College re-certified as Achieving the Dream Leader College
For its commitment to improving student success and equity, and demonstrating measurable gains on important student success metrics, San Jacinto College has been recertified as an Achieving the Dream Leader College, the organization announced this week. Since 2009, Achieving the Dream has granted Leader College status to a total of 79 Achieving the Dream institutions nationwide. Through the course of its participation in Achieving the Dream, San Jacinto College has increased Fall-to-Fall persistence rates from 73 percent in 2007 to nearly 79 percent in Fall 2013. This improvement is a direct result of initiatives put in place by San Jacinto College such as mandatory new student orientation; no late registration; a student success course; and the Men of Honor program, which helps increase retention, graduation, and transfer rates among African American male students at San Jacinto College. In addition, more than 5,000 students graduated from San Jacinto College this past May for the first time in school history.
College makes fifth appearance on Military Friendly Schools list
San Jacinto College is now a five-time military friendly school, according to Victory Media Inc.’s annual Military Friendly Schools list. The annual list showcases the top 20 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s service members, veterans, and spouses. The last academic year, San Jacinto College had 1,461 veteran students enrolled College-wide. San Jacinto College continues to support community and student veterans through a number of College-wide projects and events, including the Veterans Education Network (VEN), Backpacks for Veterans, the Veterans Oral History Project, the Centers for Excellence for Veteran Student Success on each campus, the Veterans In Our Community committee, guest speakers, and the College Credit for Heroes Initiative administered by the Texas Workforce Commission. For more information about veteran services at San Jacinto College, visit.sanjac.edu/veterans.
DOL awards more than $9 million to rain 1,200 workers
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a $9,294,620 Ready to Work Partnership grant to San Jacinto College to train approximately 1,200 people for work in middle skills occupations across the Texas Gulf Coast region. This grant is part of a $170 million federal grant to expedite the employment of Americans struggling with long-term unemployment. The Ready to Work grant at San Jacinto College will provide tuition money to students pursuing associate degrees, college certificates, and industry-recognized certifications for high-demand careers in industries like petrochemical. The grant also will allow the College to work with industry partners to offer students paid internships. Focusing on training for middle skills workers in an industry, like petrochemical, benefits the entire workforce from the top down. The targeted H-1B industries and occupations for the Ready to Work Partnership grant include engineers of various types employed in the petrochemical industry, process operators, instrument technicians, first-level supervisors in petrochemical facilities, and other middle skills STEM occupations that use H-1B visas.
Small Business Development Center advisor earns state award
Tom Shirreffs, a professional business advisor with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at San Jacinto College, earned the State Star award based on exceptional performance for the Texas Gulf Coast SBDC Network. Shirreffs was presented the award at the annual America’s SBDC conference, held recently in Grapevine, with more than 1,400 attendees from around the world. The SBDC presents State Star awards to advisors who achieve exceptional results in helping clients to start or expand businesses, create jobs, and raise capital. In the past five years, clients of the San Jacinto College SBDC have started 107 new businesses.
Facility earns APEX Award
The San Jacinto College North Campus Science and Allied Health Building has earned the prestigious Associated General Contractors APEX Award based on meeting or exceeding stringent and comprehensive criteria. The award is considered the most significant commendation a construction company can receive in the Houston market. It recognizes both construction excellence and contribution to the community. Other projects considered for the award included the University of Houston Classroom and Business Building, Jean E. Stewart Elementary School, Texas A&M University Memorial Student Center Renovation, and the San Jacinto College South Campus Science and Allied Health Building. The APEX Award includes nine criteria categories: quality of workmanship in construction, contribution to the community and/or environment, quality of the management process, safety records, timely completion, completion within budget, difficulty in construction, new technology or work processes used on the job, and what uniquely qualifies the project for the award. The three-story, 130,500 square-foot building was completed in the Spring of 2013, and provides training for students pursuing allied health and science careers, as well as houses all of the North Campus science courses.