https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/10/14/university-houston-renu-khator-fall-address-2023.html Changes coming to UH's campuses In conjunction with UH's efforts to bolster its academics, Khator is also focused on improving UH's campuses to give students modern classrooms, labs and technology. She highlighted four construction projects that are currently in the design and programming phase. These include the Innovation Hub, which will be home to the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship and the Energy Transition Institute, among other things; the 60,000-square-foot Hobby School of Public Affairs; an $80 million new medical research building; and the $130 million Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center. The new 105,000-square-foot facility is set to house the university's football program, including the team's training space, locker room, health and nutrition space, and staff offices. The center will align Houston more closely with its new Big 12 Conference peers and help with recruiting, Chris Pezman, UH's vice president for athletics, previously said. As part of the construction of the new facility, renovations will also be made to TDECU Stadium. This year, UH also celebrated the completion of the Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership's newly renovated and expanded on-campus hotel, and The Hub -- a food hall replacing the Student Center Satellite building -- is expected to open in January 2024. Just last week, UH broke ground on a new $65 million academic building in Sugar Land. The three-story, 75,000-square-foot building will be known as the Technology Building-Sugar Land Academic Building 2 (SAB2). Once completed, it will be home to faculty, staff and students who fall within the UH Cullen College of Engineering-Technology Division. UH also aims to transform parts of its main campus ahead of its centennial anniversary in 2027. The $35 million transformation includes a new multipurpose gathering space, which will be called Centennial Plaza, along with a reconceptualized University Drive and the addition of monumental gateways at university entrances. Moving forward, Khator said UH will continue to increase graduation rates, secure funding and work intentionally to get more recognition. "While we can acknowledge our challenges, we cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by them," Khator said. "No matter what hand we are dealt with, we have to play our best game. People do not invest in whining; they invest in winning. We have to show our winning hand." ____________ Plans call for construction of an approx. 40,700 square foot mixed-use facility including site utilities and landscaping. An architect and general contractor have been selected. As of March 18, 2022 abatement work and demolition are slated to begin late March 2022.