ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart held his first Employee Virtual Town Hall of the year on Friday, January 19. Below are highlights from the conversation, with links to read more about some of the topics.
ACC’s North Star Goal, Theory of Change & Values
After finishing up his First 100 Days, Dr. Lowery-Hart unveiled the college’s North Star Goal, Theory of Change, and Values. Learn more HERE.
ACC Data Summit
Save the date! ACC will host its inaugural Data Summit to discuss the data that contributed to the development of the Theory of Change and to take a deeper look at the college’s new values developed by our students.
ACC Data Summit
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
Attendance is mandatory for all full-time faculty and staff. The college will close that day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. so that everyone can attend. Parking is limited. Employees are encouraged to carpool or sign up for shuttle bus service. A full schedule with details will be shared soon.
Free Tuition Proposal
Dr. Lowery-Hart also discussed the college’s free tuition proposal. The program was first presented to the Board of Trustees at their January work session. A formal proposal will be shared in February, and a vote is expected in March. During the Town Hall, Russell took questions from employees to help clarify the program.
He stated that the ultimate goal is to expand free tuition to all students. However, it must start somewhere, and that will likely be with graduating high school seniors who live in the ACC service area.
Strike teams are currently working to develop the formal plan. The teams are made up of stakeholders from various divisions of the college. Each team is led by a cabinet member. Specific areas of focus include:
- Student Tracking: Process Mapping, Operations, Programming
- Intentional Onboarding and Support
- Student Experience: Designing the Student Journey
- Communication: Branding & Marketing the Program
- Financial Aid Strategic Plan
- Future Sustainability: Planning for Expansion of the Program
- Scheduling: Getting Students on a Path to Completion
You can read about the proposal at austincc.edu/freetuition.
Cabinet Campus Meetings
Dr. Lowery-Hart stated that he and the cabinet will spend one day each month on a campus to really get to know all of the college’s spaces — their challenges and opportunities. They will host cabinet meetings on the campuses and work together to determine the purpose of each campus.
Dates are still being finalized but he did share that they would start at South Austin Campus in January, followed by Eastview Campus in February.
Watch for the full schedule coming soon.
Special Advisor to the Chancellor
Dr. Lowery-Hart also announced that he has appointed Cara Crowley, currently vice president of strategic initiatives at Amarillo College, to oversee system integration at ACC. She will help the college integrate systems and processes across the district to improve our work and better serve our students. She has done this work at Amarillo College and is considered an expert in the field.
While Dr. Lowery-Hart is deeply committed to the college’s open hiring process, he said that this is a unique exception that has never been used before, and he does not anticipate using it again. Crowly will start the position on March 1, 2024.
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Virtual Employee Town Halls will be hosted on the first Friday of every month for the remainder of the semester. The next Town Hall is scheduled for February 2.
For more information and to watch recordings of the conversations, visit austincc.edu/townhall.