Hadley thanks students, encourages any input

Erma Johnson-Hadley
Erma Johnson-Hadley

THANK YOU, COLLEGIAN AND STUDENTS

Please accept my warmest thanks for the thoughtful editorial in the April 7 issue of The Collegian. It is, indeed, an exciting time for Tarrant County College, its student, the faculty and staff, and the community. I, too, think we are headed in the right direction, and I could not agree more that work remains to be done.

Thank you also for your suggestions. They are most welcome, as will be all suggestions for ways in which TCC might improve the way we serve our students. Such suggestions deserve responses, and here are my responses to the two issues you raised.

Child care on campus is something with which we have wrestled for many years. If it were easy, we would have done it by now, but it isn’t easy. There are serious questions, among which are cost and liability. We are exploring, however, a partnership with Camp Fire USA, which has a program of linking large employers with privately run child care facilities. We recently sent a survey to all employees to gauge their interest. We shall also include our students in the survey to bring more information into the equation.

As for greater communication and interaction among other top administrators, students and me, I am always glad … no, make that eager … to share information about what TCC is doing with anyone who will stand still and listen. I am certainly willing to having open forums, not only with students, but also with employees and the public. We can even broaden the reach of these forums by using interactive technology that will allow anyone with a computer to participate.

Finally, you encourage me to “keep it up.” Don’t worry. Not only I, but also the administrative leadership team, and the faculty leadership have been hard at work on TCC Vision 2015, a new Strategic Plan to take the College far beyond the boundaries we now know. Our journey will not be without difficulties. You may have heard that our state funding will very likely be reduced by 5 percent this and next year. If state funding is reduced, it will necessitate our examining all current expenditures in order to continue to serve our students in a manner that helps you reach your goals. Let me assure you, however, that whatever actions we take will in no way diminish our commitment to your access to quality and to student success.

Yes, it will be exciting, and I welcome student participation in our discussions. To that end, I have scheduled visits to each campus during the week of April 26 where I shall be available to meet with students, faculty and staff to receive your comments and suggestions and to answer your questions. I look forward to working with you.

— Erma Johnson-Hadley, 

TCC chancellor