Desiree Rahming is a $2,000 scholarship recipient and hopes to attend the University of Houston-Downtown to major in Fine Arts.

As plans for the multibillion-dollar Interstate 45 overhaul known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project move forward, areas that will be impacted are finding ways to mitigate the impact of the future construction. If all goes to plan, the university could find itself with an opportunity to expand its campus.

Student success can be measured in several ways, but for many students it’s about their grades, getting a college degree and making sure that they’re financially able to pay for college necessities like food, books and housing. Now, the University of Houston-Downtown has a Student Basic Needs Program to help offset some of those costs.

The Texas Legislature is in session, which means Houston-area universities are waiting to hear back on how much funding each will receive this year. The University of Houston-Downtown is one campus that hopes to receive millions. In an interview with the Houston Business Journal, UHD President Loren Blanchard said the university is asking the Legislature for a total of $67 million for transformative programs and constructions.

The University of Houston-Downtown held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its Basic Needs Center on May 5. Located on the second floor of UHD's One Main Building, the center — which is the result of a nearly $944,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will be used over three years — will be used to help students who are experiencing food, housing, medical care, transportation or technology insecurities.

The project, titled “Expanding the UHD Bilingual E-Library to Support Literacy Awareness and Connectivity among the Hispanic Community,” is being co-investigated by Irene Chen, Professor of Education in the Department of Urban Education in UHD’s College of Public Service, Maria Bhattacharjee, a former UHD Associate Professor of Education.

The University of Houston-Downtown received a $2.5 million grant to expand its growing e-library. The library currently consists of bilingual resources such as audio books, and print outs available for free to the public. The grant will be used over the course of two years to help over 200 families across the Houston area.

The long-awaited epicenter of student activity at UHD is the first in a series of anticipated expansions meant to give students and faculty an increased sense of belonging at the commuter campus that houses four colleges, offers 11 master's degrees and is particularly known for its criminal justice program in its College of Public Service.

Two universities within the University of Houston System are working toward improved retention and higher graduation rates thanks to a nearly $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The University of Houston-Downtown hopes to nearly double its graduation rate within three years, a huge lift that, if effective, could filter into the local economy and shape how institutions across Texas usher their students toward degrees.

University of Houston-Downtown President Loren J. Blanchard was interviewed by Inside Higher Ed for an article focusing on Diversity on the Rise Among College Presidents.

UHD Assistant Professor of Business Dietrich von Biedenfeld was interviewed on KPRC regarding Texas power plants' winter readiness.

UHD Student Irvin Solano Teran and Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Daniel Villanueva were interviewed regarding National Scholarship Month on FOX26's Isiah Factor. .

UHD Professor Vida Robertson addresses a new poll that found a decline in the Black Lives Matter movement with NBC News.

UHD Registrar Ovi Galvan was interviewed on Univision regarding the network's Tu Futuro scholarship.