The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Monday, June 20, 2022. Trustees accepted the largest single gift in the college’s history, heard a report on ACC’s student onboarding and enrollment process, learned about potential general obligation bond offerings, and discussed employee compensation as part of the FY23 budget. Prior to budget discussions, trustees heard from some employees during the Citizen’s Communication portion of the meeting who were concerned about the rising cost of living in Central Texas.
Below are highlights from the meeting.
UFCU and ACC Expand Partnership
University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) and ACC are expanding their partnership to fund new student scholarships and help create a highly-anticipated new community park and event pavilion at ACC Highland. UFCU presented a ceremonial $5 million check to the ACC Board of Trustees. It will be disbursed over the next five years to an endowed scholarship for students. Learn more here.
Trustees Discuss FY23 Budget
Neil Vickers, Finance & Administration executive vice chancellor, presented the administration’s latest budget proposal, which includes a new compensation increase structure. The $16 million compensation proposal provides all employees a 5% raise with a minimum increase of $5,000 a year. The budget will be presented for adoption at the Tuesday, July 12, board meeting. Learn more here.
General Obligation Bonds
Administration presented two potential general obligation (GO) bond scenarios. Scenario 1 includes projects totaling $815 million and results in no change to the tax rate, but would result in a tax increase of about $25 a year for the average homeowner. Scenario 2 includes a smaller program of projects totaling $500 million and would not result in an increase in taxes paid by the average homeowner. Vickers explained how the proposed projects for consideration were rooted in the college’s Campus Master Facilities Plan and were narrowed down to programs that largely have a workforce focus such as health sciences, advanced manufacturing, IT/computer science, and applied technology.
Report on Student Onboarding and Commissioning Enrollment Consultant
Dr. Shasta Buchanan, ACC vice chancellor of Student Affairs, provided an overview of the student journey at ACC and the challenges the college is facing with enrollment growth. Currently, 97 percent of prospective students who start an application submit it, yet only 40 percent complete the process to be admitted. Of those admitted to the college, 60 percent register, and 93 percent of those who register go on to enroll. Trustees voted to authorize the administration to contract with an enrollment consultant, who will complete a market/environmental scan, competitor analysis, marketing deep dives/communication and audit, recruitment/admissions processing analysis, technology integration support, process reengineering, and a key performance indicator dashboard.
Child Care Lab Playground Remodel
Trustees voted to authorize the administration to negotiate and execute a contract to remodel the playground for ACC’s Childcare Lab Program. The current playground was built in 1999. A playground is required for wellness and is integrated into the curriculum.
View recordings from the meeting here.