UH to stop holding classes at NW location in August

The University of Houston will halt classes at its northwest campus in August as the university expands its presence in Sugar Land and Katy.

Professors and lecturers teach courses in communications, engineering, mechanics, psychology and logistics at the northwest campus, located at Lone Star College's University Park at Highway 249 and Louetta Road.

UH began teaching students at the satellite center in fall 2010.

Eight employees learned last week that they would lose their jobs at the end of the summer, two staff members said Sunday. UH could not immediately confirm this figure.

UH created the northwest site to help students juggling work and families earn credits toward a degree. Officials said at the time that the property was well placed to capitalize on the region's expected population growth.

"They love going there; it's a wonderful place to be," said Greg Haney, who works in IT at the satellite campus. Students, he said, like avoiding the "hustle and bustle" of downtown - and lengthy commutes.

UH Provost Paula Short said in an email Sunday that the change had long been planned.

UH-Downtown will continue to offer courses at the site, she said, and several UH courses will move to the university's Sugar Land campus and forthcoming Katy campus. The UH System bought 46 acres in Katy to construct a 80,000 square foot building to open for the fall 2019 semester.

UH leases the space in University Park from Lone Star College, which purchased more than a million square feet from Hewlett Packard for the campus in 2009.

A Lone Star College spokesman could not be reached for comment.

UH signed a five-year lease on the property with Lone Star College in 2010. The system paid $674,375 annually for each of the first three years, and it estimated that initial costs of furniture and facilities reached more than $2.3 million.

In 2013, UH's regents voted to allow the system to negotiate lease amendments, including extending the agreement through the end of 2017.

Two faculty members who teach at the campus this semester said that the university had not officially told them of the plans. News had spread by word of mouth.

"I'm not sure if I'll be reassigned to teach other classes," said Annette Fuller, an adjunct professor who is teaching print and digital media writing this semester.