2009 state of the college

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Junior League of Houston

Houston, Texas
 An Address by Dr. Mary S. Spangler,
HCC Chancellor

Houston Community College held its

2009 State of the College address to

underscore the progress HCC has made

towards its vision for the future. Dr. Spangler

highlighted the significant impact that HCC’s

programs and partnerships are having on the

community, workforce and economy of our

city as well as the region. We all recognize

education and training are the keys to our future.

Cover photo features HCC Central Campus, with the Learning Hub and Science Building in the foreground and the historic San Jacinto Building.

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HCC is the Opportunity Institution

HCC is proud to be part of what makes Houston the opportunity city. HCC provides opportunity to students,
to our community and to local business.

HCC is the gateway to education, to jobs and to the future workforce of our great city. We are pleased to share
with you highlights of the exciting progress we have made toward our vision for the future - to become the
most relevant community college in the country, an opportunity institution that is essential to our community’s
future success. The administrative team has been working with the Board of Trustees to improve enrollment,
facilities, funding, and partnerships, as we work to fulfill our strategic plan for the future.

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, community,
and local business.

And that is evidenced in HCC’s record numbers

• 65,000 students each semester
• #1 in transferring students to the college of their choice
• the largest number of exemplary workforce programs in the state, with 26 outstanding programs
• more than $5.10 returned for every tax dollar spent
• among the lowest tax rates and costs per credit hour, at $57 in the state.

HCC is the opportunity that leads to more opportunities.

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 HCC Provides Opportunity for our Community

Because of their flexibility, high quality, affordability, and high economic impact on the communities they serve, community colleges
have been advanced to the forefront of higher education in our country. In July, the President of the United States delivered a powerful
address on the importance of community colleges in providing broadened access to higher education. We are here this morning
to share how HCC is continuing to mature both for and with our community. This college is at the forefront of what is working in
postsecondary education in America today.

While we recognize we are making a difference to our community, to local business and to students across the greater Houston region,
it’s important to update you on the recent recognition the college has also achieved nationally and internationally.

The White House invited Houston Community College to be one of a select group of higher education institutions to host an event
for its important 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. In addition,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited our participation,
along with a handful of distinguished education leaders
across the nation, in an education policy discussion at the
State Department. It is important to note, HCC was the
ONLY community college at the table for that conversation
about how higher education can support and serve the
interests of a strong U.S. foreign policy.

While privileged to be recognized nationally and

internationally, we remain committed to serving our local
community through innovative programs and partnerships.
Among these are partnerships with Houston ISD,
BioHouston, Chevron Energy Solutions, Lumina Foundation,
Gates Foundation, USAID, Higher Education Development,
and the Association of Community College Trustees, to name a few. One exciting example is a partnership with the City of Houston and
the Houston Dynamos soccer team that enabled HCC to reclaim 23 acres of previously unusable land worth tens of millions of dollars.

Administratively, we have taken bold steps to reorganize and continue to decentralize the district, making the central office a service
center to the six colleges located strategically throughout our community.

This fall we launched a public information campaign which reinforces the themes of relevance, opportunity and being essential that are
core to our vision. The campaign also reminds Houstonians and those in this region that they enjoy unparalleled access to one of the
top two-year institutions in America. The campaign was developed to drive enrollment and encourage students to register for classes,
while continuing to build the regard necessary for the institution to achieve its other very important short- and long-term initiatives.

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 HCC Means Opportunity for Local Business and the Economy

HCC is committed to maximize effectiveness, maintain stable tuition and fees, and decrease property taxes. To that end, we have
implemented several major initiatives to enhance Houston’s regional economy and utilize our public resources wisely and strategically.

First, through an innovative cost-saving initiative involving the entire HCC family, we have 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 of which were derived
without additional taxes, tuitions, or fees. The HCC Board of Trustees will return these savings to the taxpayers in the form of
1. reduced taxes and an increased household exemption for seniors of 11%,
2. dual credit waivers to 7,400 high school students (an increase of 54% over the same time last year) and
3. 4.2% raises to faculty and staff.

All of these actions have the effect of improving the economy of Houston.

Second, the HCC Board also commissioned an energy audit of 38 buildings 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.
We are now implementing those audit recommendations and transforming HCC
into a greener learning and working environment.

Speaking of energy, I am proud to announce that HCC has just been awarded
a $3.5 million grant from the Department of Energy to establish a network
of educational, industry, and state partners to ensure the availability and
effectiveness of solar installation training throughout the region. You will be
hearing more about this important accomplishment, in the coming months.

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 Third, 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 received the largest single gift in the history of the college, $1 million, from the John P.
McGovern Foundation. We are grateful to all of our donors who support community college education because of its significant value
to the entire community.

Another example of HCC’s innovative business partnerships is its collaboration with local businesses and organizations through HCC
Partners for Jobs. HCC and community leaders joined with Houston-area employers to help Houstonians get training and education that
lead to jobs. The collaboration was developed to heighten awareness of workforce training programs available through a community
campaign. HCC and 11 partners are working together to increase awareness of the effort. The campaign has had a significant impact,
with over 550,000 page views on the campaign’s microsite and a 14% increase in enrollment in our workforce programs.

We are also impacting the economy through our careful stewardship of resources. HCC’s tax rate of $09.233 per $100 of assessed
valuation is lower than any of the other community colleges in the region. In fact, our board has proposed a still lower tax rate and will
vote October 15 on that proposal, which, if passed, will be the fourth year in a row they have lowered taxes.* And to repeat, because it
bears repeating, this year HCC trustees approved an increase in the system’s over-65 exemption – raising it from $90 to $100K.

In case you want more evidence of this Board’s sound fiscal management, I offer the following proof of our financial strength as
evaluated by Standard & Poors earlier this year: our rating was improved from AA to AA+. This bond rating denotes a very substantial
level of confidence in HCC’s financial and operational excellence -- no small feat during this challenging economic period.

We are proud of all these accomplishments and the role we are asked to play for our community. We will continue to strive for an
unequalled level of educational excellence and be the standard by which all community colleges might be measured.

The HCC Board approved a $09.222 per $100 of assessed valuation on October 15, 2009

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HCC Provides Opportunity for Students

HCC has placed a high priority on increased enrollment due to

the value a higher education holds both for individuals and our
community. Research indicates that a typical HCC student with
an associate’s degree will earn more than double the salary of
someone without a high school diploma at the mid-point of his or
her career and 38% more than someone with only a high school
diploma. Our total enrollment increased from 55,000 to 68,000 this
fall, an increase of 24% in two years and the highest in our history.
This academic year we are poised to reach 70,000 students.

I am proud of our innovative partnerships in energy, health, and

science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. In
fact, the Chancellor’s Symposium, held October 16, is just one
example of the sophistication of our faculty and the quality of
instruction. This year the symposium focused on careers and
education in energy and was held in Spring Branch. We hosted approximately 250 students from HCC and from Spring Branch, North
Forest and Alief ISD’s. John Hofmeister, former CEO of Shell Oil, gave the keynote address, and because he was out of the country,
Major General Charles Bolden, the new head of NASA, delivered a video welcome emphasizing the importance of science education.

HCC was one of the original colleges awarded an Achieving the Dream grant by the Lumina Foundation in 2004. As a result of our
accomplishments in assisting students from low income families in achieving greater academic success, this year we were selected
as an Achieving the Dream Leader College and were one of only 15 colleges nationwide to be awarded a Developmental Education
Initiative Grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MDC Inc., and the Lumina Foundation for Education. We will receive
$743,000 over the next three years to expand our programs to Houston students who need assistance.

The two most successful Achieving the Dream strategies HCC has developed and implemented include the Freshman Success Courses
and Learning Communities. The first strategy teaches students cognitive strategies for academic success as well as the expectations
and responsibilities they will face today as college students and later as employees in the workforce. Students who begin their HCC
experience with this course have dramatically improved persistence rates versus those who started without it. For example, Hispanic
students completing this HCC course improved their fall to spring persistence rates by 15.4%. This is one reason we are a lead college
for Achieving the Dream.

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 The second strategy, Learning Communities, links two or more courses with coordinated learning objectives, strategies, and activities.
This strategy has allowed new HCC students to gain a greater sense of both academic and social engagement, the factors most often
cited in research as key to improved student persistence. African-American students in these courses had the highest gains in course
completion rates - 14.1% higher than other African-American students in similar non-linked courses.

And we are providing services in communities we are required to serve but that aren’t currently part of our taxing district. Spring
Branch and North Forest are perfect examples. This year residents in these two communities petitioned the Board to annex these areas
into the HCC District. The Board received 9,682 validated petitions from residents in the Spring Branch and North Forest communities,
well over the 5,766 that were required. Over the last few years, we have worked with residents of both communities to hear what they
would like HCC to bring to their communities. We are continuing to work with community leaders so these communities receive the
same benefit as all the communities we serve.

We have significant partnerships with school districts to provide Dual Credit and Early College Program opportunities for high school
students. Our Dual Credit enrollment is up by 60% over last year, with 7,400 students. How exciting to see so many high school
students getting a big jump on college credits. Beginning this year, students in Alief have been able to enroll at reduced tuition due
to the successful annexation effort to incorporate this community into the HCC district, and 100 are attending ECHS! I know they are
pleased. I am confident their parents are even more pleased!

On the international front, we

are leading the way in enabling
students to participate as globally
responsible citizens. With 6,152
international students, we are the #1
community college in the nation for
international students. In a recent
survey by the New York Times, HCC
is the first of only two community
colleges in the top 40 institutions
of higher learning with the highest
international enrollment. We are
proud to participate in the Salzburg
International Study Program and
are pleased to have our 2009
participants here with us today.
We have a partnership with the Saigon
Institute of Technology and provide technical expertise to Riyadh Community College in Saudi Arabia. In addition, HCC is among five
U.S. community colleges competitively selected and financed by USAID, the US State Department, and the Brazil Ministry of Education
to develop job training programs to be used both here and in Brazil. HCC knows that there is a world of opportunity for our students,
and we are proud to be able to help them broaden their minds and reach for their dreams.

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HCC Provides Students with Opportunities through Expanded
and Upgraded Facilities

Another significant priority for the institution has been to expand and upgrade
facilities to better serve our students and the community.

In 2003, HCC conducted an assessment of our physical learning environment.

At that time, growth projections indicated that enrollment over the next 20 years
would increase by 40 to 75 percent at some campuses and that population increases
across the region would increase demand for facilities. As part of HCC’s vision for
the future, the Board of Trustees initiated a comprehensive Capital Improvement
Project to enhance student outcomes and meet the growing demand for post-
Stafford Campus Learning Hub – secondary educational opportunities in the region. Throughout the process, HCC
Southwest College planned, leveraged resources by cultivating partnerships, and developed facilities to
meet the various communities’ needs.

As of this past January, HCC celebrated the

completion of three new educational facilities
and the renovation of five existing buildings. In
total, the CIP added 772,000 square feet to HCC’s
existing 2 million square feet of educational
space. More importantly, the project succeeded
in creating enhanced and integrated learning
environments throughout the district that serve
the surrounding community and create new Felix Fraga Academic Center – Northeast Campus Learning Hub –
Southeast College Northeast College
opportunities for all types of learners.

HCC’s Report to the Community: Capital Improvement Projects highlights the major
facility improvements that not only fulfilled the original vision but also exceeded
original expectations by creating enhanced learning environments throughout the
Houston Community College District.

We have just completed an assessment of the entire district’s physical infrastructure

along with implementing an energy performance contract that will place us in a
leadership position with respect to climate neutrality and sustainability as charter
Coleman College for Health Sciences signatories of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
For the first time in the college’s 38 year history, we now have a complete

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 accounting in one document of our facilities: we have 22 campuses with 54 buildings enclosing
4.1 million square feet. Their total assessed value exceeds $720 million. Our master planners
are now working with the six college presidents to develop a comprehensive master plan -
driven by the instructional program - that will chart our direction for the next 25 years. And a
critical piece of that process will be to ensure our capital improvements are LEEDTM certified.

In June 2008, I contributed a chapter titled “Community Colleges: The Relevant and Essential

Spring Branch Campus –

Northwest College
Central Campus Learning Hub &
Science Center – Central College
Link” to the book—Letters to the Next President: Strengthening America’s Foundation in
Higher Education. I identified nine key points that community college leaders needed to address
because of our critical position in American higher education. It was not meant to be prophetic.
At the time, the November 2008 election was still in the future, the economic collapse had
not registered on the average American’s consciousness, and Barack Obama had not yet been
elected President. So no one knew the next President would look to community colleges to
drive American economic recovery or would set a goal that by 2020 America would once
again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. I believe at HCC we have
accomplished nine of the nine items on my list. But to help have five million more Americans
earn higher education degrees and certificates and ensure future generations will have our
opportunities for a college education and success in the work force, we must now work to
further enrich, expand, and deepen these nine items.

1. A regional and collaborative perspective

The Achieving the Dream work we have been doing speaks more loudly than any other effort of the importance
of a regional approach because when one of us succeeds, we all succeed. We are committed to accelerating
student learning and student learning outcomes by sharing our best practices with each other.

2. An increased engagement with the corporate sector

The successes of the Corporate College and the partnerships I reported on are indications that HCC’s
stock has value.

3. Cross-cutting curricula focused on STEM

The Chancellor’s Symposia on Bio-Technology last year and on Energy this year demonstrate to the community
the range and depth of the expertise and ingenuity possessed by our highly educated faculty. They also show
our students the multiple pathways to careers and higher educational pursuits through our educational and
corporate partnerships.

4. A broadened global perspective

Our reach has expanded as our international reputation and our international student body have increased.

5. Blurred segments along the educational pathway

Our relationships with our feeder ISD’s and transfer institutions are being expanded and developed with the
help of increased articulation agreements, P-16 councils, and new instructional configurations that offer our
students access to the classes and programs they want when they want them.

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6. A sequenced and aligned college-preparatory curriculum
As an Achieving the Dream Leader College, we are demonstrating with data that we are moving the needle to help our students persist
and reach their goals. The Houston Endowment has recognized our success and is funding the Houston Pathways project to help us
expand on those successes. And with five Early College High Schools, it is clear that HCC is addressing the challenges head on.

7. An efficient use of existing resources

The cost savings/revenue generating program is in its third cycle, has been written about in the Houston Chronicle, and has already
saved the college $4 million as I reported today.

8. Succession planning for future leaders

Our Leadership Excellence Institute and an adjunct faculty training program are in their second year. Our Department Chairs Success
Program is just being developed along with plans for a mid-level managers project.

9. Increased financial support for students

We awarded $30M in financial aid this Fall to 23,000 students. And the capital campaign for Opportunity 14 has begun in earnest!

Conclusion

I conclude my comments by stating for the record that Houston Community College is achieving our vision of being the “most relevant
community college in the country.” This institution has come a long way. This is truly a significant and exciting time for us. We continue
to enrich our community with record numbers of qualified, highly educated students as well as a significant return on the investment
that has been made by the residents, small businesses, and companies in our service area. We look forward to continuing to partner
with you to make Houston the opportunity city for the future. The journey is never over, and we will never stop improving access and
quality instruction, or being Houston’s workforce engine for an ever-expanding economy.

Thank you.

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 Houston Community College
Board of Trustees 2009
Abel Davila, Chair, District VIII
Neeta Sane, Vice Chair, District VII
Diane Olmos Guzmán, Secretary, District III
Christopher W. Oliver, Deputy Secretary, District IX
Bruce A. Austin, District II
Yolanda Navarro Flores, Immediate Past Chair, District I
Richard M. Schechter, District V
Dr. Michael P. Williams, District IV
Robert Mills Worsham, District VI

Chancellor
Dr. Mary S. Spangler

Houston Community College Foundation

Board of Directors 2009-2010
Ginger Renfroe Blanton, President Dr. Harry D. Holmes
Penny Butler, 1st Vice President Suewan Johnson
Charles R. Bellomy, AIA, Secretary Dr. Nicolás Kanellos
Cecilia Hernandez, Treasurer Deborah Kearns
Sharon M. Adams Dr. Stephen L. Klineberg
Ambassador Christopher Ashby Alfred W. Lasher, III
Travis C. Broesche Gigi Lee
Jesse Brown Herman Litt
Judge Alfred J. Calloway Arturo G. Michel
Tony Chase Michael S. Parmet
William M. Coats Rao Ratnala
Hank Coleman Scott E. Rozzell
Marc Eckhart Ali A. Saberioon
Harriet Foster Lina Sabouni
Marc E. Grossberg Massey Villarreal
John L. Guess, III E. W. (Bill) Wright, III
Alan Helfman Dr. Richard W. Yee

Board Liaisons Ex-Officios

Diane Olmos Guzmán Dr. Mary S. Spangler
Richard M. Schechter Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga

3100 Main • Suite 12B12 (MC 1148) • Houston, TX 77002

hccs.edu