“Excellence is not a title. Excellence is an attitude, a decision to thrive and succeed.“ With those words Teddy Tovar, director of the Respiratory Therapy Program, described the atmosphere that students, faculty, and administrators breathe at the HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences, the only institution of its kind located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. For many, the grand opening of the Houston Community College Health Sciences Center of Excellence signifies the beginning of a new era.
“The common Latin phrase ‘de novo’ means ‘anew,” said Dean of the Center of Excellence, Dr. Gary Kesling. “Today, the Coleman College for Health Sciences is the ‘de novo’ transformation into the Center of Excellence. This grand opening means that we are here to facilitate our students’ understanding of the purpose of a health science education that promotes intellectual and personal success.”
Coleman College, which opened its doors in 1999, offers twenty different disciplines in health sciences including nursing, diagnostics, therapeutic, and dental services, among others.
“This is an opportunity to remind us not only of the economic impact of our programs, but also of the personal one,” reflected HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E., as he shared a recent experience in which his mother underwent treatment in a hospital located in the Texas Medical Center.
“The nurses helped me communicate with my mother and with the doctors,” said Dr. Maldonado. “They took wonderful care of her. I was humbled when some of them told me they were HCC graduates.”
On an average, the 43-member institutions of the Texas Medical Center receive eight million of patients a year. In Houston, the healthcare industry accounts for one in every ten jobs.
According to Adriana Tamez, Ed.D, chair, HCC Board of Trustees, District III, these jobs are not positions suited for everyone.
“I have always considered the healthcare field as a vocation first and then a profession,” said Dr. Tamez. “Your passion and dedication continue to inspire us administrators to work harder and never loose sight that what we do, is about people.”
Nursing student Rachel Ibanez, whose father’s diabetes was treated through the help of nurses, describes the nursing program at HCC Coleman College as a stepping ladder.
She said, “I’m proud to be a student here. I hope that one day I can provide hope and bring people the help that healed my dad so many times.”
The event was attended by representatives from various health care organizations in the Houston area including Edward Hugetz, Provost at the University of Houston-Downtown.
“We are proud to have a long partnership with HCC,” said Hugetz. “Two thirds of our students are transfer and of those, 40% come from Houston Community College. We are at a moment of renewal in establishing what we need to do together for the future of the students and the community. We congratulate HCC on their vision. I am so proud to see HCC succeed like that.”
Currently, construction is under way for a 10-story building across the street, which will more than double the size of Coleman College. The facility, which will offer 248,000 additional square feet of classrooms, is projected to open Summer 2017.
To learn more about the programs offered at the HCC Health Sciences Center of Excellence, visit: hccs.edu/centers.
