Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) presented annual reports to the ACC Board of Trustees during the November 16 work session. 

The three 11-member committees, which formed in 2018, represent ACC’s north, central, and south regions and help strengthen the link between ACC and the community. 

The RACs held nine meetings throughout the year to identify and discuss strengths and areas for improvement in their respective regions. The conversations helped identify facilities, workforce and industry, and program needs based on community feedback.

Below are recommendations from each RAC presentation. These recommendations will help the college and the Board of Trustees in planning future funding strategies.

North Advisory Committee | Cypress Creek, Northridge, Round Rock, and San Gabriel campuses

• Cypress Creek Campus
  • Consider expansion of campus to meet community needs
• San Gabriel Campus
  • Explore commercial development
  • Establish Early College High School
• Round Rock Campus
  • Develop permanent facility for Early College High School
• Northridge Campus
  • Renovations for bigger classrooms and improved technology
  • Collaborate with IT companies
  • Establish high-tech innovation lab incubator

Central Advisory Committee | Eastview, Elgin, Highland, and Rio Grande campuses

• All Central Region
  • Explore mobility partners to help with mobility for students, faculty, and staff
• Elgin Campus
  • Expand programs
• Eastview Campus
  • Modernize facilities and spaces
  • Establish Early College High School
• Rio Grande Campus
  • Renovate parking garage stairwells to become more vibrant

South Advisory Committee | Hays, Riverside, and South Austin campuses, Southeast Travis County land, and the Pinnacle site

• All South Region
  • Establish ACCelerators in south region
  • Consider logistics and supply chain management program
  • Establish fire academy
• Riverside Campus
  • Modernize buildings and classrooms
  • Replace building D
• Hays Campus
  • Establish Health Sciences program
• Pinnacle site
  • Community interested in broad variety of programs
  • Consider Agriculture and workforce programs
  • Environment, traffic, and timeline concerns
  • Community overwhelmingly supports development of a purpose-built campus to better support community needs

The RACs will continue to provide input into the college’s planning processes and will focus on making more specific recommendations as a part of their 2021 work. For more information, visit austincc.edu/rac.