ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart hosted the December Virtual Employee Town Hall on Friday, December 6. About 732 people attended the discussion on Zoom.

In this month’s town hall, Russell provided updates on the College’s Theory of Change process, bond projects, compensation study, Campus Purpose conversations, and new positions at ACC.

“I’m ending the year in reflection and gratitude for your willingness to tackle a reimagination of our processes,” said Russell. 

Below are highlights from the discussion.

Fall Commencement

Russell shared that Fall 2024 Commencement features the College’s largest graduating class ever. “That’s saying a lot when our enrollment has not been at its peak. It says you all are doing some really great work,” he said. “You get to really experience the outcomes of the hard work when you get to see your students graduate.”

He informed employees that he will not be at commencement because his son is graduating at the same time. He also will miss the holiday party. 

Theory of Change Process Update

Russell shared that he has heard some concerns about awareness and transparency in the College’s Theory of Change process. To help ease any fears, he discussed the overall process and where the College is presently. Learn more here.

2022 Bond Projects

The Chancellor provided an update on the four 2022 General Obligation Bond Projects that are moving ahead. He also informed employees that leadership has heard their desire to make the College’s current physical spaces better. Learn more here.

Compensation Study

HR Vice Chancellor Kelly Torrico led the discussion on the College’s current Compensation & Classification Study. She went over the project timeline, shared results of a recent staff survey, and discussed next steps. Learn more here.

Campus Purpose Conversations

In response to feedback received during Campus Purpose Conversations, Russell said that the schedule for the process has been extended to February 2025 to accommodate more faculty voices. Learn more here.

New Positions at ACC & Hiring Process

ACC has posted job descriptions for several positions, including the Vice Chancellor for Facilities, a new Vice Chancellor for College Advancement, Chief of Staff for the Chancellor, and a Deputy CFO.

The search for a VC for College Advancement position is being led by Russell with support from the ACC Foundation past chair and chair. A couple of candidates have been identified and Russell is conducting interviews this month.

Finally, the College received more than 100 applications for the Chief of Staff position to replace Pamela Sutton, who is retiring this month. This position will focus more on project management for Cabinet and following through on the decisions we’re marking and the transparency of those decisions. In the interim, Travis Jackson will manage the Chancellor’s Office calendar, Esther Sonen Yun will manage the office budget, and Eric Lopez will manage travel. 

Rumor Busting

Q: Will Guidehouse look at salary compression, too?
A: Yes. Compression in part is the result of creating multiple different versions of what is essentially the same role. So they are looking at classification and compensation (including compression).

Q: I know that Lockhart has approved joining the ACC District. When will we learn what changes/additions will be made to welcome that community?
A: Some of us will be meeting with Lockhart leaders next week. That is the beginning of engagement to ensure that what we launch in Lockhart serves that community. They are interested in workforce training, additional dual credit offerings, and those sort of things. The details will be developed and we’ll launch some additional course offerings in spring 2024.

View the entire Q&A transcript and the recording on the Virtual Employee Town Hall web page.