The use of the university name is still a very difficult problem the department is facing. Several individuals relayed stories of the news media confusing UT-Houston with the University of Houston. Members of the Public Affairs office explained the inherent problems with the media and steps that had been considered for solving the problem, but no real solution has been developed. Discussions pinpointed the perceived difficulties each of the audiences' encounter when trying to get public attention. Only selected faculty members receive media attention.
Media are only interested in the big stories.
When students are selecting graduate programs to apply to, they perceive UT-Houston as a patient care or research institution. They do not think of us as an educational institution, therefore they apply to other more general academic universities. The community is not aware of the many aspects of the schools. For instance, the Dental Branch provides dental care along with educational activities. Staff Monday Morning does not publish a lot of information about staff accomplishments.