The Riverbats Employee Bravo Awards program recognizes employees whose actions reflect exemplary customer service, as demonstrated by excellent communication, collaboration, or responsiveness in support of ACC’s mission, vision, and values.
Riverbats Employee Bravo Award Program winners are eligible for the Riverbats Excellence Award given during the fall and spring semesters to one employee from each campus.
ACC congratulates the following Riverbats Employee Excellence award recipients for spring 2024.
Cypress Creek Campus
Yvette Muñoz
Elgin Campus
Cassidy Reid
Eastview Campus
Sean Loraas
Hays Campus
Isiah “Ike” Edwards
Highland Business Center
Leilani Salinas
Highland Campus
Kiran Paragsingh
Northridge Campus
Katherine Brady
Rio Grande Campus
Karla De La Rosa
Riverside Campus
James Loomis
Round Rock Campus
Kendall Dingee
San Gabriel Campus
Cinthia Reyes
Service Center
Alan Martinson
South Austin Campus
Kenroy Burke
Visit the Riverbats Employee Bravo Awards Program webpage to learn about the program, view award criteria, or access a nomination form.
For more information, contact Gabriela Guerrero at gguerro@austincc.edu.
This summer, 161 students are traveling to 10 different countries for unique learning experiences through ACC’s Study Abroad Program. These students have helped the program make history—this year’s numbers are an 83% increase over summer 2023 and are 75% more than highest number of students sent abroad in a single summer.
This is also the first year that every single program offered for summer 2024 recruited enough students to take place. They even had to add an additional section for the Japanese II program.
Several factors may have contributed to the increase in numbers.
“First, I think many students are ready to travel after three years of the pandemic. Second, we increased our marketing efforts, working closely with faculty and department chairs and the Office of College Relations and Marketing to spread the word about study abroad,” says Sharon Miller, Interim Director of ACC International Programs.
Additionally, students interested in applying must complete an advising session first. Miller said that they increased the number of advising sessions and added several dates for “open house, group advising” sessions.
“Finally, we developed a video advising session utilizing Panopto, which allowed ACC students to get advised by watching a video and taking a series of quizzes to prove that they understood the information,” she said. “Although we only got these up and running in January 2024, an additional 60 students were able to complete the required advising session. With these changes, we were able to advise 405 students, compared to 254 last year—a 60% increase.”
Of those 405 students, 252 submitted an application.
Miller plans to have video advising sessions for the summer 2025 study abroad programs complete by the end of August 2024 and expects numbers to be even greater next year.
This summer’s study abroad programs are:
The programs take place during the summer semester. Students join faculty to study abroad for two to four weeks. Before departure, students must attend a pre-departure session. The first program this summer departed on May 19.
About Study AbroadThe benefits of studying abroad are vast and include earning credits toward a degree while exploring a foreign country, participating in multicultural exchange, enhancing the value of a degree with an expanded worldview, advancing foreign language skills, making friends and an international network, developing “soft skills” that are sought after by companies, increasing employability, and standing out on university applications or a resume.
To be eligible, students must be 18 years or older by the program departure date and in good academic standing by the end of the fall semester.
Learn more at austincc.edu/studyabroad.
ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart held his first Virtual Employee Town Hall of the summer semester on Friday, June 7. More than 850 employees joined the discussion on Zoom.
This month’s town hall focused on audit updates, the college’s Theory of Change process, and opportunities for employees to reconnect and refresh this summer.
Below are highlights from the discussion, with links to read more about some of the topics.
Theory of Change Design ProcessThe college’sTheory of Change website is now live. Dr. Samantha Croft, one of the tri-chairs of the Theory of Change Steering Committee, provided an update on the Theory of Change process.
Dr. Croft said that the Design Team co-chairs have been selected and were announced last month in the FacStaff InfoHub.
The committee and the co-chairs are now deep in the process of Design Team selection. Notifications to the selected nominees will go out by or before June 28 and will be announced at the July 12 Virtual Employee Town Hall.
The steering committee is also working on other opportunities for nominees who aren’t selected for a specific Design Team—tentatively called the Theory of Change Institute—which will launch in the fall.
She encouraged employees with questions to use the “Connect” button found at the bottom of the Theory of Change website.
Updates on AuditsExternal auditing firm McConnell Jones has completed the internal audit of the Security, Safety, and Operations departments. The findings focus on areas that need improvement regarding processes, structures, and efficiencies. Read more here.
July ResetThe Chancellor asks employees to reset where they can over the summer. He proclaimed the first week of July as No Meeting Week. He said that this may look different for everyone but the intention is for employees to reconnect with each other, get organized, and get some things off their plates.
Russell also announced that every Friday in July will be No Email Fridays. His goal is to help employees who are “drowning in emails” that make them feel burdened over the weekend. He is asking employees to step away and recharge where they can.
These opportunities will look different for everyone and employees are expected to use their judgment. “This is about how we honor and support each other. I’m not asking you to ignore students or classes, I’m asking you to use your common sense and figure out how to reconnect and recenter,” he said.
Rumor BustingQ: Why was BRASS updated from Black to Bold in the spelled-out acronym?
A: That is in response to Senate Bill 17 and Student Affairs leadership will communicate that change.
Q: Are there plans to remodel the Eastview Campus?
A: Eastview Campus is one of the 2022 Bond Projects currently moving forward. Learn more HERE.
Q: Will there be an audit of IT operations and policies?
A: Ultimately all operations will be audited as part of the process. However, it will take years to get around to all functions. Later this year we will develop a multiyear audit plan and all operations will be prioritized in terms of timing in that plan. That audit plan will be shared on the college’s new internal audit informational web page..
Q: Any update on Southeast Travis (SET) and the health science building coming at the Hays Campus (HYS)?
A: We have paused our work on SET and HYS while we take a good look at what our students and our communities need. A cabinet work group is focused on building a recommended decision process for when and how we make decisions related to bonds.
Q: We do not currently allow students or employees to have their preferred name printed on their ID badges. This is unfair for our transgender students and employees who have changed their preferred name as part of their transition.
A: We are about to implement a new student ID system. We should make sure this functionality is included in that implementation. I will mention this to the group working on the project. As for employees, I will ask why this isn’t happening.
Q: Operations & Safety involve making campuses accessible. There are accessibility issues that haven’t been fixed in 10 years (doors not opening, doors not having accessibility options to move throughout the college).
A: We have a firm doing a complete Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) audit of all facilities right now. We expect that report, with recommendations, to be completed in early fall. There are representatives from Facilities, Student Accessibility Services, and Safety working with the consultant on that analysis.
Q: Do we have an update on the employee benefit for tuition for dependents?
A: More information here and to come.
View the recording and the entire Q&A transcript on the Virtual Employee Town Hall web page.
Is your work actually helping, what kind of effect is it having, and how are you communicating it? These are all questions 30 nonprofit professionals from Austin, Bastrop, San Antonio, and Waco addressed while participating in ACC’s new Certificate in Measuring Social Impact & Effective Storytelling.
The certificate program is a joint initiative between Nonprofit Austin at ACC and the Carl C. Anderson Sr. & Marie Jo Anderson Foundation. The Foundation provided $60,000 for course development and tuition for the inaugural class, who were all Anderson Foundation grant recipients.
The new certificate program helps direct service providers measure the social impact of their work. An ongoing commitment to measurement allows nonprofits to determine what works and what doesn’t so they can improve services over time.
Participants learned how to embed social impact evaluation into the culture and operations of a nonprofit, as opposed to a task that is entirely outsourced to consultants.
“The entire team plays a role from the executive director to the communications director and frontline staff,” says Barry Silverberg, Nonprofit Austin executive director. “It helps those enrolled in the Certificate to reorient their focus from measurement as a compliance activity or ‘thumbs up, thumbs down’ assessment of effectiveness to evaluation as the foundation for organizational learning and program improvement.”
The next class will launch in January 2025. It is open to anyone interested. Registration begins in October 2024.
Interested parties should sign up for Nonprofit Austin’s newsletter at nonprofitaustin.org or contact Barry Silverberg at bsilverb@austincc.edu.
Work is moving forward on the Applied Technology expansion at Austin Community College District (ACC) Round Rock Campus, near Building 5000. The design process began in September 2023, and the design development was completed in May 2024.
PBK Architects, Inc. is the lead architecture firm for the Round Rock Campus expansion. They are now working to issue a 50% complete construction document set by the end of June to move forward with issuing a pricing set with the construction management team. A Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) proposal for the site and buildings is expected in July and August.
The expansion will be done in a two-phase project.
Phase I is on track to begin in November 2024. It includes two new buildings. Building 5500 is a 22,400-square-foot building that will provide space for Advanced Manufacturing, Heating, and Air Conditioning Repair Technology, and a future new program for an electrician certificate. Building 4000 is a 36,000-square-foot building, which will be a new building for the Automotive Technology program that includes dedicated space for their partnership with Toyota, called T-Ten, and, potentially, a new Battery Electric Vehicle space in the future.
View full Flickr albumPhase II includes space in Building 5000, which will also be partially renovated. Space that will be vacated by Automotive Technology when they move into the new Building 4000 will be repurposed as expansion labs for Welding Technology. Minor renovations will also occur in the Building Construction Technology space to improve storage efficiency and provide a new tech office.
Additional improvements will be made to the outdoor workyard to expand capacity for Building Construction sites and outdoor work areas for other programs associated with the buildings.
Learn more about ACC’s 2022 Bond projects at austincc.edu/bond.
Spread the word to your students! ACC’s Career Services hosts the Austin City Limits Music Fest Job Fair on Saturday, June 29, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Highland Campus. Students will have the opportunity to network, attend workshops, and hear directly from leaders in the live music and entertainment industries.
The job fair will showcase vendors from various festival departments within C3 Presents, the production company behind ACL Music Festival, Austin Food + Wine, Two Step Inn, and Besame Mucho. Along with Austin-based entertainment companies, additional vendors will include hospitality and culinary services, local arts and culture organizations, trade unions, and more.
The event will feature workshops on career readiness for the entertainment industry, a panel with leaders in live music entertainment, and networking opportunities.
Students can register for the event on handshake here.
For more information, contact Tatiana Randolph at tatiana.randolph@austincc.edu or Joshua Carrierre at joshua.carrierre@austincc.edu.
The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees will host a public hearing on ACC’s potential annexation of Lockhart Independent School District (LISD) territory. The board unanimously certified a petition from residents of the territory during its regular May meeting.
Lockhart ISD Annexation Public Hearing
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Lockhart Independent School District Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center, 906 Center Street, Lockhart, TX, 78644
The hearing will be livestreamed on the college’s website and will be rebroadcast on ACCTV.
“Austin Community College District thanks the residents of the Lockhart ISD territory for their interest in joining our district. Annexation is a big decision for a community and local residents will have the final say on whether the Lockhart ISD territory enters the ACC District,” says Dr. Chris Cervini, ACC vice chancellor of Community and Public Affairs. “The college strongly urges residents to take advantage of the upcoming public hearing to learn about the annexation proposal and its potential impact and values the input and feedback of all stakeholders.”
ACC officials will be on hand for the community to ask questions and learn more about the benefits and costs of joining the district. While the college does not advocate for or against any such initiative, the law does allow the college to answer questions and provide facts.
The college proposed a service plan for Lockhart ISD designed to grow with the community and meet changing workforce needs. This plan includes providing expanded career and technical training, working with the school district in support of its early college high school, occupying a short-term workforce and general-education space located in close proximity to Lockhart High School, and ultimately developing a permanent ACC presence in the community after deep consultation with the community on their future economic and educational needs.
In return for paying property taxes, ACC District residents have access to much lower tuition and fees as well as the full suite of the college’s student support services.
In August, the ACC Board of Trustees will vote to add the annexation question to the November general election ballot, giving Lockhart ISD voters the opportunity to decide on annexation in the November election. If approved, residents living within the Lockhart ISD territory will receive in-district benefits immediately.
For more information and to see the full-service plan and tax information, visit austincc.edu/lockhart.
From ACC’s Office of Information Technology
Google Sync will be phased out over the next few months. It will no longer be supported by Google Accounts starting in fall 2024.
Google Sync is a service that lets users synchronize their work email, contacts, and calendars to their computing devices.
Here are some important dates for the end of Google Sync:
Click here for more details on the update.
Click here for assistance with Google.
Austin Community College District (ACC) employees’ annual window for changing insurance plans and benefits is June 24 through July 5, 2024.
Unless you have a qualifying event (like getting married or having a new baby), this is the only opportunity all year to make changes.
If you want everything to stay the same, you don’t have to do anything. But for those considering changes, here are several in-person and virtual events for learning all about your benefit options.
VIRTUAL Q&A SESSIONS
Monday, June 24 | 2 – 3 p.m.
Thursday, June 27 | 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Register for either session HERE
ERS SUMMER ENROLLMENT FAIR
Wednesday, June 26 | 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Highland Campus, Building 2000, Room 1550
Register for Enrollment Fair HERE
Livestream of presentation available at 11 a.m. HERE
IN-PERSON Q&A SESSIONS
Tuesday, July 2 | 9 – 10:30 a.m. at South Austin Campus
Tuesday, July 2 | 2:30 – 4 p.m. at Round Rock Campus
Registration not required for in-person sessions.
Watch for more information on Open Enrollment coming soon!
The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees met for its regular meeting on Monday, June 3. During the meeting, trustees discussed the 2024-25 budget, general obligation bond projects at ACC Eastview Campus, and completion scholarship options for current students at ACC.
More information and additional highlights from the meeting are below.
Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Study
ACC Finance & Administration Executive Vice Chancellor Neil Vickers presented an update on the 2024-25 college budget. The proposed $534 million budget includes increases in faculty salaries to increase the percentage of full-time faculty members, new initiatives like the Free Tuition Pilot Program for the high school class of 2024, proposed election services for three Board of Trustees seats and Lockhart annexation, raising the minimum wage to $23/hour, and a proposed 4.5% raise for ACC employees. A formal vote on the budget is expected later this summer.
Increased Financial Support for Current Students
The board heard updates from the college’s new Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Basic Needs Systems, Cara Crowley, and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Dr. Shasta Buchanan, regarding additional financial support to help current students complete. The college presented a two-pronged approach. First, adding $500,000 to the Student Emergency Fund. Second, to allot $1.5 million toward completion scholarships. The one-time scholarship would pay for six credit hours for students who have already earned 45 or more credit hours at ACC. The board requested a formal proposal to learn more.
Letter of Intent for Lease Space Within the Territory of Lockhart ISD
The board authorized the Chancellor to enter into a letter of intent to lease space within the Lockhart ISD territory. In May, the board approved a service plan for a possible annexation election in November. The plan includes a phased approach for establishing a physical presence in the community which includes developing and occupying a workforce and general education space close to Lockhart High School. The letter of intent will be “nonbinding.” The administration must bring the board final lease documents based on the November election results.
Acceptance of Major Gift and Naming Opportunity
From L to R: ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, Trustee Stephanie Ann Gharakhanian, Board Secretary Dr. Manny Gonzalez, Trustee Gigi Edwards Bryant, ACC Foundation Executive Director Amy Bawcom, Vicky Bawcom, Dr. Jerry Bawcom, Board Chair Dr. Barbara Mink, Trustee Nan McRaven, Trustee Dana Walker, Trustee Steve Jackobs, Board Vice Chair Sean Hassan
Trustees accepted a major gift to support student scholarships. Dr. Jerry and Vicky Bawcom will donate $10,000 per year over the next five years, totaling $50,000, to create the Bawcom Family Endowed Scholarship for students enrolled in the Education Instruction programs at ACC. The scholarship was created in 2022. In exchange, the Round Rock Campus, Building 2000, Room 2311, will be named the Bawcom Family Classroom for the next 10 years.
Eastview Campus Dental Expansion, Building 8000
The board approved for the college administration to negotiate and execute a contract for the Construction Manager at Risk for the ACC Eastview Campus dental expansion project. The contract is part of the 2022 General Obligation (GO) Bond. The estimated $5 million project would expand the dental hygiene space.
Read more here.
Board Approves Series of Contracts
The board approved a series of contracts for the college to negotiate and execute. First is a contract for districtwide photo documentation services. After hearing proposals from several firms, the college is looking to work with Austin Construction Documentation, LLC, dba Multivista, to document construction photographic and video documentation for the projects in the 2022 GO Bond.
Second, the board approved adding a permanent canopy at the Elgin Campus, Building 2000, for the Veterinary Technician program. The college will work with QA Construction Services, Inc. to provide shaded coverage for the animals in the care of the department.
Finally, the college will contract with Aztec Promotional Group LP for products and apparel. It will provide low-cost promotional products, T-shirts, apparel, conference displays, and other signage upon request by ACC departments.
As we enter the sunny embrace of summer, it’s the perfect time to refresh our skills and connect with colleagues in a relaxed, engaging atmosphere. The Teaching and Learning Excellence Division (TLED)’s Office of Academic Technology (OAT) proudly introduces the Remote Recess sessions for Summer 2024. These workshops are designed specifically for faculty looking to spruce up their technical toolkit while enjoying a collegial online gathering.
What is Remote Recess?Remote Recess sessions blend learning and leisure, offering faculty the chance to explore new technologies through short demonstrations followed by an interactive Q&A period. Each session encourages participants to exchange tips and insights, fostering a community of shared knowledge and innovative practices. Whether you’re looking to master a new tool or simply connect with peers, these sessions are tailored to make learning accessible and enjoyable.
Summer 2024 Remote Recess Sessions: Schedule and TopicsRemote Recess sessions are open to all ACC faculty, so mark your calendars and prepare to dive into a summer of learning and connection.
All sessions take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. via Zoom, promising a power-packed hour full of learning and interaction.
Tuesday, June 4 | Quick Start with Panopto
Panopto, ACC’s new video hosting and streaming platform, offers robust features such as video creation, editing, automatic captioning, and seamless integrations with Blackboard and Zoom. This session is ideal for getting up to speed with this comprehensive tool.
Tuesday, June 11 | Respondus Lockdown Browser: Setup & Activation
Discover how to secure your assessments within Blackboard using Respondus Lockdown Browser. This workshop covers setup, activation, troubleshooting, and best practices to ensure a smooth testing environment.
Tuesday, June 18 | Poll Everywhere: Add Interaction to Online Sessions
Transform your online interactions into dynamic, engaging sessions using Poll Everywhere. Learn to utilize instant feedback tools, word clouds, anonymous Q&As, and more to enhance participant engagement.
Tuesday, July 9 | Faculty Presentation: Improving Student Retention with Padlet
Phil Patrone, ACC History faculty and Academic Technology Fellow, shares his experiences using Padlet to boost retention in asynchronous courses. A must-attend for educators seeking practical retention strategies.
Tuesday, July 23 | Blackboard Basics: Course Copy Procedure & Best Practices
Preparing for the new semester? Learn the ins and outs of copying course content into a new Blackboard course shell, with additional tips to enhance the accessibility and utility of course materials.
For more details or questions, contact Academic Technology Projects Manager Sara Schulz at sara.schulz@austincc.edu.
Pride Month, celebrated annually in June, is a time to honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other members of the community. In 2024, Austin Community College District (ACC) will commemorate the month by highlighting resources and community events as well as spotlighting faculty and staff who self-identify as LGBTQIA+ or an ally.
2024 Pride Month ResourcesACC libraries developed a virtual display that features Pride Month history, local events, a curated selection of books, ebooks, streaming videos, and other community resources. Additionally, the Drag the Ban! virtual display features a curated selection of LGBTQIA+ ebooks, streaming videos, and other resources focusing on drag and banned books.
Other Resources:
Celebrate Pride Trivia
Date: Wednesday, June 26
Time: 12 – 1 p.m.
Location: RSVP to receive Zoom Link
What: Virtual Pride Month trivia challenge. Participants can explore the rich history of Pride and connect with colleagues— no Googling allowed, with special prizes for the winners!
ACC’s Drag the Ban! Performance
Date: Wednesday, June 26
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: TBD
What: ACC Creative Writing + Arts & Digital Media host some of the best drag performers Austin has to offer, reading from and performing works of literature banned in the U.S.
Family Day: Pride
Date: Sunday, June 9
Time: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum, 605 Azie Morton Rd, Austin
What: Experience a day of vibrant celebration and inclusive activities at a Family Day: Pride Event. Enjoy storytime, crafts, and sculpture searches, and engage with local LGBTQ+ advocates like Austin PRIDE and Equality Texas.
Pride Picnic 2024
Date: Saturday, June 29
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Pease Park, 1100 Kingsbury St, Austin
What: Experience a market of 30 unique local vendors, improv exercises, all ages tie dying, a plant swap, tunes by a live DJ, and more!
ACC also will participate in the Austin Pride Parade on Saturday, August 10. RSVP to walk with us via this form.
ACC Talks Pride MonthThroughout the month, ACC interviews faculty and staff who self-identify as LGBTQIA+, or an ally, to learn about their stories and what the month means to them. To participate or nominate a colleague for ACC’s Pride Month interview series, email victoria.garza@austincc.edu.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/pride.
The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees unanimously approved Linbeck Group, LLC as the construction manager at risk (CMAR) for the dental hygiene program expansion at the ACC Eastview Campus.
Linbeck Group, LLC will manage the construction of the expansion project in Building 8000, including detecting design problems, proposing effective strategies, providing accurate cost estimates, and developing schedules. The expansion’s estimated construction cost is $5 million, and the entire project is estimated to cost $8.6 million.
The college received 10 submissions for the project. Seven ACC employees were on the evaluation committee and reviewed the top three proposals.
The CMAR firm has an extensive background in higher education projects, including Southwestern University Welcome Center, Texas Christian University Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Center in League City.
The 2022 General Obligation (GO) Bond will fund the project. This is the first project scheduled for the Eastview Campus, which received $15 million of the bond for technology and facility improvements.
To follow the progress of all 2022 bond projects, visit the college’s 2022 Bond website.
Integrate community engagement into your teaching methodology with the 2024 ACC Service-Learning Online Synchronous Summer Institute. Led by the Teaching and Learning Excellence Division (TLED)’s Office of Experiential Learning, this is an excellent opportunity for faculty to delve into the fundamentals of service-learning theory, course design, implementation, and evaluation.
This interactive online training comprises three 2-hour Zoom sessions scheduled over a 3-week span:
Participants will conclude the institute with a customized service-learning course plan, crafted to integrate seamlessly with their existing curriculum and ready for implementation in the upcoming semester.
Key Benefits Include:
Please note that while any ACC faculty member is eligible to participate and receive professional development credits, stipends are exclusively available to teaching faculty.
After registering, participants will receive a Google Calendar invitation with all the necessary Zoom links.
Don’t miss this chance to enrich your pedagogical approach and make a significant impact within your community.
Register for the 2024 ACC Service-Learning Online Synchronous Summer Institute HERE.
Asynchronous Online TrainingIf you are unable to make it to the Service-Learning Synchronous Summer Institute, consider registering for the Asynchronous Online Training course. This self-paced course covers the same material as the summer institute and provides a $150 stipend to teaching faculty who complete the full program.
Register for the ACC Service-Learning Asynchronous Online Training HERE.
Already a Service-Learning Faculty member?A new Synchronous Service-Learning Refresher course will review the best practices of service-learning course construction, implementation, and evaluation and will provide updates on our Service-Learning Program growth.
This 1.5-hour Zoom course will allow you to meet other Service-Learning Faculty and ask questions about your upcoming service-learning courses. The Service-Learning Faculty Refresher will be held on June 28 from 1-2:30 p.m.
Register HERE to attend the Synchronous Service-Learning Refresher course and be eligible to self-report 1.5 hours of professional development.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Linda Cox, Service-Learning Coordinator, at lcox@austincc.edu.