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A celebratory contingent of cougars took over city hall on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 4, 2024, as the Houston City Council issued a proclamation for Cullen College Day.

A photo gallery from the day can be found here!

The proclamation was sponsored by Sallie Alcorn, At-Large position 5, and Fred Flickinger, District D councilman.

“The City of Houston is globally known as one of the world's leading engineering and technology cities, and it is also recognized as a place where global business thrives,” Alcorn said, reading from the proclamation. “The Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston is a premier institution of higher education that aims to transform lives, organization and society, founded on research and offering a state of the art student-centered education that is accessible and affordable.”

Whitmore acknowledged Alcorn's excitement for the proclamation and added in, joking, “UH sure gets you excited! But once again, you're showing how important UH is to our community.”

Zafar “Zaf” Tahir, a successful businessman and lawyer that earned his B.S. in electrical engineering from Cullen in 1984, thanked the council for the honor. He noted that he was grateful for the opportunities that he had been provided by the city and by the university.

“I think I'm the luckiest Houstonian,” he said. “I'm an immigrant who went to the University of Houston college of business, college of engineering. This town really make you part of it. I wouldn't be anywhere else.

He was followed by Pradeep Sharma, interim dean of the Cullen College of Engineering and Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor. He also expressed his gratitude toward the council for the honor.

“Our talented engineers come from many diverse backgrounds,” he said. “We are local, but we offer world class education with global passions.”

He added that with the city's support, the College could build on its areas of strength in both engineering and technology.

“I'm confident with your support, the Cullen brand will be associated as the same quality brand as the City of Houston,” he said.

Sharma and Tahir both mentioned the proclamation and Cullen Day as a great burst of momentum to lead into the next major fundraising effort for the College — The Cullen Gala, which will be held in October at the Hilton Americas Downtown Houston. Tahir serves as the chairman for the event. For more information, visit the event's website.

A recording of this meeting is available on the City of Houston's website here! The University of Houston portion begins about 12 minutes in.