Austin Community College - Faculty Handbook

A Brief History of ACC
Mission
Statement of Values and Ideas
Academic and Campus Affairs Council
Accreditation
Board of Trustees
College Unity
Committee/Program Minutes
Internal Employee Associations
Organizational Charts
Publications by the College
State Regulatory Agency

A Brief History of Austin Community College

Austin Community College (ACC) was established in December 1972 by voters of the Austin Independent School District. In the fall of 1973, ACC registered 2,363 students. Classes began on September 17, 1973. The AISD Board of Trustees served as ACC’s Board of Trustees, and the College shared the district’s boundaries.

In December 1978, ACC was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees. ACC’s enrollment had increased to 13,481 students.

On March 1, 1982, the College, following the guidelines of the Texas Education Code, established its own governing Board of Trustees, consisting of nine elected members. Accreditation was reaffirmed by SACS in 1983 and 1993.

With its purchase of the Austin Country Club in January 1983, ACC acquired its first real estate. Situated at 5712 East Riverside Drive, the property is now ACC’s Riverside Campus. ACC’s Board of Trustees held its first election in the spring of that year.

On November 5, 1985, 83 percent of the citizens of the Leander Independent School District voted to become part of the ACC district.

Following the passage of the 1985 General Appropriations Act, which stated that “it is the intent of the Legislature that all public junior colleges receiving state appropriations shall initiate procedures necessary to secure ad valorem revenues sufficient to supplement the funding of the district by August 31, 1987,” ACC held a successful tax base election. The measure approved a maximum of 5 cents per $100 as-sessed property valuation.

On November 3, 1998, 70 percent of Manor Independent School District citizens voted to join the ACC district.

The College maintains seven campuses in addition to the Highland Business Center, which houses the administrative offices and a business training center, and the Service Center, which houses support services. The campuses are Rio Grande (1975), Riverside (1984), Northridge (1989), Pinnacle (1990), Cypress Creek (1991), Eastview (1999) and South Austin (2006).

Mission of the College

Read the full board policy at http://www.austincc.edu/board/policies/A1.htm.
Related Administrative Rule: 1.01.001 Degree & Certificate Designations

Statement of Values and Ideals

Read the full board policy at http://www.austincc.edu/board/policies/A2.htm.

Academic and Campus Affairs Council

The Academic and Campus Affairs Council is established to provide review on all College-wide academic issues and make recommendations on academic policies. The Council is chaired by the Executive Vice President/ Provost.

Accreditation

Austin Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree.

Board of Trustees

Members of the ACC Board of Trustees are elected by the electorate of the ACC district which includes all of Austin, as well as the Leander, Manor, Del Valle, and Round Rock Independent School Districts. Members serve six year terms which are staggered so that three trustee positions become open to public vote every two years.

The Board of Trustees has the responsibility for formulating public policy for the operation of the Austin Community College District. It functions as the legislative and policy-making body charged with the governance and control of activities within the College District. The formulation and adoption of written policy is the basic method by which the Board exercises its leadership in the operation of the College District. The Board delegates to the President of the College the function of specifying required actions and designing the detailed arrangements under which the College will be operated. The Board maintains and supervises the College by evaluating information and recommendations concerning implementation of its policies.

Operations of the Board are outlined in Policy Group B, sections B-1 through B-7.

College Unity

Board Policy C-2A outlines ACC as a single college entity and states that all employees shall support that unity "by seeking what is best for the whole College rather than exclusively for a particular sector."

Read the full board policy at http://www.austincc.edu/board/policies/C2.htm.
Related Administrative Rule: 3.02.002 Single College Concept and related Guideline/Procedure for AR 3.02.002.

Committee/Program Minutes

Each ACC Committee or Academic Program maintains webpages that contain information about the committee mission, the committee membership, the meeting dates, the minutes for past meetings, and agenda items for future meetings.

The Committee Name Listing (except Advisory Committees)

The Discipline Advisory Committee Listing

The Committee Identifier Listing

The Committee Chair Listing

Minutes Search

Internal Employee Associations

Board Policy C-4 outlines the interaction between the Board of Trustees and recognized internal employee associations. Associations particularly important to faculty are the Full-Time Faculty Senate , Adjunct Faculty Association , and ACC Retiree Association.

Read the full board policy at http://www.austincc.edu/board/policies/C4.htm.
Related Administrative Rule: 3.04.001 Internal Employee Organizations

Organizational Charts

The Office of the President posts college organizational charts to provide a general resource for college personnel.

Publications by the College

ACC Catalog details admissions requirements, course offerings, grading system, student services, and tuition and fees. It also gives general information about the College, lists the faculty and administrators, and contains the College calendar. The ACC Catalog is available to students through the Admissions and Records Offices. Copies for faculty and staff are available in the Campus Administrative Office.

ACC Course Schedule lists the schedule of courses offered each semester. It also gives the calendar for pre-application, assessment, orientation, advising and registration dates. Instructions for registration and compliance with local assessment and/or the Texas Academic Skills Program are also included. Available through the Admissions and Records Offices.

ACC Policy Manual is the complete, detailed source which sets forth all policies approved by the Board of Trustees. It is available to download as either as an Acrobat file (~180KB) or as an editable document.

Board Agendas provide background information, resource personnel, and recommendations for each item submitted for Board consideration. They are published and distributed by the President's Office and available for reference in each Campus library.

Fact Book is published by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. It presents statistical information on such topics as enrollment figures, College curricula, student characteristics, budget and finance, and faculty and staff. Available in the library.

Faculty-Staff Directory is an online listing of all personnel included on the College Staffing Table (as well as grant employees).

The ACC Faculty Handbook is an online guide detailing information pertaining to full-time and adjunct faculty. It provides general information about College policy, procedures, services for faculty and faculty responsibilities.

Student Handbook reviews programs, services, policies and procedures governing students.

State Regulatory Agency

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), is a statutory 9-member board appointed by the Governor. State funding appropriated by the Legislature for academic programs is administered by the Board. It reviews and approves degree programs, and is responsible for statewide planning and policy-making to assure quality and efficiency in Texas higher education.