Board of Trustee Statements

Trustees call for Community Colleges to be included in COVID-­19 Phase 2 vaccinations

Feb 1, 2021

The Houston Community College Board of Trustees has called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to include state community college faculty and staff members in Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine inoculation program.

“Community colleges of the State of Texas are charged with the task of educating Texas students and preparing them to join the workforce and provide essential services to (the state’s) citizens,” a resolution adopted by the board on Jan. 20, 2020 states.

The resolution was transmitted to the governor’s office, calling on him to order that “faculty, educational and professional specialists, administrators, clerical, maintenance, transportation, security and other support staff be provided the vaccine to ensure the efficient delivery of instruction.”

Community colleges have responded heroically to the challenges of COVID-19, issues persist in the quality of learning especially among students that would most benefit from live, face-to-face instruction,” the resolution states.

"The dedicated faculty and staff of our state community colleges impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of students, having profound effects on educational, social, economic and public health issues integral to the general welfare of Texas," said Board of Trustees' Chair Robert Glaser.

Glaser was echoed by HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado who called on other educational organizations to adopt similar advocacy for early inoculation. “Community colleges maintain the higher education workforce pipeline that is so essential to the state’s economic recovery and growth,” the chancellor said. “All educators should be afforded every available protection from this pandemic as they go about their important work.”