Summer 2016 Newsletter from Trustee Eva Loredo
Jul 13, 2016
Dear Neighbors,
Exciting things are happening at HCC and I am proud to share some great news. First of all, congratulations to the HCC Class of 2016! This year 2,306 students took part in the general graduation at NRG Stadium. Among those students, were those in the Dual Credit program who received both their associate degrees and high school diplomas this spring. A second ceremony was held at HCC Central honoring more than 80 GED recipients.
A focus on helping students complete their awards and degrees, combined with conservative spending habits, has allowed HCC to reduce the amount spent per student completer by 36% from 2009 to 2016.
Additional fiscal highlights include:
HCC has enacted no general tuition or fee increase since 2011.
- The HCC property tax rate is lower than the tax rate for 46 of the 50 community colleges in Texas.
- HCC has steadily grown its unrestricted fund balance, available for emergencies, since 2011.
- A compensation study to ensure market level pay for employees was finalized in 2015 and a three-year plan of raises began in 2016.
- In addition to its regularly scheduled payments, HCC aggressively paid off $12 million of debt over the past 12 months.
Since the first grand opening of the Engineering Center of Excellence at the Alief-Hayes Campus earlier this year, we have invited business, industry, and community leaders to seven additional events, showcasing the educational offerings, state-of-the-art equipment and opportunities available at HCC:
- Consumer Arts & Sciences
- Health Sciences
- Logistics
- Digital & Information Technology
- Business
- Media Arts & Technology
- Construction
The next grand opening is the Material Science Center of Excellence on August 31 at the Eastside Campus.
Our transformation from six diverse colleges to 13 instructional Centers of Excellence earned recognition by the League for Innovation in the Community College when they selected HCC as a winner of its 2016 Innovation of the Year award. This award recognizes innovative programs, policies, and partnerships that improve the ability of institutions to serve students and the community, which has always been our greatest goal.
I am proud to say the HCC Robert Garner Firefighter Academy at the HCC Public Safety & Automotive Technology Center of Excellence recently graduated 41 cadets from the Fire Technology Program with a 90 percent pass rate on their state exams. They will become firefighters with local fire departments in Houston, Bellaire, and Missouri City.
Fall registration is open and classes begin on August 22. The students who make the decision to enroll are not only changing their lives but are also preparing to transform our city through the skills they learn at HCC.
I am honored to represent District VIII and proud to report on the good work that is being done with your support.
We are Houston’s Community College.
In service,
Eva Loredo
HCC Board of Trustees
District VIII
Download: Summer 2016 Trustee Newsletter - Eva Loredo