Austin Community College District (ACC) celebrates a record number of graduates at its 2020 fall commencement. The virtual ceremony will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Saturday, December 12. More than 3,400 students are invited to participate. That’s up nearly 50 percent over the past three years and follows the college’s record-setting spring commencement this past May in which more than 2,900 students were invited to participate.

“This has been an extraordinary year. Even though we can’t be in person, it’s important we take the time to honor the dedication and commitment our students have accomplished,” says Dr. Richard Rhodes, ACC chancellor. “I am proud and humbled to celebrate all their successes. The work and perseverance of this class embodies what it means to be a Riverbat.”

ACC’s virtual celebration honors those who have completed an associate degree, certificate, or high school equivalency program. 

The college will provide every graduate with a personal profile to celebrate their accomplishments. Graduates also will have a platform to enjoy a communal moment through social media with personalized ACC commencement filters and frames. 

The virtual event will kick off with a pre-show celebration and includes special videos and messages to graduates and their families and friends from ACC faculty, staff, and members of the community. Speakers include ACC Chancellor Dr. Richard Rhodes, the ACC Board of Trustees Chair Gig Edwards Bryant, President of the ACC Student Government Association, and the fall 2020 Chancellor's Student Achievement Award recipient. 

Senator Kirk Watson will deliver the keynote address. Watson has been immersed in public policy in Texas for the past three decades and has been a firm supporter of the Austin Community College District, its mission, students, and community. He has dedicated his life toward serving the public, first as an appointee of Gov. Ann Richards and later as mayor of Austin. He was elected to the Texas Senate in 2006 and represented the Austin area for 13 years. Currently, Watson serves as the founding dean of the University of Houston's Hobby School for Public Affairs. 

“I am the president of the ACC fan club,” Watson declared during a previous visit to the college. “I see the value it places on changing lives, and I see firsthand the fact that it is in fact changing those lives…This is something that we as a community can wrap our arms around.”

For more information about ACC’s 2020 virtual commencement celebration or to view the live stream, visit austincc.edu/commencement.