Education
BY MELISSA ENJAE, VALERIA ESCOBAR & AUBREY HOWELL
UH Katy campus receives $20M in legislative funds The University of Houston will receive only a fraction of the $165 million request in state funding for new facilities in Katy from the 2025-27 state budget passed by the Texas Legislature. Instead of the requested $165 million for a new academic building in Katy, the nal budget allocates only $20 million to support UH Katy’s program expansion. What it means UH o cials said in an email that the funds will be used to expand undergraduate and graduate programs in areas like business, engineering, nursing and sciences, re ecting the industry needs of West Houston. The funding will help expand graduate pro- grams from the Bauer College of Business and the Cullen College of Engineering at the Katy campus, said Jay Neal, associate vice president for academic a airs and chief operating o cer for UH at Katy and Sugar Land, at the April 22 Katy Economic Development Council meeting. “Tuition dollars will sustain [the programs], but we need help getting started on this,” he said. “I can’t bring both programs out without nancial support.” The college used its current operating budget to launch 40 new courses last fall—projected to raise enrollment by 130%, Neal said. Looking ahead Long-term planning continues, with hopes for full state funding in the 2027 session, Neal said. Even then, Neal estimates construction on new facilities in Katy wouldn’t be completed until
2 construction courses coming to TSTC Texas State Technical College is set to launch two construction programs in Rosen- berg, following the opening of its new $35 million Transportation Technology Center. What’s happening? The building construction program, which already has a strong presence on TSTC’s Harlingen, Marshall, Sweetwater and Waco campuses, will launch with a craftsman certi cation focusing on foundational construction skills, o cials announced in a January news release. Meanwhile, the electrical construction pro- gram will introduce students to residential, commercial and industrial wiring—initially launched as a certi cation—with plans to expand to a full associate degree. “We want to help ll the craftsman roles that four-year universities often overlook,” said Rick Vargas, TSTC’s statewide director of alignment for the program. “It’s easy to ll management positions, but much more di cult to meet the ever-growing demand for skilled craftsmen.” Why it matters O cials said both programs aim to assist with the rapid population growth in the Greater Houston area, which has led to a need for skilled workers as construction surges. Going forward Both programs are slated to launch at the Rosenberg campus in the fall of 2026.
Proposed building uses
Undergraduate and graduate coursework for the Cullen College of Engineering Houston City College-Katy students to take coursework before transferring to an undergraduate degree program Hines College of Architecture & Design to begin a co- enrollment Design Academy with two-year institution College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics undergraduate programs A phase-in of the Bauer College of Business’ programs
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2031 or 2032, while enrollment at the campus is expected to grow from 500 students to 5,000 in two years.
HCC receives $2M Google investment for AI, robotics
technicians specializing in AI • Develop a new curriculum • Enhance lab facilities
Houston City College o cials announced a $2 million investment from Google to expand its arti- cial intelligence and robotics programs. The grant funding is expected to support new AI faculty and
• Train 40 college instructors and 40 high school instructors who could reach an estimated 3,200 high school and 4,800 HCC students • Establish a regional coalition of 20 institutions and partners to meet the needs of the local economy
technicians. The impact
With the grant, HCC o cials said they will establish a variety of initiatives, including: • Hire at least 10-plus full-time faculty and
Students and instructors showcased various software and robot programs Dec. 16.
MELISSA ENAJE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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KATY FULSHEAR EDITION
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