Tag Archives: UH

Endorsement watch: For that amendment, you know the one

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron approves an amendment but forgets to tell us which one. So much has changed in the 15 years since Renu Khator became UH’s president. She set a clear goal for Tier 1 status and worked toward it step … Continue reading →

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UT professors sue over TikTok ban

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t wait to see how this one plays out. A group of college professors is suing Texas for banning TikTok on public-university computers and phones, saying it has undermined their ability to teach students and research one of the … Continue reading →

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Big XII remains “open” to more expansion

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe they’ll eventually call themselves the Big XVI. The Big 12 is open to further expansion, commissioner Brett Yormark said Friday, as the league prepares to welcome four new members, including the University of Houston, on July 1. Expansion was … Continue reading →

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The fentanyl vaccine

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is not actually new, but this story just came out and I hadn’t noticed the coverage before, so I’m catching up. To combat the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, researchers at the University of Houston have created a … Continue reading →

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Actually, UT and OU will join the SEC in 2024

Posted on February 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Reports of their not-early departure were greatly exaggerated. Texas and Oklahoma have reached an agreement in principle to leave the Big 12 after the 2023-24 athletic year, the league announced Thursday, allowing the schools to join the Southeastern Conference one … Continue reading →

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Abbott tells state agencies and universities to hire more white people

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, let’s be honest, that’s what this is about. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is warning state agency and public university leaders this week that the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — policies that support groups who have … Continue reading →

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Looking like no early entry into the SEC for UT and OU

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always about the money. Which, to be fair, is pretty substantial in this case. The negotiations for Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 a year early and join the SEC in 2024 have stalled and a deal … Continue reading →

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More on the collegiate TikTok bans

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

An interesting perspective from a professor in Texas. The bans have come in states where governors, like Texas’s Greg Abbott, have blocked TikTok from state-issued computers and phones. Employers can generally exercise control over how employees use the equipment they … Continue reading →

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UT bans TikTok on campus WiFi

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This feels like a bit of an overreaction to me, but we’ll see if others follow suit. The University of Texas at Austin has blocked access to the video-sharing app TikTok on its Wi-Fi and wired networks in response to … Continue reading →

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Rice to join AAC in 2023

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As expected given prior developments. Nearly eight months after accepting an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference, Rice on Wednesday announced it has finalized an agreement to officially enter the league in 2023. Rice — along with UTSA, North … Continue reading →

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UH will officially join the Big XII in 2023

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

No use waiting around. The University of Houston will start play in the Big 12 in 2023 after the school came to an agreement on exit fees with the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars will pay the AAC $18 million … Continue reading →

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Get ready to start raking in the cash, UH

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Money, money, money. As the athletic director at Texas, Chris Del Conte is the CEO of one of the richest college athletic departments in the nation. He also knows what it’s like to have to make every penny count. At … Continue reading →

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Big XII may get temporarily bigger

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The dominoes fall when they fall. Next week, the Big 12 plans to discuss the future of the conference regarding its expansion, per Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. Houston, Cincinnati and UCF are expected to join the Big 12 in the 2023–24 academic … Continue reading →

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The UH wildlife cameras

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I love stories like this. A duck waddled between the trees of Glenwood Cemetery, not far from where four University of Houston students tied their camera to a trunk. If the bird came closer to the lens, the device would … Continue reading →

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Caught between a mandate and a madman

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have sympathy for the schools. Many Texas universities — which collectively hold billions of dollars in federal contracts — are wrestling with how to navigate the Biden administration’s mandate that all federal contractors be vaccinated by Dec. 8 in … Continue reading →

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American Athletic Conference to expand

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time for some more dominoes to fall. The American Athletic Conference is set to consider expansion this week after six Conference USA programs applied for membership on Wednesday. If all six teams are added to the AAC, it would expand … Continue reading →

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UH officially joins the Big XII

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Long time coming. Hello, Big 12. In a historic day, the University of Houston has accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12’s presidents voted unanimously Friday to formally invite Houston, BYU, Cincinnati and Central Florida … Continue reading →

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The Big XII is finally ready for UH

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope it was worth the wait. Five years after a potential match fizzled, the University of Houston and Big 12 Conference are on the verge of uniting after all. UH has emerged as a leading contender to join a reconfigured … Continue reading →

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The A&M and AAC responses to UT and OU and the SEC

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Moving from denial to bluster. Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork has a message for any newcomers to the Southeastern Conference: “We’re ready.” Texas and Oklahoma are preparing to exit the Big 12 and join the SEC, just as A&M … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus and college sports update

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

What life is like for Texas’ college football teams. In the world of COVID-19-era college football, Sunday is a day not for resting but for testing. Each Sunday this fall brings a new set of checklists and guideposts that players … Continue reading →

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UH-Hobby: Trump 50, Biden 45

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a poll result that stands in contrast to the others we have seen lately. President Donald Trump is leading Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by more than five points among likely voters in Texas, according to a poll released … Continue reading →

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The Big XII will play football

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s their plan, anyway. The start of the Big 12 Conference’s college football season will move forward as scheduled, conference officials said Wednesday, meaning four major Texas football programs are one step closer to playing this fall. “Ultimately, our student-athletes … Continue reading →

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Optimism abounds in the AAC

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. In the face of a pandemic, the American Athletic Conference will attempt to conduct business as usual this football season. A plan announced Wednesday will allow AAC schools, including the University of Houston, to play a … Continue reading →

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What kind of college football season will there be?

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Governor says to expect half-full stadiums for college football. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told athletic directors from the state’s largest schools to expect 50 percent capacity at football games this fall, USA Today reported, but Texas A&M athletic … Continue reading →

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Whither college football?

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All NCAA spring sports were canceled due to coronavirus, beginning with March Madness and going through baseball and softball and soccer and everything else. Everyone has been looking forward to the fall when things were supposed to be back to … Continue reading →

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Sen. Kirk Watson to retire

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this was unexpected. State Sen. Kirk Watson, an Austin Democrat, is retiring from the Texas Senate. His resignation is effective at midnight on April 30, the Austin American-Statesman first reported Tuesday. Watson is leaving office to become the first … Continue reading →

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A wrapup for early voting

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the end of early voting. Early voting ended Friday with a late surge in turnout among Harris County voters, surpassing voter participation in some prior mayoral election years but falling short of totals seen during … Continue reading →

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Boosting student turnout at UT

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Cool story. Between 2013 and 2016, Texas eliminated more than 400 polling locations, the largest drop in any state during that time. In 2013, after years of litigation, it implemented a strict voter ID law. The law, which lists seven … Continue reading →

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Early voting locations coming to UH and TSU

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Students at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University will be able to cast ballots on campus in this November’s general election, the Harris County Clerk’s office announced Monday. For the first time, the two schools will host … Continue reading →

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Houston to get XFL 2.0 team

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

For those of you that need more football. TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston will be the home field for Houston’s team in the XFL, the spring football league owned by WWE chairman Vince McMahon that will begin play … Continue reading →

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Next B-Cycle expansion approved

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Expansion of Houston’s bike sharing system is pretty much in high gear after City Council on Wednesday signed off on a $4.1 million plan to roughly triple the number of bikes and kiosks. With the agreement in place, local … Continue reading →

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Big XII declines to expand

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, UH. The University of Houston’s campaign to join the Big 12 Conference was crushed Monday by the league’s presidents, who ruled out expansion without discussing the merits of any individual applicants, including the confident, fast-rising Cougars. Bob Bowlsby, the … Continue reading →

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Next B-Cycle expansion announced

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston’s bike share system, Houston B-cycle, will more than triple in size over the next two years, adding 71 stations with 568 bikes. The expansion will be paid for with federal grant dollars. “The expansion of the … Continue reading →

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KUHA sale completed

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Say goodbye to classical music on your terrestrial radio. Houston Public Media’s classical musical station transitions to an all-digital format starting at 9 a.m. Friday, July 15. It’s a result of Christian radio station KSBJ agreeing to purchase the KUHA 91.7 … Continue reading →

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