Philanthropy matters for

A HEALTHY HOUSTON


Thanks to your passionate support, the University continues its role as a gateway to higher education and a workforce powerhouse—constantly striving to improve the quality of life for Houston’s hard-working citizens.

Powerful Gift Puts Momentum Behind the Mission. It is one thing to talk about why Texas suffers from a shortage of primary care physicians and poor health care for the underserved, but it takes visionary alumni like Dale (’70) and Nancy Lowe to actually do something about it.

Thanks to the Lowes’ $2.5 million gift, the UH College of Medicine is poised to make a dramatic difference in Texas health care by training tomorrow’s primary care physicians and improving patient outcomes at lower costs. Lead donations, such as the Lowes, are a powerful statement of public support, ensuring that College of Medicine graduates can focus on serving inner city and rural communities where lack of health care takes the heaviest toll.

UH Continues Tradition as Public Art Pioneer. Blessed with one of the most storied and significant Public Art collections in the country, the University contributes to a healthy Houston through the support of arts and cultural programming. Backed by a $1.5 million grant from The Brown Foundation, President Renu Khator is excited to put the “public” back into Public Art. The grant will fund temporary installations ranging from the very short term, such as a weekend pop-up performance, to the longer term, such as a year-long interactive video installation. These programs will create a unique sense of place that draws people together.

BB&T Charitable Foundation to Reinforce Ethics Education Within Hobby Center. A $1 million gift from the BB&T Charitable Foundation to the Hobby School of Public Affairs will help create new programs, a speaker series and a summer training institute in social science research methods for graduate and undergraduate students interested in varying public policy perspectives. Taught by Executive Director of the Hobby School, Jim Granato, the course will cover different perspectives on the free market.

“Many of the pressing moral and political issues for our students right now are economic,” said Granato. “Students should have the critical tools to evaluate the policy issues at stake and the principles underlying and dividing them.”

New Technology for the Nation’s Oldest Public Television Station. One generous UH donor is a long-time supporter of the programming on KUHT, Houston Public Media’s (HPM) flagship and the country’s first public television station. Ann Harder embodies the selfless support that keeps nonprofits like HPM operating at the highest level in spite of the need to replace or upgrade essential equipment. “I give because I can,” said Harder. Harder’s recent gift was used to underwrite a portion of the replacement of a multi-million dollar transmission tower. The new tower upgrade allows KUHT to broadcast programming to viewers across southeast Texas and beyond.

A Gift of Transformative Outcome. Central to the University’s mission of student success is our commitment to the economic, social and cultural issues affecting our neighbors. Through the Third Ward Initiative, the University partners with Houston’s Third Ward community to transform its schools, businesses and health care resources. A recent anonymous gift of $1.5 million to these efforts will birth a new facility that will serve as a hub for improvement initiatives.