Community Day was an "all-hands-on-deck" gathering
Every faculty member and support staff employee from all three campuses gathered on Feb. 16 at Slocomb Auditorium on the Central campus for College Community Day to focus on “In Pursuit of the Student Success Agenda.”
The “all-hands-on-deck” gathering was reportedly the first time in the College’s history that every employee assembled for such a meeting. (More …)
The Deer Park Chamber of Commerce recently honored the San Jacinto College District as the 2009 Industry of the Year. From left in related photo: Sharon McLean, Deer Park Chamber of Commerce president; Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College chancellor; Bill Reasoner, Vopak’s manager of operations planning (Vopak was the 2008 recipient).
In addition to Dr. Hellyer, other San Jacinto College employees who gave of their time and efforts to help make the award ceremony a huge success include: Teri Fowle, Amanda Booren, Shannon Burke, Dana Eifert, Josh Wilson, Jeanie Peng-Armao, Rob Vanya, Carol Schwing, Cheryl Kaplan, David Vanover, Dr. Jerry Ivins, Jeremy Boni, Linda Drobnich, Cindy Stevens, Niki Whiteside, Sherry Nixon, Keith Hudson, and Dr. Ron Rucker.
Below are some more photos from the event.
Dr. Brenda Lang Hellyer
San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Lang Hellyer kicked off the district-wide College Community Week meeting, held recently at the Central campus, with an informative and inspirational message about the past and future of San Jacinto College. Dr. Hellyer stressed the importance of teamwork, good planning, and effective communication. The special guest speaker for the meeting was Dr. Sandy Shugart, president of Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. He entertained with thought-provoking songs, and then provided an interesting history of the development of community colleges, and also talked about some important transitions taking place on community college campuses. He said a community college should focus mainly on student success, with an open, encouraging attitude that believes everyone has the ability to learn, given the proper environment.
Christopher Darville
The College recently welcomed Christopher Darville as an intern executive assistant to the chancellor. His primary duties will be to assist San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Lang Hellyer with special projects, focusing especially on a diversity initiative, which is a concerted effort to attract and retain more African-Americans, Latinos, and people of other minority races as administrators, faculty, staff, and students at San Jacinto College.
Darville graduated from Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and then attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with minors in history, political science, and African American studies. He earned a master’s in applied sociology from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
Darville served as a sociology instructor at River Parishes Community College in rural Sorrento, Louisiana, where he also served on the college’s Quality Enhancement Plan committee and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmation committee. Christopher also served as a faculty member at Dillard University of New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
Darville is completing his doctoral student internship at San Jacinto College through the Community College Leadership Program of the University of Texas at Austin, where he plans to earn a doctorate of education degree. He says he was attracted to San Jacinto College because of the College’s positive reputation.
“I attended some classes with Dr. Hellyer at the University of Texas at Austin, and I was equally amazed with the chancellor’s intellect and humble personality,” Darville commented. “After visiting San Jacinto College with UT’s Community College Leadership Program, I discovered that Dr. Hellyer’s traits were not the exception at San Jacinto, but the norm.”
Nicole Darland
Nicole Darland Haas recently accepted the key position of Executive Assistant to the Chancellor and Board of Trustees, where she will provide valuable assistance to Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer, and to members of the College’s Board of Trustees.
Before accepting her new position, Nicole spent four years as executive assistant to Vice Chancellor for Administration Dr. Ron Rucker. Before that, she worked for three years as an administrative assistant in the human relations office.
Nicole is native to the Houston area. “I traveled for five years after graduating from high school, but missed my home and decided to settle in Houston,” she commented. Nicole lives in Santa Fe with her husband, Robert Haas, who works for Precision Components. Nicole and Robert have three dogs, Rowdy, Howee, and Elvis (who ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog [the editor added for fun]).
“Elvis is actually a blind wiener dog, which makes the name even funnier,” Nicole remarked. “He really is the best dog either of us have ever owned though.” Rowdy is a 100-pound boxer, and Howee is a Schnauzer mix. “They make for an entertaining group. My husband calls them the goof troop,” she said.
Nicole says she loves San Jacinto College “because of the people I get to work with, and the professional, yet family-oriented environment.”
She also looks forward to stepping into her new position. “It will be a privilege to provide assistance to the trustees, and to such a gifted leader as Dr. Hellyer.”
Congratulations Nicloe, and keep up the good work!
Reply