HCC opens new Missouri City Campus, commits to community revitalization
Aug 17, 2017
With the snip of scissors held by Houston Community College (HCC) dignitaries and area elected officials, HCC officially opened for business once again in the Missouri City community. The new campus, located across from the Missouri City City Hall at 1600 Texas Parkway, will bridge a gap to affordable higher education in the region.
“This campus is the product of a cooperative partnership between HCC, governmental and business leaders,” said Dr. Cesar Maldonado, HCC Chancellor, during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Together we will work to ensure that student success is achieved here at this campus. We will design our programs to meet the needs of industry and the students in their desire and hopes for their careers.”
The new $21 million, 69,340 square-foot campus is also home to the HCC Center for Entrepreneurship, Technology & Health and was built to support economic growth within the surrounding area. Maldonado went on to say this campus represents the best in education, workforce, innovation and progress for Missouri City, the city of Houston and Houston Community College.
“This is a win for the community,” said Neeta Sane, HCC Board of Trustees member representing District VII. “Residents needed an easily accessible campus and we got that. This community has supported HCC, and education in general, and they will continue to do so as long as the focus is to make sure we offer educational programs and classes consistent to the needs of the community.”
Sane said HCC can help revitalize this community by training an educated workforce. She also made a point of recognizing the many community leaders and development organizations that came together to make the new facility a reality. Sane said she’s proud to show off what HCC has to offer the community.
“We’ve come full circle,” shared Mayor Allen Owen with the packed house during the ceremony. “College education is important and not everyone will be going to a four-year college. My two boys went to HCC and then graduated from other colleges; I know how important this is financially as a parent trying to pay for my children's college education. We are going to end up with a complex different from other campuses with a lot of features to make this campus exceptional. This is the economic push we think will help this corridor.”
Missouri City leadership has plans to invest $2 million in the area around the new HCC campus. Projects include a skate park, green space for picnics, a veteran’s memorial and a theater for the arts. City Hall also plans to convert the existing community center into a visitor’s center. Fort Bend County will also contribute to the growth of the city by building a three-story library adjacent to the new HCC Missouri City campus.
Congressman Al Green of the 9th Congressional District spoke to how education unites communities. “My hope is that this campus provides great education for the people living in the area,” Green said. “I also have the hope it will become an anchor to the local businesses to develop around it.”
Dr. Madeline Burillo, HCC Southwest College President, said the campus is ready to open its doors and train the Fort Bend workforce that will help the area economy thrive.
“At Missouri City, Houston Community College will offer classes to start a new career, change careers, and for those who are currently working, it will provide the opportunity to upgrade skills which are needed due to changing technologies and the need to stay on – or ahead – of the trends, and they are moving fast,” Burillo said.
As part of the ribbon cutting event guests toured the building, explored classrooms, state-of-the-art science labs, and administrative areas designed to support student success. In addition to academic core classes, students have access to programs in business administration, marketing, coding and pre-requisite courses for the more than 20 professional health careers offered at the HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences.
Registration is underway at the new campus, and advisors are on site to assist students in the enrollment process. The hours of operation are:
Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
To learn more about the classes available at the HCC Missouri City campus, visit: hccs.edu/missouricity.
