2022 IN SIGHT

Leland Fellows spent the spring semester experiencing government on Capitol Hill. The program provided lodging and living expenses for eight UH students working as full-time interns in Washington, D.C.

Dean Jim Granato debuted a series on leadership lessons in the spring on “How Things Really Work,” named after the book written by the school’s namesake, former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby. The series features short videos about public policy and lessons for student success.

The Hobby School and UH Libraries’ Special Collections honored former Congressman Gene Green on March 28 for donating 55 boxes of material documenting his decades-long service in the Texas Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. Green serves on the Hobby School Advisory Board.

The Hobby School recognized the achievements of 22 public policy graduates at the spring commencement on May 12. The Master of Public Policy program earned national accreditation status from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration through August 2029.

Paula Myrick Short was honored by the Hobby School for her significant contributions to the UH System. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed June 1 as Paula Myrick Short Day.

Six Harris Fellows worked as full-time interns in Harris County government offices during the summer.

Sixteen public managers completed the Certified Public Manager Program, a nationally accredited management and leadership training program. A ceremony for the graduates was held on June 6 at the Texas State Capitol.

The Hobby School honored former Rep. Garnet Coleman at a reception on Sept. 8 for his decades-long public service career and profound impact on the Hobby School and the next generation of public service leaders.

The UH community welcomed former U.S. NATO Ambassador and former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to campus on Sept. 13 to deliver the 2022 Elizabeth D. Rockwell Distinguished Lecture on Ethics and Leadership. Hutchison was also a featured guest on The Hobby Hour, a monthly policy-related broadcast featuring a broad range of experts.

The Center for Public Policy’s Pablo Pinto and Maria Perez Arguelles presented the socioeconomic and demographic profiles of Hispanic Houstonians and discussed the opportunities and challenges of Hispanic entrepreneurs at the 2022 Hispanic Business Summit on Sept. 15.

The Hobby School sponsored two panels and five students at Texas’ largest policy and politics festival. The students attended sessions and panel discussions on legislative priorities and public policy issues during the three-day event in Austin as part of the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival.

Dean Jim Granato moderated a Houston Bar Association panel on voting laws on Oct. 28. The discussion covered the impact of voting law changes in Texas and across the country, focusing on the legal framework of Senate Bill 1 and what the changes mean for Texas voters.

Jared Lewis is a fall Civic Houston Intern with the Mayor’s Office of Education, a member of the inaugural Next Generation Leadership Academy cohort and a 2022 Paul A. Volcker Government Internship Award recipient. The Hobby School received a $100,000 grant from The Volcker Alliance to direct the leadership development program for students seeking careers focused on public service and social impact.

Undergraduate interns and public policy lab students gained knowledge of the region's most pressing issues and how people can become engaged in government through class visits from elected officials and community leaders.

Civic Houston Internship Program students completed internships in government offices or nonprofits during the spring and fall semesters. In addition to their internships, more than 60 Civic Houston Interns contributed 640 volunteer hours to voter registration and voter education efforts.

A civically engaged audience joined the Hobby School for a post-election luncheon sponsored by Comcast Texas. The expert panel of political scientists and researchers analyzed the results of the midterm elections and looked back at recent election surveys. The Hobby School has been named one of the nation’s top election polling organizations for the accuracy of its findings.

Hobby School faculty members and researchers are sought-after experts in their fields, contributing to conversations on the most pressing topics of the day that affect public policy and address Texans’ opinions on issues of importance to the state and nation. The Hobby School had more than 1,291 news mentions in 2022.