San Jacinto College North named Business of the Year
San Jacinto College North was recently named the 2019 Business Organization of the Year by the North Channel Area Chamber of Commerce. Honored at the organization’s annual gala, the award was accepted on behalf of the College by San Jacinto North Provost Dr. William Raffetto and Dr. Allatia Harris, Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives.
“This award symbolizes the contribution San Jacinto College has made to the community over many years,” Raffetto said. “Our faculty and staff have helped to shape and transform thousands of lives of people in our service area, and being recognized as the Business Organization of the Year is a testament to this effort.”
San Jacinto College’s North Campus is home to more than 25,000 area students each year, providing access to more than a dozen different programs and areas of study to the surrounding communities and citizens of Galena Park, Channelview, Sheldon, and Humble Independent School Districts. The North Campus will also soon be home to a new, state-of-the-art Cosmetology and Culinary Center, currently under construction and set to open in spring 2020.
San Jacinto College to break ground on new campus
San Jacinto College is expanding its accessibility to residents of North Houston with a new campus located in Generation Park, and will host a groundbreaking ceremony in just a few short weeks on April 23. Owning 57 acres in the area, the College will be constructing a 50,000 square foot facility that will house general education and academic classes, and will be designed to fit the workforce needs of the businesses in the area.
Several of the fastest growing zip codes in the Houston area are adjacent to the proposed Generation Park Campus, and the population around Generation Park is growing at approximately twice the rate of the rest of the College district.
“We know that growth is occurring more rapidly in that part of Houston, and we are committed to responding to the higher education needs of the residential and business populations,” said Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor.
The Generation Park Campus is set to open for classes in fall 2020.
Maritime program wins national Bellwether Award
San Jacinto College’s Maritime program was recently named the 2019 Bellwether Award recipient in Workforce Development, awarded by the Community College Futures Assembly to the most innovative community college workforce program in the nation.
“We are thrilled to win the prestigious Bellwether Award,” said Dr. Allatia Harris, San Jacinto College Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives. “San Jacinto College is proud to be the educational provider for mariners beginning their careers as well as those coming ashore in Houston, and having our program recognized nationally is a testament to our commitment to our mission.”
The Bellwether Awards are an integral part of the Community College Futures Assembly, focusing on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that other colleges might find worthy of replicating. The awards are widely regarded as the nation’s most competitive and prestigious recognition for community colleges, and are presented annually to colleges with outstanding and innovative programs or practices in three categories: workforce development, instructional programs and services, and planning, governance, and finance.
Selected from a competitive, nationally reviewed field of hundreds of Bellwether applications, San Jacinto College’s Maritime program took the top honor in workforce development, categorized as public and/or private strategic alliances and partnerships that promote community and economic development by producing workforce.
“All of San Jacinto College has played an instrumental part in the success of the Maritime Program,” said John Stauffer, Associate Vice Chancellor of the Maritime Technology and Training Center. “Our goal at San Jacinto College Maritime is to provide a solution for a shortage of mariners in the Gulf Coast Region. We are accomplishing this through strong partnerships with our industry partners and our community to provide the skilled workforce needed to build a stronger regional economy. Winning this prestigious award was a total team effort.”
San Jacinto College’s 45,000-square-foot Maritime Technology and Training Center is home to more than 70 USCG-approved courses and Texas’ first and only associate degree in maritime transportation program. Led by a uniquely qualified staff of USCG-approved Ship Captains, Chief Engineers, and former U.S. Military and Merchant Marine Officers, these dedicated mariners have more than 225 years of industry experience combined and are committed to shaping the maritime leaders of tomorrow.
