Paving the Way

UHV and the community have always worked together to build the future and create opportunities that benefit everyone. The 2013-2014 fiscal year was no different. These opportunities would not have been possible without UHV’s generous donors.

Donations to UHV in 2013-2014 totaled a university record of $2.21 million, far exceeding the $900,000 goal. The funds raised include financial support from businesses, foundations and individuals such as university faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters. This money is being used for academic programs, professorships, athletics, scholarships and related student support.

Here are some other highlights from 2013-2014:

UHV sponsored a Victoria Generals baseball game, allowing community members to take part in a free night of baseball, UHV giveaways and festivities.
Dr. Sanjeev Bhatia established two $10,000 UHV endowed scholarships in his parents’ names. The Om Prakash Bhatia Scholarship for First Generation Students is designated for a student who is the first in his family to attend college, and the Urmil Bhatia Scholarship for Veterans is for an honorably discharged military student.
Ricardo Teixeira started the Rowland Elementary Math & Science Club with Rowland instructional coach Karen Johnson and kindergarten teacher Nache Holub.
UHV, the UHV School of Arts & Sciences, Victoria Independent School District and the Victoria Advocate sponsored a free screening of “A Fragile Trust,” a documentary that tells the story of how Jayson Blair, a journalist at The New York Times, became known as the most infamous serial plagiarist of the modern era. The screening was followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Samantha Grant and Macarena Hernández, Victoria Advocate Endowed Professor of the Humanities at UHV.
The Community of Readers program brought together community members, faculty, staff and students through the shared reading experience of “Escape from Camp 14” by Blaine Harden and a series of related programs.
Students donated $2,772 to the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent through Food Fight, a Student Life & Services initiative that took place during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
Students volunteered during and after their spring break to help build a Golden Crescent Habitat for Humanity home in Victoria.
UHV hosted the Governor’s Small Business Forum, a state forum that focused on opportunities for minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses.
The UHV Small Business Development Center and the Victoria Chamber of Commerce hosted a simulcast of the 14th annual Leadercast leadership development event.
The Victoria College/UHV Library hosted an Introduction to Finding Funders workshop to help community nonprofit organizations learn how to look for grants and funding.
The Victoria Regional History Center inside the VC/UHV Library received a $6,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to launch a long-term preservation plan for books, maps, drawings, photos and other historic materials.
The School of Education & Human Development was recognized by the Victoria Independent School District with the You Make a Difference Award for November 2013 because of its partnership with Stroman Middle School.
UHV hosted the Region III conference of the Texas Association of Future Educators for the fifth time. The organization offers students the opportunity to explore the teaching profession.
The School of Arts & Sciences sponsored a symposium featuring Chris Danielson, an associate professor of history at Montana Tech University in Butte. He discussed race and politics.
The School of Business Administration had 20 of its alumni talk to students in Victoria, Katy and Sugar Land as part of the school’s Alumni Week.
The School of Education & Human Development hosted a fall symposium focused on bilingual education and a spring symposium about educational technology.
The Provost’s Lecture Series featured the Victoria premiere of the movie “Texas Before the Alamo,” along with a panel discussion by historians who consulted on the film. The series also presented a discussion on why the U.S. war on terrorism could violate international law, followed by a lecture about the testing of audience perceptions of social justice through the presentation of heroes on the fringes of social equity.
Career Services hosted several networking events for business owners and student job-seekers. The School of Education & Human Development also held two job fairs.
The Student Government Association put on the 11th annual Giving Tree, a holiday charity drive that supported six local charities: Adopt-A-Pet, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, HOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed), Mid-Coast Family Services, the Old Landmark Committee of Victoria and Totes of Love.
The School of Nursing sponsored a Fall Nursing Forum focused on the Affordable Care Act and a Spring Nursing Forum about collaboration between health professionals.
UHV also hosted several events designed to get students engaged in higher education and give them opportunities to win scholarships and other educational prizes:
- Black History Month events included a poster contest for fifth-graders. The top three winners received scholarships, and all entries were on display at UHV during February 2014.
- Hispanic Heritage Month events included a reception recognizing the first- through third-place winners in an art contest. The students received scholarships and other prizes. Entries in the contest were on display at UHV for the month.
- About 200 students from area public and private high schools took part in the annual UHV/VC Math & Computer Science Awareness Day. The event was funded through a $20,000 Alcoa Foundation grant, which also funded a robotics course offered by UHV for high school students and a Digital Simulation and Robotics Summer Camp at the university.