State of the College 2024 highlights San Jac’s impact
San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer delivered her annual State of the College address Oct. 30, highlighting the resilience, innovation, support, and excellence — or RISE — that marked the past year.
Her theme resonated with more than 350 attendees, ranging from elected officials and donors to industry partners and employees.
“At San Jacinto College, we rise to meet the needs of our students and community so that our region remains economically strong and our students are prepared for their next steps after graduation,” Hellyer said during her presentation. “Our impact is seen and felt throughout this institution, our local communities, the region, and the state.”
Hellyer shared about new programs meeting workforce needs, including the new bachelor’s degrees in education and cybersecurity.
She also recognized trailblazers like English department chair Dr. Celucien Joseph, San Jac’s Minnie Stevens Piper Award nominee. Among his achievements, Joseph has created a new mentoring program at the College and redesigned a technical writing course.
In addition, the Chancellor celebrated alumni like Yakob Zumlot and Ted Tolley. Zumlot, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2014, considers San Jac his steppingstone to success and is now attending medical school. The oldest graduate at the spring 2024 commencement, Tolley finished his longtime degree goal thanks to his wife’s encouragement and San Jac support
To learn more about San Jac’s impact, visit https://www.sanjac.edu/about/sotc/.
Central Campus theatre program honored
The Texas Educational Theatre Association recently named the San Jacinto College Central Campus an Exemplary Campus of Distinction. This honor recognizes the College’s commitment to theatre education through achievement, resource curation, and theatre arts advocacy.
According to the release from the TxETA, “This remarkable achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication, tireless efforts, and exceptional leadership Dr. Jerry Ivins [Central Campus theatre artistic director] has demonstrated throughout his tenure. His unwavering commitment to providing an enriching and nurturing educational environment has resulted in San Jacinto College’s well-deserved recognition by the TxETA Awards committee.”
Texas colleges were evaluated in theatre course offerings, performance opportunities and venues, theatre curriculum, leadership, advocacy, technology, community service, and outreach.
“This recognition reflects the hard work of a dedicated group of artists who make the Central theatre program a premiere example of educational theatre in Texas,” said Ivins. “Central’s artistic team reflects the College’s continued excellence.”
In 2023, TxETA named Ivins the 2023 Higher Education Educator of the Year. Ivins, who has taught at San Jac for 29 years, is also involved in the University Interscholastic League one-act play competition as a judge, an adjudicator, and a licensed contest manager. He has served the TxETA as convention director for 13 years and served on the board of directors for five years.
The Central Campus was honored at an awards ceremony Sept. 28 in Galveston
Board approves 2024 tax rate
The San Jacinto College Board of Trustees recently approved the 2024 tax rate for the College district.
The rate approved by the Board is 15.4868 cents per $100 valuation of taxable property located within the San Jacinto Community College District, which is approximately $0.008673 (5.93%) above the prior year’s rate. It comprises an assessment for maintenance and operations (10.6954 cents) and a separate debt service tax rate (4.7914 cents).
The approved 2024 tax rate of $0.154868 is less than the voter-approved rate of $0.158151. For calendar year 2024, the average taxable value of a residence homestead in the San Jacinto Community College District is $181,988. With the adoption by the governing body of a tax rate of $0.154868 per $100 of taxable value, the amount of taxes imposed this year on the average home would be $281.84.
