Sugar Land. Only 29 minutes
this morning. Alright
Nordstrom’s, I’ll see you
later. A lot going on in the
political world and an
education. Joining us now is
Khambrel Marshall with a look
ahead at Houstonnewsmakers.
Good morning.
>> Good morning to you. I got
to tell you had an interesting
conversation that I had and one
that I hope a lot of folks will
look forward to with Harris
County Precinct, 4 commissioner
this Levy on talked up already.
Thank you. Delightful woman.
She is been on the job now for
7 months after defeating Jack
Cagle in last year’s election.
And let’s just say she didn’t
waste any time at all. Getting
the work. We talk about what
she’s been able to accomplish
in the first 7 months,
including one effort that has
resulted in more criminal
courts for Harris County.
Something I was surprised to
learn hadn’t happened in quite
some time.
>> The former judge and me
another exciting initiatives
that my team and I were able
to spearhead as we will be
getting 6 additional criminal
district courts in Harris
County. I was shocked to learn
that. Imagine all of the growth
we have had in Harris County
in the growth. We will continue
having we had only received one
new criminal district court
since 1985. So my team and I
went to Austin and we have
successfully received 6 new
criminal district courts.
Meanwhile, we’re continuing
the investment in these
visiting judges to help clear
the backlog. We’ve made 42%
progress in the back lot.
But there’s more work to be
done. So one of those courts be
available to me.
>> 3 will take effect this fall
and 3, the following fall.
So also this week we talk
college education. In this
case, the unique efforts being
undertaken by consortium of
13 Houston area colleges and
universities to help students
much more efficiently navigate
from community college and into
and through four-year
universities. This call Houston
guided pathway to success where
GPS for short, uh, the
president. Doctor Lauren
Blanchard is the chair of the
group and he talked about the
challenge.
We see students who going into
either acquire a bit of an
associate’s degree.
>> And our baccalaureate
degree, meaning that
transferring over to get that
baccalaureate degree and it’s
taking them so much time in
order to get that degree
completed. Now, some of it is
based on the fact that the
students, many of them are
adult learners. And so they’ve
got life issues as well as
family issues to take care of.
But others really do want to
complete those degrees in a
timely manner and that it
becomes the burden of the
responsibility of the campuses
to understand what standing in
their way.
>> So one of the community
college is taking part in the
consortium is San Jacinto
College Doctor Laurel
Williamson, the assistant
deputy chancellor in college.
President. She lays out how
they make sure that students
entering the community college
always looking beyond just the
2 years at their school and in
ways that don’t waste their
time or money.
>> We have designed our entire
entry process and advising
process to make sure that
students make decisions early
so they don’t have those excess
credit that ride. So they come
in and we begin immediately to
talk about transfer and
careers. And what is it that
you’d like to do? And then we
map degree program through the
bachelor’s degree. We don’t
just stop at the associate
degree. So we if they go
Prairie View AM they go to
Texas Southern that it would uh
they know what all 4 years
looks like and they know what
courses they have to take and
they know their direction and
they know what job they’re
looking for. What the salaries
are and how many job openings
are in the Houston Metropolitan
Area.
>> Think about that. Very
interesting process where
basically they’re hyper
guidance Council to get
involved because you to take
classes you may not need later
on when they say no, no, don’t
take that. You’re paying for
that and you’re wasting time.
So they do that. Just a great,
great, great program.
>> Yeah. And actually in
hindsight that so that’s a big
issue I had with my own college
education is I I wish somebody
would have guided me a little
bit. Probably now we have that
Houston GPS. I love it. All