Dear HCC Family,

Each year, the new academic year symbolizes new beginnings, and this year is no different. I am delighted to “Welcome” each of you--students, faculty, staff and administrators--back from what I hope was a wonderful summer and a successful year. Now let’s embark together upon a busy and exciting 2010-2011 academic year.

We can expect more great things to be accomplished this year, and I want to share some of them with you. More importantly, please join me in moving HCC into the brightest year in our history. As we continue to embrace our mission of being the most relevant community college in the country, essential to our community’s success, we must not forget our core mission of “serving students.” Our mission, “students first,” will continue to be our primary focus as we soar to the next level.

First, “thank you” to new and returning students for choosing HCC as the gateway to your future. During the 2009-2010 year, we reached a record-break enrollment of more than 72,000 students. This Fall 2010 we will exceed that number. Knowing about activities and initiatives at HCC designed to open doors, offer opportunities and smooth the pathways while you are at HCC will ensure that your time with us is used most effectively. Take some time to learn about these resources.

Second, I want to empower each of you in your respective role to provide input to ensure HCC continues to produce graduates who become contributing citizens, advance to the next level in local colleges and universities, or venture into a more global arena as we expand our partnerships with other countries. Faculty, staff and administrators, your contributions to HCC are important as you dedicate your time, creativity, and talents to our students and communities.

Third, there are many outstanding initiatives that will be forthcoming in 2010-2011 to share. I invite you to visit our website at: www.hccs.edu and learn more about where we are going and how these initiatives will affect your success at HCC. Now let’s review a few highlights for the coming year.

In the area of Student Services and under the leadership of Dr. Diana Pino the following highlights are significant:
• Textbook Rentals: Starting this fall, students will be able to rent many of their required textbooks from the HCC Bookstore. Barnes and Noble, the operators of the Bookstore, predict that a new textbook costing $100 will rent for approximately $47. Later this fall, a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for bookstore services will require an HCC bookstore operator to provide multiple options for students to constrain textbook prices, including downloading or leasing of digital textbooks.

• Statway: We are one of 19 community colleges across the nation that is participating in a major grant project entitled Statway. Funded by major donors and coordinated by the Carnegie Foundation, Statway will involve the creation, testing, and implementation of a new math pathway for students leading to college level Statistics rather than College Algebra. The pathway is aimed at students who intend to major in the liberal arts, social sciences, business, and various career programs. The goal is to double the proportion of developmental math students prepared in one year to succeed in further academic study or occupational pursuits.

• Campus Living: In partnership with the University of Houston, all HCC students can enjoy campus living at the UH Moody Towers residential facility starting fall 2010. This is a great opportunity for our students to have the best of both worlds: the experience of dormitory living while studying at a community college. Applications are now being accepted for up to 80 HCC students.

• Student Records Automation: Degree Audit - By September, all academic plans (AA, AS, AAT), all AAS plans, and all Certificate plans for programs that have no AAS plans will be automated. This will allow counselors and students to view an electronic degree audit rather than relying on a paper copy. This year, there will be a focus on catching up on our transcript evaluation of transfer work to ensure accuracy of the degree audits.

In the area of Instruction and under the leadership of Dr. Charles Cook:
• CurricUNET: After a year of development, we will introduce CurricUNET to all faculty this fall. CurricUNET is a web-based repository of all HCC curricula, containing syllabi and student learning outcomes for all HCC courses and programs. Once fully operational, users will also have access to other member colleges’ curriculum (including Miami-Dade, the City Colleges of Chicago, San Diego City College, and others). The development of CurricUNET has coincided with instructional preparation for reaffirmation of HCC accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and new state legislation requiring all college instructors to post their syllabi and resumes on-line.

• Real Time Faculty Withdrawal of Students: This process gives faculty the ability to withdraw their students online from their faculty centers, offices and homes. In the current process, faculty must complete an online application that is emailed to their respective campuses where campus personnel then drop the students by hand. The new process will eliminate the “middleman” by processing the withdrawal in real time and provide efficient customer support services to our faculty, staff and students.

Diversity Initiatives:
• We serve a uniquely diverse student body representing cultures, ethnicities and belief systems from across the globe. To continue to address the variety of differences brought to our campuses by students, faculty and staff, HCC must continue to take an active role in preparing students for a global workplace by encouraging the development of global competency skills in its students and employees. On April, 9 2010, I charged the members of the new HCC Council for Diversity and Inclusion with the responsibility of making recommendations that will foster a systematic “positive culture” of understanding, respect and acceptance of others unique differences. The standing council will advise my office regarding issues of diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion and facilitate programs and services that meet the changing needs of individuals in a diverse community. I encourage each of you to participate in this important initiative in whatever way possible and beneficial to the institution.

International Initiatives:
• HCC continues to value the importance of our international students and partnerships with other countries. As we enter the 2010 academic year, I am pleased to share with you the addition of another significant partnership where our expertise in international education has been recognized and sought. We will begin classes in Qatar this fall and will have over 40 employees from HCC participate in the opening of this institution. As we progress through this partnership, HCC students and faculty will have opportunities to broaden their international relationships through various media including teaching or studying abroad. Join me in congratulating those employees who are among the first to work on this initiative.

Professional Development Opportunities:
• In August we launched the HCC Chair Excellence Institute made possible by a Chancellor’s Innovation Grant to offer a vehicle for professional development to instructional chairs. An Executive-Level Speaker Series will be introduced this year for administrators as the Leadership Excellence Institute goes on a one-year hiatus. And a 6-module supervisor refresher training series kicks off this fall.

Going Green:
• As a signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), HCC will expand our existing recycling efforts this fall by formally implementing Phase 1 of a system- wide recycling program. This effort presents an opportunity for HCC to meet its commitment of promoting a sustainable future and positions us to be good stewards of the environment as members of the PCC and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Please join me in being more environmentally conscious at HCC by recycling.

In the area of Information Technology and under the leadership of Mr. William Carter, we continue to make strides in improving processes and applications. Two significant initiatives for the coming include:
• mobileHCC: mobileHCC is an application that is available on the Apple AppStore for mobile devices. The App provides all faculty, staff and students access to HCC course schedules, employee directories, maps, new, events, images and videos. Phase II of mobileHCC will provide real time data to facilitate registration, attendance taking, and grading via the iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, iTouch or other mobile device.

• SmarterMeasure: This is a third party software that will serve as a pre requisite to Distance Ed Developmental Ed Students. DE students enrolling in DE developmental classes will be redirected to SmarterMeasure where they will take the assessment instrument. Scores will be loaded into PeopleSoft and used for advisement purposes. ADSA will develop the redirect, use single sign on technology to create students’ profiles in SmarterMeasure and create an import process to load the scores. Once scores are in PS, students will be able to complete enrollment in the appropriate development classes.

Human Resources new mandate:
• Implementation of Texas Senate Bill 9 requirements to fingerprint HCC employees.
The new law requires that HCC perform an expanded criminal history check that will now include fingerprinting of all new and current employees. The legislation was enacted to ensure the safety of all children, teachers and staff in Texas public schools. Since employees are present on public school campuses and public school students attend class on HCC campuses, this legislation applies to us. During the coming months, we will be implementing a fingerprinting examination process in accordance with Senate Bill 9.

HCC Foundation:
• The HCC Foundation continues to make strides, via the HCC Alumni Association, in its outreach to the College’s 77,000-plus alumni and to build the Association into an organization that can support the College and the Foundation’s fundraising efforts.

• The HCC Foundation is moving forward in its campaign to fund the Opportunity 14 Scholarship Endowment—raising in excess of $2.7 million to date—so that the scholarship will be available to young Houstonians for generations to come. The Opportunity 14 scholarship has enjoyed a promising first two years, allowing hundreds of low-income students from across the city to enroll at HCC and begin their college education.

HCC Police Department:
• Parking Passes will now be required of everyone parking on HCC facilities. Parking passes can be down loaded on- line for faculty, students and staff this year. Visit our website or call for more information.

• Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to program HCC-Police dispatch into your cell phone for escorts, emergencies or suspicious activity. The number is: 713-718-8888.

• Encourage faculty, students and staff to update their information in people-soft and authorize emergency notifications from the college so you can keep up to date in the event of emergencies, dangerous weather, or school closings.

These are only a few of the many highlights, significant projects and initiatives that will play an important role setting the tone for the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year. Please visit our website at: www.hccs.edu for additional highlights and information that may be of interest to you as a student, faculty, staff or administrator. Beginning in September and throughout the year, I will be visiting each of the colleges as I do each quarter and look forward to an opportunity to visit with you.

Finally, I am full of optimism about HCC’s future and the direction we are going. There is a place for each of you to make significant contributions and achieve success. As I enter my 4th year as chancellor of this great institution, I join the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and administrators in making a commitment to “students first” in all we do. Your success is key in determining the success of our city, state and nation. Thank you for your commitment to the college. Welcome back and have a very successful 2010-2011 year.

Sincerely,
Mary S. Spangler, Ed. D.
Chancellor
Houston Community College

Additional Significant Highlights 2010-2011:
• Learning Communities Tracking: ADSA is providing a means of identifying both classes and students to facilitate the tracking by OIR of students enrolled in Learning Community classes.

• Self Service Student Planner: The self service planner provides students with a tool to plan their courses for an individual term, multiple terms, or for the entire stay at HCC. After students add courses to their planner, they can proceed directly from planning to enrollment. The process allows students to plan, save and modify their course schedules ahead of registering and provides another online tool to make HCC’s services more effective.

• On-line Withdrawal System - As of July 26th, students will be able to withdraw from one or more classes online. While it is still encouraged for students receive advisement from instructional and counseling faculty prior to withdrawing, students will no longer be required to “see” someone before they will be allowed to drop.

Students will be invited to click on several links to learn more of the implications of dropping on the 6 drop rule (http://imc02.hccs.edu/gcac/drop.htm), on veterans, on financial aid, and on international students.

Students will be required to acknowledge the implications of withdrawing from a class. This will provide better self-service for students! Phase two of this development involves a process by which faculty, who wish to enforce an absenteeism policy through withdrawing a student for excessive absences, will experience a much easier withdrawal process.

• Financial Aid: Financial Aid has made great strides already in serving our 2010-2011 FA applicants. The financial aid processing turn-around time has improved from approximately 6 weeks to 3 weeks. These improvements have resulted from increased automation and improved document assignment and tracking. As of July 30th, 13,797 students have been awarded as compared to 6,852 this time last year. Staff is ensuring greater consistency in the customer service experience at the campus level by working in a proactive team-based structure. Financial aid is recognized as both a recruitment and retention tool. As such, financial resources have been set aside to continue to enhance processes and services. It is projected that with these resources, the turnaround processing time for the aid year 2011 will reduce to 7-10 days.

• As a follow up to the on-line withdrawal system students will be provided information related to the implications and possible consequences of dropping their courses. The following will occur when a student selects the “drop” option during an enrollment request:

Students will be required to select a drop reason in order to complete the withdrawal request (the drop reason will cue whether the dropped course will count toward the 6 drop rule or not).

• Chair Excellence Institute: On August 6, 2010, Dr. Walter Gmelch, Dean and Professor from the School of Education, University of San Francisco, delivered the keynote address to launch the opening event for the HCC Chair Excellence Institute (CEI), a program designed to offer HCC instructional chairs a vehicle for professional development. The CEI, led by Dr. David Diehl, Director of the HCC Center for Teaching and Learning
Excellence, and an Executive Council of outstanding HCC faculty and chairs, was made possible by a Chancellor’s Innovation Grant.

• Develop and Implement Executive-level Speaker Series. The purpose of this program is to provide leadership development opportunities for HCC administrators.

• Mandatory Supervisor Refresher Training Series. Six Learning modules (fall, spring and Summer 2010-11 and 2011-12 fiscal years) are being developed and will be conducted for all supervisors. The goal of the training is to equip managers with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to consistently and confidently act in accordance with HCC policies, procedures and practices, such that the rights of individuals and HCC are protected. Three modules will be conducted in 2010-2011 and three modules will be conducted in 2011-2012.

• HCC Foundation continuation: In particular, the HCC Alumni Association is planning to launch a magazine this fall, in coordination with the HCC Communications Department, to celebrate HCC achievements and highlight donor recognition. The semiannual magazine will feature a print and online component with distribution to HCC alumni as well as community leaders, corporate decision makers and supporters and friends of the College.

• Finally, beginning the month of September and throughout the first semester, I will be visiting each of the colleges and would love to have an opportunity to visit with you. Notices around your college will be place notifying you of the date, time and location of my visit will be coming soon.

Northwest college sponsors "Beyond Accessibility: Universal Design for Learning" presented by Pan American University. "Enhancing Quality Instructions for Students with Disabilities" at North West college will be Friday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Eagle Room at the Spring Branch Campus.

This interactive and informative conference is open to faculty and staff interested in developing and utilizing a model for inclusive instructions and services. TLE credit is being offered as a special workshop. LPC credit   will be offered by the ADA Counsel. Pan American university offers certificate of direct contact hours for faculty.

The HCC Foundation enjoyed another record-breaking year of fundraising success. Learn about the generous people who donated to the Foundation and the students who benefited from their gifts by reading the 2008 – 2009 HCC Foundation Annual Report. Click here to read.

Program to provide resource for Houston's medically underserved women

The Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded a $123,230.13 grant to the Houston Community College Foundation to establish a Breast Health Patient Navigator Program at HCC’s Coleman College for Health Sciences, located in the Texas Medical Center. This program, the first of its kind in Texas, will prepare students and put them to work in their communities as healthcare leaders and advocates on behalf of medically underserved women in need of breast health education, screening, and follow-up care.

Front Row (L to R) HCC Trustees Yolanda Navarro Flores and Mary Ann Perez, you, HCC Trustees Eva Loredo and Neeta Sane (Vice Chair), HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences Dean, Dr. Michael Edwards
Back Row (L to R) HCC Trustees Richard M. Schechter and Dr. Michael P. Williams (Chair), HCC Chancellor Dr. Mary S. Spangler, HCC Trustee Bruce A. Austin, and HCC Foundation Executive Director Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga

"We are grateful for the support of the Komen Houston Affiliate to help build this innovative program, which serves as a model for other philanthropic and educational partnerships. This program will directly improve access to breast health services for medically underserved women in the region,” said Dr. Mary S. Spangler, HCC Chancellor. “We are convinced of the need for this program as it provides an educational and professional pipeline for key, on-the-ground healthcare leaders and advocates.”

The Texas Education Agency recently confirmed that the HCC Adult Education Program will receive more than $850,000 in performance-based-funding for its achievements during the 2008-2009 reporting year. HCC is fiscal agent for the largest Adult Education Program in Texas.

The HCC Southwest College Fine Arts Department will present the musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood July 6 through 11. Performances are Friday, Saturday and Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 4:00 p.m. in the Annex Theatre, 13645 Murphy Road, Suite 250, Stafford.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a solve-it-yourself musical mystery, based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. The book, music and lyrics were written by Rupert Holmes. This five-time Tony Award Winning musical is set in Cloisterham, England and revolves around the disappearance of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens died before he finished this novel so the intended ending is not really known. In this production the audience is asked to vote on the ending that they would prefer (there are over 30 different combinations). Each performance is uniquely created by the audience.

Ticket prices are $12.00 for general admission and $8.00 for students, faculty and staff. Reservations can be made by calling 713.718.6369.
For more information, please call Clara Thibeaux at 713.718.6370.

Annual Wine & Food Week, one of the top 10 wine and epicurean events in the U.S., brings together renowned chefs to showcase their culinary expertise partnered with more than 500 wines at 40 sensational events. HCC’s Culinary Arts Program has been named one of the beneficiaries of this year’s festivities.

Show your support by purchasing tickets for Sips, Suds & Sliders, an exploration of specialty beers, Texas wines and a gourmet slider competition, on June 18, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the CITYCENTRE Life Time Athletic, 815 Town & Country Lane ($20) or The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Texas Monthly Chef Showcase on Saturday, June 19, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott, 1601 Lake Robbins Drive ($98). Chefs representing more than 50 restaurants from throughout Texas and beyond will fly into showcase their culinary talents and compete for Wine & Food Week’s Waterford Crystal Chef of Chefs Award and a $5,000+ prize package at the Saturday event. The evening will culminate with the “Just Desserts” competition at which HCC’s award-winning Pastry Chef Eddy VanDamme will be a guest judge. HCC Culinary Arts students, directed by HCC’s Chef Christy Sykes, will be showcasing their talents as well. All proceeds from the live auction held during Saturday’s Grand Tasting will benefit HCC’s Culinary Arts Program.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.wineandfoodweek.com. Be sure to enter coupon code “2010HCC” – HCC will receive 25% of proceeds from all tickets sold with this code.

HCC Central will hold its Annual Juneteenth Celebration Thursday, June 17 at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the San Jacinto Building, 1300 Holman Street. As part of this year’s program, there will be a special tribute to Michael Jackson as we near the one-year anniversary of his death.  
Following the program, soul food will be served. Come and join us.

HCC VAST Eagles Club still has about 15 entertainment coupon books for sale to complete our annual fundraiser. These money saving coupon books are only $20.00 and come with a $20.00 gift card good at several local restaurants, in addition to the coupons in the book itself. The coupons and card are good through November. Our new 2010-2011 books will be in sometime in August. We need to finalize our 2010 Fundraiser in the next two weeks. Please help our VAST/Eagles Club students by purchasing one of these books today! For more information, please contact Sue Moraska at sue.moraska@hccs.edu or 713.718.6833. Thanks to those of you who have contributed to our fundraiser. We appreciate your support.

HCC Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence was awarded one of the Chancellor’s 2009-10 Innovation Grants to create a chair-focused professional development program. The result of this initiative is the HCC Chair Excellence Institute (CEI). The CEI’s curriculum will serve to enhance knowledge and skills of instructional leaders.   The inaugural “all college chair retreat” will be held by the CEI August 6 at the Sheraton Galleria. Dr. Walter Gmelch, Dean of the School of Education at the University of San Francisco and author of Chairing an Academic Department, will facilitate the morning workshop. College Presidents and Deans will facilitate the afternoon session with their respective chairs.
Dr. Charles Cook, Vice Chancellor for Instruction, requests that the following personnel plan to participate in this important event:

· Academic Department, Division and Discipline Chairs · CTE Department, Division and Regional Program Chairs · All instructional Associate Chairs · CE Program Managers

Witness our students’ finest hour as they celebrate graduation. Faculty and staff are welcomed to attend the 2010 HCC Commencement Ceremony this Saturday, May 15 at Reliant Stadium.

Members of the faculty who wish to walk in the processional and sit in the designated seating area during the ceremony will need to wear academic regalia.  

The ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. Parking at Reliant Stadium is $8 per vehicle and you can enter through Gate 9 at Kirby and Westridge.

The HCC Central and Northwest Repertory Dance Ensembles are presenting two collaborative concert performances, Eye of the Beholder, this week, April 30 and May 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Central’s Heinen Theatre. The evening features artistic director Cynthia Cupach's new piece, Kofuku Odori, a meditation on her experiences in Japan as a student of butoh. Central alum Sweft Washington will premier his new tribute to Michael Jackson. Central’s dance ensemble will also be performing new works by faculty choreographers Julie Wood, April Hoyt and Phyllis Gooden. Northwest will offer new works by Timothy Johnson and by Harrison Guy, artistic director of Urban Souls Dance Company.

During the next two weeks, the Chancellor and the Office of International Initiatives will be hosting six distinguished visitors from China. The members of this delegation are presidents or vice-presidents of vocational and technical colleges throughout China and their translator. The VELT (Vocational Education Leadership Training) delegation will be visiting the administration building, college presidents at all colleges from April 26 until May 7. We would like to encourage all faculty, staff and students to welcome them to the campuses and show them our Texas hospitality.
The VELT visitor program  is funded by the government of People's Republic of China and under the direction of the American Association of Community Colleges.

Saturday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., The McGraw-Hill Companies Financial Fitness Festival in conjunction with the Houston READ Commission and Houston Public Library, will offer free information and activities on how to buy a home, save for college and plan for retirement. The event will take place at the Houston Public Library’s downtown Central Library located at 500 McKinney. Activities for children will include group reading sessions hosted by local celebrities and librarians. Vendors will line the outdoor courtyard and provide attendees with practical information to aid in financial decision making. For more information, please visit the Houston READ Commission online at http://www.houread.org/ and at or call 713.228.1801.

As a valued employer in the Houston community, we would like to invite you or a representative from your company to attend Houston Community College’s Main Event Job Fair 2010 on Thursday, June 10, 2010. We expect an attendance of over 300 HCC students and alumni – a great opportunity to meet your next employee! 

Booths at this event are free and space is limited.  If your company is able to attend, please reserve your booth by completing the the Main Event Job Fair form as soon as possible. The deadline for submitting the form is Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Main Event Job Fair 2010

June 10, 2010 

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Houston Community College – District Office
3100 Main Street, 2^nd Floor Auditorium

Houston, TX 77002

Parking: Free parking is available in the parking garage across Elgin from the District building. Guests can access the building on Elgin, between Travis and Main Street. Additional parking information will be sent to all attendees with confirmation materials.

If you have any questions regarding the event or would like to participate, please contact Sarah Castillo at sarah.castillo2@hccs.edu or 713.718.2535. 

Warmest regards,

Tambela Franklin                                        Leslie Landrey                                          Lauren Stroman

Director of Career                                       Director of Career                                      Coordinator, Alumni

     Planning & Resources                               Planning & Resources                            Relations

The Main Event Job Fair is jointly presented by the Career Planning and Resource Departments from Central and Northwest Colleges and by the HCC Alumni Association.

Pomp and circumstance will fill Reliant Stadium Saturday, May 15 at 10:00 a.m. when Houston Community College celebrates graduation. The keynote speaker for HCC’s 2010 commencement ceremony is Lisa Ling. Ling is an international television journalist who has covered a spectrum of issues and interviewed people ranging from global heads of state to Hollywood’s A-list for the last two decades.

Ling is currently a correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and contributor to National Geographic’s award-winning series Explorer, CNN‘s Planet in Peril and ABC‘s Nightline. She is also a contributing editor for USA Today’s Weekend magazine.

A Conference entitled “Entrepreneurship in Houston” will be presented at the Central College Learning Hub December 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Student Chamber of Commerce at Central College and BIZCONNECT-HCC’s Center for Entrepreneurship will co-host this event, which is open to HCC students, faculty, alumni and interested entrepreneurs. For more information, please contact Sandra Louvier at c4e@hccs.edu or Warner Henson at 281.450.8176.

Houston Community College and the Houston Independent School District will dedicate HCC’s Felix Fraga Academic Campus and HISD’s Lionel Castillo Academic Center Tuesday, December 1, at 10:00 a.m. The campus is located at 301 Drennan St., next to HCC Southeast College.

The HCC and HISD have teamed up for an innovative approach to early college, high school and dual credit pursuits for high school students in the Second Ward.

The Felix Fraga Campus will be an integrated and comprehensive campus home to a 45,000-square-foot HCC Academic Center and HISD's 20,000-square-foot Leonel Castillo Academic Center that will house the East Early College High School.

HISD students who are enrolled in the East Early College High School will have the opportunity to graduate with both their high school diplomas and associate's degrees' from HCC. The collegecourses are free to the students. The environment motivates students, promoting a college-bound culture and student success.

The new campus was named for Felix Fraga by the HCC Board of Trustees in honor of his dedication to the educational, social and economic success of the young people of Houston’s southeast community and who has devoted his life to improving their neighborhood.

Fraga served as an HISD trustee and as a member of the Houston City Council. Today he is the Vice President of External Affairs for the Neighborhood Centers, Inc.

HISD chose to name their new facility for Leonel Castillo, a man who has served the Houston community for many years. Castillo became the first Mexican-American to be elected to a citywide office in Houston when he was voted the city’s controller in 1970. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Castillo as commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the Department of Justice, making him the first Hispanic to direct that office. HCC Board of Trustees Chairman Abel Davila and HISD Trustee Diana Davila have worked tirelessly as liaisons between HISD and HCC to coordinate the educational partnership between the twoinstitutions.

The Felix Fraga Campus and HISD’s Leonel Castillo Academic Center represent opportunity for the community and its children.

Houston Community College presented its 2009 State of the College address at the Junior League of Houston on Tuesday. Oct. 13.

Chancellor Mary S. Spangler highlighted the progress HCC has made towards its vision of the future and outlined HCC’s present and future contribution to local and national educational and training demands. Other topics discussed in the address were enrollment increases, facilities completions, funding, partnerships and student opportunities.

HCC’s vision for the future is to become the most relevant community college in the country, an opportunity institution that is essential to our community's future success.

There has never been a more important time for community colleges in our country's history than now. At Houston Community College, we are redefining what a community college can be for our students, local business and for our community.

Dr. Spangler says, “There has never been a more important time for community colleges in our country’s history than now. At Houston Community College, we are redefining what a community college can be for our students, local business and for our community. HCC represents the vanguard of what is working in community colleges and higher education.” She added, “We continually strive to be a college of relevance, opportunity and essential to the nation.”

Community colleges showcase what is working and what needs to evolve in higher education. In July, the President of the United States delivered a powerful address on the importance of community colleges and their role in revitalizing the American economy through broadened access to higher education. HCC is proud of how the college has matured both for and with our community. HCC represents the vanguard of what is working in community colleges and higher education.

Highlights of Dr. Spangler address included:

• HCC’s recent award of a multi-million dollar grant from the Department of Energy.   HCC is one of nine winners across the country to receive its share of a $27 million dollar grant, and HCC’s $3.5 million award is the largest.  The grant is to establish a network of educational, industry and state partners to ensure the availability and effectiveness of solar installation training throughout the region.
• The HCC Board of Trustees commissioned an energy audit of 38 separate facilities and 2.3 million square feet of floor space to reduce utility costs and identified 28 projects that will save HCC approximately $1 million annually for each of the next 15 years and help transform HCC into a greener learning and working environment.
• The HCC Foundation Board of Directors launched the Foundation’s “Opportunity 14” capital campaign, which raised $1.4 million in its first year alone.  In addition, the Foundation, last month, received the largest single gift in the history of the college, $1 million, from the John P. McGovern Foundation.
• The White House invited HCC to be one of a select group of higher education institutions to host an event for its national initiative on better understanding, reaching and educating the Hispanic community.  The input gleaned from this cross-country effort will provide the foundation for the new Presidential Executive Order that will shape the White House Initiative on Hispanic education.
• Also, HCC was the ONLY community college invited by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to participate in an education policy discussion at the State Department.
• HCC’s Partners for Jobs is a collaboration between HCC, business leaders and Houston area employers developed to heighten awareness of workforce training programs available through a grassroots campaign.  The campaign has had a significant impact, with more than half a million page views on the campaign’s micro site and a 14% increase in enrollment in HCC’s workforce program.
• HCC is first in associate degree transfers to the University of Houston and second in transfers to the University of Texas and Texas A & M University. 
• HCC’s enrollment increased from 55,000 to 63,000 this spring, an increase of 14.5% in two years and the highest in HCC’s history.  This fall, HCC is poised to reach 70,000 students.
• And through an innovative cost-saving initiative, HCC reduced operating costs over the last two years by $4 million and added revenue, including that from competitive grants, in excess of $14 million, all derived without additional taxes, tuitions or fees.  The HCC Board of Trustees returned these savings to taxpayers in the form of:
  • Reduced taxes and an increased household exemption for seniors of 11%
  • Dual credit waivers to 7,400 high school students (an increase of 54% over the same time last year)
  • 2.5% raises to faculty and staff

Now in its second year, the Houston Community College Chancellor’s Symposium Series brings together high school and HCC students for a full day of information about educational and career paths in a variety of fields. Building upon last year’s very successful symposium on life sciences, this year’s event centers around the dynamic energy industry.

WHO: Alief, North Forest & Spring Branch ISD students and HCC students.

WHAT: HCC Chancellor’s Symposium on Energy

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 16

WHERE: Norris Conference Center-CityCentre Houston
803 Town & Country Blvd.
Houston, TX 7702

ON THE WEB: http://hccs.edu/symposium2009

Community College Week Magazine highlighted the Service Learning Project conducted by Dr. Elaine Adams' Introduction to Psychology class at Spring Branch Campus. Four students - Daniel Barrientos, Dominic Kiarie, Manuel
Moreno and Manuel Parada - volunteered under the guidance of Dr. Adams at the Bread of Life Ministries at St. John's Downtown Church.
 
The service learning activities and lessons learned by the students are described in the article that can be viewed on page 32 of the magazine: http://www.ccweek.com/news/articlefiles/1297-CCW082409-AllPages.pdf
 
In addition, the same issue of Community College Week Magazine featured Dr. Maya Durnova as the winner of the 2009 Carl M. Nelson Administrative Leadership Award on page 33.
 
Congratulations to Dr. Adams and her students for their good work as well as Dean Durnova!

Houston Community College and community leaders are bringing together leading Houston-area employers and organizations in a grass-roots effort to help Houstonians get the training and education they need that will lead to jobs.

Information about the program can be found online at: http://www.hccpartnersforjobs.org/

Many people in the Houston area are out of work or are thinking about a new career or are looking to advance in their current career. Anyone in these life-changing situations can’t miss HCCTV’s landmark series -- HCC Partners for Jobs: Retrain, Reinvent, Re-enter. This five-episode program is designed just for them and airs September 8 through September 12, twice a day at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on HCCTV, Comcast Cable channel 19.

This groundbreaking program represents a grass-roots collaboration between HCC administration, HCC Communications and Houston-area business and community groups. The goal of the series is to expose viewers to HCC’s vast array of workforce training programs available as they seek new or better employment options. The series looks at retraining as the key, reinventing oneself as the strategy and re-entering the job market as the viewers’ goal.

For five days and nights, HCC TV will show Houston-area residents new career options and new training programs – what you need to know to retrain for new job opportunities, how to reinvent yourself professionally and how to re-enter the job market. At the end of each show viewers will learn about the financial options available to help you pay for your education.

A great job is only an education away.

The series will air for five straight days beginning Tuesday, September 8 through Saturday, September 12 at both 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on HCCTV (Comcast channel 19 in Houston’s city limits). It is also available on HCCTV's Stream 2 daily from 9 a.m-noon and from 9 p.m.-midnight.

The purpose of this pioneering collaboration is to increase awareness of the training opportunities that HCC provides.

Information about the program can be found online at: http://www.hccpartnersforjobs.org/

The following Houston Community College Job Placement sites will be unavailable Tuesday, September 1st to Monday, October 12th.
http://www.hccs.edu/hccs/current-students/job-placement
http://jobs.hccs.edu/
To serve you better, please stay tuned for the launch of our new Virtual Career Center on October 12th!
In the interim, please contact your local Job Placement Counselor for employment services.

Thirty years ago, in 1979, Houston Community College gathered a small, dedicated staff of fine arts teachers, organized them into a department and then sent them out to teach, across the city, in HISD’s unused classrooms, hallways, gyms and cafeterias. When they moved into HCC Central’s Fine Arts Center in 1986 they celebrated, but reaffirmed their mission to be a part of, not apart from, the life of the city.

We have two goals: to prepare young artists, and to engage the creative community. We found one simple solution: we bring them together. Our faculty is made of up of working professionals. Students become part of the creative process with productions of new music, new plays, new dances, and exhibits showcasing emerging and established artists. Our Saturdays at Central series welcomed youngsters to a world where imagination becomes reality.

We’re proud of our three decades of teaching, inspiring, and encouraging. We’re prouder still of the young artists in our classrooms and studios who hold the future in their hands. To celebrate, we’re presenting a program of performances designed to showcase the artists who have built our legacy and inspire our vision of the decades to come.

It is with profound sorrow  that HCC Central Fine Arts announces the passing of Fine Arts Department Chair Deborah Potts Quanaim on Sunday, August 23. Over 30 years with HCC, Deborah brought to her roles - teacher, artist and administrator, a passionate integrity that encouraged, challenged and inspired.  If you would like more information about Deborah, about our plans for a memorial service on Friday, August 28, or to sign her guest book, please click here.  At the time of her death Deborah, a founding member of the department, was eagerly planning a gala week of events celebrating the department's 30th anniversary. We're now dedicating that week to her memory and we hope you'll join us.

If you would like to honor Deborah's memory, her family suggests, in lieu of flowers, a contribution to the fund that Deborah recently established to expand educational opportunities for fine arts students, The $30 for 30 Years Campaign.

The Creative Spirits of Houston
Central Fine Arts at 30

All our venues - the Heinen Theatre, Theatre One and the Gallery in the Fine Arts Center - have one address: 3517 Austin at Holman, Houston TX, 77004. The Learning Hub is right across the street.

The Texas State Board of Nurses recently presented HCC Coleman's Associate Degree Nursing (RN) Program a commendation in honor of its students passing the state licensure exam at a 94.4 % rate in 2008.The Texas State Board of Nurses recently presented HCC Coleman's Associate Degree Nursing (RN) Program a commendation in honor of its students passing the state licensure exam at a 94.4 % rate in 2008.

Students in the Associate Degree Nursing Program are taught the knowledge and skills needed to work with patients and their families in a variety of health-care settings. Graduates are prepared to work collectively and collaboratively with other members of the health-care team to provide nursing care for patients and their loved ones. The graduate may find employment in areas such as hospitals, clinics, home health-care agencies and physician's offices.

Houston Community College was honored to partner with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans in hosting “Community Conversations” on Friday, July 17.

• See photo slideshow of the event

Juan Sepulveda, Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, began a series of community conversations in Texas, and asked Houston Community College to host the event in Houston.

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was created by Executive Order in 1990 to improve Federal efforts to promote quality education for Hispanic Americans. Mr. Sepulveda is visiting Hispanic communities across the nation to gain input prior to updating the Executive Order later this year. The input gleaned from the sessions in Houston, along with the other sessions across the country, will serve as the foundation for the new Presidential Executive Order that will govern the White House Initiative and will be signed by President Barack Obama.

“Education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it is a prerequisite for success. We need to hear from and meet the needs of all students of all ages and eliminate the gaps in achievement between children of different backgrounds,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The “Community Conversations” was held at 9:00 a.m. at HCC, 3100 Main in the Auditorium, and included visits with community leaders, elected officials and educators. Mr. Sepulveda will hosted the town hall-style “Community Conversations” to gain input on the status of Hispanic education. HCC has worked with the Department of Education staff to invite a broad group of individuals from the community to the event, including early education through high school leaders, university, civic, business and other key community leaders who participated.

“On behalf of our Board of Trustees, HCC is honored to partner with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. We hope to explore ways we can work together to achieve the objective of improving the educational attainment of our Hispanic students,” stated Abel Davila, HCC Board Chair. “As a college, we have been at the forefront of providing access to higher education for Hispanic students. We look at this collaboration as a way to continue to expand opportunities for this important and growing part of our community.”

HCC looks forward to continuing to work with our other community partners to identify new, innovative ways to improve educational attainment for Hispanic Americans, one of our most significant and growing population of learners.

The Asian Chamber of Commerce and the HCC Foundation awarded scholarships to five students during a luncheon on June 10.

The recipients from HCC are: Quynh Duong, Tuong Nguyen, Nga Tran, Yonghui Wang and Lei Yang.

The following five students from high schools and colleges received the Asian Chamber/Shell Scholarship:  Cooper E. Dawson, Geoffrey E. Dawson, Si Ying Li, Thuy Nguyen and Jenny Sung.

HCC Trustee Chairman Abel Davila, Dr. Kelly Zuniga, Executive Director of the HCC Foundation, attended the event along with administrators from Houston Community College.

More than 1,200 Houston Community College students hit a home run May 2 at Minute Maid Park, graduating with either an associate's degree, certification or a GED. With photo slideshow and video of HCC's new Alma Mater.

Slideshow:See photo gallery of the graduates

Chancellor Mary Spangler, Ed.D., commended the graduates in her speech to the 5,000-plus crowd on hand for the spring commencement.

Spangler said that graduation for each student would not have been possible but for their determination, hard work and ambition. Spangler said it is with pride that HCC acknowledges each and every one of the graduates.

Dr. Henry Louis Gates. Jr., one of the nation’s most influential cultural critics, delivered the commencement speech. Dr. Gates is currently the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African American Research at Harvard University.

Graduation Program

New Alma Mater

HCC’s new alma mater was also performed at commencement. The new alma mater was arranged and composed by HCC’s Dr. Aubrey Tucker and sung by the Honor Choir:

Here is the text of the new HCC alma mater:

“ALWAYS GRATEFUL”

(Houston Community College School Song)
Words and Music by Dr. Aubrey S. Tucker (2009)

All hail our alma mater

Hail to HCC

Where we soar with the eagles

Strong in unity

To Houston Community College

Friends and teachers true;

And we will always be grateful

When we think of you)

Order your HCC Graduation DVD copy today from HCCTV!

DVDs will be available for pick up or mailing in 10 days or less! HCC Graduation DVDs are just $20 if picking up at HCCTV (3100 Main Street, Houston, Texas, 77002, Basement Level); $25 if we mail the DVD to you. For more information, please contact HCCTV at 713.718.6300 Congratulations, HCC graduates, on your special day!

Precautions taken

HCC took extra precautions to protect the health of our HCC family at graduation this year. Hand sanitizer was available for all graduation participants. The traditional shaking of hands was not observed as this is a primary method of spreading a virus.

During this period of heightened diligence, we recommend that you exercise preventive hygiene measures, such as keeping your hands away from your mouth, eyes and nose, covering any cough or sneeze and immediately disposing of any tissues, and washing your hands frequently. It is advisable for you to stay at home if you have a fever, body aches and pains, fatigue or cough.

Houston Community College recognizes the seriousness of the situation and we are monitoring the latest developments. Please check the site for any updates.