Contact:   Celeste Zamora, manager of media relations, 713-221-8083; mobile, 281-330-7790; zamorac@uhd.edu
Sue Davis, executive director of public affairs, 713-221-8636; mobile, 618-521-1288; daviss@uhd.edu

Office of Public Affairs
One Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002
713-221-8010   www.uhd.edu

UHD CELEBRATES 43RD COMMENCEMENT

WHAT:                       UHD Winter Commencement
WHEN:                       2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007
WHERE:                     Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St.
HIGHLIGHTS:             Student Representative, Pamela Tyler, BS Criminal Justice
                                  UHD President Max Castillo                                    

(HOUSTON, Nov. 29, 2007)   UH-Downtown's 43rd Commencement is 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 at Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford Street in downtown Houston. An audience of family and friends of the graduating class will watch UHD President Dr. Max Castillo confer baccalaureate and graduate degrees upon the candidates. The ceremony is open to the public.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE:
Pamela Tyler returned to college after military service, professional experience and getting married and having a family. She will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in Criminal Justice from the College of Public Service and will soon transition into the UHD graduate program. Tyler works for the Houston Police Department as a Crime Analyst in the Fondren Division in Southwest Houston.

This semester was especially important to Tyler. On the first day of the fall semester, she found her healthy husband laying in their home, his heart stopped. She revived him with CPR and he has since recovered and returned to work after a three month recovery. He is also a police officer. She only missed two classes and studied as she watched over her husband during his hospital stay. Tyler said it was a life-changing experience. She credits her family's faith in God, her relatives, her church and police family for supporting her throughout the difficult time. Her parents Raymond and Florence, children Lauren and Edward (twins), family members, pastor and friends will celebrate commencement day with her.

UHD PRESIDENT MAX CASTILLO
President Max Castillo has been president of UH-Downtown since 1992. In 1995, enrollment was 7,676. Today, UHD has 11,793 students. When he started, the historic One Main Building stood alone. Since then, four buildings have been added to the campus footprint and the historic Willow Street Pump Station was renovated for community gatherings.

Castillo has been a tireless proponent for access to higher education in the Houston area: establishing agreements and dual enrollment with area community colleges for seamless transition into baccalaureate programs; working to lift the state restriction to offer post-baccalaureate degree programs - UHD now offers master's degrees in education, criminal justice, professional writing and security management; and supporting local schools through pre-college outreach and teacher education.