Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees adopted a 2020-21 budget on Oct. 29 that avoids the loss of staff and increases general fund reserves to $31.3 million despite state budget shortfalls created by the pandemic. The College has anticipated no increases from the state in funding over 2019-20 levels and will receive no cost-of-living adjustment. The unrestricted general fund budget estimates $92.2 million in revenue and $91.4 million in expenditures.
Río Hondo College’s Student Success and Dream Center will host a Virtual Undocumented Student Week of Action from Monday, Oct. 19 to Friday, Oct. 23 that carries the theme of “Dream to Believe.” This is the fourth annual celebration of the week, which is designed to build connections within the community of undocumented students, strengthen connections with the greater college community and advocate for community and government support.
ío Hondo College has been ranked the 15th best college in the nation overall for serving Hispanic students and third for awarding Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Degrees by Hispanic Outlook on Education magazine. The rankings, announced on Oct. 12, mark Río Hondo College’s latest appearance in the list of Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics, which is published annually by Hispanic Outlook on Education. The list charts the national progress of Hispanics in higher education and recognizes institutions committed to serving Hispanics’ educational needs.
Río Hondo College will host a Vote Center in the Campus Inn from Friday, Oct. 30 through Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3 as part of a program designed to ensure maximum community access to voting opportunities. Río Hondo College is one of multiple community partners hosting the centers as part of the Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) program. VSAP enables voters to cast ballots with new, accessible ballot marking devices.
Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on Oct. 14 passed a resolution authorizing an election on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 to fill its open Trustee Area Seat 1. The seat became vacant in July when Norma Edith García stepped down.
Río Hondo College has received $2.68 million in federal grants to expand coaching services that encourage persistence and retention of low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities who face significant barriers to higher-education success. The grants are provided by the Department of Education’s TRIO programs, a collection of eight programs that serve student groups with high needs. Río Hondo received two grants: A TRIO-Regular grant that will provide $1.42 million over five years to serve 165 students and a TRIO-STEM grant that will provide $1.26 million over five years for 124 students.
Río Hondo College will launch an intensive program to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies for students, including scientific research thanks to a $2.8 million, five-year Department of Education Title V grant. The grant will fund Enlace, a pilot program that will provide services to STEM students with a focus on low-income, first-generation, Hispanic students. More than 56% of Río Hondo students are high-need, low-income, first-generation students. More than 80.25% are Hispanic.
Río Hondo College this fall kicked off a Student Success Teams initiative to assist students as they pursue their academic goals, including access to online Career Coach and Programs of Study sites. The Career Coach offers a self-paced personal survey to help students make choices about academic and career choices that align with their strengths and interests. The Programs of Study site provides information about the array of certificates and degrees offered at Río Hondo. The Student Success Teams are trained to support students in making decisions about class schedules, financial aid, transfer applications, work readiness and counseling support.
Río Hondo College Board of Trustees Seeks Applicants to Fill Vacancy
Río Hondo College Board of Trustees is seeking applicants to serve the remaining term of District 1 trustee Norma Edith García, who stepped down from the governing board in July. The board expects to conduct interviews and appoint a new member in September. The new member will serve until García’s term ends in December 2022. Individuals interested in being considered must submit a Declaration of Appointment form and a brief resume by 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3. Information is available at www.riohondo.edu/board-vacancy.
Río Hondo College Recognized for COVID-19 Response, Collaboration
Río Hondo College has been recognized by The RP Group Impact & Insights publication for responding in a time of crisis and expertly modeling collaboration that unites a large cross-section of educators. Led by Río Hondo’s student success team, educators identified three main areas of support: academic, basic and community (the ABCs). The ABCs resource plan initiated an increase in technology resources, including an expanded capacity for Zoom and Canvas lectures. Students can access Chromebooks, calculators and hotspots from the library check-out service during the first three weeks of the semester and by appointment after Saturday, Sept. 5. Río Hondo has also launched a virtual welcome center, complete with Zoom rooms and live chats to support students.
