College making strides, Riza says

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon College is back in session this week with late registration continuing through Friday.

Students began their spring classes on Tuesday, but college faculty and staff were back in force last Thursday during All College Day for orientation.

President Robert Riza addressed his employees that day and gave them a positive outlook on a college that he said is headed in the right direction.

“We are changing the culture of this college,” Riza said. “That’s a positive thing, and we’re making strides.”

Fully one year into the Riza administration, the president said morale, communications, and employee pay have been improved and that a new survey of employee views will be conducted soon.

Riza discussed the expected implications for community colleges with the 84th Texas Legislature getting underway, where he said transportation, water, and education are expected to be the biggest issues for state lawmakers.

For the first time, all associations representing community colleges and the colleges themselves are all speaking with one voice before the Legislature, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is recommending funding two-year schools with a total of more than $2 billion.

Here at home, Riza said Clarendon continues to prepare for its upcoming reaccreditation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools as well as working to improve student services and strengthen the cohesion between CC and the communities it serves.

CC also continues to work toward identifying programs for expansion. A new Technical/Industrial Maintenance certification program going before the Board of Regents this week is expected to have broad appeal in the college service area, CC online dual credit classes are poised for expansion beyond the service area, and the administration continues fostering partnerships with business and industry.

College faculty have also led the way in redesigning how CC approaches developmental education. The fall was the first semester for a program, which immerses students who would otherwise be placed in developmental classes straight in to regular college classes but with additional tutoring. Riza announced a 77 percent pass rate for college algebra and said redesigning developmental classes for English would be next.

Riza bragged on his employees when discussing the upcoming development of a district-wide master plan, noting that college has the right team in place and that it just needs to prioritize its resources.

“I appreciate the job you are doing,” Riza concluded. “It impacts a lot of lives.”