January Minutes
HOUSTON COMMUNTITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
REGULAR MEETING OF
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees of the Houston Community College System held a Regular Meeting on January
21, 1999 at the Southeast College Campus, Carlos Garcia Fine Arts Annex, 2624 Garland, Houston,
Texas.
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
James Henderson, Chairman
Christopher W. Oliver, Vice-Chairman
John Fonteno, Secretary
Carol Smith, Deputy Secretary
Bruce A. Austin
Abel Davila
Herlinda Garcia
James R. Murphy
W. F. Russell
ADMINISTRATION
Ruth Burgos-Sasscer, Chancellor
Sue Cox, President, HCC-Southwest
Jack Daniels, President, HCC-Central
Patricia Fairchild, Vice-Chancellor,
Workforce Development
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Margaret Forde, President, HCC-Northeast
Zachary Hodges, President, HCC-Northwest
Sylvia Ramos, President, HCC-Southeast
Joe Fenninger, Chief Operations Officer
Patricia Williamson, Vice-Chancellor,
Institutional Development
OTHERS PRESENT
Arturo Michel, Bracewell and Patterson, other administrators, staff, representatives of the news media
and interested citizens
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Henderson called the meeting to order at 4:24 p.m. and declared the Board convened to consider
matters pertaining to the Houston Community College System as listed on the duly-posted meeting
notice.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1999
Mr. Henderson announced that the first order of business would be the election of officers for 1999.
Prior to accepting nominations, he explained procedures of the election prior to accepting nominations.
Nominations were declared in order for the office of Chairman. Mrs. Smith nominated Jim Henderson.
Mr. Murphy nominated Christopher Oliver. Mrs. Garcia nominated Bruce Austin. Mrs. Garcia moved
that nominations cease; Mr. Davila seconded it. Motion to cease nominations carried 9-0.
Discussions regarding the nominations took place. Mr. Henderson reminded the Board a majority vote
was required for the election of officers. The vote resulted with Mr. Henderson receiving 2 votes; Mr.
Oliver receiving 3 votes; and Mr. Austin receiving 4 votes. Mr. Henderson stated that there was not a
majority of votes for any of the 3 candidates. Clarification from Atty. Michel was sought regarding what
constituted a majority vote. Atty. Michel stated that the policy by which the Board operated was by a
vote of the majority of the quorum. Mrs. Garcia requested a copy of the policy on board elections that
clearly stated it had to be a majority of the quorum
A second issue was raised when Mr. Henderson objected to limiting the voting in the election to the two
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(2) leading candidates. It was recommended by legal counsel that the Board proceed to executive session
to consider legal advice regarding the election process. Mr. Fonteno, Vice-Chairman, adjourned to close
session at 5:00 p.m.
The Board reconvened at 5:15 p.m. and proceeded with the election of officers after having heard the
advice of legal counsel.
Mr. Davila moved to change or suspend the policy, or add an additional policy stating that the two (2)
people that end up with the most votes, end up in a run-off. Nominees with fewer votes shall be
eliminated from the second ballot. Mr. Murphy seconded that as a motion. Motion carried 7-2.
Mr. Henderson expressed opposition to the motion, which he based upon a quote in the preface of
Roberts Rules of Order. Mr. Henderson stressed the need for rules.
Mr. Austin recalled that in the preface of Roberts Rules of Order, found in the second paragraph, it is
indicated that these rules serve as a guide meant to exercise efficiency in meetings and not to serve as an
unvarying rule. Mr. Austin said these rules have been in effect about 411 years.
Motion No._____
Mr. Davila repeated his earlier motion that allowed only the two (2) top vote-getters names to appear on
the ballot. It was seconded by Mr. Murphy. Motion carried 7-2.
Atty. Michel requested the Chair call for the same motion that began this agenda item the voting on the
three nominations for the office of Chairman. He explained that even though there was a vote to
eliminate the lowest vote-getter, it occurred after the original motion. Therefore, this step was necessary
in order to reach the next point.
Motion No._____
Mr. Davila moved to begin the election for the position of Chairman with the three (3) candidates that
were originally nominated for the position prior to closed session. Mr. Murphy seconded the motion.
Motion carried 7-2. The results of the voting for the position of Chair were as follows: Mr. Henderson
received 2 votes; Mr. Oliver received 3 votes; and Mr. Austin received 4 votes.
The results of the two motions being passed required the run-off election of the two (2) nominees with
the highest votes. The voting proceeded for the position of Chair, with the nominees being Bruce Austin
and Christopher Oliver.
CHRISTOPHER OLIVER ELECTED BOARD CHAIRMAN FOR 1999
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Motion No. ______ Mr. Oliver was elected Chairman by a vote of 5-4.
Mr. Oliver proceeded to thank his colleagues for honoring him by his election as Chair. He
complimented his predecessors for having done a great job. He urged the Board to work collectively and
energetically to lead this great college system into the 21st century. He also thanked the past Chairman
for his services.
ABEL DAVILA ELECTED VICE-CHAIRMAN FOR 1999
Motion No.______ Mr. Austin nominated Mr. Davila as Vice-Chair; seconded by Mr. Russell. Mr.
Henderson nominated Mrs. Garcia, but she declined the nomination. Mrs. Smith nominated Mr. Murphy.
Mrs. Garcia moved that nominations cease; Mrs. Smith seconded. Mr. Davila was elected ViceChairman, 6-3.
JAMES MURPHY ELECTED SECRETARY FOR 1999
Motion No._____ Mrs. Garcia nominated Mr. Fonteno; seconded by Mr. Austin. Mrs. Smith nominated
Mr. Murphy. Mr. Austin moved that the nominations be closed. Mr. Murphy was elected Secretary, 5-4.
MR. WILLIAM RUSSEL ELECTED DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR 1999
Motion No._____ Mrs. Garcia nominated Mr. Fonteno; seconded by Mr. Austin. Mr. Fonteno declined
the nomination. Mr. Murphy nominated Mr. Russell; Mr. Austin seconded it.
Mr. Russell was elected Deputy Secretary by acclamation.
RECOGNITION OF SPECIAL GUESTS
Mrs. Garcia recognized former State Representative Diana Davila who, she noted, has served the
community very diligently for six years. Mrs. Garcia thanked her and said she would propose a
resolution in her honor at the next Board meeting. She thanked her for being present at the meeting.
Mrs. Garcia also recognized Mr. Bennie Martinez, who is the L.U.L.A.C. "Man of the Year", and who
represents L.U.L.A.C. at the national level. He has done that for many, many years, and Mrs. Garcia
thanked him for being present.
Mrs. Garcia also mentioned that Judge Armando Rodriguez was present earlier, and she thanked him for
his attendance as well. And, as Board Member representing District III, she thanked all community
members for being present, indicating that this was their campus and their community college.
MINUTES APPROVED AS SUBMITTED
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Motion No. - Mr. Murphy moved to approve the minutes, as submitted, from the Regular Board Meeting
of December 10, 1998. Mr. Davila seconded the motion. Motion passed 8-1, with Mrs. Garcia
abstaining.
Mrs. Garcia indicated that there was one sentence that needed to be removed before the minutes be
approved. She also requested that the Board set the format for the future in terms of how these minutes
will be recorded and presented to the Board. She believed that currently some quotes are verbatim and
some quotes from other Board members are not. She indicated that the Administration has to make a
recommendation for a specific format which should then be shared with the Board for approval
concerning how the Board minutes will be reported in the future.
Dr. Burgos interjected that some Board members, some time back, requested that the minutes be
recorded verbatim, as much as possible. However, there are times when it is difficult to hear all dialogue
on the tape, and there are times when staff has to guess. Dr. Burgos said the Administration welcomes
any corrections, but the effort is to follow the discussion as closely as possible. Mr. Murphy indicated
we should discuss the policy of taking the minutes at another time, but he felt asking someone to
transcribe five (5) hours of the meeting is to ask for something he has never seen in minutes.
Mrs. Garcia stated that at the next Board meeting she may bring up the two (2) statements in the minutes
which she feels are inaccurate. She indicated that while she is not discussing the detail of the minutes,
she is discussing the manner in which the minutes will be presented as they quote different Board
members. She asked the Chairman to take that under consideration and let the Administration make a
recommendation and see if the Board is in agreement with it.
Mr. Davila had a question about Motion 881. He wanted to make sure that we follow through on the
motion concerning the prayer and pledge of allegiance which was passed at the last Board meeting. He
suggested a policy whereby Board members, taking turns each month, can lead the prayer and the pledge
of allegiance. Mr. Oliver suggested the Board adopt this practice at the next Board meeting.
AWARD AND PRESENTATION
a. Faculty Recognition Award - The Chancellors Medal for Outstanding Service was presented to Ms.
Hilda Sustaita, chair of cosmetology, hubbed Northwest College. This program is offered at four (4) of
our colleges. It is one of our more popular programs.
Dr. Burgos complimented Mr. Sustaita for taking a technical career program and working very hard to
elevate it into a profession. She has worked diligently on the curriculum for the entire program; provided
professional development workshops for faculty; improved the system for state reports; and furnished
computers for cosmetology faculty and staff. She is also looking into having students consider the option
of creating small businesses and learning the skills for developing a small business.
Dr. Burgos lauded Ms. Sustaita for transforming a program, strengthening it for the students and the
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community which they will be serving.
Mrs. Sustaita is presently working on a Masters degree in Training and Development, another credential
to add to her remarkable teaching and administrative skills.
HEARING OF CITIZENS
(No appearances)
APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA
Motion No. ___ - Mr. Davila moved approval of the consent agenda. Mr. Murphy seconded the motion.
Motion carried 9-0.
I. Instructional Programs
●
Approved the new Affiliation Agreement for Health Careers Clinical Program;
II. Purchasing of Materials and Services
●
Approved Housekeeping Service Contract, Southwest College;
●
Approved purchase of Medical Equipment, Coleman Building;
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Approved purchase of Pivot Point Licensing Agreements and Training Materials;
●
Approved purchase of Annual Software and Courseware Maintenance Agreement for Plato
Software;
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Approved payment of Bracewell and Patterson for Professional Services;
●
Approved Astrodome Signage.
III. Fiscal Matters
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Approved Investment Report for the month of December, 1998;
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Approved Resolution amending TexPool Investment Pool Authorized Signatory Representative;
●
Approved Resolution amending Lone Star Investment Pool Authorized Signatory Representative;
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Approved Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Pledgee Authorized Representative;
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Approved Resolution Amending NationsBank of Texas Authorized Signatory Representative;
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Renewed General Liability Insurance Covering all locations;
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Approved Telephone Auditing Services.
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Other
●
Ratified acceptance of gifts and donations.
APPROVAL OF PURCHASE OF TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT AND AUDIO
VISUAL EQUIPMENT
Motion No. __ - Mr. Austin moved to take items 3 and 4 together; Mr. Murphy seconded the motion.
Motion carried 9-0.
Mrs. Garcia addressed her concerns to Mr. Oliver, suggesting that he will address these to the
Administration. She discussed her concerns with the process and stated if the Board is going to start
supporting the telecommunications program on an on-going basis, it is imperative that the Board be
aware and recognize that the program will increase and will require more finances. She reflected on the
technology plan of many years ago when the Board was adamant about not funding this unless the
Administration would propose a clear plan for the future. She recommended that the Board require the
same provision because this expense will increase as time goes by. Her recommendation is for a plan to
be designed.
Mrs. Garcia asked Dr. Burgos to identify where the money is coming from for this program. Dr. Burgos
responded that it was coming from the City of Stafford. It is their contribution to this program. Dr.
Burgos also explained that this is an associate degree program that has been approved by the
Coordinating Board.
Mrs. Garcia indicated that she supports the City of Stafford and Mayor Scarcella one hundred percent,
for he has been the best friend of this institution. However, she still wants to see the plan because we are
a partner with the City of Stafford, and even though they are donating these monies, we as an institution
are making some type of contribution, so the Board needs to see this plan by the next meeting.
Mr. Austin asked what is the relationship between the HCC-TVs equipment and facilities, and that of the
Southwest colleges telecommunications program. Dr. Burgos responded that they are separate but asked
Vince Hamilton, Director of the HCC-TV, to respond. He informed the Board that he will submitted a
full report when he presents his overhead projector presentation, but reported that HCC-TV reports to
the system. HCC-TV is on the cable system in the City of Houston only, and the broadcast technology
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program is in Stafford; however, they both work together.
After further discussions, Mr. Oliver indicated that this item, based upon legal counsels advice, would be
voted on after closed session. Mrs. Garcia requested an explanation so she could be better informed on
the item should it go into executive session. Atty. Michel explained there are some legal issues involving
the passing of a motion when an item is submitted as an emergency item. The delay of the vote until
after closed session would not prevent the Board from a full discussion of the item in open session.
NEW OR UNFINISHED BUSINESS
●
None to report
CHANCELLOR'S REPORT
●
Financial Activity - Dr. Burgos introduced the new chief financial officer, Mr. Joseph Fenninger,
who discussed the financial report. He produced modifications in the format that addressed past
concerns of the Board. Mr. Fenninger pointed out more details at the college level on fund
balances; as of December 31, 1998 the projects are broken out by the various colleges. In
addition, he provided the Board with a supplementary piece of information regarding the status of
construction projects by college campuses. Mr. Fenninger stated he hopes to make these reports a
performance-orientated package providing an indication of budget control and future forecasts.
Mr. Austin requested that the original bond amount for construction projects and expenditure of
prime proceeds be included in the reports.
●
Katy Proposal - Dr. Burgos commented on the material she left at each Board members place,
indicating that it contained a copy of the proposal that a committee from the City of Katy
submitted for consideration by the Board for Katys incorporation into our tax base. Dr. Burgos
reminded the Board members that the proposal was still before them, and a special meeting
between now and the next board meeting should be planned in order to discuss the details of the
Katy proposal. She indicated the Administration will have to respond to the City of Katy but
before then she wants to make sure she has addressed all of the Board members concerns. In the
meantime, Dr. Burgos has been in conversation with various people, experts in the business of
annexation and has been given some advice in terms of the procedure to follow. One firm was
recommended, Bickerstaff, Heath & Smiley, as a firm who might be able to deal with the issues
after the annexation, as well as addressing some of the other concerns of the Board. Mr. Austin
asked if there was a motion of the Board to actually deal with this policy issue. Dr. Burgos said
no, and that the proposal had been presented to the Board for consideration three months ago, and
we have not addressed it because of other concerns and issues. However, she felt it appropriate to
bring to the Board because although a letter was sent to the City of Katy stating pressing matters
had delayed the opportunity to address the issue, she did not want the Katy committee to think
this Board has abandoned their request to consider their proposal.
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Mr. Austin interjected that his concern has been that the inclusion of this area would result in the
dissolution of the voting strength of ethnic minorities. Dr. Burgos responded that Jerry Wood, who is
with the City Planning Department, stated that the clearance from the Department of Justice must come
after an annexation takes place. Mr. Austin asked if an assessment has been made that this is a board
policy issue. Atty. Michel answered that there has been no Board policy decision concerning annexation
in regards to any particular areas. Atty. Michel concluded that "annexation" is ultimately a policy issue
that has to be determined by the Board, and what he understands is that the Chancellor is simply
bringing a proposal to the Board for consideration.
Mrs. Garcia reconfirmed what she understood was discussed thus far that the Board has never voted that
we would move forward with annexing Katy; and that it is a policy issue, and that the firm, Bickerstaff,
Heath & Smiley have been recommended by a staff person with the City, could assist the Board if we
moved forward with the annexation proposal. Mrs. Garcia continued by suggesting to the chairman
that it is always good practice to review with the Board times that will be discussed and presented
prior to the Board meeting, This practice better prepares the Board and should be a part of the
process where the Board receives necessary information prior to the Board meeting. Mr. Oliver
assured Mrs. Garcia that her comments were very much appreciated and that the Administration should
respond effectively to this request.
Mrs. Smith made a request that the Administration research any resolutions made by the Board
regarding out-of-district issues. Once researched, she would like to have copies sent to Board
members.
Mr. Murphy said its a good thing to have the information if were going to make a decision concerning
this issue, but it sounds like there might not be interest in having the decision at all. Dr. Burgos reported
that her purpose today was simply to remind the Board members that weve had this proposal for several
months and she thinks the Board should address it. She also suggested that a special meeting be planned
for further discussions, and she would want to know what type of information the Board will need in
order to discuss the Katy proposal intelligently. Mr. Oliver suggested a Board retreat to further discuss
this issue. Mrs. Garcia responded that personally she felt the Board has exhausted the discussion of this
matter at retreats. She said she felt the Board is ready for someone to bring to the Board, either through
Mr. Olivers leadership, something they could vote on for this particular area or any other area. Mrs.
Garcia further expressed that she thought the Board could move forward with this item or any other outof-district area, provided proper Board consultation and action, along with putting it to a vote by the
Board, was confirmed. Mr. Oliver responded that he would address Mrs. Garcias comments.
Mr. Austin recalled he requested his colleagues spend the last year of this 20th century dealing with
effectively addressing the issue of education. He thinks we owe the people of this city a more attention
to the issue of education, especially at the community college level, with emphasis on workforce
preparedness. He also thinks that the crucial issue is that of adequate facilities. He thought the only way
to deal with having better facilities is with some kind of a referendum, and develop the kind of
community support necessary to deal with the seriousness of education. He thinks we are doing some
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great things in many areas but as a system and as a college, he feels the focus need to be on a proper
strategic plan dealing with the education issue. Lastly, Mr. Austin pointed out that statistics have shown
that over the last 10 years, Mr. Richard Murray divulged that a 20% increase in population actually
moving away from Harris County, indicates a problem that has happened to most U.S. cities where most
of the people are leaving the center city resulting in Houston becoming populated with un-educated, lowincome populations. He said we have an opportunity to turn it around and would like to see this college
take the window of opportunity and focus on education, not annexation.
Dr. Burgos called for a clarification of what the Board wants. Mr. Murphy expressed his opinion that he
felt some of the Trustees would like more information and some would not. He thought we could
schedule the proposal for a vote, and although the Board passed a resolution in the past and put it in Dr.
Burgos goals, he thought there might be interest in reconsidering it. Dr. Burgos asked if the Board
wanted a retreat planned to discuss this issue, or a special meeting. Mr. Murphy thought it might be
difficult today to submit what the Board needed researched but the requested information could be
provided subsequent to a planned meeting. Mr. Murphy thought it would be great if Dr. Burgos would
schedule for a vote, even though there was a resolution in the past, and it was included in the
Chancellors goals, but it sounds like theres interest in reconsidering it. Mr. Murphy thought the Board
could supply, subsequent to this meeting, what research theyd like to have and what issues are germane
to the discussion. However, he thought the Board could not do it effectively at the Board table until we
could define what our needs are.
Mr. Austin stressed that in pinpointing needs from the point of view where the greatest deficit is, all one
needs to do is draw a line down the center of Harris County and look on the east side, and whether youre
in southeast or northeast, youll realize the greatest population of people without college education. The
people with higher education have higher per capita incomes. If you look at the east side of Harris
County, thats where you have the majority of people with college education, and these probably can
afford normal 4-year institutions. Where you have people who can least afford it, the east side of town is
where they live. He is concerned about how we should define "need"; whose in "need" of education, and
the level of education we have at this level. Mr. Austin thinks the college should look at what is its
purpose, its objectives and to identify who it is trying to serve.
●
HCCS Demographics Report - Dr. Burgos referred to the Community College Week magazine on
the front page of the December issue. The whole issue had to do with some demographics. She
shared that the study conducted by Community College Week listed HCC as the second largest
community college in the country. These, however, are community colleges that are accredited as
one institution; this does not take into consideration the system with independent colleges. The
largest singularly accredited community college is Miami-Dade Community College which is
very similar to ours. Houston Community College was listed as 81st of the top100 producers of
associate degrees. Dr. Burgos commented that HCC has a long way to go but we are among the
top 100, with over 1,200 community colleges in the country. HCC is #17 of the 50 top colleges
by the number of black faculty, and we tie for #21 in terms of percentage of Black faculty, and
were #2 of the top 50 colleges in the number of Hispanic faculty, and we tie for #15 in terms of
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percentage of Hispanic faculty. This data shows that our numbers are low in minority faculty.
Mr. Murphy wanted an explanation of why were only 81st in producing degrees. Dr. Burgos responded
that we have to consider that many of our students do not come here for degrees. They come for short
term courses or for other skills. Dr. Burgos continued to explain that HCC is an urban college with 2/3
of our students part-time which is unlike other institutions, so that partially explains our low ranking. It
is also an alarming issue because Miami-Dade is also an urban college and are #1 in degree-producing
community college. Dr. Burgos felt these statistics dont lie and when we study data, it tells us why and
where we need to move.
Mr. Murphy said he is interested in hearing what our plans might be relative to the degree issue. Dr.
Burgos replied that this issue is being addressed in HCCs 3-year strategic plan.
Mrs. Garcia reported that she read the article and reads all articles pertaining to equity. She was very
distressed over this report because it listed Austin Community College as being the one college in the
state of Texas that has the most faculty members that are represented by their Hispanic ethnicity. She
was disappointed that she didnt see HCCS among those top 50 colleges. She interrupted from the report
that the HCCS Board has to come up with the solution for upgrading the representation in this institution
to insure equity because numbers can be misleading. Mrs. Garcia urged the Board to please read the
report which is in the latest January, 1999 issue.
Dr. Burgos submitted an explanation which she secured when contacting the editors of this article. HCC
was not listed in the minority faculty numbers because the article only listed colleges that offer 2-year
programs, and HCC has some programs that required 3 years.
Mrs. Garcia noted that there is something Dr. Burgos is not giving the Board, which is very important
and that she thinks for the Board record, it should be recorded. She said that being #50 in Hispanic
faculty representation at 7% is extremely low. Dr. Burgos responded that everybody is low. However,
Mrs. Garcia said that this point has been known at HCCS for 25 years. She referred back to the
objectives outlined earlier by Mr. Austin: Whats our purpose; whats the objectives and where are we
headed. Mrs. Garcia directed her comment to the Chairman urging him to address these issues because
those goals havent been met and 2 years have already passed.
Mr. Austin stated he appreciated the information but thinks this information must be weighed against
what the coordinating board has established in its findings against the college. Dr. Burgos stated that
their finding is against all the colleges in Texas because all the colleges are below in terms of where we
ought to be.
Dr. Burgos closed by referring to another page of the report that addressed the ethnicity of enrollment by
the different colleges show how diverse all our colleges are. The report shows the full 1997 enrollment
by ethnicity, and you will find by example that Northeast and Southeast colleges are very similar in their
diversity make-up, which is something that the Board members dont always realize. Dr. Burgos stated
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that when facts are in front of us, it helps us to benchmark and say, okay, this is where we are but this is
where we should be.
Mr. Davila said he was concerned that we continue to look at numbers year after year. He wants this
administration to move forward and make an effort to serve the student body. He hopes that through the
leadership of Mr. Oliver we can do just that.
●
Library Plan One of the items the Board requested is the plan for all of the college libraries and
the budget. That will be ready for you at the February meeting.
●
Legislative Agenda - Dr. Burgos stated that at the last Board meeting, our Governmental
Relations Director, Isabel Nart, gave a tentative overview of the legislative agenda. Today she
would continue with another report.
Ms. Nart reported that a meeting of the legislative review committee was held, and Mr. Oliver was in
attendance. The agenda was discussed resulting in only one format change from the document that the
Board reviewed during the last meeting. At Mr. Murphys suggestion, we re-ordered the initiatives, and
his suggestion was that for clarity we group all of the support items in one section and then monitor
items in the other. With that change, were asking for the Board to adopt the document. Ms. Nart also
prepared some bullet points for what comes next after the agenda is passed. The activities for getting us
through this Legislative Session were divided into short term and long term. Short term being what
actions we need to take to get us successfully through this legislative session, and the long term starting
after the session specifying what we need to do to build a government affairs program through the longterm. The first suggestion is for the Trustees to adopt a legislative agenda, which will serve as the
framework for what we support or what we will be working on. The next step is for us to plan visits with
the delegation from Harris County to the Legislature. In addition, Ms. Nart will be monitoring the
legislation that is filed dealing with higher education. She reported that the legislature is getting a slow
start, because of the new leadership in the senate and the new members being elected into the House, so
they do not have committees set up yet and that has delayed the process. However, we do have a list of
bills that have been filed.
Mr. Murphy asked if these bills are available on the website. Ms. Nart answered affirmatively and will email what is available on the internet and how to access them. She also reported access to some analysis
that is being produced by the TACC on the internet.
●
HCC-TV - Mr. Vince Hamilton introduced himself as general manager of HCC-TV. He stated he
has been in cable television for 13 years, and this is his fifth year of running a television station.
He came to HCC-TV in March of 98 and was here as the request of Mrs. Garcia. He first reported
that HCC-TV was created in 1994 when the college received a five-year grant from the City of
Houston. It started with $250,000 dollars and as a five-year declining grant, it declines by
$50,000 dollars each fiscal year. Although HCC-TV was under-funded in the beginning, HCCS
did not actually put money into the TV station until fiscal year 98, so the startup phase was
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critically under-funded.
If HCC-TV is to be self-sufficient as the Chancellor has challenged us to be, we have to have a plan for
equipment, for facilities and for generating revenue. Our mission statement has been revised and reads,
"HCC-TV is your community television station for educational entertainment and community service
programming". Our audience is the citizens of Houston, the post-secondary, educational community and
other colleges in the community, as well as the entire HCC system students, administrators and faculty.
The internet is also our global audience for it is a new global marketing mechanism we can count as
audience. An organizational structure has been devised which is based on a real television station. Mr.
Hamilton also revealed to the Board his plan for generating revenues for the TV channel through grants
and sponsorships. A grant writer has been hired, and he plans to hire a sales person who will attract
business people to underwrite the programs.
Mr. Murphy asked for clarification of sponsor sales. Mr. Hamilton clarified that these are noncommercial sales.
Mr. Hamilton proceeded to explain that new cameras have been purchased as well as digital equipment
for a more crisper, cleaner look in our channel. A production truck is about ready to go into operation,
which will allow us to go on location with multi-cameras. Dialogue with the Galleria Chamber of
Commerce for HCC-TV to cover their luncheons is presently underway. And, partnerships are being
established within the college and the community as well.
A packet of information was handed out to each Board member, and Dr. Burgos thanked Mr. Hamilton
and the HCC-TV crew for having achieved so much in just a short time.
ADJOURNMENT TO CLOSED OR EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Oliver adjourned the meeting to Executive Session at 7:09 p.m., notice having been previously
given, and reiterated by him in accordance with the Open Meetings Law. He stated any final action,
vote, or decision on any item discussed in Executive Session would be taken up in Open Session or in a
subsequent Public Meeting. Mr. Oliver reconvened the meeting in Open Session at 7:55 p.m., and
entertained motions on matters pending.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Minutes Prepared By:
Grace Moolchan, Administrative Assistant
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January Minutes
Board Services Office
Reviewed, Finalized and Submitted By:
Christopher Oliver, Secretary
Minutes Approved as Submitted:
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