Earning As: November 2019

This regular feature recognizes achievements, activities, and accolades of ACC faculty and staff. To submit news or suggestions, see the contact information below.

ACC's Office of Communications and Marketing was honored with 10 regional awards including six gold medallions by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR), the industry organization comprised of community colleges across the nation. ACC was among the top winners and most nominated in the six-state region, which includes colleges in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. These items will be considered for NCMPR national awards.

NCMPR MEDALLION 2019 AWARDS:
Gold
Electronic Newsletter - Facstaff Digest (2nd year in a row)
Original Photography (Unmanipulated) - Welding Student
Website Microsite - Fashion Incubator
Flyer (single or series) - Student Emergency Fund Series
Outdoor Media (single or series) - Ready for It High School Ad Series
Outdoor Media (single or series) - What's Your Next Stop Capital Metro Bus Wrap

Silver
Print Advertisement (single or series) - ACC is for Everyone Series
Television/Video Advertisement (single or series) - ACC is for Everyone Series
Brochure (single or series) - Upward Bound

Bronze
Communication Success Story or Community Relations Campaign - Public Safety Training Center

Dr. Thomas Samuel, Biology professor and assistant dean for Distance Education & External Partnerships (SEM), won the second prize in the national SoftChalk Lesson Challenge 2019. SoftChalk is a content authoring solution to create interactive and engaging course content. The prize comes with a trophy, a certificate, and a cash award of $500. The prize-winning content is titled "Interactive Review of Cardiac Electrophysiology," which is a supplemental practice activity suitable for A&P II and health sciences students. It is available for anyone to use under the Creative Commons license. Here is the link to the activity.

Dr. Rodney E. Rohde, Biology associate adjunct professor, has been appointed associate director for the Texas State Translational Health Research Initiative and was named a Texas State Honorary Professor of International Studies this year. He was also selected as a Cardinal Health™ Laboratory Excellence List 2019 honoree. Rohde is an expert on infectious diseases and has delivered keynote speeches, podcasts, and videocasts.

Dr. Linda L. Cox, Philosophy adjunct professor, published a chapter in a book earlier this year, entitled, 'Holding Open a Place for Possibility': Paul Ricoeur, Fredric Jameson, and the Language of Utopia. It is found in the book, "Ideology and Utopia in the Twenty-First Century: The Surplus of Meaning in Ricoeur's Conception of the Dialectical Relationship of Ideology and Utopia" (Eds. Stephanie Arel and Dan Stiver Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2019).

ACC was selected as the 2019 winner of the Marketing Materials Contest held by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), the nation's premiere accrediting organization for dual enrollment programs. ACC submitted its Dual Credit Program Guide, "Riverbat Promise" medallion, and a new English/Spanish postcard for outreach to parents. Dr. Shasta Buchanan, associate vice president of College and High School Relations; Mison Zuniga, director of High School Programs Enrollment and Outreach; and Jason Sanchez, SW manager for High School Programs Enrollment and Outreach, worked closely with ACC's Marketing Department on the development of these materials. The winner was announced on Oct. 15 at the conference's final general assembly. Dr. Melissa Biegert, director of High School Programs Advising & Completion for ACC, accepted the award on the college's behalf.

Dr. Daniel Usera, Communication Studies associate professor, recently delivered Business Communication workshops at Hull Supply and the Blind Children's Vocational and Discovery and Development Program. The workshops encompassed professionalism and e-mail etiquette and customer service philosophy.


Do you know a faculty or staff member who has accomplished something notable outside the classroom or in their community? We want to hear about them! Contact Vicky Garza Gonzalez at victoria.garza@austincc.edu.