Carroll G. Robinson
Trustee, District IV

Dear Neighbors,

It’s that time of year once again – Back to School time. This is always a nervous, but exciting time for those headed back to school and their family members. There are hopes and prayers for success and safety.

For the community, it is a reminder that education and workforce training are cornerstones of the long-term progress and prosperity for the individuals and families of our region.

In August, the Houston Community College Board of Trustees authorized the conditional pre-admission of all 6^th and 9^th grade students in our service area. The family of every child in the HCC service area will be notified that their child has a place to go to college and will have the opportunity to apply for financial assistance if they graduate from high school with a 2.5 grade point average and meet certain other minimum requirements. This is an historic undertaking by HCC to let everyone in our community know that HCC is Your Community college.

It is vital to the future of our community that our young people know about the HCC conditional 6^th and 9^th Grade Pre-Admission Program. Be safe and enjoy the new school year.

Thank you,
Carroll G. Robinson
Trustee, District IV

On April 1, the Texas Nurses Association approved HCC Coleman College’s Provider Unit application with “commendation,” a designation only given to Approval Provider Units whose applications have demonstrated a commitment to continuing nursing education. Approval allows HCC Coleman College to offer an unlimited amount of CNE for a three-year period.

“This provides an added level of professional legitimacy to the nursing continuing education we provide, ensuring nurses that the CNE activities they participate in at HCC Coleman College will be accepted towards maintain their licensure,” said Kirk White, Director of the Center for Healthcare Professionals at HCC Coleman College.

Courses in Nursing Consideration in Caring for the Aging Population Part 1 & 2 and Evidence-Based Nursing Practice were offered in May.

HCC Coleman College will become the second community college to offer the CAST curriculum that aims to teach healthcare professionals how to identify signs of abuse, how to document and report it, how to work with survivors, as well as how to advocate on behalf of children and families.

The year-long project plan includes creating a short hybrid continuing education course designed to introduce the CAST concepts to existing healthcare providers, creating a three college credit course that can be taken as an elective by healthcare, criminal justice, education, or students from other programs, offering the credit course as part of a Marketable Skills Award within the existing HCC Human Services Degree, and obtaining national program accreditation from the NCPTC when it is available later in 2013-2014.

Currently, the program advisory committee includes: Center for Family Strengths, University of Houston – Downtown, Children at Risk, Harris County Protective Services for Children & Adults, HCC Accelerated Teacher Certification Program, HCC Center for Healthcare Professionals, HCC Foundation’s Coleman College office, HCC Coleman College Human Services program, HCC  Northeast College Criminal Justice program, Healthy Family Initiatives, Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition, Neighborhood Services Division HDHHS, Northwest Assistance Ministries, Safety First Alliance for Missing & Exploited & Abused Children, Tahirih Justice Center, Texas children’s Hospital, Texas Department of Family & Protective Services – Region 6, and the Children’s Assessment Center.

HCC Coleman joins over 18 other institutions of higher education across the country offering the Child Advocacy Studies Training courses.

HCC Coleman College along with VITAS hospice care was awarded a check for $389,051 by the Texas Workforce Commission. The money will go to creating and upgrading up to 275 jobs for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care.

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care of Texas (VITAS) has partnered with Houston Community College (HCC) to provide job training using a $389,051 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

The purpose of the grant is to custom train 275 new and incumbent nurses and home health aides in preparing for the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses exam. Upon completion of training, the workers will earn an average hourly wage of $24.89.

TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Hope Andrade presented a check to HCC Coleman College President Dr. Betty Young and representatives from VITAS in July.

Baby Jay signs his new CD for HCC students and fans.

Baby Jay met and greeted fans Thursday in Neo’s Café at 3100 Main. This young artist has dedicated himself to promoting dignity and respect in schools throughout the Houston area, the country and internationally. Baby Jay is the first and youngest rapper to receive the key to the City of Houston for his efforts. He has been officially inducted into the Latin Grammy’s tour bus exhibit along with other top Latino acts.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to be partnering with HCC, and I just want to say that this song is about real life experiences. I know that it will motivate many, many people out there to come to college,” said Baby Jay. “This means a lot to me because I’m still a student myself. I go to school part-time and I know the impact that hip hop has, and that rap has on the students. That’s why my message is about respect, hope, encouragement and never giving up. I want to keep pushing towards that because I know it’s going to inspire a lot of people, and it already has.”

Baby Jay’s music is a driving force behind HCC’s recruitment campaign. The campaign highlights HCC’s innovative programs and course offerings that lead to high demand, high wage jobs today and in the future. For information on Baby Jay, please visit www.BabyJayMusic.com.

Kizzy Branch

Branch understands the challenges and struggle students may face when trying to earn their degree, and sought the SGA president position to have a voice in decision-making that affects the lives of students. As a single mother, Branch used her situation as inspiration for her career with plans to own a non-profit to help hurt women develop their talents and become a Life Coach and Educator for single mothers who want to graduate from college. As a successful student who has held many leadership roles during her academic career, Branch strives to be the helping hand for struggling women.

Branch was appropriately recognized as one of Coleman’s Phenomenal Women, a National Engaged Leader at Northwest and a Coleman Shining Star. She is also a member of The National Society of Leadership and Success, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Theta Kappa. With such honor comes hard work that creates challenges for the mother, student and part-time worker.

Says Branch, “As a student, I always strive for excellence, over-achieving in my endeavors. So that means I am the student who always has to do the extra no matter what, and this mindset brings about stress at times.”

Branch claims her secret to success is being mindful of how she treats others since that is an important factor to her success. She also strives to be flexible and capable of dealing with the possibility of things going wrong. For Branch, falling apart during a time of stress is not an option, and she focuses her time and energy on a solution. Above all things, her family comes first and being a mother is her most important job.

In addition to completing CAST training, Branch is completing the practicum to become a Prevention Specialist and earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology.

I want to thank the community, each of you, for your vote of confidence in Houston Community College by helping us successfully pass the bond measure last November. HCC is working diligently to plan and prepare for the College’s growth.

Carroll G. Robinson
Trustee, District IV

The HCC Board of Trustees, along with the HCC administration, faculty and staff, want to reaffirm our commitment to a transparent, ethical and fair procurement process. Whether it is our everyday operation purchases or the bond construction projects we are committed to ensure fairness and an open process to businesses large or small. In order to keep our communities apprised of HCC’s progress, we plan to hold a series of Community Dialogues. At these Community Dialogues, HCC will take the opportunity to update our neighbors on our growth.

The bond initiative is providing each HCC college with new or renovated facilities and the technology to meet student needs, especially in high-demand areas such as health sciences, as well as science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education. Our goal is to provide modern and technologically advanced facilities that enable our students to acquire the academic preparation and workforce skills necessary to compete at the highest level in the global marketplace.

HCC will work to deliver everything we have promised and we will continue to communicate our progress with you every step of the way. You are welcome to visit our microsite at hccs.edu/community to learn more about our plans for the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue, so please join us for the Community Dialogue that will be held at the HCC Campus near you.

Sincerely,
Carroll G. Robinson
Trustee, District IV

HCC Coleman College President Dr. Betty Young; Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar; The Methodist Hospital System’s Alicia Hernandez, RN; HCC Acting Chancellor Renee Byas, JD; HCC Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Instruction Dr. Madeline Burillo.

Over a 14-month period, instructors from HCC Coleman College, along with educators within The Methodist Hospital System, will help employees in various jobs at Methodist to advance their knowledge, skills and credentials. As a result, Methodist will be better equipped to address unmet training needs that otherwise would not be possible.

HCC Coleman College President Dr. Betty Young; Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar; The Methodist Hospital System’s Alicia Hernandez, RN; HCC Acting Chancellor Renee Byas, JD; HCC Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Instruction Dr. Madeline Burillo.

The training is also expected to influence nurses’ perceptions of competency and job satisfaction, and to help the hospital maintain its “magnet” status and additional industry-recognized credentials.

Magnet recognition, considered the gold standard for nursing excellence, is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, part of the American Nurses Association.

“Overall, the grant will assist Methodist employees in providing quality, effective patient care services within an ever-changing and complex care environment,” said HCC Coleman College President Betty Young, PhD, JD, LLM.

The project will also allow HCC Coleman College to increase its continuing education efforts through the development of new curricula, Young said, thereby improving its position to serve and support other health care institutions and employers in the region.

The project with Methodist is administered through the Center for Healthcare Professionals at HCC Coleman College. Learn more about the center at http://www.hcc-chp.org.

Left to right: Carroll Robinson, Trustee, District IV; Irene Porcarello, President HCC Southeast; and artist Ted Ellis

Ted Ellis is an American artist best known for his African-American themed art in the style of folk, naturalism and impressionism. Ellis, born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and currently residing in Friendswood, Texas, discovered his talent when he was five years old. Now his art business, T Ellis Art, has sold over 1.75 million fine art products, Major corporations have commissioned Ellis; A few of which include: Walt Disney Studios, The Minute Maid Company, Coca-Cola, Phillip Morris, and Avon, Incorporated. He is also known for his community work, which includes promoting art in children’s education.

“I personally find and feel that art is a universal language, it communicates and articulate at each individual level of comprehension and understanding. A child or adult can look at a work of art and find value in it because they can relate to it. Art advocates, it says nothing but says everything. It speaks politically, economically, culturally and educationally. We learn through art, it is a tremendous tangible treasure that improves our quality of life,” said Ellis.

Trustee Robinson met with Ellis surrounded by his prized pieces, which included his personal rendition of President Barack Obama in acrylic, entitled “Obama, the 44th President,” which had been presented in honor of the 2008 Presidential Inauguration.

HCC Coleman College was presented the Gold Paragon Award, the highest honor, for The Book in the Academic Catalog category (photo attached). A Silver Paragon Award was given for HCC Coleman Connect, the college’s magazine. Three Bronze Paragon Awards were presented for the public relations department’s work in Simulation Day 2012 in the category of Brand Experience Implementation; another Bronze Paragon Award for http://colemanconnection.org in the category of Online Services (competitive with main college websites across the nation); and the final Bronze Paragon Award for an HCC Coleman-branded credit card-size USB flash drive in the category of Novelty Advertising.

President Young is proud of the team’s fine work. “This is absolutely awesome. I am so proud of ALL of Coleman and the way the PR team has helped us tell our story and brand ourselves is part of what makes us the best. Congratulations to the team.”

The HCC Coleman College Public Relations team is Ahmet Aksoy, MA; Daniel Huron, MFA; Isabel Rameriz; Terry Schmidt; Abha Shah; and Brian Waddle.

Highlights of the steps we have taken include the following:

• Reviewed community input from a series of three Community Forums at each College, as well as feedback from meetings throughout the communities we serve
• Engaged faculty, staff and students in meetings to determine facility needs and opportunities
• Hosted meetings to determine program development initiatives and future course offerings in order to ensure that we are ready to meet the workforce needs of the future
• Facilitated ongoing meetings with the HCC Administrative Departments, including procurement, facilities and finance to discuss plans for growth
• Collaborated with other HCC Presidents to work together to plan HCC’s overall growth
• Launched a microsite to educate the community on the bond initiative planning and implementation process
• Inaugural Procurement Breakfast held January 16 with 140 in attendance
• Sold bonds on the New York Stock Exchange on February 26, 2013
• Plan to host Community Dialogue events at each of HCC’s six colleges beginning in late March
• Plan to host on-going procurement breakfasts

Here is an overview of the major projects for John B. Coleman College for Health Sciences that are part of the 2012 bond initiative:

• New healthcare education building to accommodate expansion of existing and addition of new allied health programs

More than 200 community members, families and students attended the event. For more details about Black History Month at HCC, visit www.hccs.edu/blackhistory

Carroll G. Robinson
Trustee, District IV

As we begin a new year after celebrating the holy season and Thanksgiving, and once again prepare to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us remember that the American Dream and his belief in Hope, Optimism, Equality and Opportunity live on.

Like our nation, our community is becoming more diverse and requires that we acknowledge and educate all who live in our community. Education remains one of the cornerstones for ensuring economic growth, personal prosperity and protecting Freedom and Liberty.

This year, let’s all resolve to do all we can to encourage and support improving education and workforce readiness all across our community. The Houston Community College System remains committed to helping all in our community achieve their full potential to live their version of the American Dream.

May we all continue to be blessed and have a happy, safe, healthy and prosperous New Year and continue to learn and grow.

Sincerely,

Carroll G. Robinson
Trustee, District IV

HCC Coleman College offers an associate degree that will help these students not only further their education, but also get better paying jobs upon graduation. Along with the 22 different health care programs and certificates, HCC Coleman College now offers an Associate of Applied Science – Allied Health Concentration. This career path is specially designed for students who have completed the following certificate programs:

• Dental Assisting
• Medical Assisting
• Pharmacy Technician
• Surgical technology
• Vocational Nursing

This is a 60-62 credit hour degree. The pathway is designed to promote students from entry level to advanced clinical-level positions with the skills and knowledge they have acquired in their respective programs.

To complete the AAS-Allied Health Concentration degree, students will need to take certain general academic required courses and academic course electives along with their respective certificate classes

Having an associate degree in addition to their specialized certificates will give HCC Coleman graduates an edge over other candidates looking for jobs in this highly competitive and demanding field. Employers in the health care field are always looking for people who are committed and willing to further their education and advance their knowledge; this new degree will benefit the students when they are seeking a job in the real world.

According to a study by Indiana University, people with a high school diploma make about $910,000 in a lifetime, whereas those with an associate degree make about $1.1 million, almost 22 percent more than high-school graduates.

HCC Coleman College has teamed up with Methodist Hospital to help their employees advance their knowledge, skills and credentials. As a result, Methodist will be better equipped to address unmet training needs that otherwise would not be possible.

The training is also expected to impact nurses’ perceptions of competency and job satisfaction, and to help the hospital maintain its “Magnet” status and other industry-recognized credentials. Magnet recognition is considered the gold standard for nursing excellence and is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, part of the American Nurses Association.

“Overall, the grant will assist Methodist employees in providing quality, effective patient care services within an ever-changing and complex care environment,” said HCC Coleman College President Betty Young, Ph.D., J.D., LL.M.

The project will also allow HCC Coleman College to increase its continuing education efforts through the development of new curricula, Young said, thereby improving its position to serve and support other health care institutions and employers in the region. The project with Methodist will be administered through the Center for Healthcare Professionals at HCC Coleman College.

Learn more about the Center for Healthcare Professionals at http://hcc-chp.org.

HCC Coleman College is transformed into HCC Coleman Hospital for Code Blue Simulation Day.

The team’s skills have been perfected over time through dedication and practice. It’s the type of unequaled practice that students get every day at HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences.

Simulation Day is a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity set in a one-of-a-kind teaching environment. For one day a year, HCC Coleman College is transformed into HCC Coleman Hospital as the students and faculty from the college’s 22 programs merge into one team to simulate the operation of a top tier Texas Medical Center hospital.

Simulation Day for the 2012-2013 academic year is set for April 3, 2013. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Maureen Sanders at maureen.sanders@hccs.edu.

Terrence Howard

Terrence Howard, critically acclaimed Broadway and screen actor who starred in such movies as The Best Man, Crash, Idlewild, Red Tails, Iron Man, Ray and Hustle & Flow, will be the keynote speaker at Houston Community College’s Black History Scholarship Gala. Past keynote speakers included former Miss America Vanessa Williams, CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien, activist and lecturer Dr. Cornel West, actor James Earl Jones and filmmaker Spike Lee.

The gala raises funds to support scholarships for African-American or students of African heritage at HCC. Last year, 11 HCC students each received a $1,000 scholarship to help cover the cost of tuition and books.

HCC’s Black History Committee is pleased that Houston will hear from Howard, who has been nominated several times for his work by the Screen Actors Guild and NAACP. The Chicago native is also an avid participant in national charities such as Clothes Off My Back, Save the Music and Stand Up to Cancer.

A small number of complimentary tickets are available by participating in the Black History Play Trivia contest at www.hccs.edu/blackhistory. Individuals with correct answers to Terrence Howard trivia questions will be added to a drawing for tickets. Winners will be notified February 16, 2013.

A raffle, which includes such prizes as Caribbean vacations and electronics, will also be available for purchase beginning in January 2013.

For more information about sponsorships and contests, please visit www.hccs.edu/blackhistory or call 713.718.5242. To purchase tickets, go to https://www.hccsfoundation.org/2013blackhistorygala and click on the “next” button in the lower right corner of the page.