UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
January 2011
Message from the Dean

Mark A. Smith Dear NSM Alums, Faculty and Staff:

It has been only a month since I became the new dean of the College and Natural Sciences and Mathematics, but already I have been impressed by the excellence and dedication of the NSM community.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recently ranked UH in the top tier of research universities nationwide. Along with A&M and UT, we are now among only three public universities in Texas to have earned this prestigious designation. Receiving this nationally-recognized honor confirms what we already knew – UH is among the very best universities in the world.

NSM should take particular pride in this honor – our college brings in the lion’s share of the university’s overall research funding and our scientists play a leading role in UH’s health and energy research initiatives.

Of course, this is only the beginning and we at NSM have ambitious plans to take UH to even greater heights. In spite of the current state fiscal situation, the administration at UH remains firmly committed to strengthen our ranking relative to our Carnegie peers. We must improve our graduation rates, increase the number of doctoral degrees awarded annually and boost our overall research expenditures beyond $100 million.

To continue our progress in student success and research excellence, we must also convince the broader community that investments in our success are wise and will reap true benefits to the local and state communities. Every student, alum, professor and staff member has a crucial role.

You have already made UH a world-class center for science education and research – and together, we’ll make it even better.

The NSM community has welcomed me warmly and it is truly an honor to work with so many talented, hard-working individuals. To those I have not yet met, I look forward to correcting this and sharing with you ideas on how to move NSM forward. I will try to seek you out in the coming months but also encourage you to come by and talk. My door is open.

I know this will be an exciting year of Science and Mathematics in Houston.

With Warm Regards,

Mark A. Smith
Dean

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