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Houston Community College

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Houston Community College
File:HoustonCommunityCollegeSeal.jpg
TypeCommunity College System
Established1971
ChancellorDr. Cesar Maldonado
Academic staff
2,535[1]
Students69,293[2]
Address
3100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77004
,
Houston
,
Texas
,
U.S.A.
Campus23 Commuter Campuses
NicknameHCCS (or HCC)
AffiliationsSACS
MascotEagle
Websitewww.hccs.edu

Houston Community College (HCC), also known as Houston Community College System (HCCS) is a community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for actively recruiting internationally and for the large number of international students enrolled, over 5,700 in 2015. Its open enrollment policies, which do not require proficiency in English, are backed by a full-time 18-month English proficiency program and remedial courses.[4]

As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of HCCS includes the following school districts:[5] 

* included in service area by state law, but is not part of the tax base.

History

In 1927, the Houston Independent School District founded its first community colleges, Houston Junior College (for whites), which later evolved into the University of Houston and the Houston College for African American students (now Texas Southern University). In 1971, the district founded HCCS after HJC's and HCN's evolutions into the University of Houston and Texas Southern University respectively. In its early days, HCCS once used HISD school campuses for teaching facilities with classes during evenings and weekends like its founders. Around 1997, HCCS began to transfer operations to community college district-operated campuses throughout the HCCS service area.[6]

Jim Murphy, a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 133 in Houston, was a HCCD trustee for two terms from 1997 until 2006.[7]

HCCS service area

Houston Community College System Administration Building

HCCS serves the following areas:

  • Houston
  • Katy
  • Alief
  • Independent School Districts
  • Stafford Municipal District
  • the Fort Bend portion of Missouri City
  • Pearland
  • the southern portion of the City of Houston

HCC Police

HCC operates its own police department. According to the HCC website, "The HCC Police Department supports the College's core mission of teaching and learning, and developing partnerships with our culturally diverse community, with our goal being to provide a safe and cordially environment conducive to teaching and learning."[8]

As peace officers, state law also grants HCC Police the power to arrest without warrant for any felony, breach of the peace, disorderly conduct or intoxication offense that is committed in their presence or view while in Texas.[9] They may also make an arrest pursuant to a warrant anywhere in Texas.[10] The HCC Police Department is divided into six divisions: Administrative, Criminal Investigations, Patrol, Bike Patrol, Training, Communications.

HCC Television

HCCS Central Campus (Midtown)

HCCS operates Houston Community College Television (HCCTV).[11] aired on Comcast Channel 19, TV Max Channel 97, Phonoscope Channel 77 and Cebridge Channel 20. Content is also streamed over the internet. The studio complex, which has one large studio unit, five editing suites, and a digital master control system, is located at the HCC District Campus.[12]

HCCTV was initiated in 1994.[12]

HCC Athletics

HCC offers several sports activities to its students throughout its campuses; the sports offered include:

List of colleges in HCCS

Central College

Willie Lee Gay Hall (South Campus)

[13]

Coleman College of Health Sciences

Northeast College

Northline Campus (Northside)

[14]

Northwest College

Houston Community College Spring Branch (Memorial City, near Spring Branch)

[15]

  • Alief Campus (Houston)
  • Alief Continuing Education Center (unincorporated Harris County)
  • Katy Campus
  • Spring Branch Campus

Southeast College

Fraga Campus (Near Downtown)

[18] Southeast College is home to two separate campuses in different parts of the HCC Southeast service area.

Eastside Campus (Houston)

Felix Fraga Academic Campus (Houston)

The Felix Fraga Academic Campus is located a mile and a quarter east of Downtown Houston at 301 N. Drennan St.

The campus opened in January, 2010 and 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 his devotion 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.

The Felix Fraga Campus hosts classes to over 1,500 students every semester. Its flagship offerings include Maritime Logistics, Pre-Engineering, and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) classes. Most core courses are also available.

In partnership with HISD, the Felix Fraga Campus is also the host location of HISD's East Early College High School.

Southwest College

Qatar (Middle East)

The country of Qatar operates an area called Education City. Its purpose is to bring U.S. universities to the Middle East. Houston Community College ran a satellite campus in Education City. However, as of March 2016, HCC “is massively scaling back operations,” according to Gulf News Journal.[19]

Over a five-year period, Qatar’s government paid HCC approximately $30.5 million to subsidize the Education City campus. In a news interview, the HCC Board of Trustees Treasurer said he did not support continuing the campus. “We’re a community college to educate kids in our district,” he said.[19]

When HCC first sent teachers to its Qatar campus, the Qatari government made some of them return back to the United States because they were Jewish.[19]

Notable alumni

  • Kim Su Tran La, founder of the restaurant chain Kim Sơn.[20]

References

  1. ^ "HCC Fact Book". Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ^ "HCC Fact Book". Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  3. ^ "HCC Fact Book". Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  4. ^ Manny Fernandez (October 30, 2015). "A Global Community's College". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2015. Because the college has an open admission policy and does not require the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or Toefl, most students must go through an 18-month, full-time English-language program as well as remedial courses.
  5. ^ Texas Education Code, Section 130.182, "Houston Community College System District Service Area".
  6. ^ "TSPR Houston Community College System." Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 23, 2008.
  7. ^ "Jim Murphy's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  8. ^ HCC's website
  9. ^ http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/CR/htm/CR.14.htm#14.03
  10. ^ http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/CR/htm/CR.15.htm#15.06
  11. ^ "HCC Television." Houston Community College. Retrieved on May 2, 2009.
  12. ^ a b "How to Access HCCTV." Houston Community College. Retrieved on May 2, 2009.
  13. ^ "Central College." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  14. ^ "Northeast College." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  15. ^ "Northwest College." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  16. ^ Foster, Robin. "Deadline to apply to Alief Early College High School is April 15." Houston Chronicle. April 2, 2009. Retrieved on April 8, 2009.
  17. ^ "Alief Early College High School." Alief Independent School District. Retrieved on April 8, 2009.
  18. ^ "Southeast College." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  19. ^ a b c Nakano, Hanna (2016-03-16). "Houston Community College scales back operation in Qatar". Gulf News Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  20. ^ "Exit Vietnam: Photo shows Vietnamese transformation". Houston Chronicle. August 16, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
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