The University of Houstonâ€"Victoria (UHV) is a four-year state university and is one of the campuses comprising the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 20 acres (8.1 ha) in Victoria, with satellite locations at UH System centers in Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch. Founded in 1971, UHV has an enrollment of over 4,300 students.
The university serves students in four academic schools. UHV offers 31 bachelors and 20 masters degree programs. Awarding more than 800 degrees annually, the university's alumni base exceeds 11,000.
The school's athletics teams are known as the UHV Jaguars. UHV has fielded baseball and softball teams, and men’s and women’s soccer and golf teams. The UHV Jaguars compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Association of Independent Institutions conference.
History
The University of Houstonâ€"Victoria began as an effort in the late 1960s by the local community to bring a higher learning institution to Victoria. In 1971, the Coordinating Board of Texas College and University System created an off-campus center of the University of Houston known as the University of Houston Victoria Center. One hundred students enrolled at the center in its inaugural semester of spring 1973.
In April 1983, the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 235, which granted the institution permanent degree-granting status in the state of Texas. The University of Houston Victoria Center was renamed the University of Houstonâ€"Victoria, and became the University of Houston System's fourth university.
UHV started its athletics program during the 2007-08 school year with the Jaguars baseball and softball team. Since then, the teams have competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Soccer and golf programs for both men and women began in fall 2010.
In October 2008, the UH System Board of Regents adopted a resolution authorizing UHV to seek enabling state legislation to add freshmen and sophomores. In the 81st Texas legislative session, Texas State Representative Geanie Morrison of Victoria introduced House Bill 1056, which would allow UHV to expand, and Texas State Senator Glenn Hegar introduced an identical bill, Senate Bill 567. Texas Governor Rick Perry signed HB 1056 into law on June 19, 2009. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools approved UHV to admit underclassmen and offer lower-division courses on November 17, 2009, and UHV also received its first freshman application the same day. UHV’s first freshmen and sophomores started taking classes in fall 2010, and the university’s first residence hall, Jaguar Hall, opened on the Victoria campus.
Institutional structure
The University of Houstonâ€"Victoria (UHV) is one of four separate and distinct institutions in the University of Houston System. The institution is separately accredited, offers its own academic programs and confers its own degrees, and has its own administration. UHV is a stand-alone university; it is not a branch campus of the University of Houston (UH). Although UHV and UH are both component institutions of the University of Houston System, they are separate degree-granting universities.
The organization and control of the University of Houstonâ€"Victoria is vested in the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. The Board has all the rights, powers, and duties that it has with respect to the organization and control of other institutions in the System; however, UHV is maintained as a separate and distinct institution.
Administration
The president is the chief executive officer of the University of Houstonâ€"Victoria, and the position reports to the chancellor of the University of Houston System. The president is appointed by the chancellor and confirmed by the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System. As of July 2010, the interim president of the university is Don N. Smith.
Academics
The University of Houstonâ€"Victoria (UHV) is separately accredited, offers its own academic programs, and confers its own degrees. UHV is a stand-alone university; it is not a branch campus of the University of Houston (UH). Although UHV and UH are both component institutions of the University of Houston System, they are separate degree-granting universities. Students who graduate from UHV will have diplomas under the name University of Houstonâ€"Victoria.
While previously an upper-division and graduate school only, UHV expanded in fall 2010 to admit freshmen and sophomores. UHV consists of four academic colleges: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business Administration, the School of Education & Human Development, and the School of Nursing. Each school offers both undergraduate degrees and master’s degrees.
Schools
School of Arts & Sciences
UHV allows students to design their own unique course of study with a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. The School of Arts & Sciences offers a range of programs in the divisions of Humanities; Science, Technology and Mathematics; and Social & Behavioral Sciences. It is home to the literary institutions American Book Review, Fiction Collective Two, symplokÄ", and Cuneiform Press. It also houses the Society for Critical Exchange and Centro Victoria.
School of Business Administration
The UHV School of Business Administration will give the tools needed to be a competitor in the global business environment. The school offers complete face-to-face and online programs and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The school was named one of the 301 Best Business Schools and the Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students by The Princeton Review, a Top 25 Best Buy in distance learning by GetEducated.com, one of the top five e-learning programs for aspiring entrepreneurs by Fortune Small Business magazine, and has received many other awards and recognitions.
School of Education & Human Development
The School of Education & Human Development can help with any goals relating to educating children or adults. The school offers programs that let students become a teacher, principal, school counselor or superintendent. It also offers specialization certification in mathematics, reading, special education and English as a Second Language. The school is accredited by the Texas Education Agency and is recognized by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. It has accreditation for all of its counseling programs from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs. UHV School of Education & Human Development graduates work as teachers, counselors, principals and superintendents across the region.
School of Nursing
Taking a nursing career to the next level can be achieved at the UHV School of Nursing. Although there is currently no entry-level program, degrees are offered specifically for working nurses or other busy professionals who want to become nurses. If one is a nurse and wants a BSN, one can register for the flexible and innovative RN to BSN program. If a student has an existing bachelor’s degree in another field, they can jumpstart a nursing career in as little as 12 months. UHV’s youngest school, founded in 2006, is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The school equips its graduates to lead other nurses, manage departments and facilities, and teach the next generation of nurses.
Facilities
Programs are offered both face to face and online at the Victoria campus in addition to two Fort Bend County teaching centers: the UH System at Cinco Ranch and the UH System at Sugar Land. The faculty in Victoria use lecture-capture software to archive class sessions. UHV has 10 classrooms equipped with audio-visual equipment and plans to add more.
Faculty
UHV strives to keep a low student-to-faculty ratio to allow faculty to give more personal attention. Currently, the university has a 17-to-1 ratio and an average class size of 20 students. Faculty members are as global as the perspectives they bring to the classroom. Instructors come from Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Belarus, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan and Thailand.
Honor societies with UHV chapters include Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Beta Phi, Chi Sigma Iota, Psi Chi and Kappa Delta Pi.
Degree in Three
UHV was the first Texas public university to offer an accelerated program where students can earn a complete, 120-credit-hour bachelor’s degree in just three years. Degree in Three, or Dn3, lets students earn a degree in Communication, Criminal Justice, English, History or Psychology. It also offers an option to freeze tuition and fees at the rates charged at the time of entry into the program.
Affordability/Acceptance
Taking classes at UHV can save a student and their family up to $7,376 a year on their bachelor’s degree compared with other public universities and up to $18,956 a year compared with private universities in Texas. UHV is the fourth-most affordable public university in Texas, according to fall 2009 data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. UHV also offers numerous financial aid opportunities including scholarships, grants and loans. Incoming freshmen are entitled to the Jaguar Pledge, a program that provides students from outside the Victoria area a package of guaranteed aid to cover at least 33 percent of their first and second years’ tuition and fees. In addition, UHV helps guide students through the various loan options to help manage any remaining costs associated with obtaining a degree.
Campus
The University of Houstonâ€"Victoria (UHV) is a stand-alone university; it is not a branch campus of the University of Houston (UH). Although UHV and UH are both component institutions of the University of Houston System, they are separate degree-granting universities.
The campus of UHV is located in Victoria, which is part of the Texas Coastal Bend region. It is approximately 30 miles (48Â km) from the Gulf of Mexico. The university is nearly equidistant by about 125 miles (201Â km) from the cities of Houston, San Antonio and Austin. The Victoria campus consists of about 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land.
In December 2009, UHV purchased a hotel and began renovating it into Jaguar Hall, the university’s first residence hall. Jaguar Hall opened on Sept. 18, 2010.
The Victoria campus shares some of its facilities with Victoria College. This includes a bookstore/student center, a four-story library with more than 200,000 volumes and a fitness center that includes a gym and weight room.
Student life
Jaguar Hall is one of two of UHV’s residence halls where students can make lifelong friends, form cherished memories and enjoy the benefits of a supportive college environment. Double-occupancy, fully furnished rooms feature a private bathroom, and Internet and cable TV access. Jaguar Hall also has an on-site dining room and is located a short, 10-minute walk to the UHV campus. Other amenities include: computer and tutoring centers, study lounge, social recreation lounge, on-site laundry facility, and meal options featuring hot entrées, a salad bar, self-serve deli and exhibition station, homemade soups and desserts.
The university opened its second residential hall, Jaguar Court, soon after. Jaguar Suites open in fall 2013 and is the UHV's third residential hall.
Athletics
Houstonâ€"Victoria (UHV) teams, nicknamed athletically as the Jaguars, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as an Independent of the Association of Independent Institutions (AII). Men's sports include baseball, golf and soccer; while women's sports include golf, soccer and softball.
UHV has fielded baseball and softball teams since the 2007-2008 school year. In fall 2010, the school added men’s and women’s soccer and golf teams.
UHV is one of two universities in the University of Houston System that has a varsity athletic program. The athletics director is Ashley Walyuchow.
Starting the 2015-16 season, the Jaguars will compete as a member of the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC), which allows them a chance to compete in national championships.
Baseball
The Jaguars baseball team has won back-to-back Association of Independent Institutions (AII) conference championships (2009, 2010). The team plays its home games at Riverside Stadium in Victoria, Texas. Head coach Terry Puhl is a former outfielder for the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals. Puhl also is a Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Texas Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, and served as head coach for the Canadian national baseball team in a win over Cuba at the Olympic qualifier in 2006 and at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Softball
The Jaguars softball team won the first Association of Independent Institutions conference championship, finished 11th in the nation in 2009 and was ranked 21st in 2010. The Jaguar softball team won its second A.I.I. conference title in May 2013. The Jaguars moved on to the opening round of the NAIA national championship where they were defeated by Lubbock Christian University, finishing the season ranked 18th. The team plays its home games at Victoria's Youth Sports Complex located in Victoria, Texas. The Jaguars are coached by Keri Lambeth, former catcher for the Houston Cougars softball team and former graduate assistant coach for the George Washington Colonials. Lambeth is assisted by former UHV first basemen Lindsey Ortiz.
Soccer
The Jaguars men’s and women’s teams began in fall 2010. A soccer field, dubbed “The Cage†by players, was constructed on the UHV campus, and the men’s and women’s teams hosted the first on-campus home games ever during their fall campaign.
The men’s team, coached by Adrian Rigby, finished 3-11-1 in its inaugural season. Defender Lenox Evans was named to the 2010 Association of Independent Institutions all-conference team.
The women’s team finished 2-11 in its inaugural season, also under coach Adrian Rigby. Goalkeeper Sarah Saldivar was named to the Association of Independent Institutions all-conference team.
Golf
UHV men’s and women’s golf teams began in fall 2010. The teams entered the 2011 spring season ranked No. 4 (men) and No. 5 (women) in conference pre-season polls. The squads practice and host meets at Victoria Country Club.
Coach Brian Williamson leads both the men’s and women’s teams for UHV.
Notable Alumni
- Van G. Garrett, poet
References
External links
- University of Houstonâ€"Victoria
- UHV Jaguars
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