Mary Mbeche

The Board of Regents meeting included an open forum, a presentation on improving the university's four-year graduation culture, and the review of several committee reports. Key actions included the approval of endowment management and audit committee charters, faculty tenure and development leave requests, revisions to freshman admission standards, honorary degrees, and the creation of a foundation for the College of Architecture and Design. The Board also delegated authority to the Chancellor for large-scale contracts, approved updates to system policies regarding sexual misconduct and research security officer appointments, received an annual report on intercollegiate athletics, and adopted the meeting calendar for FY2026-FY2027. Additionally, the Board met in executive session to discuss legal, personnel, and contractual matters before ratifying personnel contracts for the Division of Athletics.

The committee reviewed several reports, including the Institutional Compliance Hotline activity for the previous quarter, annual Ethics and Conflicts of Interest policies, the annual Fraud Prevention and Awareness report, the annual Identity Theft Prevention Program, and quarterly Internal Audit reports. The committee also reviewed the Internal Auditing Department's fiscal year annual report and received a demonstration on the use of artificial intelligence to enhance audit efficiency. Additionally, the committee approved the annual review of the Audit and Compliance Committee Charter.

The committee discussed and approved several items, including the delegation of authority to the Chancellor for various contract types exceeding $1 million, such as goods, services, and construction projects. Other approvals involved agreements for a new medical research and education center in the Rio Grande Valley, the transfer of non-formula state funding, the annual committee charter review, and an update to the University of Houston Downtown Master Plan. Additionally, the committee received an informational report on the condition of university buildings and facilities, as well as a presentation on the system's financial results for fiscal year 2025.

The committee reviewed and approved several items, including faculty hires with tenure, faculty development leaves, revisions to freshman admission standards, the conferral of an honorary degree, updates to the committee charter, the appointment of a new university dean, and the creation of a foundation to support the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. Additionally, the committee received information reports regarding low-producing academic programs, sponsored contracts and grants exceeding $1 million, a research presentation on immune cell engineering, and a student success story.

The committee reviewed the performance of the University of Houston System endowment and non-endowed portfolios, noting strong long-term returns and recent market volatility. Approval was granted to delegate authority to the Chancellor for hiring a private equity manager, specifically committing funds to Warrant Equity Partners V and noting a previous commitment to Windrose Health Investors VII. The committee also authorized the partial liquidation of select equity and fixed income holdings to support the endowment payout for the fiscal year. Additionally, the committee completed its annual review of the Endowment Management Committee Charter with no recommended changes, and directed specific items to the Board of Regents for final approval.