Austin Community College District (ACC) held its January Virtual Employee Town Hall on Friday, January 30. Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart set the tone for 2026, welcoming special guest Dr. Kelly Damphousse, President of Texas State University, and leadership members to discuss the College’s evolving culture.

Below are some highlights from the Town Hall discussion:

Russell Reflections: “We’re Going to Make It Better”

Russell opened the session with a call for direct engagement and personal connection. Noting that the College has moved past the reorganization phase, he explained the decision to disable anonymous chats to encourage colleagues to engage directly with one another rather than drifting into unproductive avenues.

Drawing inspiration from art—specifically the album “Witness” by Tamir Khalifa and the track “For Lexi” regarding Uvalde—Russell emphasized that truly telling a story requires making it personal, not just objective.

“We need to make every student interaction matter—it should be personal,” he said. “I’m calling us to a moment of growth. We have been overcomplicating every decision. The theme for 2026 is: We’re going to make it better.”

Texas State University Bats to Cats Update

Joining from California, Texas State University President Dr. Kelly Damphousse provided an update on the Bats to Cats program. He started by sharing his personal journey of starting at a community college in Canada and transferring internationally to a university in the United States, underscoring his passion for making the transfer process seamless for students.

He stressed the benefits of the program, such as guaranteed transfer to TSU, waived fees, automated transcript processing, and transfer scholarships of $1,000 for students transferring to the San Marcos campus and $2,000 for those transferring to the Round Rock campus.

Russell added that the Bats to Cats program is emerging as a top priority for ACC in helping the College reach its North Star goal. While ACC’s general transfer rate has declined, transfers to Texas State are rising, with more students transferring to TSU than all other universities combined.

The College’s goal is to reach 2,000 student declarations by summer 2026, up from the current amount of 1,050. Russell encouraged employees to promote the program to students.

State of the College Preview

ACC will host the State of the College address for our external community members and partners on Thursday, February 19, at the Rio Grande Campus. The conversation will focus on how ACC acts as the glue for Central Texas. Russell provided a quick overview of what will be discussed:

  • What’s Working: Free Tuition, Infrastructure Academy, and healthcare partnerships
  • Moving Forward: New engagement with artificial intelligence, with a grant announcement coming soon
  • Celebrate Things We’re Doing Together: Scaling basic needs, raising resources to further support our College and students
  • What’s Changing: Clarity on bond projects and the unique purpose and support system of each campus

Strengthening Our Internal Culture

Upward evaluations are coming soon. In the spirit of mutual accountability, Russell announced that the upcoming Performance Evaluation Program (PEP) cycle will include upward evaluations. They will apply to every supervisor, including the Chancellor. The framework was developed by the Demonstrated Practices of Caring Design Team and vetted by subject matter experts. Russell asked for engagement and patience with the process, understanding that it will make us better. 

Missi Patterson joined the discussion to highlight initiatives designed to connect employees across silos, similar to the Chancellor’s Leadership Institute:

  • The Great College Program: Modeled after the “Celebration of Great Teaching” retreat, this new initiative offers employees the opportunity to build relationships, learn from each other, and focus on improving culture at ACC through leadership at every level. Interest has been overwhelming, with three times as many applicants as available spots. The College aims to curate a diverse group representing various campuses and roles.
  • Theory of Change (TOC) Network: Members get to be first-knowers about the TOC work. This network continues to expand, offering a hybrid monthly meeting where members can provide feedback directly to leadership and review design team work before implementation. 

Rumor Busting and Q&A

Russell addressed several Rumor Busting topics submitted by employees:

  • Campus Safety: Immigration enforcement is a federal matter, and ACC District Police will not assist enforcement actions unless there is an immediate risk to safety. The College remains committed to being a safe place for students to exist.
  • Academic Freedom: With external conversations regarding academic freedom occurring, ACC plans to hold internal discussions this semester to ensure a shared understanding and protection of these principles.
  • Facilities Updates:
    • Highland Campus Building 8000: Due to legislative changes, the remodel plans are being rethought.
    • Highland Campus Building 5000: Still slated to be a wellness center, with specific iterations to be clarified this year.
    • Riverside Campus: There will be a lot of conversations in the next two months.
  • Compensation: Currently, discussions regarding raises are centered on what level the raise will be, rather than if there will be one. This may change if home valuations and tax revenue decline.