Margaret Ford Fisher, Chancellor, Houston City College

In an interview with Invest:, Margaret Ford-Fisher explained how Houston City College’s repositioning reflects a broader transformation in workforce education, affordability, and student opportunity. As the institution expands from associate degrees into applied baccalaureate pathways, it is aligning more closely with Houston’s labor market and creating stronger bridges from education to employment. “We want to be the college that our city, our state, nation, and the global community need,” Fisher said.

What is the thinking behind the Houston City College name change, and how does it reflect the institution’s role in Houston’s economy?
One of the things that really drives us is the fact that we want to be the college that our city, our state, nation, and the global community need. That means we need to be aware of the forces of change within our society and in the global economy, and we have to be proactive in responding to workforce needs.

The name change was important because our institutional status had changed. We moved from a Level 1 institution offering associate degrees and certificates to a Level 2 institution that can offer baccalaureate degrees. That shift had to be signaled clearly. Instead of students stopping at 60 semester credit hours for an associate degree, they can now complete 120 semester credit hours and earn a baccalaureate degree right here with us.

That change is essential because it makes our students more marketable and raises their earning potential, while not putting us in direct competition with traditional four-year universities. Our Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Applied Technology pathways are designed for students who want to move directly into the workforce with highly relevant technical and applied preparation. It creates a direct pathway for students to advance their credentials, improve their income, and remain at a community college price point.

How is this new model changing outcomes for students and families?
It changes the dynamics for families in real ways. Students who might have been capped at the associate degree level can now continue directly into a baccalaureate program and then into employment with much higher wages. In some cases, students can move from earnings in the $30,000 to $48,000 range to more than $70,000 a year, and in fields like healthcare management, even higher than that.

We are offering baccalaureate degrees in artificial intelligence and robotics, as well as healthcare management, and both are tied to in-demand jobs. In healthcare management, for example, our graduates are not only moving into strong employment opportunities, but some are also being recruited into master’s degree programs. That means the ceiling has been shattered for many students who previously may not have seen that path as accessible.

Another critical point is affordability. The price for students in our associate programs is the same for those continuing into our baccalaureate degree programs — $33 per credit hour. That keeps students from having to relocate, lose credit, or take on large amounts of debt. For many first-generation students, that can be life-changing.

How have changes in Houston’s economy and the higher education landscape reshaped your priorities?
Our priorities have absolutely shifted, and some of that has been formalized at the state level through House Bill 8, which focuses on student performance outcomes rather than just enrollments. Enrollments matter, of course, but the real emphasis now is on credentials, transfer, and workforce readiness.

The funding model is tied to high-demand occupations that business and industry need. Those include digital and information technology, healthcare, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, manufacturing, the construction trades, and transportation. We are responding directly to those needs.

Our board made $10 million available for short-term credential training in these high-demand fields. That means students can complete programs in eight weeks or in a few courses and go directly to work. One example is phlebotomy. We met with one healthcare provider who told us they needed 173 phlebotomists immediately. We offer phlebotomy training, and now that training is free through this funding. That is just one example of how responsive we are trying to be to the actual demands of the labor market.

How is the college building stronger workforce pipelines with employers, school districts, and other partners?
We are doing that in multiple ways. One is through our 14 Centers of Excellence, each of which has an industry advisory committee chaired by a representative from the industry itself. Those advisory committees tell us what is changing, what is needed, and how we should shape our curricula and programs to meet workforce needs directly.

We also have apprenticeships, P-TECH pathways, and early college high schools. Those create ways for students to earn credentials, access apprenticeships, and move more quickly into employment. Our partnerships are extensive. We work with Foxconn, Google, NVIDIA, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Intel, Apple, Johnson Controls, Microsoft, Harris Health System, Houston Methodist, BP America, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX, Tesla, and others.

With Foxconn and Apple, for example, we are involved in training connected to manufacturing expansion. With Apple, we recently received a $2 million grant to train staff and high school students in artificial intelligence. With another grant, we are the lead principal investigator with Maricopa and Miami-Dade on artificial intelligence training. We also recently hired an AI executive for the institution, and as far as I know, we are one of the first colleges in the country to do that.

These partnerships are also expanding philanthropic support, scholarship opportunities, transfer pathways, and internships. Our scholarship funding has grown from about $4 million to nearly $11 million. That reflects confidence in what we are doing and helps remove barriers for students.

How are you making education and training more accessible for residents across Houston’s diverse communities?
We are focusing on the full continuum. We know that in the city of Houston, there is a high percentage of residents who lack a high school diploma, a General Educational Development (GED) credential, or English language proficiency. We do not want residents within the inner city to be left behind when it comes to the opportunity to improve their quality of life and access good jobs.

That is why we have adult education, GED, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs at our instructional sites, so students can move seamlessly from foundational learning into short-term credential training. If someone needs English, a GED, and then eight to 16 weeks of job training to move into a good position, we want that entire pathway available.

We are also investing in returning students. Through Houston Reconnect, our board made available $9 million so that any resident who started a credential with us and did not complete it can come back and finish, and the college will cover the cost.

Then there is dual credit. Since 2006, our board has invested more than $183 million to allow high school students in our service area to earn associate degrees free of charge. That means school districts, parents, and students can access college-level learning without taking on debt. It opens up transfer opportunities, baccalaureate completion pathways, and workforce options much earlier.

What are your top priorities for the next few years, and what role do you see Houston City College playing in the region’s future growth?
My top priority is that we continue to provide opportunities for all residents of our community, irrespective of where they are academically, economically, or socially. We have to support the entire city — urban and suburban, affluent and struggling, first-generation and continuing-generation learners alike.

Houston has 26 Fortune 500 companies, along with countless smaller businesses, and all of them require talent. We want to be the institution that helps keep those companies here by producing the workforce they need. That means technical training, transfer opportunities, baccalaureate completion, career fairs, alumni mentoring, and support services — all of it.

I want us to continue building partnerships and creating pathways so that residents do not simply survive, but thrive. That is my aspiration. We want to empower all of the residents of our city through access to education, training, support, and opportunity. If we do that well, Houston City College will continue to be one of the institutions helping drive not only Houston’s economic growth, but the strength of Texas and the nation as well.