Kevin Wooten, professor of management and human resources management and chair of administrative sciences in the School of Business. Photo courtesy of Janice Fisher.

From student to alumnus to professor: Professor Kevin Wooten began his career at UHCL as one of its first students

By Maria Lara Last updated Apr 21, 2015 436 0

UHCL celebrates its 40th anniversary and Kevin Wooten, one of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, has been a witness to the university’s growth and transformation during its 40 years of existence.

Wooten is a professor of management and human resources management and the Chair of Administrative Sciences in the School of Business at UHCL. He was also one of the first students to enroll when the university opened its doors in 1974. The first graduating class of the university consisted of one student. He was a member of the third graduating class in 1976.

“I came over in 1974 and graduated with the larger group; it was one of their larger classes,” Wooten said.

Wooten received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 1976 and his Master of Science in Psychology in 1978. Later he received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Tulane University. He was an adjunct professor at UHCL from 1980 to 1986 and became part of the full-time faculty in 1992.

Wooten pointed out that UHCL has undergone many changes since it was first established in 1974, especially the difference in the size and magnitude of the university. The diverse culture however, stayed the same, he said.

“The campus was very small and everyone knew each other on a first-name basis,” Wooten said. “That was the beginning of student governance, and it was at the time that students had a great deal of input of who was selected for faculty and administrators.”

Wooten mentioned that it felt like an experiment of commingling individuals from different departments of the university.

“In those early years, faculty were housed and taught not in departments, but you had an anthropologist next to an accountant next to a physicist next to a history professor; people mixed ideas and philosophies in an interesting and interdisciplinary way,” Wooten said.

Wooten stated that the new freshmen on campus have the ability to mold the university just as his graduating class did. He believes now is the time for them to take the university to the next level.

“I would hope they would have the same pursuits of starting with something new that we did way back when. “I would hope they feel like they have a say in shaping the university like we did back then.” Wooten said.

Wooten’s research throughout the years adds merit to support his nominations for awards like the President’s Research Award of 2013-2014, Outstanding Scholar Award, and The Minnie S. Piper Teaching Award, which he was nominated for six times.

His research has been published in more than six books and 26 different journals. He co-authored the book “Professional Ethics and Practices In Organizational Development: A systematic analysis of issues, alternatives, and approaches,” which was selected as one of the top ten books in management by the American Society of Training and Development in 1989.

Each year the university seeks to honor distinguished alumni by presenting the Distinguished Alumni Award. The award honors UHCL graduates who have made contributions to their respective fields, and whose accomplishments and careers have brought tribute to the university.

“This prestigious award is alumni recognizing alumni, and it’s very cool that he’s being honored as a distinguished alumni and a professor,” said Kris Thompson, senior coordinator of alumni and community relations.

Students are welcome to join and celebrate the honorees. The celebration will be held at Space Center Houston, Oct. 18. For more information, visit www.uhcl.edu/alumnicelebration.