Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to stay alert and give themselves extra time when traveling through construction zones on North Main Street.

Construction in preparation of the north METRORail line is in full swing and routes and pedestrian walkways will continue to change frequently throughout spring semester.

Chris McCall, assistant vice president for Facilities Management, said signage will direct pedestrians to safe, accessible pathways between buildings and parking lots north of the One Main Building. UHD Police and METRO Police will assist in directing foot and vehicular traffic from time to time as needed.

McCall says the work should be completed by fall 2012.

An African-American Symposium of Undergraduate Research will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, in the Special Events Room, A-300, Academic Building, as part of UHD's Black History Month activities. 

This symposium will showcase UHD's undergraduate students and include several student panels that critically address a range of subjects related to the African-American experience. Student presentations will address subjects such as: racial construction, gender performance, black sexuality, slavery, Afrocentricity and many others.

For information, contact Vida Robertson, assistant professor of English, at robertsonv@uhd.edu or 713-222-5369.

The Cultural Enrichment Center is sponsoring the lecture "The Invisible Jim Crow: Contemporary Ideological Threats to the Internal Security of African Americans," from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, by Michael Tillotson in room A-300, the Special Events Room, Academic Building.

Tillotson received his doctorate at Temple University and is a research fellow at the Molefi Kete Asante Institute. He is the author of a new book, "Invisible Jim Crow."

This free event is part of UHD's Black History Month activities and is open to the public. For more information contact Jane Creighton at 713-221-8295 or creightonj@uhd.edu. A flier is available here. 

The Spring 2011 20th Day Fact Sheet is located here: http://www.uhd.edu/about/irp/sheet.html. It includes information on UHD students broken down by ethnicity, gender, student type, full-time/part-time, majors and also includes information on the number of semester credit hours they are taking.

Please note that the information is preliminary, for official statistics please contact the IR office.

The Department of Social Science is sponsoring a panel discussion, "Uprisings in the Middle East," from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, in the Cullen Robertson Auditorium, third floor, Academic Building.

The panelists are:

• Aida Araissi, a native of Tunisia and the president of Houston's Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce.
• Nivien Saleh, professor and Middle East expert at the Center of International Studies, St. Thomas University.
• Richard Sindelar, former deputy director of the Office of Near East and South Asia Analysis in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

The moderator is Leena Thacker-Kumar, UHD associate professor of Political Science. Please contact Thacker-Kumar for more information at 713-221-8696 or email kumarl@uhd.edu. A flier is available here. 

The Cultural Enrichment Center in collaboration with Ethnic Studies and Philosophy is sponsoring a symposium, "History in the Making: The Middle East and the World" featuring presentations March 2 and 9 in room N-1099, One Main Building.

Ussama S. Makdisi, professor of History and chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, will discuss "Faith Misplaced: On the Promise of US-Arab Relations" at 1 p.m. March 2.

Elora Shehabuddin, associate professor of Humanities and Political Science at Rice University will present "Feminism, Empire, and Muslim Women" at 1 p.m. March 9.

For more information contact Sharin N. Elkholy, UHD assistant professor of Philosophy and coordinator of Ethnic Studies, at elkholys@uhd.edu or 713-210-9910. A flier is available here. 

Vincent Tinto, nationally-known professor from Syracuse University, discussed "Promoting Engagement and Retention in an Urban Campus" last week at UHD. Tinto has written extensively on student success in higher education and the positive impact that institutions have experienced with learning communities. Tinto did a formal presentation, met with faculty on improving students' reading success and conducted an informal question and answer session. Tinto emphasized the importance of early intervention with at-risk students, regular assessment, tutorial groups and adapting teaching techniques to help students learn.  

The UHD Pre-Law Forum will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in room A-350 in the Academic Building, featuring a panel of attorneys who will provide information to students interested in attending law school.

The forum is free and open to the public. The Pre-Law Association is sponsoring the forum which was originally scheduled for early February, but was postponed due to the weather. Topics will include law school admissions, the LSAT exam and different law fields. Panel members also will discuss what the law school experience is like.  

For information, contact Jimbo Herrera, president of the Pre-Law Association, at j.r.herrera88@gmail.com or Edgar Colon, visiting assistant professor, at colone@uhd.edu.

UHD is hosting the Fulbright Arts Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, March 4, in the Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium followed by a reception at 9 p.m. in the adjacent Coffeehouse.

The festival features the following UHD former Fulbright recipients:

Jane Creighton, Poland (2006-2007)

Robin Davidson, Poland (2003-2004)

Jean DeWitt, Mauritius (1991-1992)

 Patricia Golemon, Taiwan (2005-2006)

Joanna Kaftan, Poland (1999-2000)

 Anne Kane, Ireland (1996-1997)

JoAnn Pavletich, Madagascar (2005-2007)

Isabelle Ganz who was a Fulbright in Music to Israel (1997) is coordinating the program. The event is co-sponsored by the Houston/Southeast Texas Chapter, Fulbright Association; the Department of English, University of Houston-Downtown, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department through a grant from the Fulbright Association in Washington, D.C.

For information, contact Davidson at davidsonr@uhd.edu or 713-221-2716. A flier is available here.

UHD's Office of Community Engagement has awarded three internal grants to projects that provide service-learning experiences for UHD students.

Through a competitive process, the Office distributed Community Development Grants valued at nearly $40,000, said Jean Dewitt, director of Community Engagement.

Department of Urban Education - UHD Urban Education students are receiving stipends to tutor students at Stovall Academy, Bethune Academy and Anderson Academy in the Aldine Independent School District. Associate professor Viola M. Garcia submitted the proposal for $28,650 that also includes funds for tutoring supplies and books.

Garcia said, "Feedback from UHD Urban Education students indicates that this has been a very positive experience for them. They are engaged with tutees. They are learning a great deal, and they are pleased about being treated as professionals as they help the elementary students in need of assistance."

Professional Writing Program, Department of English - About $6,480 in grant funding provided a paid internship for a UHD student at Acres Homes Community Development Corp. Visiting assistant professor Richard Ogle submitted the grant application. He said that UHD student Lucha Morales was selected for the position. She is writing and designing pamphlets, fliers and copy for websites and helping write grant applications for Acres Homes as it helps low-income families become first-time homeowners. Morales will also receive academic credit for the internship.

Scholars Academy, College of Sciences and Technology - Scholars Academy students will now have T-shirts and hats that will help identify them as part of the Academy when they are out in the community completing service-learning projects. Mary Jo Parker, director of the Scholars Academy, applied for the grant. She said about 40 percent of the Academy's 154 students enter the program as transfer students. These students are enrolled in a course that has a service-learning component that links them with various community groups and agencies. The grant award of $4,371 covered the cost of T-shirts and hats and is providing a textbook on service learning for Scholars Academy students.

Several new publications are available on the Office of Institutional Research's website.

The annual Fact Book is located here: http://www.uhd.edu/about/irp/book.html. It includes information on UHD students, courses, graduates, employees and financials.

This year's Academic Unit Profiles are now available here: http://www.uhd.edu/about/irp/AUP.html. These annual reports summarize faculty, course and student data by college and department.

With BlueExtras, HealthSelect BCBS participants and their covered eligible dependents now have access to discounts on products and services that help support healthy lifestyles.     

For a limited time, HealthSelect members may sign up for a Life Time Fitness membership for a one-time, $29 fee (no long-term contract required) and $29 per month to use any participating location. Participants will have access to a nationwide network of participating fitness centers and select YMCA locations so they can stay fit at home, on vacation or while traveling.

Please visit www.bcbstx.com/hs and log into your Blue Access for Members account. Click the My Health tab to find the Fitness Program button to search for participating fitness locations and complete your enrollment online. You can also enroll by calling the Fitness Program toll-free at 888-762-2583.  Fitness Program representatives will answer questions and help locate area fitness centers.

Blackboard Vista

Today   
2 - 3 p.m. - Blackboard: Gradebook Setup

Tuesday, March 1
10 - 11 a.m.- Blackboard: Assignments 

Wednesday, March 2  
10 - 11 a.m. - Turnitin 

Thursday, March 3  
1 - 2 p.m. - Wimba Classroom 

Monday, March 7 
3 - 4 p.m. - Blackboard: Assessments 

Tuesday, March 8 
1 - 2:30 p.m. - SoftChalk Lesson Builder 

Thursday, March 10  
10 - 11:30 a.m. - Respondus: StudyMate 

Friday, March 11

10 - 11 a.m.- Wimba Classroom 

Microsoft

Wednesday, March 9
1 - 2 p.m. - Transitioning to Office 2010 

Web Based

Thursday, March 3    10 - 11 a.m. -  SurveyMonkey

 
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