Greetings UHD Family,

I hope that each of you are in good health and safely enjoyed a restful Spring Break.

I am honored to begin my service as President of the University of Houston-Downtown and officially consider myself a Gator. I have awaited this moment since first visiting campus months ago and subsequently meeting many UHD and Greater Houston community members over the past few months.

I must share that my first interactions with students, faculty, and staff were very informative. Through these initial meetings, I discovered that UHD is indeed a special place. Our Gator Family is a proud, hard-working community dedicated to the foundation and spirit of excellence upon which UHD thrives daily.

And with this spirit of excellence in mind and heart, I am ready to get to work. Before I can effectively lead this institution, it is essential that I listen and learn during my early tenure as your new President. With that in mind, I look forward to meeting more of you very soon, both formally and informally. Regardless of what draws you as part of this community, your insights will prove invaluable to me and UHD.

Soon, I will host a virtual reception to answer questions and share more about myself. The virtual reception will take place on March 31st at noon. More information on this event will be available soon, and I look forward to seeing all of you there. In the meantime, you can learn more about me by viewing the video in this message. There will also be opportunities for you to participate in sessions designed for me to carefully listen to your thoughts and ideas on priority issues and immediate needs facing the campus to ensure the University's ongoing success.

I would like to thank everyone who has already extended a warm welcome to my family and me. Your messages have been kind and encouraging and further demonstrate the caring nature of UHD's Gators. I'd also like to extend special gratitude to my immediate predecessor, Dr. Antonio D. Tillis, for his commendable leadership and his valued communications to augment my understanding of the shared goals, history, and culture of the UHD community.

I know many of you are returning to classes from last week's Spring Break. As you return, I'll be here … ready to work alongside all of you in continuing UHD's momentum toward becoming a greater Gator community.

Sincerely,

Loren J. Blanchard, Ph.D.
President, University of Houston-Downtown