ACC’s Office of Institutional Research & Analytics (OIRA) kicked off the Data Deep Dive series on Tuesday, April 9. The first webinar in the series discussed ACC’s North Star — a 70 percent student completion rate by 2030.
More than 400 employees joined the webinar and asked over 100 questions in the live Q&A.
About the North StarAs part of ACC’s new Theory of Change, the college aims to reach a 70 percent completion rate by 2030 — our new North Star. The college’s current completion rate is 46 percent. The figure represents completions for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who graduate, complete an award, or transfer to another institution of higher education within three years.
Some of the key takeaways shared during the session include:
You can click here to view more details from the webinar or to watch the recording.
OIRA will continue its Deep Dive series over the coming weeks.
Visit oira.austincc.edu/ds/data-deep-dive for more information on the sessions and to find links to join or watch recordings. Attendees can receive professional development credit for attending.
Submitted by ACC Human Resources
Mark your calendars now to attend the 2024 Wellness Fest on Friday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the beautiful courtyard of our Eastview Campus.
There will be friendly competitions, demonstrations, and a chance to discover new resources from wellness vendors. Jordanian Mediterranean will bring their food truck, and for dessert, treat yourself to a delicious, guilt-free “water ice” from Make My Day Ice. There’ll be lots of prizes to win, too!
We’d love to know you’re coming; — RSVP here. But if you find out at the last minute you’re free, join us anyway! It’s a great chance to get out of the office, connect with your peers, and celebrate JOY!
Austin Community College District (ACC) celebrates Earth Week with more than 70 events throughout the week of Monday, April 22, through Friday, April 26. The events highlight the college’s commitment to sustainable practices. All events are free and open to ACC students, faculty, and staff.
The week will kick off with Keep Austin Beautiful Day, when volunteers from across the community join the city-wide effort to clean various parks around Austin. The cleanup will happen Saturday, April 20, near several ACC campuses, including Riverside, Northridge, Highland, and Rio Grande. Click here for more information on Keep Austin Beautiful Day.
Highlighted ACC Earth Week EventsClean As You Go Walk | Monday, April 22, 10:30-11:15 a.m. | Northridge Campus
Join the ACC STEPS program at Northridge Campus for a nature walk. Participants will check out the Wellness Walking paths and pick up litter along the way. Small prizes will be available to those who fill a bag at the end of the event.
FM2 X Sustainability Fair | Tuesday, April 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Riverside Campus
Free Meal and Farmers Market is a free farmers market at Riverside Campus where students can obtain groceries and hot meals and learn about additional resources available to them. During Earth Week, there will also be a focus on sustainable practices and what people can do to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle.
Birdhouse Painting | Wednesday, April 24, 10:30 a.m. -1 p.m. | San Gabriel Campus
Come paint birdhouses to take home, hosted by the San Gabriel Campus ACCelerator! The event is free and open to all ACC students, faculty, and staff to stop in and plant some native seeds.
Bat House Building | Thursday, April 25, 4:30-7 p.m. | Highland Campus
Come help build bat houses that will be installed at each campus. The Architecture and Engineering Department will host a hands-on building event in the A/E workshop at Highland Campus. Participants must be 18+ and show their ACC ID in the lab.
Volunteer Friday at the Farm | Friday, April 26, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | Elgin Campus
Visit the Sustainable Student Farm at Elgin Campus and join the Agricultural Science students as they tend crops and care for the animals there.
Registration is recommended for each event, but it is not required.
Other available opportunities include sustainability fairs, campus cleanups, plant parties, movie screenings, art activities, and more. All events are highlighted using the hashtags #EarthWeekACC and #sustainable ACC. These events are held in partnership with organizations around the city and community.
To see the full list of events, visit the ACC Earth Week web page.
Austin Community College District (ACC) has received several reports of a job email scam targeting students.
The email offers false internship opportunities and promises undergraduate students a remote position with flexible hours to help cover expenses. An example has been provided below:
Sample Fraudulent Email:
Subject: FROM THE OFFICE OF JOB PLACEMENT AND STUDENT SERVICES- AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Dear student,
In reference to the above subject
Austin Community College will be hiring undergraduate students this week as Interns for a remote position. The aim of this position is to help struggling students cover expenses incurred here on campus. Tasks can be carried out at leisure, taking at most 1 hour per day, 7 hours a week with a weekly pay of $450 as compensation for services rendered.
It is a Flexible Opportunity where you will determine your working time. Since this is a “Remote” Position, tasks can be carried out from home or on campus. We are currently working on a Research that would require the services of Students (Graduate/Undergraduate) of any Department of the Institution to Obtain a Remote Position in this Research.
Interested students, Kindly contact Tomas Jandik via email tjandik05@gmail.com stating your full name, email, department and year of study regarding the job description and further application requirements.
Please Note: Slots are Limited and Consideration will be given on a first come first serve basis
Best regards.
Recognizing Phishing EmailsEmail scams like this can be difficult to detect. You can recognize possible scams by looking for some of the classic signs of phishing emails:
If you receive this or any similar email, please do not respond.
Scammers typically ask respondents for financial information and may send an upfront check for students to deposit. The scammer often states the check is to be used for office supplies and may request a portion of the check back. The check then bounces and students are subject to financial penalties.
Legitimate employers will not send payment in advance asking the employee to send a portion of it back. DO NOT provide any personal information, especially Social Security numbers or financial information.
What to do nowIf you receive this or a similar scam, DO NOT respond or click on any links.
Please report suspicious emails by following the steps below:
As a security precaution, we also recommend that you change your password to help protect your account. We encourage you to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your account as well. Doing so will help secure your account.
Please notify your bank or financial institution immediately if you:
For assistance, students may contact the Student Help Desk.
Students can also access resources and tips on identifying scams through the Job Scam Alert page on the Career Services website.
If you see a job posting on Handshake that you suspect is a scam, please contact Career Services at career.services@austincc.edu or 512-223-0399.
Need help finding a legitimate job?ACC’s Career Services department is here to assist you on your path to a successful career. If you would like help searching for a job, refining your resume, mastering interview skills, and more, click here to request an appointment with a Career Specialist. Visit austincc.edu/career for more information.
Learn about the many advantages of the Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Honors Program in a new video created by Teaching & Learning Excellence Division (TLED). The video features Honors students, alums, and ambassadors discussing the program.
Watch TLED’s ACC Honors Program video below or on YouTube.
“It not only builds your resume for transferring but also provides you with a completely different type of learning. You’re in small classes, you get to know each of the other students that you’re in a class with, and you get to really dive deep into the content of the course,” says Theodore Courtois, ACC Honors Student Organization president.
About the ACC Honors ProgramACC’s Honors Program offers core curriculum courses with an emphasis on in-depth research and discussion in small classes limited to 15 students, taught by faculty who enhance their students’ academic experiences with special projects, field trips, guest lectures, and a variety of creative and experiential learning opportunities. The seminar environment allows students close interaction with faculty and other highly motivated Honors students.
The Honors Program also offers paid internships, scholarships, and leadership and service opportunities. Students who take Honors courses gain a competitive edge in transferring to four-year colleges and universities; each course receives an Honors designation on ACC transcripts.
Learn more about the Honor Program at austincc.edu/honors.
No need for a tiny pair of opera glasses to enjoy this show! There won’t be a bad seat in the house for Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Opera Workshop.
Dates: Friday, April 26 & Saturday, April 27
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: ACC Highland Campus, Building 2000, Recital Hall 2.2560
ACC’s Music Department hosts a 20-minute opera performance consisting of two one-act operas — Samuel Barber’s “A Hand of Bridge” and Lee Hoiby’s “The Scarf.” Both performances will showcase the exceptional talent and artistry of ACC students.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information about the ACC Opera Workshop and other upcoming events, click here.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo says what is happening at Austin Community College District (ACC) is a game changer. The Secretary came to ACC on Monday, April 15, to meet with students and faculty and learn more about the programs ACC is designing to prepare students for promising careers in the growing semiconductor industry.
“The work that is happening here is ahead of the game. We just came from (Samsung’s) new facility, and they told us that they’re going to build a workforce center right on the campus with you,” says Raimondo. “ACC can basically cover the spectrum of everything semiconductors need.”
This is the second time in just over a year that Secretary Raimondo has visited the college to tour ACC’s semiconductor spaces. During Monday’s visit, Raimondo met with several manufacturing students, two ACC Board members — Sean Hassan and Dr. Manny Gonzalez — ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell-Lowery Hart, and the college’s Associate Dean of Manufacturing, Dr. Laura Marmolejo.
“When you have people like the Secretary of Commerce or the Executive Director of Policy for Science and Technology come to our community to ask these questions, it confirms they know we’re here, the ones that are going to train the workers, and make all of this magic happen,” says Dr. Lowery-Hart. “They’re investing the resources in us because we’re the ones that are going to provide the workforce and lead our students to a family-sustaining wage.”
Raimondo was joined by Dr. Arati Prabhakar. Prabhakar serves as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and is Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. She also is the President’s Chief Advisor for Science and Technology, a member of the President’s Cabinet, and co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology.
During her visit to ACC, Dr. Prabhakar toured the college’s Make It Center and NXP Semiconductors Advanced Manufacturing Lab. She also sat down with students to learn more about what sparked their interests in manufacturing.
“There’s the next generation building. The scale of expansion is extraordinary, especially the big ecosystem that Samsung is building. It gives all the students the ability to see across the whole set of different disciplines and also the kinds of roles that they can have. So I see a lot at ACC that I think these students are the experts in. You’re doing it. When I think about the progress we’re making in semiconductors, I’m going to think about people like you all right here in Texas, making it happen,” says Dr. Prabhakar.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is giving Samsung $6.4 billion to help build a massive new semiconductor chip plant as part of the CHIPS Act. Both Raimondo and Dr. Prabhakar stopped by ACC after spending the early afternoon in Taylor for the new Samsung expansion announcement at their Taylor and Austin locations.
“This is a huge win for the Central Texas community and our students. ACC has been positioned well for a really long time because of the quality of our faculty and the magic that our students bring to take advantage of these opportunities when they come,” says Sean Hassan, ACC Board of Trustees Vice Chair. “This opportunity lets ACC build on what we’re already doing. Something like this allows us to be catalysts and have an exponential impact on the community.”
“This is the start of a new ecosystem that I think will dramatically change what our region looks like over the next 20 years. We’re not just going to be the epicenter for Texas or for the country in semiconductor work, but for the world,” says Dr. Lowery-Hart. “To have dignitaries from the White House and the most prominent elected officials talk about Central Texas in those terms is exciting. We should all be thrilled that Austin Community College is in the middle of all that work.”
ACC remains committed to developing critical advanced manufacturing and semiconductor workforce training programs and continues to be at the forefront of discussions about community colleges’ role in the future semiconductor industry in Texas and across the nation.
“The innovation that’s going to be able to come from the funding, we can’t even predict what’s going to happen. But I know we’re growing, and it’s not going to change,” says Lydia Chen, ACC manufacturing student. “It makes such a difference training here, touching and working with the equipment versus just in the classroom. On top of that, our instructors are all from the industry. So, the questions they can answer are specific, and we’re lucky to have such talent here.”
“We have been building relationships and working with our industry partners for a long time. It has been huge,” says Dr. Laura Marmolejo, ACC Associate Dean of Advanced Manufacturing. “We engage with them in more ways than we used to. Now, we have apprenticeships, rapid training, and customized training. We’ve grown with time, and our skill sets provide our industry partners with training that fills those gaps in the industry right now.”
Just last month, ACC announced a new partnership with the University of Texas-Austin and the Texas Institute for Electronics designed to make Central Texas a premier hub for comprehensive workforce development that will fuel the needs of America’s semiconductor industry.
The joint program will serve as a one-stop shop for an industry needing skilled labor, creating seamless and coordinated education pathways between UT and ACC to address every skill set on the semiconductor workforce continuum, ranging from equipment technician to semiconductor engineer. As part of the partnership, several UT manufacturing students also participated in Monday’s conversation with Raimondo and Dr. Prabhakar.
“This opportunity gives the students a more relevant hands-on portion that they would benefit from. Semiconductors are a specific field, and it’s hard to get that hands-on opportunity in a traditional classroom,” says Dr. Marmolejo. “With our collaboration with UT we can create a center that would reach the full spectrum of training needs the companies would have.”
View photos from the visit in our Flickr album below.
ACC’s Advanced Manufacturing Program offers stackable credentials, including entry-level skills certificates, an associate degree to help students move up in their career, and a bachelor’s degree for more advanced opportunities.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/semiconductor.
ACC’s District Clinical Counseling Services has been rebranded to Mental Health Counseling. The team is dedicated to serving all enrolled students, including Adult Education and Continuing Education students.
Counseling is available at every ACC campus with options for both in-person and telemental health (virtual) sessions. All discussions in counseling are confidential, except in cases where there is a risk of harm to oneself or others.
Students requesting an appointment can expect a response from the Mental Health Coordinator within three business days. There is no waitlist, and appointments can be scheduled within a week.
In case of a crisis, contact 911 promptly.
Visit the new Mental Health Counseling website for more information on the services offered, wellness resources, and details on how to submit counseling requests.
With the 2024 Great American Total Solar Eclipse in the rearview mirror, you can demonstrate sustainability by donating any unused and gently used eclipse glasses. The glasses will be shared with other communities that will experience an eclipse in the future.
Eclipse glasses may be dropped off at any ACC campus. At Highland Campus, collection boxes can be found at the Building 1000 and Building 2000 Information Desks. For all other campuses, inquire at the Campus Manager’s Office.
Donations will be accepted through Wednesday, April 24.
You are cordially invited to join Austin Community College District (ACC) for the 10th Annual Spring Symposium! This year’s program — “What’s Peace Got to Do With It?: Transforming Conflicts in Your Relationships, Career, and Community” — is particularly powerful because each talk, panel, and conversation is set to intellectually stimulate and offer practical skills for dealing with conflicts in transformative ways.
Date: Friday, April 19
Time: 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Location: Highland Campus, Presentation Hall (2.1550)
REGISTER HERE
This symposium is not just an event; it’s a movement toward integrating peace and conflict transformation into every aspect of our lives. The event helps enhance personal relationships, elevate careers, and contribute to community transformation.
This event is free and open to the community. The symposium is sponsored by ACC’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies in collaboration with the Arts and Digital Media Division, including the Dance, Music, and Art departments and The Art Galleries.
HighlightsThis year’s keynote speaker, Dr. George Lopez, will host a talk with faculty from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 18, at ACC Rio Grande Campus, Multimedia Room 1103. Dr. Lopez will define the role of peace studies and conflict studies across the curriculum and offer ideas about adding a Peace and Conflict Studies lens to existing course objectives across the academic and workforce disciplines. Faculty will have an opportunity to engage in Q&A and discussions. REGISTER HERE.