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Sole Finalist for UHCL President Announced

UHS System Faculty and Staff –

It is with great pleasure that I announce Dr. Ira K. Blake as the sole finalist to be the next president of University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Today’s decision comes after conducting a thorough and exhaustive national search, aided by a search firm and search committee comprised of students, faculty, deans, alumni and other supporters, that helped yield a strong and diverse pool of experienced candidates for consideration. I thank the members of the search committee for their hard work and commitment during this process and appreciate their service to UHCL.

Dr. Blake, who is scheduled to take office August 1, 2017, has been serving as senior vice president and provost at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania focusing on the university’s academic mission.

She holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and a secondary master’s degree in Educational Psychology from San Francisco State University.

UHCL plays a vital role in our UH System’s overall delivery of higher education resources to this region, so we are fortunate to have an experienced educator and inspiring administrator of Dr. Blake’s caliber lead this institution.

Now that Dr. Blake has been named the sole finalist for the president position, state law requires that 21 days must pass before final action can be taken by the Board of Regents on her formal appointment. After that time, I look forward to introducing Dr. Blake as the fifth president and first woman to lead UHCL.

I would like to thank Richard Walker, Ed.D., vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment services, UH System, for overseeing this very productive search committee and express our appreciation to the faculty and community members who participated in this process. In addition, we are deeply indebted to President William A. Staples, who has served so adeptly as UHCL president for the last 22 years. President Staples will stay on in his current role until Dr. Blake takes office.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Blake on her selection as sole finalist and in celebrating this exciting announcement for the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

With warm regards,
Renu Khator
Chancellor, University of Houston System