HOUSTON – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recognized Lone Star College-North Harris as a recipient of the 2021 Star Award on Thursday, Dec. 2, at this year’s Leadership Conference.
LSC-North Harris is one of 10 higher education institutions across the state selected for the Star Award because of its outstanding response to COVID-19. The criteria for the award were based on a clear demonstration of implementing strategies to ensure the health, safety, and success of our community through partnership and innovative and creative strategies.
“This award validates that the return to building plans developed by the Chief Operating Officer and implemented by LSC-North Harris was effective in doing its part in training and certifying essential personnel, and getting them into the workforce, even in the midst of the pandemic,” said Dr. Archie L. Blanson, president, LSC-North Harris.
The college’s response to COVID-19 began by shifting nearly 75% of classes online while still making traditional resources available through online access. Each building on campus displayed signage to ensure social distancing and the latest CDC guidelines, along with a thorough check-in process, including temperature checks and online sign-in for contact tracing.
To help students adapt to the changes on campus, the college created a web page providing updates to campus protocols, important contact information, and links to resources about mental health and ways to stay connected. Campus leadership also participated in a series of videos offering reassurance and helpful tips for taking online classes to students through videos shared on the college’s social media platforms.
Throughout the pandemic, partnerships provided the opportunity to offer COVID-19 testing onsite when needed through the Harris County Health Department, along with two vaccination clinics with the help of HEB.
“We’re honored that this recognition highlights our commitment to student success and the well-being of our community,” said Dr. Blanson.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2021 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and ranked 35th in Texas in the Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers By State’ list. LSC consists of seven colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
