Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM April 2019 | Page 24

EDUCATION JIM TOWNSEND Writer/Editor, University Communications • 281-283-2020 UH-Clear Lake KAREN BARBIER Associate Director, University Communications-Media Relations • 281-283-2029 UH-Clear Lake grows enrollment, programs, facilities N ew buildings and increased enrollment are among the highlights at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Featuring 13 faculty research labs, 15 teaching labs and a 100-seat tiered lecture hall, the STEM and Classroom Building opened in fall 2018. The state-of-the-art, 121,000-square-foot building provides classroom and lab space for science and technology as well as one of the university’s newest programs, the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Other highlights of the building include specialty rooms that include space for mechanical engineering projects, computer-aided drafting and 3-D printing. UHCL’s new 81,709-square-foot Recreation and Wellness Center also opened last fall. It includes academic and recreational wings, an indoor, elevated three-lane running track that overlooks two regulation- sized basketball courts and a multi-activity court for indoor soccer, hockey and other sports. The center, which came about after a students voted and passed a referendum to increase student service fees to pay for the building, also features weight and cardio rooms, biomechanics research labs, classrooms and rooms for yoga and other exercises. A 297-bed residence hall is under construction and will be ready for occupancy in fall 2019. The residence hall will complement University Forest Apartments, a privately owned and managed complex on the university campus. In fall 2018, students, faculty, staff and alumni shared their ideas for the name of the new residence hall, with Hunter Hall selected as the top choice. The new facility will hold 294 beds and will include study lounges, a community kitchen and lounge, laundry facilities, outside patio and more. Students can choose from three suite configurations: two single-bed rooms with a shared bathroom, two double-bed rooms with a shared bathroom, or a single-bed room with a private bathroom. Meanwhile, at UHCL Pearland, doors opened in January to the 69,539-square-foot Health Sciences and Classroom Building to assist students in the university’s successful health-science programs, notably the RN-to- 22 MOMENTUM BSN program. The facility features a simulated hospital rooms, a nurses’ and pharmacy station, 100-seat lecture hall, laboratories and faculty offices. It also houses a satellite operation of UHCL’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. The U.S. Census Board estimates that approximately 8,000 residents or about 15 percent of Pearland’s work-age population work in health- related fields. In fall 2018, UHCL welcomed approximately 9,000 students, a population growth of 5.18 percent over fall 2017, and one of the largest enrollments experienced by the university. These students chose from more that 90 undergraduate and graduate academic programs to meet their educational goals. Students and faculty apply academic theories and conduct research through UHCL’s many centers, institutes, clinics and laboratories that include the following: • Art School for Children and Young Adults; • Center for Executive Education; • Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities; • Center for Educational Programs; • Center for Professional Development of Teachers; • Center for Robotics Software; • Counseling Clinic; • Cyber Security Institute; • Environmental Institute of Houston; • Exercise and Nutritional Health Institute; • Psychological Services Clinic. UHCL’s more than 69,000 alumni are leaders in the community in a variety of fields and include 10 astronauts, more than 400 CEOs.