HCC addresses International Community
Nov 18, 2014
“We can be a beacon to the world of what we can be,” said Dr. Noel Bezette-Flores, co-chair of the Mayor’s Citizenship Month campaign, who was among many offering insight into Houston’s growing diversity at the 2nd annual Houston Community College (HCC) VIP Global Luncheon.
She was joined by representatives from Houston area consulates including Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, People’s Republic of China, Israel, and the Bahamas. Other guests included elected officials and leaders from the higher education institutions across the Houston area.
“We were delighted to have such good representation from the international community at our luncheon,” said Dr. Parvin Behroozi Bagherpour, associate vice chancellor for International Student Services and Study Abroad.
This luncheon is hosted to bring together international representatives to showcase the many ways HCC supports students who come from across the globe to be educated within Houston’s diversity. The HCC Diversity and Inclusion Council which represents students, faculty and staff from across the district co-sponsored the luncheon with the Office of International Student Services & Study Abroad.
“We have seen a tremendous growth in the demand to educate the workforce not only within Houston but also from the companies that have connections in Houston and have offices internationally,” said Dr. Cesar Maldonado, HCC chancellor. “Our desire is to reach out and create stronger bonds for the success of our students, their country and ours, and the economies of both.”
HCC has the largest international student enrollment of any community college in the nation. Almost 6,000 students are currently enrolled and represent 150 countries across the world. Faculty and staff at HCC reflect a pattern of diversity that is much the same.
In September Texas added more than one million new jobs, many of which are in the greater Houston area. HCC expected this growth and is currently constructing multiple projects which will add 1M sq. ft. to the 3.7M sq. ft. footprint of campuses already serving the community. Hands-on training is being developed with industry experts to ensure that students are ready for the jobs that area waiting.
“We are constructing RigOne, an outdoor simulator training laboratory for students who are entering the oil and gas industry. The Society of Petroleum Engineers – Gulf Coast Section recently gave HCC a gift of $100,000 in support of RigOne and Petroleum Engineering Technology programs. This gift is the largest and most significant donation to date in support of the RigOne Simulation Laboratory,” Dr. Maldonado said.
Financial aid is available to assist students as they begin their training, re-training or initial education. In addition, the Board of Trustees approved an additional $1M in scholarships that will be awarded beginning this spring.
For more information on the programs and services of HCC, visit www.hccs.edu.