Hometown Glory

University of Houston is No. 1 in the country in ...

University of Houston's Melcher Hall, home of the Bauer College of Business
Photo by Brian Reading
Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

It's not news that Houston is one of the top cities in the country for business — just ask Forbes. But the new rankings by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine on the best business programs for entrepreneurs showed the commitment of two Houston schools to keeping our city awash in entrepreneurial spirit.

The University of Houston's Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship earned the top spot on the best undergraduate programs list, with 100 percent of the faculty also entrepreneurs and a combination of academics and outside-the-classroom learning opportunities, including partnerships, clubs, competitions and other activities.

It's the second time in four years that the UH program, part of the C.T. Bauer College of Business, has been ranked first in the country.

"It's a pat on the back for the fact that we have extended these types of programs to a very broad range of students, but also in an sense to community of Houston, which is now regularly ranked as the number one entrepreneurial city in the country," Bauer College of Business Dean Arthur Warga told KUHF.

In graduate programs, Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business also received high marks for its entrepreneurship program, coming in sixth on the list. It's the third time Rice has appeared on the list and its second time in the top 10.

With all faculty also working as entrepreneurs, the Jones School stands out with nearly $1.1 million awarded yearly in business plan competitions, a figure that dwarfs every other program on the list.

As Entrepreneur notes,

"The Rice Alliance program integrates business/science/engineering disciplines in the areas of new technology and entrepreneurship, such as nanotechnology, which is a strong discipline at the school. Among the numerous opportunities for entrepreneurial students is the Wright Fund, a student-run fund valued at more than $850,000."

Looks like business-minded folks can get the bestentrepreneurial education without leaving the city.

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remembering injustice

New downtown park will shine a light on a dark part of Houston's past

Photo by Jef Rouner

Harris County Commisioner Rodney Ellis and Rep. Al Green posing in front of new historical markers for Remembrance Park.

On Saturday, June 20, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis revealed the full plans for Remembrance Park, a three-block greenspace that will connect Buffalo Bayou to the Herbert W. Gee Municipal Courthouse at 1400 Lubbock St. The park will also include historical markers dedicated to four Black Houstonians who were lynched between 1890 and 1928 — Robert Powell, John White, Burl Smith, and John Walton.

The markers will be installed temporarily at Commissioner El Franco Lee Public Service Plaza until the completion of Remembrance Park, estimated for 2029. The projected is estimated to cost $42 million, though final funding numbers have not been released. Remembrance Park is funded through a combination of Harris County tax revenue and a grant from the Ford Foundation.

Walter Hood of HOOD Design Studios and Michael Murphy of AMMA presented renderings of the future park. It will be a combination of gardens, pavilions, and overlooks that can be used for multiple purposes. In the center of the park will be an innovative fountain. When filled with an inch of water, it will reflect the sky. When emptied, it will show a massive photograph of a baptism in Buffalo Bayou by a Black congregation from the early 20th Century.

The connection to the bayou is woven throughout the park. There are gardens based on Hush Harbors, which were used by Black residents as congregation spaces, as well as canopies made with reclaimed wood and moss from the bayou. The landscape itself will change depending on the rainfall, with features built with retaining ponds to create water installations.

Construction of the park will begin in 2027.

Dr. Ruth Simmons, a President's Distinguished Fellow at Rice University, former president of Prairie View A&M University, and the first African-American president of an Ivy League institution (Brown University) spoke about the importance of remembering history accurately despite attempts to sanitize the past.

"A community that endorses ignoring the history of fabricating that history invites corruption in other areas," she said. "In order to have a common project which we desperately need in this nation, a common project across difference, we must commit to walking in truth. Truth brings light to what darkness would destroy."

The mission statement of Remembrance Park is to "tell the story of the legacy of enslavement and systemic oppression faced by Black Americans in the United States." To accomplish that, the park will have art and education installations, a witness grove, and the lynching markers.

Following the presentation, Ellis and others led the crowd to Lee Plaza for the unveiling of the markers. The unveiling included Representative Al Green and was opened with a prayer from Bishop James Dixon of of Community Faith Church. The bishop thanked Ellis for advocating for the park.

"Today, Rodney Ellis, I see your face in the faces of the great liberators who stood up to injustice, stood up to evil, using creativity and brilliance, bringing people together," Bishop Dixon said.

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