Austin Community College District (ACC) will close in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 27. The college will reopen on Tuesday, May 28.
Registration for summer and fall remains open. Students are encouraged to work with an advisor to find the best courses for their needs. All students get access to the college’s full suite of free student support services, including unlimited 1-on-1 tutoring, advising, academic coaching, library services, and more.
Registration for summer classes remains open through the holiday weekend. Students may select among 5-, 9-, or 10-week courses. The semester begins on Tuesday, May 28. For more information, visit austincc.edu/summer.
Fall classes begin Monday, August 26. For more information, visit austincc.edu/fall. This fall, ACC launches its bold new pilot program for free tuition for the class of 2024. The pilot program offers free tuition and general fees for new high school grads, including public, private, charter, and homeschoolers as well as for GED® completers who live in the ACC service area. For more information, visit austincc.edu/freetuition.
For more information and to register, visit austincc.edu/register.
Early voting for the May 2024 primary runoffs has started! Austin Community College District (ACC) is committed to providing access to nonpartisan information about voter registration and voting procedures.
The college encourages students, faculty, and staff to cast a ballot. Employees who wish to vote during their regularly scheduled working hours may use up to two hours of administrative leave once cleared with a supervisor.
Early voting runs from Monday, May 20, through Friday, May 24. You can find an interactive map of polling locations on the ACC Votes web page.
The ACC Service area is large, spanning multiple counties that all have different ballots, polling locations, and hours/dates for Early Voting. Visit the ACC Votes web page to find all the resources and information employees and students need to make your plan to vote.
Why are the primaries important?2024 is a presidential election year. May primary runoffs will finalize which Democratic and Republican primary candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election.
During the March 5 primaries, there were some congressional, judicial, and other local races in which no candidate exceeded 50% of the vote. Now, voters must decide between the two candidates who came in first and second to determine who will appear on the November ballot.
Primary runoff elections in the ACC District include:
Democratic Ballot
Republican Ballot
For more information about the election and to find resources and guides, visit austincc.edu/accvotes.
Work is underway to renovate the Student Affairs Center at the Austin Community College District’s Round Rock Campus. In May, the college filed a permit with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The renovation will include the addition of new campus Welcome and Student Care centers.
Located in Building 1000, the centers will serve as the college’s front door to support. The new spaces are estimated to open by fall 2025.
Pfluger Architects is nearing the completion of its design. The next phase will start the contractor solicitation process. The total project cost is estimated at $5.5 million. The project is part of the college’s Maintenance and Operations bond program, which is funded by existing college dollars and can be used to upgrade and improve existing structures.
Both centers are modeled after the college’s inaugural Welcome and Student Care centers, which opened in October 2023 at the ACC Highland Campus.
The centers are strategically located in a single, easily accessible location, providing students with a convenient one-stop shop to access support.
These centers will be built in every region of the district.
Keep the confetti popping for Austin Community College District (ACC) graduates! More than 140 Adult Education students were celebrated for the National Adult Education Honor Society induction ceremony, which serves as a completion ceremony, on May 2 at ACC Eastview Campus.
The annual event honors students who earned their GED® this year, as well as students from ACC’s High School Equivalency, English as a Second Language, College Prep, and Career Pathways programs. All the students celebrated were nominated by their instructors for their exemplary attendance, cooperative attitude, and work ethic in their classes.
Adult Education graduates River Holland Bryan and Maribel Ortiz Lopez spoke with students during the ceremony.
Special guests at the ceremony included ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, ACC Board Members Dr. Manny Gonzalez and Steve Jackobs, and founder and executive director of our community partner Todos Juntos, Christina Collazo.
ACC’s Career Services team hosts Career Ready Week annually to help students prepare for career success with specialized training, workshops, and information sessions. This year, more than 500 students attended the in-person and virtual events. Sessions included resume writing, interview techniques, managing career anxiety, conquering imposter syndrome, and more.
Standout sessions included the Liberal Arts Faculty Panel, which provided students with insights into marketable “power skills,” and the Career Services Employer relations panel in partnership with ACC’s Women in Tech, which featured representatives from prominent companies like Dell Technologies, Adobe, Google, Cyber Security Simplified, and Trajector Medical.
The Neurobats of ACCess Autism celebrated Autism Awareness Month and discussed their advocacy efforts, while ACC GROW showcased career competencies that their student employees have gained through high-impact employment practices.
Career Services remains an important resource as students prepare for graduation and their transition into the workforce. Career Specialists are readily available to assist students with job searches, facilitate connections with local employers, and provide guidance on navigating the evolving job market. Whether students are refining their career goals, establishing plans, or transitioning into the workforce, the Career Services team is dedicated to supporting them every step of the way.
For more information and to access valuable resources, send students to austincc.edu/career.
ACC is committed to supporting service members and their families in Central Texas by providing resources, encouraging educational opportunities, and building community. As part of its outreach to military families, ACC launches a microcredential pilot program to help prepare military spouses for the increasingly digital workforce.
ACC’s Digital Fluency & Innovation team, in partnership with the Military Families Center, will offer the Military Spouse Microcredential Pilot Program this June. The program will run from Monday, June 10, to Monday, July 15.
Each microcredential takes approximately 20 to 26 hours to complete and is accompanied by the support of a Digital Navigator. The program is offered at no cost to participants. It is open to active duty and veteran spouses of the armed forces looking to gain the skills necessary to succeed in the modern workplace.
Cohort members who complete the pilot program will receive ACC’s Microcredential Certificates:
As part of the pilot program, a cohort of military spouses will be selected to go through the microcredentials together. ACC offers 16 microcredentials designed to teach participants digital expertise while also addressing professional skills such as critical thinking, integrative learning, and ethical reasoning.
ACC offers in-person application assistance on Tuesday, June 4, and Thursday, June 6, from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Military Families Center at ACC Highland Campus, Building 4000.
Those interested in learning more about the program and signing up for in-person application assistance should complete the Military Spouse Microcredential Program interest form.
Additionally, ACC is seeking partners interested in helping with the Military Spouse Pilot Program. Ideal partners include those interested in helping the college identify cohort members, assisting/mentoring the cohort as it progresses, supporting the job searches of spouses in the cohort, and funding an expansion of the pilot.
To learn more about digital fluency at ACC, click here. For more information about the ACC Military Families Center, visit here.
ACC encourages faculty and staff to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on Thursday, May 16, 2024.GAAD is a worldwide effort to get people talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities.
The college encourages all Riverbats to take this opportunity to increase their knowledge of digital accessibility in education. A curated set of learning and professional development opportunities is now available. This includes special guides, tutorials, and educational videos as well as online resources geared toward the GAAD theme of raising awareness about the importance of digital accessibility.
View ACC’s GAAD 2004 Guide here.
Below are some of the live online learning opportunities taking place on Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
TGPi Webinar: Integrate Accessibility into Your Organization
Date: Thursday, May 16
Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Description: This event is carefully designed to provide a supportive environment for organizations seeking education on digital accessibility best practices or searching for guidance on how to start their accessibility journey.
RSVP HERE
Elevate Your Impact: Fostering Inclusion through Content
Date: Thursday, May 16
Time: 12-1 p.m.
Description: Join us for an enlightening journey into the heart of accessibility and inclusion through content.
RSVP HERE
WeCo’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day event
Date: Thursday, May 16
Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Description: Join WeCo’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day event, moderated by Paul Daye, to learn how AI impacts the digital accessibility of people with disabilities in both positive and negative ways. Our panelists will also demonstrate Be My AI, which allows users with limited or no vision to access visual information and physical spaces.
RSVP HERE
To learn more about GAAD, visit https://accessibility.day
The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees approved the ACC Free Tuition pilot program in April 2024. The new program provides FREE tuition and general fees to the high school class of 2024.
It is a five-year pilot that will begin this fall, and it is a step toward the ultimate goal of providing free tuition to everyone.
The college established an informational web page to provide more details about the program and answer frequently asked questions.
We’re also hearing from faculty and staff. This page is dedicated to answering your questions related to the pilot and will be updated periodically.
About the Free Tuition Program FAQsLights, Color, and Celebración. It was a full house, with more than 300 people, at the 9th Annual Ascender Celebración. The ceremony was held May 2 at ACC Highland Campus in the Austin PBS Black Box studio. 70 Ascender Catch the Next students were recognized for completing their program.
The evening started with Luis Patiño, CEO of PBS, introducing a performance by students from Leander Elementary School showcasing Ballet Folklórico. Graduates also enjoyed a musical performance by Xunaxhii, a graduating senior from Leander High School. Celia Israel, former Texas Representative, delivered the keynote address.
ACC Board of Trustee Secretary Dr. Manny Gonzalez and Manager of ASCENDER Alejandra Polcik presented all the students with their graduation stoles. ASCENDER Coordinator Diana Gorostieta Martinez presented a special recognition to outstanding students, advisors, professors, and mentors.
Ascender is a student support organization created to help improve the educational outcomes of Latino and underserved student populations throughout the state.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/ascender.
View more photos from the event in the Flickr album below.