The Houston Community College System Board of Trustees has voted to participate in a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Hoard pilot program permitting state community and junior colleges to offer selected courses at selected sites and hours to the public at 50 percent reduced tuition.
This program is made possible by the Texas Legislatures passage of HB 1465, the intent of which is to allow local governing boards of community and technical colleges to establish a reduced rate of tuition to enable the institutions to make efficient use of facilities and faculty during off-peak times. It also allows the colleges an ideal opportunity to close the gaps and recruit and retain underserved students who typically experience a financial burdcn in obtaining higher education.
The pilot program is being implemented at every HCCS college for the spring semester Second Start session, which begins February 8 and ends May 12, 2002. On-line registration for the l2-week Second Start term begins November 12. HCCS counselors at all locations are prepared to provide information about half-price courses and registration procedures for enrolling students. A wide range of both academic and workforce courses is being offered through this economic incentive program
Dr. Bruce H. Leslie, HCCS Chancellor, stated, We hope that during these tenuous economic times, our students will be able to take advantage of the cost savings to help stretch their dollars to cover other needed costs of college. By aggressively marketing this pilot program to our student population, we hope it will be successful and lead the Texas Legislature to make it a permanent feature of our educational offerings.
The reduction is in tuition only and does not apply to fees (except the current out-of-district fee). To receive a copy of the HCCS 2002 spring schedule, students may contact the HCCS college they plan to attend.
