UH Launches ‘We Dare’ Campaign, Releases
2022-23 National Commercial

HOUSTON, August 8, 2022 – Fueled by an unrelenting will to achieve and the determination to build a Top 50 public university, the University of Houston today launched a bold new marketing campaign with the release of its 2022-23 national commercial: “We Dare.”

Scheduled to debut on Saturday, Sept. 3, during the Houston football opener against the University of Texas at San Antonio at 2:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, the commercial asks the question: What happens when you dare?

“Those of us on campus understand the meteoric trajectory the University of Houston is on, but it’s imperative to expand our brand perception beyond our borders."
Lisa Holdeman, vice president for university marketing and communications

When the University of Houston dares, it leads the energy transition and launches a new era of health care innovation – references to recent advancements in sustainable energy research through the UH Energy initiative and establishment of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, respectively.

Harnessing the spirit of tenacity and grit at the core of every Cougar, the “We Dare” campaign pushes the boundaries to elevate UH as one of the nation’s premier public universities. The University of Houston has 16 academic colleges and schools, and the interdisciplinary Honors College, and proudly serves tens of thousands of tenacious undergraduate, graduate and doctorate-seeking students who are working toward building better lives for not only themselves but for the world they live in.

“This new campaign exhibits a sense of determination and pride to our audience, but it also challenges them a bit. Although UH is one of the largest and most impressive universities in Texas, we found there’s a thread of an underdog mentality that seems to motivate our students, stakeholders and alumni alike,” said Lisa Holdeman, vice president for university marketing and communications, who noted that the new commercial was produced in-house.

“Those of us on campus understand the meteoric trajectory the University of Houston is on, but it’s imperative to expand our brand perception beyond our borders as we endeavor to become a Top 50 public university,” she added.

BEHIND THE SCENES

As the world searches for more sustainable sources of energy, engineering technology students in Professor Venkatesh Balan’s class at the UH College of Technology are turning green algae into biofuels to power the energy transition.

The Household-Centered Care Program at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine pairs interprofessional teams of medical, nursing and social work students and faculty with families in the East End and Third Ward to address community health and social service needs.

 The Bonner Leaders at the Honors College are students dedicated to improving lives in the community by responding to the economic, social and cultural challenges affecting the quality of life in the city of Houston. These caring Coogs visit local churches twice a month to distribute food to those in need.

Neuro-engineers at UH have developed a robotic arm controlled by brainwaves to help stroke patients recover the use of a limb. Currently in clinical trials, the next-generation rehabilitation device can be used at home for long-term stroke therapy – most current technologies are limited to the lab or clinic.

For students pursuing careers in the multibillion-dollar wine, beer and spirits industry, there is no better place to study beverage management than the Conrad. N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, home to a contemporary state-of-the-art beverage lab – the only facility of its kind in the country.

Danna Ceron, a graduate of the top-ranked Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the C.T Bauer College of Business and founder of fashion company CaliDanna, works with female designers in her native Colombia to introduce sustainable fashion to new parts of the world.

REFRESHING THE BRAND

The University recently unveiled a refreshed logo to increase brand visibility nationwide. The new signature logo combines the wordmark – The University of Houston – with the interlocking “UH,” which is the university’s most visible identity.

“The University of Houston is fearlessly driven toward a bold, innovative approach to education, research and problem-solving. We believe this new campaign and refreshed brand identity effectively captures who we are as an institution,” said Holdeman.

The commercial will air during each televised UH football game, as well as during regional and national telecasts featuring UH athletics teams, throughout the 2022-23 academic year.