Urban Education's collaboration wins

Statewide Star Award in Austin

AUSTIN   -- The University of Houston Downtown, Lone Star College-Cy Fair and Lone Star College-Kingwood together won one of four Star Awards from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Tuesday, Nov. 9, for a collaborative, teacher-education degree program that provides students with a seamless transition from the community college to the university while working with school district partners.

"This award showcases a wonderful collaboration between three institutions of higher education," said Mary E. Smith, coordinating board assistant deputy commissioner for Academic Planning and Policy as she introduced 11 finalists at the organization's 10^th Annual Star Awards Ceremony luncheon.

She said reviewers chose the four winners from a pool of 65 nominated programs. Star Awards recognize exemplary contributions toward closing the higher education gaps that challenge Texas residents including increasing the college-going rate of residents, improving college graduation rates and helping more students complete degrees.

Beth Pelz, dean of UHD's College of Public Service that includes the Department of Urban Education, said, "This award recognizes that our approach is innovative, replicable and effective. Ultimately, our faculty has made this program a success."

of Spanish. Read more here.

Kendall discusses her new book at Arts and Humanities Tea at 3 p.m. today

Yvonne Kendall, associate professor of music, will discuss her upcoming book on French Renaissance Dance music at the Arts & Humanities Tea at 3 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 10, in room 1070-S, One Main Building.

The talk is entitled, "The Dancing Priest:  Musicology and Renaissance France." The Arts and Humanities Faculty Tea Series is hosted by Raquel Chiquillo, associate professor of Spanish.

Kendall discusses her new book at Arts and Humanities Tea at 3 p.m. today

Yvonne Kendall, associate professor of music, will discuss her upcoming book on French Renaissance Dance music at the Arts & Humanities Tea at 3 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 10, in room 1070-S, One Main Building.

The talk is entitled, "The Dancing Priest:  Musicology and Renaissance France." The Arts and Humanities Faculty Tea Series is hosted by Raquel Chiquillo, associate professor of Spanish.

Community Involvement Center plans events recognizing Citizenship Week

Join the Community Involvement Center for two events next week in honor of Citizenship Week that highlight what it means to be a citizen of Houston.

Monday, Nov. 15,

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

UHD Coffeehouse

Brown Bag Lunch: "Why I like Houston and how I got here"

Bring your lunch and we will provide the drinks and cookies for a discussion about citizenship. 

Thursday, Nov. 18,

11 a.m.

UHD Auditorium

A Panel: The Citizenship Process from Application to Oath

Join us for a great presentation and discussion as we partner with the League of Women Voters, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service and the National Association of Newly Elected Officials to discuss the citizenship process.

A flyer is available here.

Mohsen Mobasher visits with Cultural Enrichment Center Director Jane Creighton before his presentation.

Mobasher discusses impact of globalization on Qatar

The Cultural Enrichment Center sponsor a lecturer, "Qatar: A Country in Transition and Paradox," by Mohsen Mobasher, UHD associate professor of anthropology and sociology. Mobasher spent last two years in Qatar teaching and conducting fieldwork on the impact of globalization on Qatari society and culture. Mohsen has published a book on globalization and several articles on Middle Eastern immigrants and refugees in the United States

First Fallapalooza Music Fest features student, area music groups on Nov. 11

The first Fallapalooza Music Fest will be from 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, on the North and South Decks and Portico at the One Main Building..

Student Activities and Events is sponsoring the event and staff members hope the Music Fest becomes a tradition. Groups representing a variety of musical styles will perform so everyone should find something of interest. The event will also include food and a cash bar. The following bands will be performing:

5:15pm - 6pm

 North Deck - Jimbo Herrera

 South Deck - Franchise and Yung

6:15pm - 7pm

 North Deck - Rory Jagdeo

 South Deck - Tuerka

7pm-8:15pm - 1^st Headliner

 South Deck - Liz Vaughn

8:30pm-9:15pm

     North Deck - Night Flight

     South Deck - The Blue Notes

9:30pm - 11pm - 2^nd Headliner

     South Deck - A-19

Exclusive Fallapalooza T-shirts will on sale for $10 throughout the fest. Get one during SAE's pre-sale for $9 starting at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 8, in the SAE Office in room 204-S, One Main Building. 

Event information will be posted on campus and a Facebook page has been set up at  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001763970415.

Fall Contract Administration Training will be offered in two sessions from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, or from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, in room 1099-North, One Main Building.

To register for the Wednesday session, the course code is UHD037, Session #0012, and the Thursday session course code is UHD037, Session #0013. A flyer is available here.

The training class is designed for all individuals involved in the contracting process.  The training will:

• Cover what's new regarding contracting,
• Cover key contracting policy requirements, 
•  Address issues regarding noncompliance and 
• Review areas that typically raise questions.

Topics covered include:

• New to the Contracting Process
• Updating of Policy
• MySafeCampus Overview
• Overview of Contracting Process
• Basic Contract "No Can Do's"
• FAQ's
• Quick Walk Through the Contracting Process
• Key Things to Remember
• Question and Answer Period

Refreshments will be served. Please register at http://www.uhd.edu/pass by Tuesday, Nov. 09. For information, contact LaShonda White at 713-223-7928 or email her at whitela@uhd.edu.

UHD will test Emergency Text Messaging System on Friday, Nov. 12

If you were participating in TexFlex program for Plan Year 2010 (fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010), please do not forget these key dates:

·         Nov. 15,  - Last day to spend TexFlex dollars for Plan year 2010

·         Dec. 31,  - Last day to submit claims for Plan Year 2010

For your last year's TexFlex account balance information, please call PayFlex at 866-353-9839.  

The Sports and Fitness Center is sponsoring the workshop, "Do I Have to Exercise?" at noon Nov. 17 in room 1099-N, One Main Building.

The workshop is free to UHD students, faculty and staff. It is possible to lose weight without exercising, however, do you know the reasons the USADA, doctors and fitness professionals all recommend physical activity, including exercise as part of your daily life? There are many health benefits to exercising including recovery from an injury to decreasing your risk of certain diseases and many more. Participants will walk away from this workshop with useful tips for successful exercise programs. A flyer is available here.

To reserve a spot for this workshop please visit, http://www.uhd.edu/sportsandfitness/fitness/hafw/do_i_have_to_exercise.html

The UHD Intramural Bowling Tournament will be held on Tuesday, November 23 at 6pm at Lucky Strike Lanes in Houston Pavilions located in downtown.  The location is easily accessible on the MetroRail via the Main Street Square Station from UHD.  Entry fee is $5 per person and is open to all UHD students and employees. 

There will be three divisions:   

1.       Men's Competitive

2.       Women's Competitive

3.       Just for Fun

You will need your UHD ID.

To see register by the deadline of Nov. 22, please see the following link for more information. Bowling link: www.uhd.edu/sports&fitness/intramuralsports/bowling

Work/Life program vendors discuss insurance, pre-paid legal services

Liberty Mutual and Prepaid Legal Services, Inc., UHD's two newest Work/Life program vendors, will present an overview of their discounted services for UHD employee Thursday, Nov. 11, in the Special Events Center, third floor, Academic Building.

Liberty Mutual's plan provides discounts to faculty, staff and retirees on auto and home insurance, and Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. will offer access to legal services for a low monthly fee. For additional information, plan to attend one of the sessions below. Employees may also meet from 2 to 3 p.m. privately with one of the vendor representatives. No prior registration required.

Overview of Liberty Mutual Discounts

                10 a.m.

11:20 a.m.

 12:40 p.m.

Overview of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

10:40 a.m.

Noon

1:20 p.m.

One-On-One With Company Reps

2: to 3:30 p.m.

Snacks and door prizes available.

UHD generally does not, nor is it obligated to, screen, monitor, or restrict the vendors participating in UHD's work-life program, nor does participation of a vendor in UHD's work-life program constitute UHD's endorsement of the business or the products/services offered by the participating vendor, nor would UHD be liable for any claims any individual participant in UHD's work-life program may have against any participating work-life vendor, or as a result of that individuals participating in the work-life program.  In other words, please personally review the products, services, and prices offered by the work-life vendors and make your own personal informed decision about whether to utilize the products or services offered by the particular vendor. 

Faculty Awards Selection Committee is accepting faculty awards nominations

The Faculty Awards Selection Committee is accepting nominations for faculty awards in Teaching, Professional/Institutional Service, and Scholarship/Creativity. 

Send all nominations to Lisa Morano, associate professor, Department of Natural Sciences (N609), or via the NS Department office (N813) no later than Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Please see the attached call which includes the nomination form at the end.

Teacher Retirement System members can now access accounts online

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) is unveiling MyTRS, the new online access portion of the system's website in November.

Members will now be able to plan for retirement, keep track of their personal accounts and receive communications from TRS online. Active TRS members will receive a temporary user ID and password with their annual statements in November, which will provide them with access to MyTRS.

When members receive their user ID and password, TRS encourages them to visit MyTRS and complete the registration process. Registration for online access through MyTRS will not require members to enter their full social security numbers online. Members can change their temporary password with one of their own choosing. New TRS members can still register for MyTRS by visiting the TRS website.     

Once registered, TRS members will be able to:

·         Obtain a personalized retirement estimate using unaudited data on file with TRS.

·         View and/or print a copy of their most recent annual statements.

·         View their account balance, including current year contributions received to date by TRS.

For more details, please visit the TRS website at  www.trs.state.tx.us or call them toll free at 800-223-8778.

The UHD Veterans Student Organization has been invited to march with the Lone Star Veterans Association in this year's Veterans Day parade Thursday, Nov. 11.

Interested student veterans should meet at 10 a.m. at City Hall for the opening ceremony. UHD's Manager of Veteran Services Michael Record will depart at 9:30 a.m. from UHD. Records asks students planning to attend to contact him in advance. Activities have been planned throughout the day.

UHD's Veterans Services Office will offer breakfast in the morning and pizza in the afternoon for student veterans. The Veterans Services Office is located in room 244-S, One Main Building. Call 713-221-8622 for information.

If student veterans would like to become members of the LSVA, more information is available at the organization's website http://www.lonestarveterans.org/.  

 In conjunction with Career Development Month, Career Services is holding its first "Career Services Week" Nov. 15 to 19. 

Events start off with an open invitation to students to visit the Career Services office, room 340-N, One Main Building, anytime on Monday to ask questions, gather materials, sign up for workshops  and enjoy the snacks.See attachment.

Students can attend career-related workshops covering a different topic each day (see flyer) Tuesday through Thursday.  Career-related door prizes will be given out each day, with a grand prize drawing on Friday.  Prizes sponsored by: Al's Formal Wear, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, Target and UHD Bookstore.

UHD's online portal to eservices, UOnline, will become MyUHD on Nov. 22.

 The access to UHD services will not change, only the name and look of the login. Changing the name will pave the way for UHD to better group and market online degrees and classes under a UHD Online umbrella later this academic year.

During the next few weeks, individuals across campus will be working to make the switch on web pages across the university.