HCC Weekend College finalist for Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board award
Sep 11, 2018
Houston Community College Weekend College is one of five finalists for the 2018 Star Awards for exceptional contributions toward meeting one or more of the goals of the Texas higher education plan, 60x30TX. Designed for working adults who want a degree, HCC's Weekend College offers the opportunity to receive an associate degree in two years by attending school only on Saturdays. Classes are offered in 8-week sessions. Students take two courses at a time and the entire two-year schedule is mapped out ahead of time.
"The weekend college is right in line with the goals of the 60X30TX," said Norma Perez, vice chancellor of instructional services and chief academic officer. "We are utilizing innovation to create pathways to success for our students, allowing them to complete their degrees as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible."
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board received 36 nominations and 26 applications for this year’s Star Award. The four other finalists are Alamo Colleges, Teach Denton Integrated Collaborative, Texas A&M International University and The University of Texas at Tyler.
The Star Award program recognizes exceptional contributions toward meeting one or more of the goals of 60x30TX:
- Increasing the postsecondary educational attainment level of the state’s 25 to 34-year-old population.
- Increasing the number of students completing a certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree from an institution of higher education in Texas.
- Increasing the number of programs with identified marketable skills at Texas public institutions of higher education.
- Implementing programs or cost efficiencies that help to ensure that undergraduate student loan debt will not exceed 60 percent of first-year wages.
Star Award finalists will be publicly recognized for their efforts. The winner will be announced Nov. 30 during the annual Star Awards luncheon and ceremony to be held in conjunction with the 2018 Texas Higher Education Leadership Conference Nov. 29-30 in Austin.