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Houston Community College

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Houston Community College
San Jacinto Memorial Building, formerly San Jacinto High School
TypeCommunity College System
Established1971
ChancellorDr. Margaret Ford Fisher
Academic staff
2,535[1]
Administrative staff
1,465[1]
Students52,000+ [2] (Fall 2024)
Address
3100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77004
,
Houston
,
Texas
,
U.S.A.
Campus23 Commuter Campuses
NicknameHCCS (or HCC)
AffiliationsSACS
MascotEagle
Websitewww.hccs.edu

Houston Community College (HCC), also known as the Houston Community College System (HCCS), is a community college that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for actively recruiting internationally and for the large number of international students enrolled, over 5,700 in 2015. Its open enrollment policies, which do not require proficiency in English, are backed by a full-time 18-month English proficiency program and remedial courses.[3]

As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of HCCS includes the following school districts:[4]

History

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In 1927, the Houston Independent School District founded its first community colleges, Houston Junior College (for whites), which later evolved into the University of Houston and the Houston College for African American students (now Texas Southern University). In 1971, the district founded HCCS after HJC's and HCN's evolutions into the University of Houston and Texas Southern University respectively. In its early days, HCCS once used HISD school campuses for teaching facilities with classes during evenings and weekends like its founders. Around 1997, HCCS began to transfer operations to community college district-operated campuses throughout the HCCS service area.[5]

Former campus in Qatar

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The country of Qatar operates Education City to bring U.S. universities to the Middle East. Houston Community College ran a satellite campus in Education City. However, in early 2016 HCC announced that they were "massively scaling back operations" and closed this campus.[6] Over a five-year period, Qatar's government paid HCC approximately $30.5 million to subsidize the Education City campus. In a news interview, the HCC Board of Trustees Treasurer said he did not support continuing the campus. "We're a community college to educate kids in our district," he said.[6] When HCC first sent teachers to its Qatar campus, the Qatari government made some of them return to the United States because they were Jewish.[6]

Libraries

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HCC Libraries operates 17 library service locations: 1 Library Support Services office, 2 Electronic Resource Centers (ERCs), 4 Digital Access Centers (DACs), 9 Libraries, and 1 Learning Commons as of 2025.[7]

Central College

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  • Central Campus Library
  • South Digital Access Center

Coleman College

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  • Coleman Electronic Resource Center

Southeast College

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  • Eastside Campus Library
  • Felix Fraga Digital Access Center

Northeast College

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  • Acres Homes Electronic Resource Center (ERC)
  • Codwell Library at Northeast Campus
    • Originally located in Codwell Hall, the first building on campus, the library was later relocated to the third floor of the Learning Hub (Building 09) at Northeast Campus.[8]
  • North Forest Digital Access Center (DAC)
    • North Forest DAC is located in Building B, also known as the Workforce Building.[9]
  • Northline Campus Library
    • Northline Campus Library is located in Building A, also known as the Main Building. Northline's Digital Access Center, built in 2024, is operated separately from the library by Tutoring Services in Building E on campus.[10]

Southwest College

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  • Missouri City Electronic Resource Center
  • Stafford Campus Library
  • West Loop Campus Library

Northwest College

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  • Alief-Hayes Campus Library
  • Katy Campus Library at the Learning Commons
  • West Houston Institute Learning Commons

District Administration

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  • Library Support Services at District Office

Library History

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HCC Library Council, consisting of five college library directors and one library support services director, successfully advocated for the creation of the Executive Director of Libraries position to oversee its system in 2015.[citation needed]

Prior to 2019, the Electronic Resource Center (ERC) at Alief-Bissonnet Campus closed.[citation needed]

In August 2019, HCC's Pinemont Campus and its Electronic Resource Center (ERC) closed.[11]

Houston Community College System Administration Building

Police

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HCC operates its own police department.[12]

As peace officers, state law grants HCC Police the power to arrest without warrant for any felony, breach of the peace, disorderly conduct or intoxication offense that is committed in their presence or view while in Texas.[13] They may make an arrest pursuant to a warrant anywhere in Texas.[14] The HCC Police Department is divided into six divisions: Administrative, Criminal Investigations, Patrol, Bike Patrol, Training, Communications.

HCC Television

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HCCS Central Campus (Midtown)

HCCTV began in 1994 when the City of Houston chose the Houston Community College System (HCCS) to operate one of its educational access channels. Already in place since 1980, HCCTV was the college system's video component, producing programs of education, training and college promotion.[15]

HCCS operates Houston Community College Television (HCCTV) on Xfinity Channel 19, TV Max Channel 97, Phonoscope Channel 77 and Cebridge Channel 20 and streamed over the internet. The studio complex, which has one large studio unit, five editing suites, and a digital master control system, is located at the HCC District Campus.[16]

Athletics

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HCC offers several sports activities to its students throughout its campuses; the sports offered include:

List of colleges in HCCS

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Central College

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Willie Lee Gay Hall (South Campus)

[17]

  • Central Campus (Houston)
    • HCC Central Campus, in Midtown Houston,[18] is served by a METRORail station, Ensemble/HCC Station. Houston Academy for International Studies of Houston ISD opened on HCC's Central Campus in Fall 2006.
    • HCC's Central Campus is composed of multiple buildings: Business and Careers Center (BSCC), Central Cooling Water Plant, Crawford Annex, Culinary Building (CAB), Educational Development Center (EDC), Fannin Building, Fine Arts Center (FAC), HCC Police, Heinen Theater, J. B. Whiteley Bldg. (JBW), J Don Boney Building, Dr. William W. Harmon Building (WWH), also known as the Learning Hub & Science Building (LHSB), Parking Garage, San Jacinto Memorial Building (SJB), Theater One, and the Veterans Center.[19]
  • South Campus (Houston)
    • HCC South Campus is in the Central Southwest area of Houston, and is served by the HCC South Campus bus station.

Coleman College for Health Sciences

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  • Coleman College of Health Sciences (Houston)

Northeast College

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Northline Campus (Northside)

[20]

Northwest College

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Houston Community College Spring Branch (Memorial City, near Spring Branch)

[21]

  • Alief-Bissonnet Campus (Houston)
  • Alief-Hayes Campus (Houston)
  • Alief Continuing Education Center (unincorporated Harris County)
  • Katy Campus (Katy)
    • The former Katy campus, originally known as Westgate at 1550 Foxlake Drive, closed in May 2022 with the college's relocation to a new Greater Katy campus location on 22910 Colonial Parkway.[24]
  • Spring Branch Campus (Houston)

Southeast College

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Fraga Campus (Near Downtown)

[25] Southeast College is home to two separate campuses in different parts of the HCC Southeast service area.

  • Felix Fraga Academic Campus (Houston)
    • Felix Fraga is located in the Second Ward, [26] 1.25 miles east of Downtown Houston at 301 N. Drennan St. The campus opened January 2010 and was named for Felix Fraga by the HCC Board of Trustees in honor of his dedication to the educational, social, and economic success of the young people of Houston's southeast community and his devotion to improving their neighborhood. Fraga served as an HISD trustee, a member of the Houston City Council, and the Vice President of External Affairs for the Neighborhood Centers, Inc. before his death in 2024. Its flagship offerings include Maritime Logistics, Pre-Engineering, and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) classes.
    • In partnership with HISD, the Felix Fraga Campus is also the host location of HISD's East Early College High School.

Southwest College

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HCC West Loop Center
  • Brays Oaks Campus (Houston)
  • Missouri City Campus (Missouri City)
  • Stafford Campus (Stafford)
  • West Loop Campus (Houston)

Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "HCC Fact Book". Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ^ "College Navigator - Houston Community College". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  3. ^ Manny Fernandez (October 30, 2015). "A Global Community's College". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2015. Because the college has an open admission policy and does not require the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or Toefl, most students must go through an 18-month, full-time English-language program as well as remedial courses.
  4. ^ Texas Education Code, Section 130.182, "Houston Community College System District Service Area" Access date: March 10, 2024.
    See also: "HCC Single Member Districts 2023" (PDF). Houston Community College. Retrieved 2024-03-10. - See profile page
  5. ^ "TSPR Houston Community College System Archived 2003-06-26 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 23, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c Nakano, Hanna (2016-03-16). "Houston Community College scales back operation in Qatar". Gulf News Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  7. ^ "Locations & HoursArchived 2025-03-19 at the Wayback Machine". HCC Library Locations & Hours. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  8. ^ "Codwell (NE) Library HCC Libraries - Codwell (NE) Library. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  9. ^ "North Forest DAC HCC Libraries - North Forest DAC. Accessed May 9, 2025
  10. ^ "Digital Access Centers Houston Community College. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  11. ^ "Pinemont Campus Closure Archived 2020-10-27 at the Wayback Machine". Houston Community College. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  12. ^ "Police Department". Houston Community College. hcc.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  13. ^ "Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 14. Arrest Without Warrant".
  14. ^ "Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 15. Arrest Under Warrant".
  15. ^ "HCC Television." Houston Community College. Retrieved on May 2, 2009.
  16. ^ "How to Access HCCTV Archived 2010-02-15 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Community College. Retrieved on May 2, 2009.
  17. ^ "Central College Archived 2008-09-06 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  18. ^ There are separate boundaries for the Midtown Super Neighborhood and the Midtown Management District. See City of Houston maps: Midtown Super Neighborhood and Management district map. Retrieved on June 4, 2019. - Also see: 2006 Midtown Management District Land Use Map and "SERVICE AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR FISCAL YEARS 2015-2024." Midtown Houston Management District. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. Map on page 25/25 of the PDF.
  19. ^ "Central CampusArchived 2025-04-21 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Community College. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  20. ^ "Northeast College Archived 2025-03-17 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Community College District. Accessed May 6, 2025.
  21. ^ "Northwest College Archived 2011-12-25 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.
  22. ^ Foster, Robin. "Deadline to apply to Alief Early College High School is April 15." Houston Chronicle. April 2, 2009. Retrieved on April 8, 2009.
  23. ^ "Alief Early College High School Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine." Alief Independent School District. Retrieved on April 8, 2009.
  24. ^ "HCC Katy Campus now open at new location". 2022-05-18. HCC Media Room | Articles. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  25. ^ "Southeast College Archived 2025-04-20 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Community College District. Accessed May 6, 2025.
  26. ^ "Second Ward Asset Map.PDF" Rebuilding Houston. Accessed May 9, 2025.
  27. ^ Harris County Block Book maps:
    • "Pecan Park Blocks 60-62, 70-72, 80-85, 90-95, 100, 105, 111-115, 121-123, and 131-133." Volume 60, Page 127. PDF and JPG.
    • "Houston Community College Eastside Campus Extension." Volume 117, Page 179. PDF and JPG.
  28. ^ "Eastside Campus." Houston Community College. Retrieved on April 1, 2019.
  29. ^ "Exit Vietnam: Photo shows Vietnamese transformation". Houston Chronicle. August 16, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  30. ^ "Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion shows up at TSU to surprise seniors with Flamin' Hot scholarships". Houston Chronicle. November 8, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
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