Austin Community College District (ACC) held a pre-Spring Break Virtual Employee Town Hall on Friday, March 13. Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart discussed a significant campus update, Theory of Change next steps, and shared some reflections.

Below are some key takeaways from the Town Hall conversation:

Southeast Travis & Riverside Campus Updates

Russell shared a unique opportunity the College is exploring to move quickly to expand high-demand, high-skills programs at a new facility in Southeast Travis County. 

The opportunity allows the College to renovate an existing building in the region rather than build an entirely new facility. 

This means workforce and infrastructure programs may be moving from Riverside to nearby state-of-the-art facilities sooner than expected. Conversations are starting now to reimagine all that our Riverside Campus might become. 

Read more.

Moving From Theory to Reality: Decision Tree

As the Theory of Change Design Teams begin transitioning into actionable projects, Enterprise Project Management Office Senior Director Sarah Lisenbe introduced the new Decision Tree to clarify roles, empower cross-functional leadership, and guide how recommendations become daily operations. 

Lisenbe provided an overview of the governance structure and the responsibilities for each project role. Learn more on the Theory of Change Implementation web page.

Theory of Change: Belonging in the Classroom Design Team

LaKisha Barrett and Cam Claassen presented recommendations from the Belonging in the Classroom Design Team to foster a greater sense of belonging across all campuses. Key initiatives moving toward implementation include:

  • Resuming resource squad presentations in all first-year experience and EDUC1300 classes.
  • Creating a strengths-based coaching center for faculty, staff, and students.
  • Developing an ACC-owned digital engagement portal for centralized student resources.
  • Implementing audio name pronunciations to better support students, staff, and faculty.
  • Establishing structured learning communities and peer mentorship for non-traditional and first-generation students.
  • Examining the faculty Rhythm of the Semester to offer just-in-time training on relevant topics.

They explained that some solutions will need to start as pilot projects. They also shared some gaps, potential barriers, and opportunities during the implementation phase that they identified.

Russell Reflections

Russell acknowledged that we are doing hard but important things, and that change is messy and difficult. He reminded employees that we must put our students first and approach our work with humility, courage, and grace. He also reflected on:

  • Compliance Training Success: He is proud and grateful for all the employees who stepped up to help the College reach its target of a 96% completion rate. He also congratulated the winners who won the drawing to have lunch with the Chancellor.
  • Unsettling Event at Highland: Russell shared that an individual unaffiliated with the College passed away at the Highland Campus garage, and some colleagues witnessed the incident or the aftermath. He was grateful for the calm, urgent response to the tragedy. He reminded everyone that mental health matters and encouraged employees to support one another, utilize college resources, and keep things in perspective.
  • Shoutout to IT: He gave a special thank you to our IT team, who continued working through spring break to execute critical software transitions with the Student Information Systems.

View the recording on the Virtual Employee Town Hall web page.