In the Fall of 2014, University of Houston-Clear Lake experienced some of the biggest changes it has ever faced as a university. UHCL transitioned from an upper-level university, one of the last of its kind, to a four-year university. The decision was not made lightly, and the process took years.
For more than 40 years, UHCL prided itself on being a non-traditional campus with commuter and returning students. The average student age was in the 30s; the average age has since dropped about 10 years. Once the institution made the transition to four-year, the university immediately sought to expand to accommodate the new student base. Part of the growth process included a student survey to find out what kind of improvements and student services the students cared about the most. The survey concluded that the institution was in need of a new STEM and classroom building, student housing, and a recreation and wellness center. These improvements to campus will be completed in mid-2018.
Although UHCL has worked out the big picture of running a four-year university, little has been done so far to harness a typical campus life. At most universities, campus life includes sports and performance art programs at minimum. UHCL does offer some intramural sports, but it lacks collegiate sports programs due to the fact that there aren’t any players, coaches or stadiums. Given the current financial crisis, the possibility of UHCL having any sort of collegiate sports team has understandably been tabled indefinitely.
However, UHCL already has the Bayou Theater, which is a wonderful place to engage with more students in the performance arts realm. To sustain a performance art program, fewer resources would be needed than to start a collegiate sports program. Previously, UHCL housed a theatre and dance program in the 1980s and 1990s. The programs had early successes and even received a grant for the arts programs that received $87,000 in the year 1988. The programs were eliminated after a budget issue in 1992.
Now that UHCL is a four-year university, it is time to bring these programs back. Today it is rare to find a four-year institution without any involvement in dance, music or theatre programs. Surrounding community colleges, such as Houston Community College, Alvin Community College, College of the Mainland and San Jacinto College, all have theatre and music programs. Two of the listed colleges also have dance programs. Even the surrounding high schools in the Clear Creek Independent School District offer these programs, not to mention all the school districts in the greater Houston area.
Without a performing arts program, this pool of students may be swayed to attend a university that furthers their creative arts education. If UHCL were to offer performing arts programs, they would have the opportunity to recruit an untapped market of transfer community college students as well as newly graduated high school students.
Once the new buildings are completed in 2018, and students live on campus, we will need many more university-sanctioned creative outlets. Engaging students in dance, music and theatre is one more way that UHCL can connect with students. Currently, the best place for students to get connected on campus is through student organizations.
Since the 2014 transition, student organizations have become highly popularized. Today there are nearly 100 student organizations. All of these groups are student run, student led and geared toward a particular interest group. UHCL’s student organizations are very diverse and cover a multitude of interest points.
In the past two years, since admitting freshmen and sophomores, there has been quite a movement for involvement with creative arts as evidenced by the creation of several new student organizations. Drama Geeks, Music Club and UHCL Fusion Dance are all groups of students who are passionate about creative arts on campus.
“As a scholar, I believe that courses like this [Performance Arts] allow all students, (creative minded or not) to expand their critical thinking skills as a means to understanding and communicating the human condition,” said Andrea Baldwin, faculty adviser for Drama Geeks and a lecturer in communication.
For UHCL to be more competitive as a traditional four-year university, it must find a way to cultivate a more traditional campus. Bringing back creative art programs is an obvious first choice. In the midst of a financial crisis, performance arts is a low-cost investment to build the culture of this campus.
UHCL is in the midst of a Master Plan initiative, and the university is craving feedback and involvement from students. This is a perfect time for students to provide suggestions or feedback that advocates adding performance arts programs, or any other ideas that expand the culture of the campus. For more information on how to get involved in this process, visit the Master Plan initiate or email uhclmasterplan@uhcl.edu
In the university’s pursuit of expanding the campus, performance art programs, and student input can go a long way in traditionalizing UHCL’s big picture future.
Excellent article! Agree with all points.