Office of Administration

Emily A. Messa, Ph.D., CASP
Senior Associate Vice Chancellor & Senior Associate Vice President Administration

Supported by a dedicated staff, student employees and 300-plus contractors, the Office of Administration provides a foundational infrastructure of services for the campus community and also cultivates ongoing growth and proactive master planning of fundamental UH initiatives in collaboration with campus community partners in support of the UH mission and transformation as an innovative pacesetter for future success.

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  Advisory Committees Give Students Seat at Table

  The University of Houston’s advisory committees serve as key forums for informing decisions that shape the campus experience. Within the Office of Administration, two such committees — the Food Service Advisory Committee and the Bookstore Advisory Committee — have long included student members who provide valuable insight from a student perspective. See how students have made lasting impacts on the advisory committees. 
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  Copy and Print Services Helps Celebrate Graduates

  Copy and Print Services worked diligently behind the scenes with the Office of Protocol and Special Events and 15 colleges to support the University of Houston’s spring 2026 commencement. The team designed, formatted, and printed 20,000 commencement books and delivered them to 18 programs held at the Fertitta Center and Cullen Performance Hall. 

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  Cullen Performance Hall Hosts Commencements

  Cullen Performance Hall was prepared with all the pomp and circumstance to host eight of the 18 spring commencement ceremonies at the University of Houston, including three events held across two of its three days of celebration. The CPH team set the stage; managed lighting, sound, and video; distributed commencement books in the graduates’ seating sections; ushered guests; and checked digital tickets. 

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  Cougar Card Team Attends NACCU Conference

  Cougar Card Services’ director, Cassie Bruner, Ph.D., and assistant director, Daisy Del Fierro, attended the National Association of Campus Card Users 2026 Annual Conference in Covington, Kentucky. The event brings together campus identification and transaction systems professionals in higher education to network, attend educational sessions, explore the latest industry trends in technology and techniques, and learn about new options that could impact campus community services. 

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  Aspiring Cooks Shake It Up at Teaching Kitchen

  Excitement and focused energy filled the room as 11 members of the Cougar community prepared kale shaker salads during a UH Dining Services’ Teaching Kitchen class held in the Health 2 Building. The event, attended by a mix of students, faculty, and staff, was part of UH Dining Services’ weeklong Earth Day celebration. Learn more about this fun and interactive class.

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  GRADitude Lunch Celebrates Graduates with Comfort Food, Community

  UH Dining Services hosted its annual GRADitude Lunch at Moody Towers, celebrating graduating students and recognizing their years of engagement with campus dining. The event delivered a high-energy, welcoming atmosphere, featuring a live DJ, tabling from University partners, and a comfort food menu. Read more about how UH Dining Services celebrated grads. 

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  Cougar Woods Hosts Celebrity Chef Pop-Up

  A celebrity chef brought bold flavors to the Coogs House at Cougar Woods Dining Commons on April 29. Victoria Elizondo, chef and owner of Houston’s Cochinita & Co., took over the La Mesa station during lunchtime, serving pollo adobado (chicken) and cochinita pibil (pork) tostaditas with fresh toppings. Find out more about Elizondo and how students loved the tostaditas. 

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  UH Dining Services Goes Green, Educates Diners

  For Earth Week, UH Dining Services hosted the Go Green! event at Cougar Woods Dining Commons to show how students, faculty, and staff can make a difference by keeping our world clean and taking steps to implement sustainability. The event focused on how adding more green vegetables to one’s diet and not wasting food could contribute to a healthier diet and a healthier Earth. Explore how UH Dining Services went Green for Earth Week. 

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  Students Find ‘Ultimate Study Break’

  The spring semester’s Finals Mania at Cougar Woods Dining Commons lived up to its rebranding as “The Ultimate Study Break,” offering UH students a chance to de-stress as they prepare for final exams. Event organizers designed activities to support a variety of stress-relief preferences. Check out the variety of foods and activities that students could choose from at Finals Mania.