UHCL says goodbye to President Staples and hello to President Blake
Ira Blake began her position as the fifth president of UHCL Aug. 1 following the retirement of William Staples, who has served as president since 1995.
During his time as president, Staples has overseen a number of major milestones for UHCL including: the approval of the first doctoral program in 2007 and a third this fall, the opening of the UHCL Pearland campus in 2010, as well as the transition of UHCL to a four-year university in 2014.
“UHCL has welcomed many changes in my 22 years, but what I often stress is that none of the changes took place in a vacuum,” Staples said. “What made our successes possible are the partnerships that UHCL has developed with corporations, community organizations, individuals, alumni, cities, foundations and our own employees to advance the key initiatives of this institution.”
Staples began working at UHCL in 1979 and forged many lasting relationships with the people he met over his time as a professor, dean and president.
“I will miss the people: students, faculty, staff and our community partners,” Staples said. “I have met and worked with some wonderful people dedicated to strengthening UHCL and our community.”
Staples also said he expects UHCL to continue to make advancements in the future and hopes the UHCL community will embrace Blake as president going forward.
“During my transition meetings with Dr. Blake, I stressed to her that she had a good group of people – students, faculty, staff, alumni and community friends – ready to help her succeed,” Staples said.
Blake was announced as the sole finalist for the presidency June 9 after the conclusion of a nationwide search and the evaluation of her and three other finalists. Blake is the first female president in the history of UHCL.
“Dr. Blake possessed the most impressive qualities necessary to continue to build and grow University of Houston-Clear Lake,” said Richard Walker, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment services at UH System and chair of the UHCL Presidential Search Committee. “She will lead the next phase of where UHCL wants to go in terms of student enrollment and student excellence [and] the effort to set the strategic direction for the university.”
Blake previously served as senior vice president and provost for academic affairs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She has also been a member and host of numerous leadership assignments for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Blake told The Signal that she has three initial goals at UHCL in regards to higher education, including a commitment to education, respect for diverse perspectives and investment in human development.
“I have a commitment to public higher education and the transformative nature of education. When people come to UHCL to study, they leave transformed,” Blake said. “I want to continue to build on the groundwork of those who have gone before me in making UHCL’s experiences even more transformative.”
Blake said that she is always open to new ideas and expects UHCL’s diverse community to contribute to that.
“I want to learn from those perspectives and generate new ideas based on them so that we can create an even more diverse and inclusive educational experience.”
Blake also wants to ensure more opportunities for more students.
“The question becomes: how do we enhance the educational experiences already provided, build on them and make them accessible to all?” Blake said. “I aspire to answer that question.”
Blake stressed her goal of finding ways to make education more affordable to everyone.
“I am aware that you, and for some of you, your parents, are making difficult financial decisions to invest in your education to ensure expanded opportunities for success,” Blake said. “Affordability continues to be a key challenge in higher education today, and I plan to seek ways to help you manage that cost.”
Blake wants students to know that she believes anything is possible.
“As a first-generation college student and child of a sharecropper father and a domestic homeworker mother, I had a dream to attain an education,” Blake said. “It was a dream I pursued and one that I ultimately accomplished. I urge all students to follow their dreams.”
Blake credits much of her professional success to great mentors and urges students to embrace mentorship as a stepping stone to success.
“In my previous positions, I had the opportunity to work for some outstanding leaders who became my mentors,” Blake said. “I was able to take what they taught me and build on it. I urge all to find a mentor and to become one as well. I look forward to working with and serving UHCL administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as alumni and community friends.”
Also published on Medium.
