Austin Committee College District (ACC) is undergoing a collegewide process to create a strategic student enrollment plan with a focus on equity.

A Strategic Enrollment Management committee has been formed at the direction of the President's Cabinet. The group — comprised of a cross-section of the college — is creating a three-year comprehensive plan for new student enrollment that aligns with ACC's Strategic Plan.

"Our new student enrollment and overall headcount have been steadily increasing over the years. We have made improvements, especially in our enrollment of Black and Latinx students," says Dr. Melissa Curtis, associate vice president of Enrollment Management and one of the chairs of the committee. "The current environment of COVID-19 and remote learning is changing our strategic planning for the short term, but for the long term, we expect to gain ground in enrollments across the board and exceed our 60x30 strategic planning goals."

The committee will review and adapt ACC's policies and practices to ensure the successful entry, persistence, and completion of all students, and has established specific objectives to ensure that equity is at the center of the college's efforts to increase enrollments and awareness of ACC's programs and resources.

The committee's work has been divided into two subcommittees:

• High School Subcommittee: organized around students who are entering ACC directly from high school or within a year of high school graduation;
• Adult Subcommittee: organized around adult students who are coming to ACC after having been out of high school for a period of time.

Each subcommittee has two chairs, one from Student Affairs and one from Instruction.

The committee is also looking at strategic enrollment in terms of academic transfer and workforce programming.

The final plan, expected in December 2020, will include goals and strategies, and action items to support them. The committee will present an update on their progress to the ACC Board of Trustees in September.

"The strategic enrollment process has support from the highest levels of the college, as well as panoramic support from every division. From faculty to Instruction to Business Services to Operations — everybody has a hand in enrollment," says Curtis. Co-chairing the committee with Curtis are Dr. Gretchen Reihl, associate vice president of Workforce Programs, and Jessica Vess, director of Communications.

The committee seeks to engage with ACC employees through a new microsite. The website is expected to launch next month and will feature the latest news and developments about the Strategic Enrollment Management process along with options to share ideas and feedback.