The newsletter summarizes the activities of the Diversity & Inclusion Council at Houston Community College (HCC) over the past year. Key points include: 1) A system-wide Diversity Plan was created combining diversity goals and action items from each HCC campus. The plan will be available online on September 1st. 2) Brian Waddle and Laurel Barker-Edwards were elected as the new Chair and Vice Chair of the council for 2013-2015. 3) Diversity kick-off events will be held at each HCC campus starting September 1st to communicate the specific diversity objectives and gather feedback on implementing the system-wide plan.

1. Diversity & Inclusion Council
Creating an environment where differences, abilities,
and beliefs are respected
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 2 | Fall 2013
Diversity & Inclusion Council
Committee Members
Brian Waddle
Chair
Coleman
Laurel Barker-Edwards
Vice Chair
District
Linda Comte
Member
Northeast
John Reno
Member
Southeast
Joanne Hsu
Member
Northwest
Annette Lott
Member
Central
Paul Garcia
Member
Southwest
System
Shantay Grays
Ad Hoc Member
District
David Cross
Ad Hoc Member
District
For more information,
contact:
Cephas Archie,
Program Coordinator D&I
Council, at
cephas.archie@
hccs.edu
Announcing the HCC
System-wide Diversity Plan
In the spring semester of 2013, each campus – lead
by their council member, was asked to develop supporting objectives (action items) to be implemented
that address each of the five (5) district goals (Summer 2013 D&I Council Newsletter). Each district goal
and correlating objectives were combined to produce a “System-wide Diversity Plan, encompassing
”
all campuses within the HCC system.
The HCC Diversity Plan will be available for review
online on the Diversity & Inclusion Council webpage
beginning September 1. All students, faculty, staff
and administrators are encouraged to review the
system-wide plan, highlighting your campus-identified objectives, and to contribute to their successful
accomplishment. To view the full plan, visit www.
hccs.edu/diversity.
D&I Council Group photo with the current Acting Chancellor Renee Byas
HCC Diversity & Inclusion Council History and
Mission Statement
Commissioned by the Board of Trustees in 2009, the HCC Diversity & Inclusion
Council developed an overarching mission statement, “To create an environment
where differences, abilities, and beliefs are respected. This mission supported HCC’s
”
guiding principle, “Respect for the Person. Reaffirming the spirit of the college’s sys”
tem-wide mission and vision, the goal of the D&I Council is to champion the issues
of diversity and inclusion, while complimenting and supporting the initiatives of the
institutional strategic plan.
The Council is charged with exploring and enhancing the climate of diversity and
inclusion at HCC. As identified and outlined in the Council’s mission statement,
the primary goal that shapes the committee’s decisions and activities is a diverse,
all-college culture that not only reflects but also honors the local, national and global
community it serves. HCC operates under the belief that diverse student and personnel populations benefit not only the targeted and under-represented or under-served
groups, but the entire college community as well.
Diversity & Inclusion Kick-off Events:
Diversity Plan Launch Initiative
Beginning September 1st, Diversity & Inclusion kick-off events will be held at each
of the HCC colleges, and district. These events will outline and communicate the
specific college objectives within the System-wide Diversity Plan, providing HCC
community members and participants the opportunity to ask questions or
comments.
All students/organizations, faculty, staff and campus administrators are invited to
attend and participate in the positive dialogue aimed at furthering the value of diversity
and inclusion within the college culture. Be on the lookout for diversity kick-off events
scheduled on your campus this fall semester. We look forward to seeing you there!

2. Introducing the New D&I
Council Chair and Vice
Chair for 2013-2015
Ms. Linda Comte
Diversity & Inclusion Council Chair, 2011-2013
HCC Northeast
Statement from the 20112013 Chair, D&I Council
The HCC Council for Diversity and Inclusion
was created in March 2010 in a response to
a request from the HCC Board of Trustees
and, upon inception, was charged with
developing a comprehensive diversity
and inclusion plan that is aligned with the
District’s Strategic Plan. Its primary role
is to advise the Chancellor and the Board
regarding issues of diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion and to facilitate programs
and services that meet the changing needs
of HCC’s students, faculty, staff and other
stakeholders.
The Diversity & Inclusion Plan was developed through an inclusive process that
allowed many voices through volunteer
employee engagement groups and student
presentations to participate in the discussion. The Council has developed goals in
the Plan that can be expanded and interpreted to meet the specific needs of each
college and the district. Now it is time for
the college and district units to begin the
expansion of the Plan with their individual
objectives to support the Plan goals. As
the Plan is launched at each of the colleges
and the district, I hope you will take every
opportunity to participate in the dialogues
and activities.
It has been my privilege and pleasure to
serve on this Council since its inception and
to have served as Chair of the Council from
September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2013. It is
my hope that the broader HCC community
will embrace the plan, take ownership of it,
and help HCC become a known leader in
the world of diversity and inclusion.
" Inclusion is not just a matter
of putting in wheelchair ramps
and accommodating disabled
kids in public schools. Real
inclusion must occur in all
aspects of daily life."
The D&I Council is pleased to announce the
newly elected officers for 2013-2015. Officers,
both Chair and Vice Chair, were elected by
and from current members of the Council in
elections held July 18, 2013, and will serve
a two-year term, concluding September
1, 2015. Congratulations to Brian Waddle,
Director of Public Relations – HCC Coleman
College for Health Sciences, incoming
Chair, and Laurel Barker-Edwards, Executive
Secretary, Human Resources – District
Administration, incoming Vice Chair.
– Shannon Flora
District-wide Diversity
Calendar
Brian Waddle has been
an active member of the
D&I Council for the past
three (3) years, serving
HCC Coleman College for
Health Sciences.
The D&I Council welcomes all HCC
colleges to send us diversity and
inclusion related programs, events, and
services to be included in the districtwide diversity calendar. This calendar
will serve as a centralized database
for all campus and community
organizations to notify the HCC
community and promote upcoming
diversity-related events.
Laurel Barker-Edwards
has been an active member
of the D&I Council for the
past year. Laurel’s goal on
the
D&I Council is to ensure
that HCC continues to be
viewed as a diverse,
inclusive institution of higher education that
ensures equal opportunity through policy
development, workforce analysis, outreach,
retention and education to best serve our
employees and students.
Please make sure to include all
pertinent data concerning the event,
including the event title, date, location,
sponsoring organization and contact
person. Please provide a contact
number of the sanctioning advisor
or administrator for verification of all
information provided. All requests for
calendar inclusion must be submitted
at least thirty (30) days prior to the
event date, and should be emailed to
the D&I Program Coordinator, Cephas
Archie, at cephas.archie@hccs.edu.
The newly elected officers will begin their
tenure effective September 1, 2013. Join us
in congratulating your new officers as they
continue to lead the Council and District in
cultivating the ideas of diversity and inclusivity for all populations within the greater HCC
community.
Thank you for your support
The committee members of the Diversity
& Inclusion Council would like to thank the
entire HCC Community for their unwavering
commitment to the mission and purpose of
what we as a committee strive to achieve.
Without you volunteering your time and dedication, our work could not be as impactful as
it has been thus far.
Comments? Feedback? Questions?
Join the discussion through Houston Community College social media.
HCC is committed to a workplace and educational
environment free of discrimination and harassment based
upon race, color, religion, age, sex, gender expression,
gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or
sexual orientation.
Diversity & Inclusion Council
•
www.hccs.edu
•
Fall 2013