Houston City College

Houston Community College's strategic plan is designed to lead the institution as an excellent school that effectively serves its diverse student population. Key focus areas include enhancing student support through a 'one college vision' for consistent experiences, prioritizing communal outreach to address local needs, fostering collaborative design in planning, and embedding technological mindfulness in all operations. The plan emphasizes innovation at scale to benefit a broad student base while maintaining a personalized approach. A core strategy for student success involves developing personalized learning pathways based on nine distinct student personas to meet individual aspirations and needs.

The Fall 2021 Convocation highlighted key themes for the upcoming academic year, including diversity, technology, and personalized learning, coinciding with the college's 50th anniversary celebration. Discussions included campus updates from leaders across several colleges (Coleman, Northwest, Southwest, Online, Central, Northeast) regarding their commitment to student success and the navigation of challenges. The Board Chair acknowledged the faculty, staff, and trustees for their dedication. The Faculty Senate President spoke on the importance of a sense of belonging and dedicated service. The Chancellor provided financial highlights, including an increase in the composite financial index, receipt of an excellence in financial reporting achievement, and refinancing of bonds saving nearly 100 million dollars. The event also featured student testimonials and acknowledgments of various campus committees and teams supporting faculty and student success.

The document captures several committee meetings. The Audit Committee meeting included a review of the internal audit status report for Fiscal Year 2025, updates on audit observations, and discussion regarding the final item of the McKenzie Jones report concerning grants automation. The committee also discussed revising the internal audit and audit committee charters to comply with new Global Internal Audit Standards, with approval planned for April. Furthermore, the Audit Committee received a report on quarterly control and compliance attestation for the period of September 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024, noting that four attestations were fully mitigated. The Board Governance Committee discussed and approved proposed revisions to contact information in Title Nine and Equal Opportunity policies, which were substantive only in updating coordinator names due to personnel turnover. They also approved a new policy allowing electronic filing of campaign finance reports for Trustees. The External Relations Committee received a report on state and federal relations, noting the fast pace of the legislative session, tracking 350 bills, and discussed leadership changes in the state legislature.

The Committee of the Whole meeting addressed several key agenda items. Initial actions included ratifying the adoption of the board self-assessment instrument and the Chancellor's performance evaluation instrument for 2022-2023. Discussion ensued regarding a proposed FY 2023 budget amendment number one, which involved transferring up to $21.5 million from operating funds to capital projects, specifically allocating funds for IT enhancements, Safety and Security improvements, website development/upgrade, and deferred maintenance. The board also reviewed the monthly investment report, financial statement, and budget review for May and June 2023. A significant discussion involved updating the strategic plan, 'Embracing Houston's Future,' primarily to address compliance with Senate Bill 18 by modifying language, including removing references to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and replacing them with 'sense of belonging' terminology. Concerns were raised regarding the omission of specific underserved population demographics, such as those associated with the VAST Academy program, from the updated list of strategic personas.

The community town hall meeting concerned the Northline Campus and the commencement of construction for a new academic and workforce building, as well as a parking garage. The discussions emphasized the importance of community involvement in directing the institution's path, ensuring that investments meet the needs of residents and students, and providing training programs not currently offered on campus to address peak time capacity issues.