University of Houston-Clear Lake named Ira Blake as the sole finalist to succeed Bill Staples, who retired this month from the presidency after 22 years at the helm.
The University of Houston System Board of Regents will vote on Blake’s appointment as president at its Aug. 24 meeting.
UHS Chancellor Renu Khator announced the appointment on June 9; Blake was
one of four finalists selected by the UHCL Presidential Search Committee. The committee submitted its final report on the finalists to Khator in early May.
“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,” Khator said in her internal letter issued upon the announcement.
As president, Blake serve as the public face of the campus and oversee university operations for both Clear Lake and Pearland campuses. While Blake has not been confirmed by the board, she assumed the position as the fifth UHCL president on Aug. 1.
“She is the individual who will lead the campus in general … she will lead the next phase of where University of Houston-Clear Lake wants to go in terms of student enrollment and student excellence,” said Richard Walker, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment services at UHS who also chaired the search committee. “She will lead the effort to set the strategic direction for the university.”
As president, Blake said she has many goals, but the first one is to become more familiar with the Clear Lake campus, its role in the university system, and the Texas’ higher education system. Blake previously served as a provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
“This institution has an extraordinary legacy. It already focuses on career readiness and advanced studies. We need to ask, ‘How do we enhance the experiences of Clear Lake in the past—as a two-year college—for a four-year university,” Blake said.
Blake has more than a decade of higher education administration experience, and she hopes to put that experience to use with existing leadership.
“I really do believe I am going to be working with an exceptional team of individuals. They are so concerned with this school and what it is doing in the region. I think what is also exciting is that it gives me opportunities to perform in a new role,” Blake said.
As a sharecropper’s daughter and one of nine siblings, Blake was the first in her family to graduate from college.
“Higher education has been such a big part of my life. To work in higher education as an administrator allows me to continue to work in a different role, to work with students, to transform lives and to help them as individuals and citizens,” Blake said.
Staples announced his retirement in September after serving as the fourth UHCL president for 22 years.
UHS Chancellor Renu Khator announced the appointment on June 9; Blake was one of four finalists selected by the UHCL Presidential Search Committee. The committee submitted its final report on the finalists to Khator in early May.
“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,” Khator said in her internal letter issued upon the announcement.
As president, Blake serve as the public face of the campus and oversee university operations for both Clear Lake and Pearland campuses. While Blake has not been confirmed by the board, she assumed the position as the fifth UHCL president on Aug. 1.
“She is the individual who will lead the campus in general … she will lead the next phase of where University of Houston-Clear Lake wants to go in terms of student enrollment and student excellence,” said Richard Walker, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment services at UHS who also chaired the search committee. “She will lead the effort to set the strategic direction for the university.”
As president, Blake said she has many goals, but the first one is to become more familiar with the Clear Lake campus, its role in the university system, and the Texas’ higher education system. Blake previously served as a provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
“This institution has an extraordinary legacy. It already focuses on career readiness and advanced studies. We need to ask, ‘How do we enhance the experiences of Clear Lake in the past—as a two-year college—for a four-year university,” Blake said.
Blake has more than a decade of higher education administration experience, and she hopes to put that experience to use with existing leadership.
“I really do believe I am going to be working with an exceptional team of individuals. They are so concerned with this school and what it is doing in the region. I think what is also exciting is that it gives me opportunities to perform in a new role,” Blake said.
As a sharecropper’s daughter and one of nine siblings, Blake was the first in her family to graduate from college.
“Higher education has been such a big part of my life. To work in higher education as an administrator allows me to continue to work in a different role, to work with students, to transform lives and to help them as individuals and citizens,” Blake said.
Staples announced his retirement in September after serving as the fourth UHCL president for 22 years.
