 Today at UHD.....
Phi Kappa Phi honor society initiation at 7 p.m. in Auditorium.
Participate in UHD's online Advisory Straw Poll on proposed new
names.
Academic Assessment 'Closing the Loop' session at 3 p.m.
Student Poetry Reading at 6:30 p.m. in O'Kane Theatre.
Math final exam reviews today and May 5.
Deadline extended to May 7 for seniors to volunteer for online tests and a chance to win up to $250 in gift cards.
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UHD's Phi Kappa Phi initiation today will host record number of students
This year's initiation ceremony for Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) will take place at 7 p.m. this evening in the Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium with opening remarks by UHD President Bill Flores.
More than 120 honor students - a record for UHD - have already accepted
invitations to join the national honor society, which accepts students who have maintained at least a 3.5 GPA during their college careers. PKP is the nation's oldest and largest multidisciplinary national
honor society.
UHD's initiates this year are undergraduate and graduate
students. Those who are graduating have the honor of donning the yellow sash during this year's May 17 commencement ceremony.
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Take UHD's Advisory Straw Poll on proposed new names
UHD has prepared an online advisory straw poll Web site on the two proposed
new names for the University of Houston-Downtown -- City University and Houston City University.
Participants are asked to identify themselves as students, faculty, staff or alumni, and each person can complete one questionnaire. You can access the Web site directly at this link:
https://global.dt.uh.edu/eservices/uhdsurvey/?testflag=open
You can also reach the Web site via a Name Change Straw Poll icon in the upper left corner of the e-services page at this link:
http://uonline.uhd.edu/?testflag=open
Participants are also invited to visit the Web sites of other universities to see how they've taken advantage of their "City" names and locations.
The straw poll will remain open for faculty, staff and students until 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 14. Alumni will have until 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 21, to give them time to receive notification in the upcoming issue of New Horizons.
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Academic Assessment hosts 'Closing the Loop' session today
The Office of Academic Assessment will offer a session on "Closing the Loop" from 3 to 4 p.m. today in Room N-1099.
Academic Assessment also has added two Assessment Information Management (AIM) Reviewer Training sessions on Thursday, May 6, and Friday, May 7. Another "Closing the Loop" session will take place Tuesday, May 18.
These sessions are open to faculty, department assessment coordinators, deans and department chairs.
Register for assessment training at the links
below. For questions or to schedule individual sessions, please call
713-226-5594. Upcoming sessions include:
- Closing the Loop
3 to 4 p.m., today, N-1099
9 to 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 18, N-1099. Register here. - AIM Reviewer Training, both sessions set for Room A-717
3:30 to 4:15 p.m., Thursday, May 6
9 to 9:45 a.m., Friday, May 7. Register here.
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Math final exam reviews scheduled for today and Wednesday
Students can get an early start on a great final exam score with review sessions for Math 0300, Math 1300 and Math 1301 today and Wednesday, May 5.
Students can take a short practice test and bring a copy of the Final Exam Review with them to the review session. Final reviews can be downloaded from http://cms.uhd.edu/qep/algebra or purchased from the Copy Center in the Bookstore.
MATH 1301
Today
Day: 9 am - Noon - Room A-436
Evening: 5 - 8 pm - Room A-405
MATH 1300
Wednesday, May
5
Day: 9 am - Noon - Room A-436
Evening: 5 - 8 pm - Room A-436
MATH 0300
Wednesday, May
5
Day: 9 am - Noon - Room A-405
Evening: 5 - 8 pm - Room A-405
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Student Poetry Reading planned in O'Kane Theatre this evening
The UHD community is invited to a Student Poetry Reading from 6:30 to 8 p.m. followed by an Open Mic session this evening in the O'Kane Theatre.
Pre-registration is required for those who want to participate in the formal poetry set from 6 to 8:30 p.m. For more information or questions, contact student Martha Rubio at 832-466-7907. A flier is available here.
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UHD President Bill Flores Signs Five Policies, all effective May 1
President Flores signed five
institutional policies effective May 1, 2010. These policies cover a variety of
topics and it is highly recommended that all employees read each of them. Two
of the policies are new and three are revised. The following is a summary of
the five policies.
PS 02.B.15, Animals on Campus, is a new policy.
PS 08.A.01, Review of Information Technology Resources Requests,
was revised. Changes include:
1. Division of Information
Systems changed to Information Technology throughout.
2. Additional duties for the
Chief Information Officer (with input from university planning groups) are
added in the policy.
3. Exhibits are removed
because they are no longer relevant to the policy.
PS 08.A.02, Information Technology Policies, Procedures,
Standards and Plans, was revised. Changes include:
1. "Academic leadership
and the Academic Computing Committee" are added to 3.1.
2. Exhibits A, B, and C were
updated to reflect current procedures.
3. "Systems"
changed to "Technology" throughout policy including in the title.
A new policy, PS 08.A.04,
Computer Access, Security and Use Policy, has replaced PS 08.A.04, Information
Systems Security and Access Policy, and PS 08.A.07, Computer Use Policy, both
of which have been rescinded. The number PS 08.A.04 is being used again to
maintain consistency in the policy numbering system. The new policy
includes:
1. Wording that UHD must
adhere to copyright laws concerning software.
2. Included the following
statements:
- Access to and use
of computing resources is restricted to appropriately identified,
authenticated, and authorized users.
- All
identification, passwords, and other "access means" to information
resources are proprietary to the state.
- Wireless access
at UHD must be managed by and coordinated through UHD's Department of
Information Technology to insure compliance with appropriate security standards
and requirements defined by the state. Users must adhere to UHD's
Wireless Access Guidelines, Exhibit A.
3. Created Exhibit A,
Wireless Access Guidelines.
4. Added verbiage that user
agrees to implement appropriate security measures for using University
Computing Systems and handling university data.
5. Added verbiage that user
agrees to maintain appropriate discretion in handling university-owned data.
6. Links were added to UHD
policy statements, System Administrative Memoranda and the UHD Information
Security Handbook.
7. Title of reviewing party
changed to Chief Information Officer.
8. Procedures section was
expanded to clarify how the new policy will be enforced.
PS 08.A.05, Academic Computing Services, was revised. The
following changes were made:
1. Information Systems
changed to Information Technology throughout the document.
2. Reference to Director of
Academic Computing changed to Director of User Support Services.
3. One procedure was added to
assure compliance with policy.
4. Attachments to policy were
removed to comply with new policy format.
5. A link to current
Regulations was added.
You may access these and all
other institutional policies on the Employment Services and Operations website
at UHD Policy Statements.
Should you have any questions
regarding these policies, please contact Linda Biddle, biddlel@uhd.edu or 713-221-8264.
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Mother of CMS faculty member Tecarro died in Philippines April 30
Edna Santos-Tecarro, mother of UHD's Edwin Tecarro, assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, passed away April 30 in the Philippines. A funeral will be held for her there.
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UHD's Annual Student Awards Program planned for May 5
UHD's Annual Student Awards Program to acknowledge outstanding academic achievement in the various colleges is set for 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, in the Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium and in the Special Events Room. Refreshments will be served starting at 6:15 p.m.
Representatives of UHD's five colleges will give outstanding students plaques or certificates recognizing their academic achievements. Faculty are encouraged to attend to congratulate their students and meet students' families and friends.
Contact Rosemary Sanchez at 713-221-8003 or SanchezR@uhd.edu with questions on the event.
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Staff Awards celebration May 7 recognizes outstanding employees
UHD's annual Staff Awards extravaganza is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, May 7, in the Special Events Room.
See who wins this year's Awards for Excellence and Fun Awards in a celebration that will feature food and door prizes. Please wear your UHD Service pins to show how many years of service you have earned. For more information, visit the Staff Council Web site or click on the attached flier.
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UHD Sports & Fitness Awards Banquet to celebrate student athletes set for May 21
Register now for the 14th Annual Sports & Fitness Awards Banquet scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 21, in UHD's Special Events Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Student Life Center for $10 apiece.
The annual event includes a dinner and celebration for UHD athletes who participate in UHD's numerous sports programs. An after-party is scheduled at Bamboo. Remember, no tickets are available at the door, so please purchase them early. A banquet flier is available here.
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Deadline extended for senior volunteers to take online tests and win up to $250
UHD seniors who
volunteer to take online assessment tests by May 7 have the chance to win up to
$250 in gift cards. UHD's General Education Advisory committee and the
Office of
Institutional Effectiveness are recruiting senior volunteers to take the
Computer Skills Placement (CSP) test and/or the Measure of Academic
Proficiency and Progress (MAPP).
By random drawing, every third
senior who takes the CSP test will win a $25 gift card and every fifth senior who takes the MAPP will win a $25 gift card. Previously the deadline was May 5, so please let your seniors know that deadline has been extended by two days.
Three hundred students are needed for each exam. Results will
be used
to assess and improve the effectiveness of the University's general
education program. The CSP measures basic computer skills. The MAPP
measures competencies in several basic skills areas, including reading,
writing and math. UHD last offered MAPP to UHD seniors in 2006 and
officials hope to see improvements when 2010 scores are compared. Interested
students can get more information at http://tinyurl.com/UHDSrs.
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College of Humanities and Social Sciences Announces
Coordinators for Interdisciplinary Minors
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) has added a new minor in Film Studies, one of
three Interdisciplinary Minor Programs that offer students the
opportunity to explore a subject from multiple perspectives. Courses in
these minors are principally taught by faculty from the Departments of Arts and
Humanities, English and Social Sciences, with select course offerings from
faculty in other colleges. Program coordinators are:
- Ethnic Studies - Sharin Elkholy, assistant professor, Social
Sciences
- Film Studies - Chuck Jackson, assistant professor,
English
- Gender Studies - Cara Murray, assistant professor, English
Students interested in declaring a minor in
these or other minors in the College - such as its newly approved minor in Creative
Writing - should file a Minor Declaration Form with an advisor in the home college
of their declared major.
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SRC unites students, faculty and visitors in daylong event to highlight students' scholarly work
Above, UHD alumna Vedangi Sample, right, visits one of the approximately 100 research posters displayed as part of the April 30 Student Research Conference. Now a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, Sample returned to offer the keynote address. Below, Akif Uzman, chair and professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, discusses a student's poster.
  Above, Glen Merrill, professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, listens to a student discuss his research poster. Below, Mary Jo Parker, director of the Scholars Academy, gets a first-hand explanation of another student research poster. |
UHD team competed in weekend Buffalo Bayou Dragon Boat Festival
UHD's Dragon Boat Team posed with UHD President Bill Flores and Houston Mayor Annise Parker May 1 during the 10th Annual Texas Dragon Boat Festival at Allen's Landing on the banks of Buffalo Bayou.
Thirty dragon boat racing teams rowed furiously along Buffalo Bayou, and UHD's team, pictured above, continued its competitive tradition.
UHD's Dragon Boat Team Captain Bryan Nguyen, coordinator of graduate and international recruitment, hopes to continue and expand participation, which this year included 25 UHD staff members, students and faculty.
UHD faced competing teams from Rice University, the Houston Astros, ConocoPhillips and many other local companies and institutions. The free daylong event included entertainment, educational and
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Prospective students and their parents attended UHD Northwest Open House
UHD hosted dozens of prospective students and their family members April 29 during its UHD Northwest Open House at the Lone Star campus at State Highway 249 and Louetta. Several faculty, staff and students set up information booths to welcome visitors. Food, entertainment and games also combined to provide a party atmosphere for the event, which included a visit from KRBE-FM (104.1) radio personality Special K.
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Office of Community Engagement offers two scholarships for 2010-2011
The
Office of Community Engagement is offering two $1,000 scholarships during the fall and spring
2010-2011 semesters.
These scholarships are given in memory of Hussain Begum (1921-1974), a woman
who exemplified community
engagement. A story on her life and accomplishments is attached. The requirements for each
scholarship are: sophomore standing, 2.7 GPA, full or part-time
student and two letters of recommendation. Details on the scholarships can be found here.
These awards are based on evidence
of service or volunteerism and the likelihood of continued commitment to local,
national or international nonprofit agencies. The applicant should submit a
two-page reflective essay of his or her aspirations. Contact Jean DeWitt,
director of community engagement, for more information.
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Electronic newsletter for students is now available through GatorMail
The first editions are archived on the Public Affairs web page at:
http://www.uhd.edu/publicaffairs/landingarchive.html. An oft heard student comment is that they don't use GatorMail. FERPA requirements places limits on the collection and use of student information. The collection of students private, personal email addresses and the direct, forwarding of protected university communications fall under those requirements. However, students have some options to improve communications via GatorMail.
Ideally, students would find the Landing's contents valuable enough
to look for in GatorMail. However, students can set their GatorMail to notify them via a personal email account (i.e. Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo) that they've received a GatorMail message. That way they will be notified when they receive an issue of The Landing, along with other GatorMail messages.
To receive a notification email, students can go to their GatorMail account and open the "Options" tab, select the "Mail" tab and select the checkbox for "Enable address for new mail Notifications." Then, they type the address they want the notification sent to in the message box. Click "Save" and the notification feature should be enabled. A set of instruction is available here.
The Landing email address is thelanding@uhd.edu.
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Semester's final CPR certification class scheduled for May 6-7
This semester's final CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) certification class is set for May 6-7.
Register through UHD Sports & Fitness for these American Red Cross Training classes, which provide certification for one year. UHD students, faculty and staff pay $5 for the training, and classes are limited to the first 15 people who pre-pay. For more information on this semester's final CPR training, click here.
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Committee seeks stories from faculty who were
first-generation students
UHD is currently identifying and developing resources that
will contribute to UHD's proven success in recruiting, retaining and graduating
first-generation students (FGS).
Neither parent of these students has graduated from college. The FGS Committee
needs UHD faculty and staff who were first-generation students to tell the
stories of their lives as first-generation students. Stories will appear
on a UHD FGS webpage, which is currently being developed in support of the
Wal-Mart grant that was recently awarded to UHD.
There are two ways to contribute your FGS story:
On or before June 15, please write your story and send it,
along with an optional photo of yourself, to Wayne Schmadeka.
1. For story ideas, refer to
the stories on the Cal State Fresno
website.
2. When writing, please follow the story-writing guidelines.
Record your story on video.
1. For
story ideas, refer to the stories on the Cal State Fresno website.
2. When scripting the video, please follow the
video-scripting guidelines.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact, Wayne Schmadeka (schmadekaway@uhd.edu,
cell 713 854-7070).
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UHD Sports & Fitness offers Healthy Seminar on MyPyramid Tracker
UHD Sports & Fitness plans another in its series of Healthy Seminars, this time on the MyPyramid Tracker eating system, from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, in Room 998-South.
This free seminar, open to the UHD community, is limited to the first 15 people who pre-register by calling 713-221-8481 or e-mailing Rhonda Scherer. For a flier on the seminar, click here.
MyPyramid Tracker is on online nutritional and physical activity log that can analyze eating and exercise habits and compare them to USDA recommendations, which include eating foods in the grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and meat and beans categories daily. Studies show that people who record their eating habits are better at weight loss and maintenance.
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Professor will speak in Rockdale on George Sessions Perry
History professor Garna Christian
will speak on "George Sessions Perry and Hollywood" on May 5 at
the 100th anniversary of the Texas writer's birth in Rockdale, Texas.
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Facilities Management will test fire protection systems May 17-28
Facilities Management will perform semi-annual testing and
maintenance of the campus fire detection / notification / suppression systems
(and related elevator fire service re-call, air handler shut-downs, fire-door
hold-open devices and stair pressurization controls) beginning May 17 through May 28. All campus buildings will be addressed during this period.
Due to the size of the systems, the contractors involved and the
cost of the labor required to do the work, this testing must be performed
during normal business hours. Please consider this an opportunity for the
university community to become familiar with these fire and life safety systems
and the campus emergency public address system.
An announcement will be made over the PA system prior to the
alarms being sounded to inform the occupants of the test. The alarms and strobe
lights will then be engaged briefly and certified by the technicians. An
announcement will be made after the conclusion of each segment of the audible
and visual alarm testing.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Questions can be sent to:
Chris McCall
Assistant V.P. - Facilities
Facilities Management Department
University of Houston - Downtown
713.221.8030
mccallc@uhd.edu
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UHD joins Federal Direct Student Loan Program in Fall 2010
Starting with the fall 2010 semester,
UHD is joining thousands of other U.S. higher education
institutions in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, meaning students with federal
Stafford, Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS loans will borrow their funds from the
federal government instead of from multiple private banks and credit unions.
UHD's participation in the Federal Program will have little visible impact on students and their families. However, having one lender - the U.S. Department of Education - will make the process
much more efficient for schools and borrowers.
The
change necessitates only minimal action on the part of students (and parents
who wish to borrow through the PLUS program), who need only to sign a new
Master Promissory Note (MPN) and complete Loan Entrance Counseling if they
haven't done so already. Students can visit www.studentloans.gov to complete the MPN and
Loan Entrance Counseling process.
As
part of direct lending, the Stafford direct loan is exactly the same in terms
and conditions, interest rates and loan fees as the FFEL (Federal Family Education Loan). The Grad PLUS loans
and Parent PLUS loans will benefit from a lower interest rate of 7.9 percent,
as compared to 8.5 percent in the FFEL program.
Federal
direct loans offer other advantages, such as more flexible repayment plans,
easier tracking and a greater possibility of loan forgiveness for students who
perform public service after graduation.
Most
loans will remain with their current service provider. However, due to the sale of loans to the U.S.
Department of Education, the Office of Student Financial Aid highly encourages
students and families to pay very close attention to mailings from their loan
provider. Letters with repayment information were sent to those who were
affected by the sale.
Borrowers
can also track their federal loans online through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Visit
Direct Loans FAQ for more
information.
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Help support National Police Week, get blue ribbons from UHD Police
 The University of Houston-Downtown Police Department invites the UHD community to pick up a complimentary blue ribbon to show support for National Police Week May 9-15.
The number of ribbons is limited so get yours as soon as possible. Ribbons are available at the UHD Police Department headquarters, Room 118-North, or the parking office at 354-North.
The blue ribbon tradition started several years ago when a group called Concerns of Police Survivors encouraged the general public as well as police cruisers to fly blue ribbons from their car antennae during National Police Week. The resulting sea of blue shows support for police officers on the street and for those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
UHD Police thank the University community for its continued support.
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Numerous student internships available through jobs4gators
If you know a student
looking for an internship for summer or fall, encourage them to register with jobs4gators.
Here are just a few companies looking for UHD students for internships:
Ergos Technology, Dominos Corporate Office,
Council of Environmental
Education, Judge Dougherty, Texas Campus Compact and Bank
of America.
There are more than 175 employment opportunities listed as well, including:
Burleson, Cooke, LLP; McDonnell, Jones, Lanier & Murphy, LLP,
North Star
Consultants, Environmental Protection Agency, City
of Friendswood, Kelly
Scientific, R&M Energy Solutions, Tudor,
Pickering and Holt & Co.
Faculty members who would like access to jobs4gators can contact Career Services at 713-221-8980 or UHDCareer@uhd.edu.
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Career Services internships and employment opportunities
Career Services has several internships and employment opportunities available. Here is just a partial list to share with students:
ARES Corporation - Engineer
Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Wealth Management - Merrill Lynch
Wealth Management Internship
Bikes Online - Operations Rep
Boy Scouts of America - District Executive, entry level
BPSOS, Inc. - Disaster Case Management Program Manager
Corporate Collaborations - Senior Specialist, Controls & Policies
Council for Environmental Education - Summer Intern
Dominos Pizza - Upper Management Paid Internship
Fort Bend ISD - Applications, Senior Applications, Sharepoint and
Web Programmers
Houston A+ Challenge - Performance Coach
Lamar State College, Orange - System Support Specialist
Literacy Advance of Houston - Bilingual Program Coordinator
McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP - Entry Level Staff Auditor
Missouri City Municipal Court - Internship
Professional Golf Ball Services - Accounting Assistant
Reliant Park - Cashiers and Parking Attendants
Smith and Associates - Human Resources Clerk
Student Conservation Association - Conservation Collaborative
(HCC) Coordinator
Texas Department of Banking - Financial Examiner V-VII
TPI Staffing - HR Systems Coordinator, HR Administrative Assistant,
VP Audit, Inside Sales, Website Developer, BAS General
Manager, Engineer-Field Service, Embed. Software, Sim. Software
Univision Radio - part-time Board Operator KQBU and part-time
Traffic/Continuity Coordinator
For more information or to apply for these internships and
employment opportunities, students should visit the jobs4gators
Web site. Career Services has nearly 200 positions in its database. |
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IT Training for Faculty-Staff-Alumni
Register for IT training
opportunities at the links below. To schedule a one-on-one appointment or other
assistance, please call 713-221-8200.
Blackboard Learning Management
Monday, May 10
1 to 2 p.m. - Blackboard: Gradebook Setup
Database Management
Today
1 to 2:30 p.m. - Access: Basics
Flowcharting
Friday, May 14 Internet Applications
10 to 11 a.m. - MS Visio: Charts
Internet Applications
Wednesday, May 5
10 to 11 a.m. - Survey Monkey
Tuesday, May 11
1 to 2 p.m. - Photostory
Microsoft Office: Word
Thursday, May 6
10 to 11:30 a.m. - MS Word Intermediate
Thursday, May 13
2 to 3:30 p.m. - Word: Creating Fliers
Spreadsheet
Wednesday, May 12
10 to 11:30 a.m. - Excel: Basics
See all current IT training available |
The Skyline eNews is produced daily by the Office of Public Affairs and
you will receive the Skyline eNews via email while you are a UHD
employee. We update our email list weekly. The eNews is a University faculty and staff newsletter and is designed to keep employees informed of university activities, policy changes, human resources issues, business office information and security information.
The deadline for submitting items is 9 a.m. the day before publication. Past issues are archived on UHD's Web site. The archive link is in the lower right column.
We are always interested in your activities. Let us know at least 24 hours in advance so we can include your event in the Skyline eNews. We also try to photograph University activities, but we need to know when and where your event is taking place. Email skylinenews@uhd.edu or call Public Affairs at 713-221-8010. | |
