Spring 2017 Newsletter from Trustee Robert Glaser
Jun 8, 2017
Dear Neighbors,
As your trustee, it is an honor and privilege to serve as your representative on the leadership board of Houston Community College (HCC). I serve because I know HCC is one of the most valuable educational and workforce development resources in the Greater Houston region and is vital to the economic and academic well being of our community.
As Houston’s Community College, we work to ensure your investment in the institution is optimized and that your trust is earned through our actions. I’m pleased to report HCC leadership is moving ahead aggressively in providing guidance and committing resources necessary to both fulfill our current needs while providing the foundation for future growth. We are making significant investments in our infrastructure that have, and will continue to have, profound impacts on the communities we serve.
A recent national assessment calculated that HCC generates a total economic impact of $4.1 billion in total added income for the regional economy. And, last year, HCC alumni were hired to fill 38,801 jobs in the region, with an annual income of $3.6 billion. This economic boost is similar to hosting the Super Bowl – 15 times!
In addition to providing folks with the proper skillsets to fill local area job opportunities, HCC has been instrumental in propelling a multitude of students to personal and professional triumphs. And through HCC’s transformation process, these numbers will grow in the years to come. Our continued relationships with upstream partners, including several area school districts and charter, private and parochial schools, as well as with downstream partnerships including four-year institutions and area businesses, assure that our impact on the local economy will increase moving forward.
Many of our exceptional students need your help to thrive and obtain their goals. In the 2015-2016 school year, 1,085 of our students received $1,251,644 in scholarships from the HCC Foundation. For many students, these scholarships are the only reason they could afford a college education. Our system-wide focus helps students avoid excessive or unmanageable student loan debt. As a result of our commitment to maintaining level, affordable tuition, along with HCC Foundation scholarship funding, we help more students “break the barriers” to affordable and accessible education and workforce training.
In addition to reporting to you on our continued successes, today, I invite you to help the HCC Foundation achieve its ambitious goal of funding $3 million in scholarships and awards by the year 2020. The numbers show an investment in a scholarship for an HCC student is fiscally sound.
Thank you for your continued support and allowing me the continued opportunity to be your representative on the HCC board. Together, we ARE Houston’s Community College.
In service,
Robert Glaser
HCC Board of Trustees
District V
Download: Robert Glaser Spring 2017 Newsletter