Austin Community College District (ACC) hosted its June Virtual Employee Town Hall on Friday, June 6. Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart kicked off the town hall by saying that he was grateful and proud of the entire College for pulling off two graduation ceremonies for the first time in ACC’s history.

Russell also provided a legal update about the lawsuit the College is involved in regarding the removal of the Texas Dream Act. He said the matter was heard at the 5th Circuit Court earlier that week, and several ACC Trustees were in attendance. The College will provide updates.

Russell also gave employees a heads-up that the College will restart no-email Fridays in July and a no-meeting week the first week of July, and that communications will be going out soon.

Telework Update

ACC Chief of Staff Aaron Henry shared an update on changes to the College’s telework policy that are being made in response to state legislative action. The proposed changes are going through ACC’s shared governance process. The College has worked with the Administrative Services Council to rewrite the administrative rule (AR). 

Generally, telework arrangements will be limited to no more than two days per week unless an exception is approved by the appropriate administrator and is consistent with the law.

Telework will not be automatic or guaranteed for all employees. Departments will need to maintain in-person support during regular operating hours. Students should be able to access support when they need it.

Henry shared the implementation plan:

  • The rollout will begin with managers of the various departments and divisions. Beginning late June, there will be manager-specific webinars to help them understand the updated AR.
  • Recognizing that some employees will need time to adjust, the policy will not be rolled out until after we return from the Labor Day holiday.
  • A toolkit will be developed for managers and employees over the summer.

Henry invited employees to submit any questions they have regarding the rollout.

ACC Budget Update

Russell reminded employees that our property tax valuations have gone down for the first time in almost two decades, which challenges the College’s ability to give raises. Leadership presented a creative solution to balance the budget with the goal of at least a 3% increase while preparing for expected future budget challenges.

The College is proposing a total compensation increase of 3.5% — with 1.5% as a one-time lump-sum payment and a 2% regular raise. It takes pressure off next year’s budget for the College and gets money into the hands of employees quicker to help provide some inflation relief. 

The recommendation will go to the Board in July, along with other scenarios Trustees asked for.

“I want you to know that we’re trying really hard to honor the work that you do in a really challenging budget environment. And, I’m just grateful for your commitment to our students and each other in this process of making our outcomes better, which will also improve our funding options for HB 8,” said Russell.

Web Redesign Update

College Web Director Edward Terry provided an update on ACC’s comprehensive website redesign.

  • The team has just completed the content audit and evaluation of all of the College’s web pages.
  • There will be work sessions with key stakeholders, such as admissions, financial aid, and instructional departments, to hone in on key areas of their needs.
  • He added that there will be interim solutions for employee and student portals.

Terry informed employees that there will be a virtual show-and-tell event on Monday, June 22, to give the College a sneak peek at the public-facing website. They will share templates and user journeys during the event. Updates can be found on the Web Redesign project web page. 

Theory of Change Update: Transfer

TOC Transfer Design Team co-chairs presented their team’s recommendations, which include:

  1. Ensure curriculum alignment by strengthening curricular alignment in high-transfer programs, aligning ACC associate degrees with bachelor’s degree plans, and creating transfer plans early.
  2. Build a robust IT solution and advising system by creating a seamless online student transfer environment and an interactive transfer exploration tool and pursuing reverse transfer.
  3. Create a culture of connection with & through transfer partners by establishing an online transfer community and formalizing outreach to transfer-intending students.

Theory of Change Implementation Wins

Russell took time to celebrate wins from the Theory of Change Design Teams already in implementation. Projects from both the Basic Needs and the Free Tuition programs are having tremendous impact on our students.

The Demonstrated Practices of Caring from Employees team launched upward evaluations (UE) this year, and almost half of the College engaged in the process. Russell said that once results are reviewed, the next steps will be to do a content analysis of the UE feedback to determine what kinds of leadership training should be offered. The College will start by identifying broad, recurring themes and then coordinate specific trainings for specific leaders. 

Russell provided an overview of ACC’s Values-Based Behaviors Framework, which will start being integrated into our employee evaluation process and job descriptions this summer.

The design teams starting their project implementation include Dual Credit and Academic Tutoring & Coaching. Required Advising team members will move forward soon. 

He said that some of the work is already getting attention in the higher education ecosystem, and thanked everyone for leaning in.

St. Edward’s University Partnership

Representatives from St. Edward’s University presented an overview of the institution and shared information on their Affinity Tuition Discount Program. ACC faculty and staff can receive a 15% discount on published tuition for nursing programs, graduate programs, and credit-bearing certificates. St. Edward’s offers master’s and doctoral programs in online or hybrid formats for working professionals.