UHCL connecting to business at TMC
University moves its Center for Executive Education to better serve professionals
Becoming a doctor is one thing, but managing the business of a medical practice is another. Enter the University of Houston Clear Lake.
UHCL’s School of Business is moving its Center for Executive Education to the Texas Medical Center to offer continuing education programs for up-and-coming medical professionals as well as seasoned administrators.
The move also puts the center’s highly regarded certification programs in a more central location to serve businesses and industries across greater Houston, including the Energy Corridor.
Some CEE courses, particularly test-prep classes, will continue to be offered at UHCL’s Clear Lake campus, 2700 Bay Area Blvd. But the move frees up classroom space there — and parking — as the school prepares for its second full year as a four-year university.
“We’ve seen an increase in requests for our customized corporate programs in the Energy Corridor and for some of our executive education programs in the (Texas Medical Center),” says W. Theodore Cummings, dean of the UHCL business school. “This is the right move for the continued
growth of our executive education programs.”
UHCL already had a presence in the medical center, having offered academic classes in healthcare administration there for 10 years. Many of its alumni now working in the TMC are among medical professionals who will be able to “up their game” with the specialized training the CEE offers, said JoAnne Laborde, the center’s business development officer.
Laborde already has moved her office to the location at 2151 West Holcombe, Suite 120. The CEE can be contacted via email at ceebus@uhcl.edu or by phone at 281-283-3100, and its website address is cee. uhcl.edu. The new location has ample parking and is near a shuttle stop.
“UHCL already has a downtown location with classrooms that are primarily used in the evening, which gives us plenty of space during the day for corporate clients who want to offer executive education to their employees away from their offices,” Laborde said.
“We also have programs designed to help strengthen the leadership and management skills of physicians in the medical center.”
CEE’s certificate programs are presented by practicing professionals and claim to emphasize real-world skills that can be applied immediately in the workplace. They can help employees keep their skills current or acquire new skills needed for a job change or promotion.
One of CEE’s most successful programs provides certification in purchasing and supply-chain management, Laborde said. Its management and leadership certificate program has become part of the managers’ development programs at local oil-andgas companies in Clear Lake, and CEE is adapting it to meet the needs of the TMC community, she added.
Other CEE courses cover business analysis and project management, and the center can customize onsite programs for corporate clients. In addition, the center is finalizing a certification program on the new ISO 9001 quality management standard used in manufacturing processes and hopes to begin offering it in September, she said.
Established by the UHCL business school in 1977, the CEE was previously known as the Center for Advanced Management Programs, or CAMP.
“With this move, CEE is more aptly fulfilling its mission of connecting the university and its resources to businesses, government and others in the community who need these training and educational programs,” Cummings said.
“This also coincides with the vision of our university president, William A. Staples, who is very keen on lifelong learning. This really fits that vision as well,” he said.