Dear UHD Community,

This month marks my one-year anniversary as President of the University of Houston-Downtown. It’s been quite a first year with both challenges and triumphs. From a historic storm to many outstanding achievements, the past 365 days on campus have been memorable to say the least.

I knew this was an exceptional institution when I first visited the campus in 2016. After a year of working alongside UHD’s committed faculty, staff and students, I am even more impressed by the University and am proud to be here.

During the past year, I’ve had the privilege of celebrating the academic accomplishments of nearly 3,000 graduates during four commencement ceremonies. I also have had the pleasure of hosting numerous city and state leaders on campus, all of whom have expressed a deep admiration for UHD.

There also have been academic honors awarded to our institution, a collaboration with NASA, the start of the Gator Grit Speaker Series, town hall meetings, the launch of a major capital campaign, and other noteworthy milestones.

And of course, there was Harvey. In spite of the havoc that storm wreaked on our city and our University, this was an event that truly brought the UHD community together on and off campus. I was impressed by the tenacity of those who worked tirelessly to restore our campus. And I must commend those who contributed to the Gator Relief Fund or who volunteered to help others. As destructive as that storm was, it demonstrated the strength of our University.

Thank you for a tremendous year. I look forward to many more as UHD President.

Sincerely,

Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz
UHD President