UHS Board of Regents Puts Wheels in Motion for UH-Sugar Land Expansion

Updated Campus Plan to Include Proposed Theater and Festival Site, Center for Industrial Partnerships

The University of Houston System Board of Regents took another step in increasing higher education opportunities in the greater Fort Bend County area. During its recent meeting, the board unanimously approved an update to the site’s campus plan. This modification will allow for an expanded campus that will serve students and the community.

The revised plan allows for the development of a proposed theater/festival complex and a state-of-the-art academic facility housing the UH Center for Industrial Partnerships.

The prospective theater/festival complex would be on 52 acres of campus land at the southwest corner of campus (next to the city of Sugar Land water tower). It would accommodate academic programs and host student performances and community events.

The UH Center for Industrial Partnerships would be in a future 60,000-sq.-foot academic building. The facility would host interactive media programs from UH, UH-Victoria and Wharton County Junior College. Programs would be focused on digital media and gaming and would have significant oversight from award-winning video game developer and publisher TimeGate Studios.

 “The board’s approval of an updated campus plan reflects a long-term vision for the campus and its commitment to the community,” said Marshal Schott, UH associate vice president for university outreach. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but the board has put the wheels in motion for a bigger and better UH-Sugar Land campus. This complex would provide students with new academic opportunities and enrich the community’s cultural landscape.”

The next steps in moving the campus plan forward include further collaborations between the UH System and the city of Sugar Land, as well as approval from the Texas Legislature and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

“Our collaboration with the University of Houston System has been a huge success,” said Sugar Land Mayor James A. Thompson. “It’s one that continues to build on visionary leaders in our community who were committed to furthering educational opportunities in our city. UH-Sugar Land helps our community continue to grow and meet the educational and workforce challenges of the 21st century.”

The UH-Sugar Land campus plan was designed by DesignLab, an initiative of UH’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, and reflects the system’s partnerships with private corporations and the city of Sugar Land. It was created to accommodate projected enrollment growth through 2025.

UH-Sugar Land is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 South and University Boulevard in Sugar Land, Texas. The 200-acre campus hosts undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs and certifications from UH, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Victoria and Wharton County Junior College. Classes are delivered in the 57,000-square-foot Albert and Mamie George Building and the 145,000-square-foot Brazos Hall. Among the academic resources available to students is the University Branch Library, which is part of Fort Bend County Libraries. To learn more about UH-Sugar Land, visit http://www.sugarland.uh.edu/.

For more details on the UH System and the UH System Board of Regents, visit http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/.

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