, with the "at". All of these U of H locations are linked w/ the UH name, but are all very different in what they offer towards degrees. They always make it clear to me in the web pages that each university is stand-alone. UH-Central & UH-Downtown degrees also have different requirements for some of the same degrees, even at the core curriculum (lower) level. For example, the History degree has different base classes. I was very surprised at that.

There may be some degrees that are the same. But not the impression that I got.

UH-Downtown is also much smaller scale than the UH-Central campus. I could see why some students would get them confused, not being locally based.

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My bad! Five years ago when I just got here a student of UoH told me UHD is not part of them. So sorry.

That UH student was correct! The University of Houston-Downtown ("UHD") is not part of the University of Houston ("UH"). UHD is not a "branch," "extension" or "satellite" campus of UH. UHD is a stand-alone (autonomous) university with its own president, grants their own degrees, and is separately accredited. Therefore, people attending or alumni of UHD are not UH students or alumni!

The University of Houston ("UH") only has one campus, and it is located at 4800 Calhoun Road by Interstate 45 and Spur 5. All the confusions and misconceptions of referring the University of Houston (UH) as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus" are evidences of confusion/ignorance among the general public. These are strong enough evidences which support the name change of the University of Houston-Downtown to something else without the root name 'University of Houston' included in hoping that the University of Houston (UH) will just be referred to its official name of "University of Houston" or "UH" without 'central' or 'main campus' associated with it. The University of Houston is NOT and does NOT operate as a multi-campus university like the University of California or local community colleges such as HCC or San Jacinto.

As a graduate of the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business (BBA '06), I am tired of people asking me what "campus" I attended and having to explain that UH only has one campus located at 4800 Calhoun Rd. I have refrained from referring to the school as "central campus" or "main campus" as noted above the University of Houston is NOT a multi-campus university.

The University of Houston System ("UH System" or "UHS") oversees four independent degree granting universities. These universities are independent of each other, not campuses of one another (i.e. UHCL, UHD, and UHV are not branch or extension campuses of UH). Below is a hierarchy of the UH System (UHS) to illustrate that the University of Houston (UH) is not the "central" or "main campus" of anything and they do not oversee other schools.

  • University of Houston System (UHS)

o University of Houston (UH)

o University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL)

o University of Houston-Downtown (UHD)

o University of Houston-Victoria (UHV)

Simply put, UH-Downtown is not part of UH, but both are part of the UH System (UHS). As anyone can see, all four universities are independent (autonomous) of each other and they all report to the University of Houston System (UHS). Additionally, there are two multi-institution teaching centers (or satellite campuses) serving ALL four UH System universities:

  • University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL)
  • University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch (UHSCR)

The above two teaching centers are not stand-alone or degree granting universities.

I must admit, the UH System is confusing in general and because of this, the reputation of the University of Houston (UH) has been affected negatively

Edited by FordGuyHTX
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That UH student was correct! The University of Houston-Downtown ("UHD") is not part of the University of Houston ("UH"). UHD is not a "branch," "extension" or "satellite" campus of UH. UHD is a stand-alone (autonomous) university with its own president, grants their own degrees, and is separately accredited. Therefore, people attending or alumni of UHD are not UH students or alumni!

The University of Houston ("UH") only has one campus, and it is located at 4800 Calhoun Road by Interstate 45 and Spur 5. All the confusions and misconceptions of referring the University of Houston (UH) as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus" are evidences of confusion/ignorance among the general public. These are strong enough evidences which support the name change of the University of Houston-Downtown to something else without the root name 'University of Houston' included in hoping that the University of Houston (UH) will just be referred to its official name of "University of Houston" or "UH" for short without 'central' or 'main campus' associated with it. "UH-Central", "UH Main Campus", or "the main/central campus of UH" are all misnomers caused by confusion and ignorance of the general public. The University of Houston is NOT and does NOT operate as a multi-campus institution like the University of California or local community colleges such as HCC or San Jacinto.

As a graduate of the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business (BBA '06), I am tired of people asking me what "campus" I attended and having to explain that UH only has one campus located at 4800 Calhoun Rd. I have refrained from referring to the school as "central campus" or "main campus" as noted above the University of Houston is NOT a multi-campus university.

The University of Houston System ("UH System" or "UHS") oversees four independent universities. These universities are independent of each other, not campuses of one another (i.e. UHCL, UHD, and UHV are not branch or extension campuses of UH). Below is a hierarchy to illustrate that the University of Houston (UH) is not the "central" or "main campus" of anything and they do not oversee other schools.

  • University of Houston System (UHS) oversees the following four separate degree granting universities:

o University of Houston (UH)

o University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL)

o University of Houston-Downtown (UHD)

o University of Houston-Victoria (UHV)

As anyone can see, all four universities are independent (autonomous) of each other and they all report to the University of Houston System (UHS). Additionally, there are two multi-institution teaching centers (or satellite campuses) serving ALL four UH System universities:

  • University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL)
  • University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch (UHSCR)

The above two teaching centers are not stand-alone or degree granting universities.

I must admit, the UH System is confusing in general and because of this, the reputation of the University of Houston (UH) has been affected negatively

Edited by Texas Wahoo
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I don't really understand the problem. Do people really think they are all part of the same University, and not just the same system? Do people have the same issues with UT, UT-Arlington, UT-SA, UTEP, etc? The UT system has 9 campuses. All of them have their own presidents and offer their own degrees and have their own admissions criteria. However, they have only one board of directors. The Universities are all part of the same system, but they are different universities. Most state university systems work this way. The UC system has many campuses.

Most people think that UH-Downtown is a branch, satellite or extension campus of UH, which it is not as per my post above. The general public thinks that UH-Downtown and UH are the same university. Hopefully the name change of UHD will end the reference of UH as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus". References to UH such as "UH-Central" and "UH Main Campus" are misnomers.

With all these people referring to UH as "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus" are the reasons why UH System and the students/alumni at UH advocate the name change of UH-Downtown.

A lot of UHD students and graduates I have met believe that they are part of UH. They would tell me they attend or graduated from UH, but to find out that they really attend or graduated from UHD (they lied, either intentionally or unintentionally)! People who graduated from UHD or not UH graduates and they do not have any rights pertaining to UH. The students and alumni at UH do not want to be associated with UHD. A lot of UHD graduates also falsify their resumes by putting down they graduated from "University of Houston" when they should have put "University of Houston-Downtown".

The time has come to elevate the status of the University of Houston (UH) by renaming UH-Downtown to something else without the root name "University of Houston." UH doesn't have the image it derserves because it has been negatively affected by UH-Downtown by the general public thinking it is the same university.

Edited by FordGuyHTX
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An editorial by FordGuyHTX:

I was thrilled to have learned that the UH System ("UHS") Board of Regents approved the initiation of a name change for the University of Houston-Downtown ("UHD"). When I saw the headline in the Houston Chronicle about UHD initiating the name change, I said to myself, "IT IS ABOUT TIME!!!"

I have been hoping for this moment (UHD to change its name) ever since I started my freshman year at the University of Houston ("UH") back in 2002. There had been discussion about possible name change of UHD since 2004, but it never went anywhere. I am glad both UH System and UHD are moving forward with the name change in 2008 thanks to the support of Renu Khator (Chancellor of UH System and President of the University of Houston) in cooperation with Max Castillo (President of UH-Downtown). Although this is late, but never late then ever. I believe the UH-Downtown name change initiation is part of the UH System agenda for the University of Houston (UH) to move forward and become the next third flagship university in Texas--along with The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.

As a graduate of the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business (BBA '06), I am tired of people asking me what "campus" I attended and having to explain that UH only has one campus located at 4800 Calhoun Rd. I have refrained from referring to my alma mater as "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus" as the University of Houston is not a multi-campus university.

Most people think that UH-Downtown is a branch, satellite or extension campus of UH, which it is not. The general public thinks that UH-Downtown and UH are the same university. Hopefully the name change of UHD will end the reference of UH as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus". References to UH such as "UH-Central" and "UH Main Campus" are misnomers.

With all these people referring to UH as "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus" are the reasons why UH System and the students/alumni at UH advocate the name change of UH-Downtown.

A lot of UHD students and graduates I have met believe that they are part of UH. They would tell me they attend or graduated from UH, but to find out that they really attend or graduated from UHD (they lied, either intentionally or unintentionally)! People who graduated from UHD or not UH graduates and they do not have any rights pertaining to UH. The students and alumni at UH do not want to be associated with UHD. A lot of UHD graduates also falsify their resumes by putting down they graduated from "University of Houston" when they should have put "University of Houston-Downtown".

The time has come to elevate the status of the University of Houston (UH) by renaming UH-Downtown to something else without the root name "University of Houston." UH doesn't have the image it deserves because it has been negatively affected by UH-Downtown by the general public thinking they are the

same university.

For the last time, the flagship institution of the UH System (UHS) is referred to as the University of Houston ("UH"), not "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus". Additionally, UH-Downtown (UHD) is not a branch or satellite campus of UH. With all these people referring to UH as "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus" are the reasons why UH System and the students/alumni at UH advocate the name change of UH-Downtown.

For the renaming of UH-Downtown, I would suggest the following:

  • Cullen State University (CSU)
  • Houston Metropolitan University (HMU)
  • University of Houston-Commerce (UHC)

Although I prefer the name University of Houston-Commerce, it would defeat the 90% purpose of renaming UH-Downtown. I don't have anything against UH-Downtown, but it needs to have a name other than "Downtown" in order to eliminate the confusion of being a branch or satellite campus of the University of Houston ("UH").

The University of Houston (UH) had officially changed its name to "University of Houston-University Park" in 1985, but reverted back to "University of Houston" in 1988. This name change was an effort by the UH administration to give its flagship institution of the UH System a distinctive name that would eliminate confusion with the other three UH System (UHS) universities (UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, and UH-Victoria). The University of Houston (UH) will not go through another name change again--we are the University of Houston and will remain that way. It is now UH-Downtown's turn to change its name and establish their own identity to end the confusion with the University of Houston.

Edited by FordGuyHTX
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An editorial by FordGuyHTX:

I was thrilled to have learned that the UH System ("UHS") Board of Regents approved the initiation of a name change for the University of Houston-Downtown ("UHD"). When I saw the headline in the Houston Chronicle about UHD initiating the name change, I said to myself, "IT IS ABOUT TIME!!!" Here is a link to the article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/5953919.html

I have been hoping for this moment (UHD to change its name) ever since I started my freshman year at the University of Houston ("UH") back in 2002. There had been discussion about possible name change of UHD since 2004, but it never went anywhere. I am glad both UH System and UHD are moving forward with the name change in 2008 thanks to the support of Renu Khator (Chancellor of UH System and President of the University of Houston) in cooperation with Max Castillo (President of UH-Downtown). Although this is late, but never late then ever. I believe the UH-Downtown name change initiation is part of the UH System agenda for the University of Houston (UH) to move forward and become the next third flagship university in Texas--along with The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.

As a graduate of the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business (BBA '06), I am tired of people asking me what "campus" I attended and having to explain that UH only has one campus located at 4800 Calhoun Rd by Interstate 45 and Spur 5. All the confusions and misconceptions of referring the University of Houston (UH) as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus" are evidences of confusion/ignorance among the general public. I have refrained from referring to my alma mater as "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus" as the University of Houston is not a multi-campus university like the University of California or local community colleges such as HCC, San Jacinto, etc.

Most people think that UH-Downtown is a branch, satellite or extension campus of UH, which it is not. The general public thinks that UH-Downtown and UH is the same university. Hopefully the name change of UHD will end the reference of UH as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus". References to UH such as "UH-Central" and "UH Main Campus" are misnomers.

The University of Houston System ("UH System" or "UHS") oversees four independent degree granting universities. These universities are independent of each other, not campuses of one another (i.e. UHCL, UHD, and UHV are not branch or extension campuses of UH). Below is a hierarchy of the UH System (UHS) to illustrate that the University of Houston (UH) is not the "central" or "main campus" of anything and they do not oversee UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, or UH-Victoria.

  • University of Houston System (UHS)
    • University of Houston (UH)
    • University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL)
    • University of Houston-Downtown (UHD)
    • University of Houston-Victoria (UHV)

Simply put, UH-Downtown is not part of UH; however, both are part of the UH System (UHS). As anyone can see, all four universities are independent (autonomous) of each other and they all report to the University of Houston System (UHS). Additionally, there are two multi-institution teaching centers (or "satellite" campuses) serving ALL four UH System universities:

  • University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL)
  • University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch (UHSCR)

The above two teaching centers are not degree granting universities.

I must admit, the UH System is confusing in general and because of this, the reputation of the University of Houston (UH) has been affected negatively

Edited by FordGuyHTX
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Hopefully the name change of UHD will end the reference of UH as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus". References to UH such as "UH-Central" and "UH Main Campus" are misnomers.

Your argument for changing the name of UHD will be non-valid as long as the names UH-Clear Lake, UH-Victoria, University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch and University of Houston System at Sugar Land continue to exist. Unless the names of the other campuses are changed to names eliminating any connection with UH, there will ALWAYS be somebody referring to UH as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus". You cannot blame this problem solely upon UHD.

UH doesn't have the image it derserves because it has been negatively affected by UH-Downtown by the general public thinking it is the same university.

Well, I didn't know that UHD was dirtying up the reputation of UH. Please, tell me what image UH "derserves".

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An editorial by FordGuyHTX (cross-posted in the Downtown forum):

I was thrilled to have learned that the UH System ("UHS") Board of Regents approved the initiation of a name change for the University of Houston-Downtown ("UHD"). When I saw the headline in the Houston Chronicle about UHD initiating the name change, I said to myself, "IT IS ABOUT TIME!!!" Here is a link to the article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/5953919.html

I have been hoping for this moment (UHD to change its name) ever since I started my freshman year at the University of Houston ("UH") back in 2002. There had been discussion about possible name change of UHD since 2004, but it never went anywhere. I am glad both UH System and UHD are moving forward with the name change in 2008 thanks to the support of Renu Khator (Chancellor of UH System and President of the University of Houston) in cooperation with Max Castillo (President of UH-Downtown). Although this is late, but never late then ever. I believe the UH-Downtown name change initiation is part of the UH System agenda for the University of Houston (UH) to move forward and become the next third flagship university in Texas--along with The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.

As a graduate of the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business (BBA '06), I am tired of people asking me what "campus" I attended and having to explain that UH only has one campus located at 4800 Calhoun Rd by Interstate 45 and Spur 5. All the confusions and misconceptions of referring the University of Houston (UH) as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus" are evidences of confusion/ignorance among the general public. I have refrained from referring to my alma mater as "UH-Central" or "UH Main Campus" as the University of Houston is not a multi-campus university like the University of California or local community colleges such as HCC, San Jacinto, etc.

Most people think that UH-Downtown is a branch, satellite or extension campus of UH, which it is not. The general public thinks that UH-Downtown and UH is the same university. Hopefully the name change of UHD will end the reference of UH as "UH-Central" or "UH main campus". References to UH such as "UH-Central" and "UH Main Campus" are misnomers.

The University of Houston System ("UH System" or "UHS") oversees four independent degree granting universities. These universities are independent of each other, not campuses of one another (i.e. UHCL, UHD, and UHV are not branch or extension campuses of UH). Below is a hierarchy of the UH System (UHS) to illustrate that the University of Houston (UH) is not the "central" or "main campus" of anything and they do not oversee UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, or UH-Victoria.

  • University of Houston System (UHS)
    • University of Houston (UH)
    • University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL)
    • University of Houston-Downtown (UHD)
    • University of Houston-Victoria (UHV)

Simply put, UH-Downtown is not part of UH; however, both are part of the UH System (UHS). As anyone can see, all four universities are independent (autonomous) of each other and they all report to the University of Houston System (UHS). Additionally, there are two multi-institution teaching centers (or "satellite" campuses) serving ALL four UH System universities:

  • University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL)
  • University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch (UHSCR)

The above two teaching centers are not degree granting universities.

I must admit, the UH System is confusing in general and because of this, the reputation of the University of Houston (UH) has been affected negatively

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A lot of UHD students and graduates I have met believe that they are part of UH. They would tell me they attend or graduated from UH, but to find out that they really attend or graduated from UHD (they lied, either intentionally or unintentionally)! People who graduated from UHD or not UH graduates and they do not have any rights pertaining to UH. The students and alumni at UH do not want to be associated with UHD. A lot of UHD graduates also falsify their resumes by putting down they graduated from "University of Houston" when they should have put "University of Houston-Downtown".

The time has come to elevate the status of the University of Houston (UH) by renaming UH-Downtown to something else without the root name "University of Houston." UH doesn't have the image it derserves because it has been negatively affected by UH-Downtown by the general public thinking they are the

same university.

While your argument that UHD is holding UH back may have merit (I personally believe it has none), the proposal to rename UHD is not about you, your fellow UH alums, or UH. It is about UHD and its goals and visions. I support the wishes of UHD officials to rename the school if it will help UHD, but not because some UH alums wish to blame UH's perceived lackluster achievements on UHD. Any bad reputation UH may have is due to its own failures, not UHD.

BTW, the good citizens of Commerce, Texas would probably not appreciate the University of Houston naming a school after their town if the school does not reside there.

Edited by RedScare
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