The 3 Cs Cross-Functional Planning Team convenes monthly to drive progress toward our goals and targets for the year. The team routinely reviews data and gathers employee and student input, which then informs the development of new employee-facing tools and resources, communication and dissemination efforts, and professional learning opportunities. 

Below is an example of how a round-table series helped the team develop the 3 Cs definitions, starting with an initial draft from the 3 Cs Cross-Functional Planning Team, reviewed and enhanced by the thoughtful and thorough input of employees. 

Background

In the 2020 Austin Community College Climate Survey (2020), results indicate that there is work to be done to improve the quality of collaboration, connection, and caring (3Cs) on behalf of better and more equitable outcomes for our students. By institutionalizing a commitment to the 3Cs through the Chancellor’s Priorities, leadership has signaled that this is a collegewide effort aimed at supporting all employees in improving our workplace culture and climate.

The goals of workplace climate change can only be successful if there is sustained effort and all employees see themselves in the work. We seek to develop tools for employees to engage in self-reflection of their own efforts toward the 3Cs. 

Spring 2021

Background

A series of conversations was held with employees to help define the 3Cs and better understand how they can be used to improve our workplace culture. These roundtable discussions included collegewide representation from all four employee associations— Classified Employee Association (CEA), Association of Professional & Technical Employees (APTE), Adjunct Faculty Association (AFA), and Full-Time Faculty Senate (FTFS). The Cross-Functional team determined the following goals:

  • Collaborate with a total of 50 participants
  • Work with groups of 5-7 participants per session
  • Each session to last between 45 minutes to one hour
  • Use a convenience sampling approach to ensure equity

Process & Participation

The college and employee associations promoted the opportunity to participate in 3Cs Roundtable Discussions through a variety of channels. Within 24-hours, 70 spots were filled. The number of spots was increased by adding two more sessions and raising the cap to 10 per session. By the end of promotions, 104 employees signed up to participate. The roundtables were held in spring 2021. Below is a breakdown of attendees:

  • CEA – 22%
  • APTE – 40%
  • AFA – 18%
  • FTFS – 17%
  • Other – 3%

Full Roundtable Report

Executive Summary on Spring 2021 Roundtables

Spring 2022

Background

In Spring 2021, we ran the first set of 3Cs roundtables. Our goal at that time was to meet with 50 employees. This year, the 3 Cs Cross Functional Team set a goal of meeting with 100 employees. We again decided to use a convenience sample and open it up to volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dates of Roundtables

Spring 2022 Roundtables were held in March 2022. No more than two sessions were held on a given day, and a wide variety of times / days of the week were offered. Sessions ran from March 1 to March 25, 2022.

Attendance Rates

  • 147 employees signed up to participate
  • 112 employees actually participated
  • The attendance rate was 76.1%

Employee Associations Represented

  • Classified Employee Association – 18 (16% of attendees)
  • Association of Professional-Technical Employees – 53 (47% of attendees)
  • Adjunct Faculty Association – 12 (11% of attendees)
  • Full-Time Faculty Association – 21 (19% of attendees)
  • Administrators – 7 (6% of attendees)
  • Other – 1 (1% of attendees)

Learning Community Members

All of the members of our Spring 2022 3Cs Learning Community were invited to attend a roundtable. Several wished to attend more than one session. If they chose that route, their participation was only recorded for their first session, and they participated only as listeners for subsequent sessions. The Learning Community members’ details are included in the above data, and are pulled out below in case it is helpful to separate them from the rest of the attendees.

  • Total LC members participating – 8
  • Classified Employee Association – 0
  • Association of Professional-Technical Employees – 4
  • Adjunct Faculty Association – 1
  • Full-Time Faculty Association – 3
  • Administrators – 0
  • Other – 0

Final Reports

Please review the roundtable reports below. Our goal is to encourage staff, faculty, and administrators to commit to helping move work forward in at least one of the areas suggested by the reports. How will you participate?
Full Roundtable Report
Executive Summary