CHSS Events
Spring 2026 Events
Virtual Information Sessions for Graduate Programs
February time and dates
Multi-genre Creative Writing Workshop with Ayokunle Falomo
February 10, 2026
2:30 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.
CHSS Conference Room, OMB S1070
Reading with Ayokunle Falomo
February 10, 2026
4 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
40,000 Windows Café - Dykes Library (UHD)
Más Amor, Más Mariachi
February 12, 2026
10 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Mural Area (Academic Building)
Valentine's karaoke and UHD Mariachi Welcome. Presented by UHD Mariachi and Center for Latino Studies
10th Forum on Plain English at UHD
February 26, 2026
10 A.M. - 3 P.M.
Free Zoom Webinar, UHD
Registration is Now Open
Our one-day forum will address the following topic: How AI and plain language can
inform health literacy. Our speaker, Ms. Katie Leath, is the director of the Center
for Health Literacy at UAMS. She has more than a decade of experience in health literacy,
plain language, and public health. Katie leads a team of experts who make health information
more accessible, understandable, and actionable by developing award-winning materials,
training health professionals and students, and consulting on best practices in health
literacy. She also supports national health literacy and plain language efforts serving
as a board member for the Center for Plain Language and as the inaugural Region 6
Coordinator for the newly formed US Health Literacy Association. Katie earned a bachelor’s
degree in marketing with a minor in graphic design from the University of Central
Arkansas. She graduated with honors from UAMS with a master of public health and from
the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a master’s degree in applied communication
studies. The link to the webinar will be sent via email.
For more information, contact us at matveevan@uhd.edu
NACCS Tejas 2026 Conference
February 26-28, 2026
9 A.M. - 5 P.M.
ACAD 300 / Skyline
Get ready for a day of insightful discussions and networking at the 2026 NACCS Tejas Foco Annual Conference!
The NACCS (The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies) Tejas Foco is a regional conference that attends to community and academic interests around issues that affect Chicanx in the state of Texas.
Clergymen and Independence - Building Latin America and Europe Through Faith and Ideas
March 16, 2026
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
ACAD 405 (Academic Building)
Examine the contributions of clergymen in relation to independence movements in Latin
America and Europe. Also, gain insight into the Humanities degree programs and the
Summer/Fall 2026 course offerings. Light refreshments will be provided
For more details: Dr. Edmund Cueva: cuevae@uhd.edu
Dr. Fernell Jiménez-Pabón: jimenezpabonf@uhd.edu
Houston Pride Band Performs at Bayou Bash!
March 19, 2026
UHD Main Bldg. South Deck
This year’s Bayou Bash will feature music performed by the Houston Pride Band (HPB).
HPB is a vibrant, community-powered ensemble that celebrates music, diversity, and
visibility in the Greater Houston area. Founded on the belief that music can be both
artistically excellent and socially meaningful, the band brings together musicians
of all backgrounds, identities, and experience levels—united by a shared commitment
to inclusion and pride. As one of Houston’s most colorful musical organizations, the
Band will perform a wide-ranging repertoire that spans traditional concert band literature,
popular music, and works by LGBTQ+ and historically underrepresented composers. This
performance will entertain, inspire, and reflect the rich diversity of our UHD community.
Read more about the band.
Arts & Communication Festival
April 6 - 11, 2026
AC Festival Events
Gator Groove Performs!
April 6, 2026
12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Mural Area of the Academic Bldg.
The Gator Groove is a social organization composed of individuals who have an interest for learning how to play an instrument or experienced players who already know how to play an instrument. The goal of this social organization is to give people the opportunity to socialize with other fellow musicians, giving students and faculty at UHD a platform to express their musical talents. Gator Groove facilitates involvement of leadership roles within the club, creates sub-bands with club members to play live at possible venues, and other endeavors related to music. We are excited to highlight this group and open it up for other faculty and staff to join in the performance as well! This event is brought to you by UHD’s Cultural Enrichment Center in partnership with the Department of Arts + Communication.
This Present Moment
April 6, 2026
2:30 - 4:00 P.M.
Fondren Commons in the College of Science and Technology
Arts & Communication Festival
Professor Alicia Eggert, Keynote Speaker
Alicia Eggert's work gives material form to language and time, powerful but invisible
forces that shape our perception of reality. Her creative practice is motivated by
an existential pursuit to understand the linear and finite nature of human life within
a seemingly infinite universe. Her inspiration is drawn from physics and philosophy,
and her sculptures often co-opt the styles and structures of commercial signage to
communicate messages that inspire reflection and wonder. Eggert’s artworks have been
installed on building rooftops in Russia, on bridges in Amsterdam, and on uninhibited
islands in Maine, beckoning us to ponder our place in the world and the role we play
in it. Eggert is an Associate Professor of Studio Art and the Sculpture Program Coordinator
at the University of North Texas; her work has been exhibited internationally and
is in the collection of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The Cultural Enrichment Center is honored to host Professor Eggert as the Keynote
Speaker for the AC Festival. This event is brought to you by UHD’s Cultural Enrichment
Center in partnership with the Department of Arts + Communication.
Gleeson Ryan - What Story Does Our Trash Tell?
April 7, 2026
2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Commerce St. Bldg. C100 (College of Public Service)
Turn waste into art—and rethink what our trash reveals about us and the systems we inhabit. Join Houston-based artist Gleeson Ryan for a hands-on collage workshop exploring sustainability, storytelling, and creative reuse. Participants will create a unique artwork responding to the question “What Story Does My Trash Tell?” using discarded materials such as junk mail, plastic waste, photographs, magazines, and recycling collected from the UHD campus itself.
Through this exploration into junk journaling, upcycling, and collage, attendees will reflect on their personal relationship with waste, consider what everyday materials reveal about patterns of consumption, and reimagine trash as a site of creative possibility.
Participants are encouraged to bring paper ephemera that tells their personal story—such as bills, parking tickets, family photos, homework, and receipts.
See more details about this event and artist bio on the Cultural Enrichment Center's events page.
Presented in partnership with the 2026 Arts & Communication Festival “Express” (Department of Arts & Communication, Humanities & Social Sciences), the Center for Public Service and Community Research (CPS), and UHD Sustainability Council. Supported by the Cultural Enrichment Center.
Creative Writing Student Reading
April 8, 2026
2:30 - 4 P.M.
40,000 Windows Café
This Creative Writing Student Reading will showcase the wonderful talent of the UHD students writers who will share their work with other writers and UHD community members. This event is brought to you by UHD’s Cultural Enrichment Center in partnership with the Department of English.