Legislative Update: 89th Session

June 24, 2025

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Last week, Chancellor Khator shared an overview of the outcomes of the 89th Texas Legislative Session and the significant policy and funding developments affecting all University of Houston System institutions. I want to take this opportunity to expand on what these outcomes mean specifically for the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Funding and Strategic Investments

As many of you are aware, the state’s formula funding allocation to UHCL was impacted by a decline in enrollment, resulting in a decrease to our base budget. At the same time, we are encouraged by the reinstatement of institutional enhancement funds for the new biennium.

The legislature also modestly increased our Higher Education Fund (HEF) allocation, with UHCL receiving $2.056 million to support deferred maintenance and capital improvements.

Looking ahead, the legislature has shown increasing interest in tying state funding to institutional performance metrics, such as retention, graduation, market and job placement rates. As such, we will need to be razor-focused on improving in all student success metrics.

While we are grateful for the support we received, several of our key special item funding requests were not approved - funding for expansion of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD), CCAP funding for a new STEM II building and renovation/repurposing of the Delta building. However, CADD, Success Through Education Program (STEP), the Environmental Institute of Houston, and the High Technology Laboratory retained their current funding levels, allowing us to continue these important programs while we advocate for additional support in future sessions.

Senate Bill 37

SB 37 introduces new legislative requirements for shared governance, curriculum review, and academic program evaluation across all public universities in Texas. As outlined by the Chancellor, these changes necessitate a new governance structure across the UH System, to be established by September 1, 2025.

As of August 31, of this year, our current shared governance structure, including the Faculty Senate as it exists today, will cease to exist. Over the summer, a new Faculty Advisory Council policy model will be developed. As requested by the Chancellor, I have appointed a small task force comprised of faculty, department chairs, deans, and vice presidents. The task force will be chaired by Provost Maynard. We anticipate sharing a draft policy with the faculty for feedback in July. Additionally, we will be working on a new UHCL shared governance structure over the summer. We will share updates as the process unfolds and will invite faculty and staff feedback as we transition toward this new structure.

Senate Bill 2615

While the Chancellor called your attention to several state legislation items of direct impact, I wanted to reiterate the importance of SB 2615 which requires full-time university employees to work on-site, with limited exceptions for illness, disability, professors who teach strictly online and several other specific work situations. The UH System is drafting a System Administrative Memorandum (SAM) regarding hours of work, work locations and work schedules. This new law, thus the new SAM, will go into effect on September 1.
 
This legislative session has presented both opportunities and challenges. I appreciate your ongoing dedication to our students and mission. As we move forward, our collective focus and collaboration will be essential. I am confident that we will navigate these changes with purpose and continue to serve our students and our communities with distinction. Thank you for all that you do for UHCL.

Sincerely,

Richard Walker, Ed.D. 
President