Each year, the Austin Community College District (ACC) Chancellor and Board of Trustees honor outstanding ACC faculty and staff who have been selected for the Leadership & Teaching Excellence Awards. ACC congratulates the 2024 award recipients!
Back Row: Louisa Spaventa, Jessica Hejny, Daniel Dewberry, Frank Curry, Theodore Krause, Dr. Steven Sodders. Middle Row: Travis Jackson, Dr. Wendy Elle, Tracie German, Dr. LaKisha Barrett, Dr. Daira Wilson, Tenea Harvey, Matthew Evins. Front Row: Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, Jennifer Garcia, Geneva Monroe, Melissa Vetter, Dr. Susan Warner-Sanchez, William Coode. Not Pictured: Joseph Martinez, Vincent Foster, Dr. Sadaf Sajjad The Leadership AwardsACC celebrates outstanding staff who demonstrate strong leadership and have gone above and beyond the duties listed in their job description for the ACC community.
The ACC Teaching Excellence Awards honor one full-time and one adjunct faculty member who promote special learning opportunities, student interaction, depth/breadth of knowledge in a subject area, and innovation.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty honors nursing faculty who inspire their students to remember that nursing is more than tasks and technology.
This award recognizes an outstanding ACC faculty member who has creatively utilized appropriate internet-based technologies to teach online and/or hybrid courses at ACC.
The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) has emphasized the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education.
The Piper Professor Nominee Award is a statewide award that recognizes outstanding full-time faculty in the teaching profession.
In recognition of the long tradition of excellence in community college teaching and leadership, the League Excellence Awards (formerly Roueche Award) celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty and staff.
Learn more by visiting our 2024 Awards Celebration webpage. Congratulate the awardees by visiting our dedicated Padlet to offer words of encouragement and support!
For questions, contact the Faculty Development team at facdev@austincc.edu.
More than 480 ACC employees registered to attend Spring Development Day 2024. The 2024 theme was “The Power of Love: Inspiring Change and Innovation,” which explored how love, empathy, and compassion could be powerful catalysts for positive change and innovation in both personal and professional contexts.
The event was held Friday, January 12, and featured a day full of synchronous online workshops and a hybrid (online/in-person) keynote address.
The workshops offered attendees the opportunity to improve their creativity and wellness; develop new technical talents, teaching techniques, and interpersonal skills; and network and collaborate. Workshop topics included purpose and belonging, emotional intelligence, artificial intelligence, course design, and more.
ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart delivered the keynote address in person at the ACC Highland Campus, and watch parties were held at the ACC Round Rock and ACC Hays campuses. Three hundred people attended the keynote online and over 80 attended in person at one of the three campuses.
If you could not attend Spring Development Day 2024 or would like to rewatch the workshops or keynote, recordings are now available on the Spring Development Day webpage.
Two ACC students recently had the opportunity to work with NASA. They share their experiences and how they have taken their passions out of this world.
Juan Manuel Monsivais-PeñaImagine working side-by-side with NASA engineers to dissect challenges and develop solutions.
Austin Community College District (ACC) student Juan Manuel Monsivais-Peña doesn’t have to imagine — he just lived the experience.
Thousands of students across the nation applied for the special NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program, and Juan was one of a select few hand-picked for the journey.
He worked with teams at NASA on a series of missions to develop possible solutions for current challenges faced by NASA.
“I was surprised that I was given an offer to join. I didn’t think I would qualify when I found the opportunity, but I submitted my application. When I was told I was selected, I realized that, regardless of doubting my skills and myself, pushing myself is the way to go.”
NCAS gives community college STEM students an authentic NASA experience and encourages them to finish an associate degree and transfer to a four-year university to pursue a NASA-related field. Juan plans to complete his General Studies degree in spring 2024, followed by finishing his second degree in Biology by the end of the year.
“After this experience and being at Ames Research Center, I decided to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin and would like to pursue Astrobiology.”
Juan completed all three NCAS missions, which helped him build on all the skills he was learning.
“Every step of the way taught you something you could apply to the next mission. Mission 1 taught us how to research and condense our information. Mission 2, we were assigned into teams and worked only for a week with no prior introductions, straight into teamwork and research. In Mission 3, we worked with an assigned team for two weeks online to do research for a drone proposal. We then went onsite at Ames Research Center.”
The experience provided Juan with the training and opportunity to see where he wanted to go and pursue his career.
“I hope to intern and even get a job working with NASA. This opportunity shows people how NASA works. You get to learn about the experiences and the journey. I feel that we put NASA workers in this place — they are above people because they’re so smart, and in reality, they are down-to-earth people.”
Ronald NgambyThinking about pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Accounting, your first thought might be working in a standard office setting. For ACC student Ronald Ngamby, he was surprised to find that he could apply to NASA as a Business major.
Ronald is back from completing his third mission with the special NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program. He began at ACC in August 2021 and plans to transfer to either the University of Texas at Austin or Texas A&M at College Station. Read more about his story below.
Written by Ronald Ngamby, ACC Business Administration and Accounting Student
GETTING STARTED: MISSION 1
I applied to the NASA program because I was looking for internships first. I realized the internships I was looking at would force me to move to Houston, and I couldn’t do that. When I saw NCAS Mission 1 Discover was a virtual program, I said, “Why not?” and went for it.
My mindset was you always have a chance when you apply, but when you never try to apply, you have zero chance to make it. When I found out I was selected, I was ecstatic. I was surprised because when you think of NASA, you think only of STEM-related fields, but that’s not true. NASA has jobs for almost every major.
The five-week program started in the summer of 2023. We learned and researched NASA’s mission goals and multiple directorates. We would submit papers answering specific questions about these directorates and explaining what we learned. At the end of the program, we created a final infographic, putting together all the knowledge we gained from Mission 1. In Mission 1, there are around 300 students, but on Mission 2, there are around 180 students. In my experience, doing your work on time, answering all the questions properly, and finishing each assignment will allow you to continue to Mission 2.
MOVING FORWARD: MISSION 2
There are two sets of Mission 2, but instead of five weeks like Mission 1, it’s one week in the fall. My Mission 2 was to Explore, where we were put in a team of 10 and assigned to a specific role. In this mission, you simulate a job and work with a team to create a presentation for NASA panelists. The challenge we were given was to land a rover on the moon and explain its purpose and what we would achieve. For my specific role, I was a Floor Specialist operationalist. In simple terms, I’m supposed to map out the coordinates of the moon where we will land, our travel plan, and what we are doing on the moon’s surface.
Yes, you’re probably wondering how the heck I did that in a week. Trust me, NASA gives you lots of valuable resources and has professionals in each job you’re assigned. You go to meetings every day so you can understand what’s going on. It seems like a lot, but it will be alright if you work with your team and ensure you have fun.
The NASA panelists will also have questions and critiques once you finish Mission 2. To be accepted into Mission 3: Innovate, you must combine the individual scores of your Mission 1 and Mission 2.
THE FINAL OPPORTUNITY: MISSION 3
Mission 3 is a three-week program. The first two weeks are virtual and hosted online. The third week is an opportunity to meet in person at a NASA research center.
For me, I was flown to the AMES Research Center in San Jose, California. Before you can make it there, you must work in a team of 10 to face a given challenge. Our specific challenge revolved around the NASA Advance Air Mobility program (AAM), specifically Consumer Enterprise and goods and services.
The goal was to identify a problem and propose a potential solution. During the two weeks online, we worked to create a final proposal that we would then present to NASA panelists in person. Once you get to the in-person portion, you get to tour the NASA research center, learn more about what they do at that specific center, and even talk to amazing people at NASA.
We also visited the University of California, Berkeley, which was an incredible experience. It’s a great networking opportunity, learning experience, and a fun time. This also helps you with presenting skills and the pressure of speaking to people you may not be comfortable speaking to. You will learn more about yourself taking on these missions and learn to work with a team.
Don’t worry about what major you’re studying or if you think you’re not up to the challenge. Anyone can do this, especially if you come into it with an open mind and ready to learn. You will surprise yourself with your capabilities, and I know that all ACC students can tackle this challenge or any other opportunities that ACC or the world provides. Just believe in yourself, because I’m just a business major who was able to go to space.
Austin Community College District (ACC) Executive Vice Chancellor of Operations & Public Affairs, Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm, will retire in August 2024 after more than 12 years of service to the college and the Central Texas community.
Since joining ACC in September 2012, Dr. Malcolm has led the development and growth of the college’s government and community relations programs, as well as the college’s safety and operations initiatives.
“It has been my honor to serve ACC and our community for the past 12 years. This journey has been an immensely fulfilling chapter of my life,” says Dr. Malcolm. “Education is in my DNA. I started my career as an educator — teaching and counseling young students in the public schools. I was elected to the Texarkana College Board of Trustees in 2006, which launched my career in higher education and passion for building partnerships that bring us together for a common cause. ACC became a home for that very mission, and for more than a decade, I have devoted my time and energy to serving this college, our students, employees, and the community at large.”
“It’s difficult to imagine an ACC without the touch of Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm. She is someone who brings that rare combination of wisdom, integrity, and compassion into everything she does. I’m proud and honored to call her my colleague and my friend,” says Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, ACC Chancellor. “When you think of the many incredible achievements of this college over the past decade, Molly Beth has been there — an instrumental figure in our good work. She is someone who truly embodies our mission to serve, and the programs, initiatives, and progress she made will resonate long into the years to come.”
We sat down with Dr. Malcolm to discuss some of the brightest highlights of her time with ACC and her plans for retirement.
Dr. Malcolm’s last day as executive vice chancellor of Operations & Public Affairs of Austin Community College District will be August 31, 2024.
The recently announced Austin Infrastructure Academy takes a significant step forward with the establishment of a physical presence at Austin Community College District (ACC).
On Friday, March 22, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson hosted a press conference at the college’s Riverside Campus to announce the new development. View photos from the event here.
“ACC is a gem in our community and adds so much to Central Texas. They have a proven history of building the training programs our employers are looking for and the educational pathways that lead to family-supporting careers — not just jobs. I am confident that through our work together, in the coming months of engagement will result in a best-in-class Infrastructure Academy that truly creates opportunities and changes lives right here in Austin, Texas,” says Mayor Watson.
“ACC is the number one workforce trainer in our region. It’s our purpose and mission to create the educational and training programs that can lead Central Texans into well-paying, promising careers. We’re proud to join the city and the entire coalition of partners to support the Austin Infrastructure Academy,“ says ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. “We’re starting first at our Riverside Campus where we have the facilities we need to upskill and train students immediately in programs like welding, construction, heavy-machinery operation, electric fleet maintenance, and HVAC. But this is just the beginning. Our vision is to create a permanent home base for the Academy at our land in Southeast Travis County.”
Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Austin Councilmembers José Velásquez and Leslie Pool, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) representative Jeremy Hendricks, and vice president/Austin metro executive for consulting firm AECOM, Karen Campbell, joined the press event.
“I am excited about the partnerships that have gotten us to today and even more excited about the work ahead. The Academy will be a significant step forward in the emerging public-private network that integrates recruitment, training, and student support. Ultimately, it will help local students access mobility and construction careers,” says Mayor Watson.
The Austin Infrastructure Academy integrates seamlessly into ACC’s campus plans. In 2022, ACC voters approved a General Obligation bond that included the construction of a skilled trades campus at the college’s Southeast Travis County land — located near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
About the AcademyThe Austin City Council voted in early March 2024 to launch the Infrastructure Academy. It’s part of a $25 billion investment in mobility infrastructure which includes Project Connect, a planned airport expansion, IH-35 reconstruction, and other infrastructure projects.
The Academy will be a training hub that will contribute to an already robust network of community-based and union-based training programs.
Planning for the Academy will be a collaborative process that will continue over the coming months. Programs created and offered through the Academy will be designed to support real-time needs identified by both job creators and job seekers. It will include both education and training as well as support services to help guide students from training to job placement.
Why It’s NeededIn 2023, Workforce Solutions Capital Area developed a comprehensive needs analysis that determined the local talent pipeline would need to train and upskill an additional 4,000 workers each year beyond what we currently are producing to meet the needs of the mobility projects.
“Our region continues to be one of the fastest-growing in the country,” says Judge Brown. “Many workers, job seekers, and employers across Texas are looking to (our region) as an example, not only as a jobs creator but also as a model for how a community can come together to upskill workers, assist employers, and support working families.”
The Austin Infrastructure Academy stems from a yearlong public-private collaboration led by Mayor Watson and Judge Brown. The Mobility & Infrastructure Partnership brought together representatives from public project sponsors, job creators, workforce training providers, and local trade unions to ensure local residents have the means to create careers and financial security for their families.
ACC faculty and staff are invited to drop by an EdTech Open House in April to learn tips and tricks for tools available at the college.
The EdTech Open Houses are opportunities for employees to discover technology-based strategies that can be implemented in their daily work.
The Open Houses are facilitated by knowledgeable Educational Technologists who can answer your questions and help you learn how to apply these tools in your role at the college.
EdTech Open HousesChaptGPT Prompts
Date: Wednesday, April 10
Time: 10 a.m. – Noon
Description: Master ChatGPT prompt writing for personalized education! Create tailored content, interactive experiences, and efficient resources.
Register Here
Instructional Designers
Date: Wednesday, April 24
Time: 10 a.m. – Noon
Description: Connect with Office of Academic Technology (OAT) instructional designers! They’re here to elevate your curriculum with tech integration to ensure accessibility, engagement, and ADA compliance.
Register Here
For questions, contact Cori Coburn at cori.coburn@austincc.edu.
Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Mental Health Counseling team works to support our Riverbats through Suicide Prevention Awareness. The event will provide helpful information and resources to our community to help prevent suicide and promote mental health awareness.
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, April 10
Location: ACC Highland Campus, Building 1000, Social Staircase
Attendees will learn how to support their peers without judgment, discover mental health resources, identify ways to help, and meet with and learn from our ACC Mental Health counselors.
Staff and faculty are encouraged to attend and help spread the word to students and colleagues.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/mental-health-counseling.
To allow students more time and support to navigate the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, Austin Community College District (ACC) extends the priority deadline for the 2024-25 school year. The deadline for current and future students to apply is now Wednesday, May 1.
The new FAFSA form is designed to expand eligibility. It’s the first step we encourage students to take if they want financial aid. By applying, they can get access to grants, scholarships, work-study, or loans.
Our financial aid experts are here to help students explore their options, complete the new application, and connect with funds for college.
Encourage students to complete the FAFSA soon. Financial aid is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Students can visit austincc.edu/financialaid for more information or to connect with 1-on-1 support.