You are invited to celebrate the culmination of all the hard work and dedication of our students at Austin Community College District’s (ACC) 2024 Spring Commencement Ceremony. This semester, more than 3,000 students are invited to walk the stage. Additionally, with more than 3,700 students invited to fall commencement in December, the academic year total is more than 6,700 graduates.
This event marks the college’s official 50th commencement, with the first ceremony taking place in May 1974.
“This is my favorite event of every semester. I am encouraged by the success and admire our students’ strength, brilliance, and perseverance to get here,” says ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. “The future of learning and workforce is at a community college because we provide the skills you need to get a career and earn a family-sustaining wage. Our job is to help these students finish what they started to get there. It fills me with immense pride knowing we are already seeing the work pay off to support more students completing what they started and taking those next steps.”
All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend commencement to help cheer on our graduates. You can also show some virtual love to our spring 2024 grads on our online message board below, which will be shown during the commencement ceremony.
2024 Spring Commencement Ceremony
Date: Friday, May 17
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, 2100 Avenue of the Stars
ACC’s celebration honors those who have completed an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, workforce certificate, or high school equivalency program. The ceremony will include special guest Texas State University President Dr. Kelly Damphousse.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/commencement.
The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees unanimously certified a petition from residents living within the territory covered by Lockhart ISD (LISD) who are interested in putting an ACC annexation item on the ballot this November. The board voted during its regular meeting on Monday, May 6, 2024.
Community members seeking annexation were required to collect signatures from at least five percent of local registered voters in order for an annexation election to take place, per Texas Education Code.
Community members submitted 1,013 signatures from voters living within the territory to be annexed, exceeding the five percent of registered voters required (744).
Proposed Service PlanThe college presented a proposed service plan for Lockhart ISD. The plan includes three distinct phases of potential facility development in the community.
Should voters decide to join the ACC District, homeowners living within Lockhart ISD territory would pay a property tax currently set at $0.0986 per $100 assessed property valuation. The total tax rate includes a maintenance and operations tax rate of $0.0854 (which cannot be increased without voter approval). The college offers a standard $5,000 homestead exemption. Senior citizens and homeowners with disabilities receive an additional $75,000 exemption for a total exemption of $80,000.
In exchange for paying the property tax, ACC District residents have access to much lower tuition and fees. Currently, in-district students pay $85 per credit hour in tuition and fees, compared with $286 per credit hour for out-of-district students (effective 2024-25). High school graduates and GED® completers would benefit even more thanks to the recently approved ACC Free Tuition pilot program. The program covers tuition and general fees for up to five years at ACC. Currently, since Lockhart ISD is considered out-of-district, those students are still responsible for the out-of-district fee of $201 per credit hour.
Residents also receive access to more comprehensive programs and services, including:
If approved, residents living within the Lockhart ISD territory will receive in-district benefits immediately.
Specific questions about the Service Plan may be directed to 512-223-7071.
Next StepsLockhart ISD residents may learn more about the annexation and proposed service plan at a public hearing hosted by the ACC Board of Trustees on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at the Lockhart Independent School District Performing Arts Center (906 Center Street, Lockhart, TX, 78644) at 5:30 p.m.
The hearing will be livestreamed on the college’s website and will be rebroadcast on ACCTV.
While ACC encourages communities to explore the benefits and costs of joining the district, the college does not advocate for or against any such initiative. The law does allow the college to respond to questions and provide facts about annexation; however, the decision on whether to join the ACC District rests solely with the voters within those territories.
For more information about the annexation process at ACC, visit austincc.edu/annexation.
The Academic Support Services division of Student Affairs is now accepting proposals for its annual professional development conference: “Empowering Academic Support Services: Nurturing Belonging, Fostering Persistence, and Amplifying Student Success.”
The virtual conference will take place Monday, August 22, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This professional development opportunity for academic support champions—including tutors, academic coaches, and supplemental instruction leaders—will offer workshops, panel discussions, and multimedia presentations that explore the college’s four values for promoting change: Courage, Compassion, Joy, and Yes.
ACC staff and faculty are invited to submit proposals for sessions that illustrate how tutoring, peer leadership, and academic coaching can nurture belonging (Compassion), foster persistence (Courage), and amplify student success (Joy), as well as session proposals focused on modeling leadership excellence (Saying Yes).
Proposals may be submitted HERE through Friday, May 10.
This year, Austin Community College District (ACC) hosted the inaugural Prosper Tax Center in the ACCelerator at Highland Campus to provide free tax preparation assistance to hundreds of Central Texans and paid job-training opportunities to ACC students.
By the time the site shut down for the tax season on Wednesday, April 15, 2024, the team had prepared 421 tax returns. The goal for the site, which opened in February 2024, was 250 returns.
“That’s phenomenal for a first-year site of our size,” says Karen Serna, Student Financial Wellness and Financial Aid Outreach Director. “Additionally, taxpayers contributed $63,227 of their refunds towards savings—that means they used form 8888 to split their refund and send a portion to savings.”
Serna estimates that about half of the users were affiliated with ACC—either current students or faculty/staff—while the other half were members of the broader community.
“What was particularly fun to see was the connection many community users had to ACC. It was common to find that they were family members of our students. I especially enjoyed seeing students bringing in their parents and other relatives to get their taxes done. It highlighted the sense of community that defines ACC,” says Serna.
The college partnered on this initiative with Foundation Communities’ Prosper Tax Help program team, which has provided free tax preparation in the Austin area for over 20 years. Their team of volunteers and staff with deep expertise—including retired accountants, ex-IRS employees, and former and current accounting professors—provided training to the ACC students hired to support the site.
Student Employment Opportunities“One of the most rewarding moments for me personally was when we introduced the employment opportunity to our students. I was anxious about how the students would receive this opportunity,” says Serna. “The response exceeded my expectations, which was a clear indication that our students are eagerly seeking on-campus employment that aligns with their area of study and provides them with real-world experience.”
113 students applied for the 11 positions.
“60 of those applicants were business or accounting majors, which speaks volumes about the relevance of this program to their academic and professional growth,” says Serna.
The students received training from the Prosper Tax Help training team and had to pass several IRS certification exams. They learned to navigate tax issues, collaborating closely among themselves.
Often, a Prosper Tax Help staff member would be present at the site to ensure quality control and offer ongoing training, which enhanced the students’ skills and confidence. Whenever the students encountered obstacles, they could reach out to Prosper Tax Help’s training and leadership teams for guidance.
Key to SuccessSerna attributes the collaboration and level of engagement across various college departments and with our community partner as vital to the success of the initiative:
“The success of our tax help site is attributed to the remarkable collaboration across various departments and with our community partner. The planning involved numerous stakeholders within Austin Community College, including colleagues from Instruction, College Relations & Marketing, ACC GROW, the ACCelerators, Student Affairs Communications, and notably, our external partner, Foundation Communities. This was truly a team effort; everyone contributed.”
As for next steps, the teams will gather feedback and document challenges and successes over the next couple of months. ACC will meet with Foundation Communities in May to discuss the feasibility of a site next year.
Thirty-seven renowned companies attended the second annual Architectural & Engineering CAD Career Fair on April 5 at ACC Highland Campus. The career fair was a collaborative effort of the Architectural & Engineering CAD (A&E CAD), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Geospatial Engineering (GE) departments.
The Career Fair is a hub of innovation, networking, and opportunity for participants. Companies participants included Architecture, BIM, Civil Engineering, Land Surveying, Mechanical Engineering, GIS, and Electronic Semiconductor Layout and Design.
Participants not only had the chance to network, but also received invaluable support from ACC’s Career Services. The ‘Prepare for the Fair’ session, a key component of this support, offered guidance on resume writing and interview preparation, equipping participants with the tools they need to succeed.
But perhaps the most telling measure of our Career Fair’s triumph lies in the feedback we’ve received from attendees themselves.
Feedback from students:
“The career fair was great. Thank you for providing students such a big opportunity to see all the related companies on campus. Last week, I interviewed with LJA Company and GarzaEMC, and this week, I have an upcoming interview with Dashiell.”
“It was super exciting and is influencing my coursework. I’m very excited. Thank you! The experience was incredibly helpful and I gained much more understanding of the different disciples. Everyone was so excited about drafting!”
MMR, Pape-Dawson Engineers, KT Civil, Mahoney Engineering, SAM Companies, Walker Partners, Kimley-Horn, and others sponsored the event.
Learn more about opportunities by visiting A&E CAD, GIS, and GE and explore all that our programs offer.
As the curtains draw on another Austin Fashion Week, the spotlight shines brightly on the collaboration between the city’s premier fashion event and designers-in-residence at Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Fashion Incubator. ACC Fashion Incubator’s designers took center stage, showcasing their works, during a show at the Domain in April.
“We are super excited to showcase the talent of our cohort, alumni, and fellows at Austin Fashion Week,” says Nina Means, ACC Fashion Incubator director. “This collaboration provides our designers with a platform to gain exposure for their brands. They have put in a lot of time and effort into their work, and we’re all eager to see it on stage.”
Attendees of Austin Fashion Week were treated to cutting-edge designs and artistic expressions of the ACC Fashion Incubator’s designers. The showcase featured a lineup of brands including Banbury Saints, Design Girls World, Florezco, Faire Sauvage, J. Marz Designs, Lost Generation, Onyx D’or, Sleep, Never, Sticky Gold, and Universo Uno.
The partnership between Austin Fashion Week and the ACC Fashion Incubator highlights the shared commitment to nurturing emerging talent within the fashion industry. Through this collaboration, the Fashion Incubator provides aspiring designers with invaluable resources, mentorship, and opportunities to catapult their careers onto the global stage.
“Austin Fashion Week has grown into the fourth largest fashion week concept in the United States through incredible partnerships with emerging designers across Texas and beyond,” says Matt Swinney, Fashion X Texas CEO. “Not the least of which are the incredibly talented designers that have been through the ACC Fashion Incubator. This group, in particular, is well-poised to make a significant impact on the fashion industry globally, and having them debut collections during Austin Fashion Week is truly remarkable.”
The Fashion Incubator provides small business and emerging entrepreneurs access to cutting-edge resources to help turn their fashion ideas into profitable products. The 12-month program covers an intensive curriculum including concepts of commercialization, product development/production, small business practice, and marketing.
For further information, visit austincc.edu/fashionincubator.
In 2024, approximately 60 foster youth from the Austin area are expected to graduate. When they age out of the system, they must pack up their belongings—often in a large plastic bag—as they move out and onto their next chapter of life.
Austin Community College District (ACC) works to provide these youth with a fresh start through the annual Foster Care Luggage Drive, and you can help.
We’re collecting new or gently used rolling suitcases to provide foster youth. Donations will be accepted throughout May in multiple ways:
This year’s goal is to raise $3,000 and collect 60 pieces of luggage by Friday, May 31, to support those students.
Organized by the ACC Student Advocacy Center, all donations benefit the Department of Family and Protective Services Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program.
ACC provides wraparound services for foster youth. Any student who has aged out of foster care can receive case management, academic advising, and guidance.
Additional support for students through the Student Advocacy Center includes:
For more information, visit austincc.edu/luggagedrive.
ACC invites all faculty, staff, and students to a Campus Conversation to learn about ACC’s budget process.
In this campus conversation, ACC’s Executive Vice Chancellor of Finance & Administration, Neil Vickers, will discuss the college’s annual budget development process. Join us to learn more about how ACC’s budget comes together each year, from evaluating our revenue streams to planning for our expenses.
Campus Conversation: Understanding the Budget ProcessDate: Thursday, May 9, 2024
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
In-Person: ACC Highland Presentation Hall (Building 2000)
Virtual: Watch & learn through livestream
For those who can join in person, there may be time for a brief Q+A toward the end of the conversation. Virtual guests can leave comments in the livestream chat window.
For more information, visit the ACC Campus Conversations web page.
ACC hosts its first THRIVE! Gala on Wednesday, April 24, at SKYBOX on 6th. The gala honors the transformative power of the student journey. ACC’s Student Experience & Outcomes new initiative recognizes students who attain noteworthy outcomes while navigating insurmountable odds.
View the photos in the Flickr album below.
ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart hosts monthly Virtual Employee Town Hall Meetings to stay connected with faculty and staff. The May Virtual Employee Town Hall takes place Friday, May 3, at 9 a.m. via Zoom.
The conversation provides us with an opportunity to discuss our Theory of Change process, share updates on the safety audit, talk about our bottom-up leadership training, learn more about how ACC is supporting the rapidly growing semiconductor industry in Central Texas, and dive into rumor-busting.
Date: Friday, May 3
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Join us on Zoom
(Space is limited. The meeting is recorded and a link will be shared.)
Each Town Hall Meeting is held via Zoom and features updates from the Chancellor about what’s happening across the district. The Chancellor is joined by cabinet members who can assist with answering questions.
During each meeting, participants will have an opportunity to share comments, questions, and ideas or concerns in the virtual chat box.
A recording and a recap of the conversation will be posted on the Town Hall Meetings web page.