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Expanding Our Legacy

Community Partners in Education

Each year, community members and businesses give to and partner with UHV to create a legacy of opportunities that benefit everyone.

UHV received more than $3 million in donations in 2018-2019, an all-time fundraising record for the university. Donations came to the university through 1,575 gifts from 1,303 unique donors, including individuals, alumni, university employees and students, foundations and corporations. For the fourth consecutive year, alumni participation was the highest on record, and more than half of full-time UHV employees made donations to the university.

Here are some examples of community partnerships that took place in 2018-2019:

  • The University of Houston Foundation received a $35,000 grant from the American Red Cross in support of the UHV Relief Fund to help students still recovering from Hurricane Harvey.
  • Former UHV President Vic Morgan and jaX, UHV’s jaguar mascot, competed against each other to see who could raise $1,000 first to rappel down the side of One O’Connor Plaza in downtown Victoria. The donations benefited three Victoria nonprofits: the Hispanic Council of Victoria, Challenged Athletes Dream Complex and Victoria Business and Education Coalition.
  • Community members attended a two-part homelessness symposium hosted by the UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development. The symposium featured a panel discussion and presentations by area homeless advocates.
  • UHV hosted the 32nd annual Martín de León Symposium on the Humanities. The theme was “Comida, Café, y Cultura,” meaning food, coffee and Mexican American culture.
  • The International Youth Foundation presented UHV with a $33,504 grant to host International Festival events in Karnes City and Cotulla high schools. The foundation also awarded UHV a second grant of $38,501 to fund a Breakfast with the Stars outreach program in schools in DeWitt, Karnes and LaSalle counties.
  • UHV hosted Black History Month events, including the A.D. Sheffield Symposium on African American History. The symposium featured a presentation about difficulties faced by African Americans during the Reconstruction Era in Texas and a performance by KoumanKe’le’, an African dance group out of Houston.
  • The top three winners of a Black History Month Poster Contest for area fifth-graders were awarded UHV scholarships and vouchers to Victoria College summer camps. The theme for the contest was “Local Black Leaders.” The winners were honored at a poster contest reception, and the 114 participants’ posters were displayed in the UHV University Center throughout February. The contest was a partnership between UHV, Victoria College and the Victoria Black History Committee Inc.
  • UHV International Programs hosted its fourth International Festival, featuring free food, music, dances, traditional clothes and booths with poster presentations from 17 countries. The festival was supported by the International Youth Foundation, Victoria Northside Rotary Club, UHV Student Life and the UHV School of Arts & Sciences.
  • Four permanent plaques were added to the UHV Donor Recognition Display in University North to honor the Trull Foundation, Rebuild Texas Fund, Bennett-Wood family, and Claud and Mary Virginia Jacobs for their gifts of $50,000 or more to the university. The university also updated the donor feature portion of the wall to highlight alumna Josie Rivera, and the university updated the Cornerstone Circle with the names of those who donated $1,000 or more in 2017-2018.
  • Motivational speaker Tyson Dever, who survived a wreck caused by a distracted driver, gave a community presentation at UHV during Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
  • The UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development hosted the Victoria Crossroads Council for Mathematics and Science Educators Conference. It was attended by 85 educators and students, and offered 44 different presentations by UHV pre-service teachers.
  • More than 150 students from 10 area high schools took part in the 24th annual UHV Mathematics & Robotics Awareness Day, and the top performers in math and computer science tests each received a trophy and an iPad tablet.
  • The UHV Small Business Development Center and School of Business Administration hosted a Victoria webcast of Leadercast, a worldwide leadership conference, and the SBDC hosted its second Leadercast Women conference. Leadercast’s theme was “Leading Healthy Teams,” and the theme for Leadercast Women was “Lead Yourself.”
  • UHV University College hosted its first Undergraduate Research Showcase, featuring presentations from students about biology, mathematics, criminal justice and the humanities.
  • The first Victoria Generals collegiate wooden bat league home game of the summer was sponsored by UHV. The university gave away free tickets for community members to attend the game. Fans also took home UHV giveaways, took part in contests between innings and had photos taken with jaX.
  • Crossroads Community Band partnered with UHV to record the music for the “UHV Alma Mater.”
  • ConocoPhillips presented a $2,000 grant to the UHV Center for Regional Collaboration and the Small Business Development Center to work with the DeWitt County Texas Rural Leadership Program.
  • The UHV Library hosted “Grant Funding Workshop: Find Funders and Write Successful Grants” to help area nonprofit organizations learn how to write effective grant proposals and find funding.
  • The UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development presented a fall symposium featuring Randy Guttenberger, author of “Managing Your Crazy Self!: Turning Your Turbulence Into Tranquility.” He gave a presentation about mental health and managing the brain.