Given its new status by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a Level 2 institution approved to offer baccalaureate degrees, Houston Community College is considering a name change.
We encourage you to learn more about this initiative and provide a name recommendation for consideration in the space below.
The process of recommending a possible new name for Houston Community College continues through the selection process with three name options.
- Houston College
- City College of Houston
- Greater Houston College
These names were chosen by a Name Exploration Task Force comprised of community and business leaders, students, and college faculty and staff from more than 298 unique name options provided by the community.
In June 2024, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) approved HCC’s request to move from a Level I to a Level II institution, the latter allowing HCC to offer baccalaureate degrees.
Level status change warrants subsequent application of strategic thought, vision, and leadership in a competitive higher education environment where HCC must differentiate itself to attract students and appeal to an array of constituencies who benefit from all the institution's program offerings.
The facts provide that several community colleges have changed their names (e.g., Lone Star College, Dallas College, Alamo College) as “more states allow two-year colleges to confer bachelor’s degrees …” and to effectively “signal ways … to expand beyond their traditional offerings to meet student and workforce needs and open up new career opportunities.”
Considering the above-identified circumstances, it is prudent for HCC to assess the utility of renaming the college, acknowledging its present ability to not only confer associate degrees, but baccalaureate degrees as well.
A Transparent Process
HCC is committed to an open and transparent process that encourages public participation.
- The college will create a Name Change Task Force of volunteers from key stakeholder groups: students, faculty, staff, community leaders, business leaders, civic leaders to review possible naming options.
- The college will solicit name recommendations through its website and public meetings.
- The Name Change Task Force will meet no fewer than three times to discuss and prioritize potential name recommendations. With each meeting, and following public posting of potential names, the committee will eliminate less popular names until it has selected a single name recommendation for the Board of Trustees.
- The name recommendation of the Name Chance Task Force will be submitted to the Board in April 2025. The recommended name must be approved by the Board of Trustees to become the official name of the college system.
If a new name is approved by Trustees, the college will immediately proceed to announce the name and create a new brandmark and brand standards for the college.