ACC Employee Handbook

The College

• UsefulACC Web Links and Phone Numbers
• Welcome to ACC!
• The College
  • Overview
  • ACC's Vision, Mission, Values
• ACC's Comprehensive Master Plan
• Shared Governance
  • Board of Trustees
  • President
  • Councils
  • Committees and Task Forces
• Accreditation
• EEO/AA Statement
• ACC Locations
• Campus Police/Campus Emergency
• Inclement Weather
• Employee Associations
  • ACC Classified Employees Association (ACCCEA)
  • Association of Professional-Technical Employees (APTE)
  • Adjunct Faculty Association
  • Full-time Faculty Senate
• Affiliate Organizations
• ACC Retirees Association
• ACC Publications
  • ACC Catalog
  • ACC Course Schedule
  • ACC Effectiveness Review
  • Fact Book
  • Faculty-Staff Directory
  • ACCWEB

Welcome to ACC!

The ACC family would like to extend a personal welcome to you as an employee of Austin Community College. ACC is an exciting and dynamic organization. Our primary mission is simple: we are dedicated to providing the highest quality education to meet the needs of our students, area employers, and the community at large. We feel that ACC plays a vital role in offering arts and science programs while addressing the training and educational needs required for a highly skilled workforce.

This ACC Employee Handbook is designed to provide employees with comprehensive information about ACC’s policies, procedures and benefits in an easy to read format. We encourage you to use it as a reference manual to provide the answers to your questions.

Your employment with ACC is valued and we want you to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the College. The staff of the Office of Human Resources is available to assist you in getting oriented to the College’s policies and procedures. We are also available to all employees to provide information, materials and resources. We want to help make your career at the College successful.

As with any printed manual, there may be changes made to this Handbook. Any substantive changes in any policy, regulation or procedure during the year will be distributed to all employees and posted on the ACC web site. Recommended additions, deletions or changes may be submitted to the Office of Human Resources, c/o Associate Vice President.

We hope you will enjoy your career at ACC. This ACC Employee Handbook is meant to facilitate your success. We are happy that you have chosen to participate in this adventure with us. We look forward to your personal investment in our students and in our community.

Geraldine J. Tucker
Associate Vice President
Office of Human Resources

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The College

Overview:

Austin Community College is an open-door institution of higher education that has served Central Texas since 1973. Its mission includes general education (university transfer), workforce programs, customized training for businesses, continuing education, developmental education, and adult basic education.

The College has six campuses located throughout Greater Austin. In addition, ACC holds classes in at least 40 other locations within the College’s designated service area, which includes independent school districts in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell, Blanco, Gillespie, and Guadalupe counties.

ACC houses most administrative offices and operational services in the Highland Business Center and the Service Center.

ACC receives funds from the State of Texas, student tuition, and residents of the ACC taxing district, which includes the Austin Independent School District, Leander School District, and Manor Independent School District.

ACC's Vision, Mission, and Values:
http://www.austincc.edu/board/policies/A1.htm

Vision: As a team, we will provide access to educational excellence and serve our students and community with passion and commitment.

Mission of the College: Austin Community College offers the following types of programs, services, and instruction to fulfill its purpose and to satisfy state law for public junior and community colleges:

• Vocational and technical programs of varying lengths leading to certificates or degrees
• Freshman- and sophomore-level academic courses leading to an associate’s degree or serving as the base of a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year institution
• Continuing adult education for academic, occupational, professional, and cultural enhancement
• Special instructional programs and tutorial service to assist underprepared students and others who wish special assistance to achieve their educational goals
• A continuing program of counseling and advising designed to assist students in achieving their individual educational and occupational goals
• A program of technology, library, media, and testing services to support instruction
• Contracted instructional programs and services for area employers that promote economic development

Values: These are the core values that guide Austin Community College’s internal and external interactions with each other and our community:

C - Communication
A - Access
R - Responsiveness
E - Excellence
S - Stewardship

Communication: Open, responsible exchange of ideas

• Nurturing collaborations
• Creating policy
• Guiding change
• Respecting all

Access: An open door to educational potential

• Achieving goals
• Fostering diversity
• Balancing programs and services
• Ensuring affordability

Responsiveness: Targeted actions to address Service Area and internal needs within available resources

• Seeking information and ideas
• Recruiting under-served populations
• Developing partnerships
• Connecting resources and needs

Excellence: A commitment to integrity and exemplary standards

• Empowering students, faculty, and staff to be self-directed toward excellence
• Emphasizing training, development, and lifelong learning
• Establishing and measuring outcomes linked to continuous improvement
• Encouraging innovation and creativity

Stewardship: Personal and professional ownership that generates accoutability

• Exercising responsible and accountable leadership
• Anticipating future needs and trends
• Protecting, seeking, and using resources wisely
• Providing a safe and challenging learning environmen

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ACC's Comprehensive Master Plan

http://www.austincc.edu/mastplan/

The Austin Community College District (ACC) Master Plan for 2004-2006 continues the College’s efforts to manage growth and change through a comprehensive strategic planning process.

This process follows the College’s previous Master Plan which resulted from the work of an external Citizen’s Advisory Committee, as well as the recommendations of faculty, staff, and students.

ACC was careful to integrate and coordinate its master planning process with its SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) Alternate Self Study as well. The resulting Master Plan was strengthened by this approach.

Key components in the master planning process included:

• review of regional demographics and workforce trends;
• analysis of State and national benchmarks in core areas of college operations;
• analysis of internal feedback garnered through the Baldrige continuous quality improvement process;
• campus forums involving faculty, staff, and students;
• participation by external community individuals and business representatives;
• campus forums to review the mission statement of the College;
• campus forums to develop a shared strategic vision statement;
• use of existing Councils, employee organizations, and Student Government Association in reviewing the recommendations of the Master Plan;
• use of the reports from the SACS Self-Study Strategic Focus Committees.
  

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Shared Governance

(Board Policy C-5 Shared Governance and Open Communication, Administration Rule 3.05.005, Shared Governance Process)

Shared governance is a collaborative decision-making process by which the ACC Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and students work as a community of colleagues to advance the mission, goals, and values of the College. Shared governance requires open communication among stakeholders in an environment of mutual respect, collegiality, and accountability. The shared governance structure includes the following:

Board of Trustees
The nine-member Board of Trustees has the responsibility of formulating public policy for the operation of the ACC District. It functions as the legislative and policy-making body charged with the governance and control of activities within the College District. The Board exercises its leadership primarily through the formulation and adoption of written policy. The Board delegates to the College president the function of specifying required actions and designing the detailed arrangements under which the College operates.

President
The ACC president functions as the College’s chief executive officer and chief operating officer, providing administrative and academic leadership to faculty, staff, administrators, and students. The president advises the Board of Trustees on policy, assists the Board in formulating a vision for ACC, and oversees financial resources to lead to the successful execution of that vision.

Councils
Serving as the primary vehicle for fostering shared governance, councils develop policy and administrative rules for review and final approval by the president. Councils develop and implement district-wide procedures; respond to recommendations and reports from appropriate committees and task forces; implement and monitor strategic plan and program review for respective areas; and articulate budget requests.

Four primary councils address district-wide issues: the Academic and Campus Affairs Council (http://www.austincc.edu/orgref/councils/acac.php); the Student Services Council (http://www.austincc.edu/orgref/councils/ssc.php); the Administrative Services Council (http://www.austincc.edu/orgref/councils/asc.php); and the Shared Governance Council (http://www.austincc.edu/sharegov/). Councils will have representatives from recognized employee and student organizations, chosen by the organizations.

Committees and Task Forces
Committees are representative groups that focus on a specific area of College operations. These groups are intended to be standing, ongoing groups. Task forces are groups appointed for a limited period to review issues or concerns and to make specific recommendations to a committee or council.

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Accreditation

http://www.austincc.edu/sacs

Austin Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; Telephone number 404-679-4501) to award the associate’s degree. The College is recognized and sanctioned by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges and the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Several of the nursing and allied health programs are subject to national accreditation agency requirements.

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EEO/AA Statement

Austin Community College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and, as such, pledges to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees with regard to recruitment, hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, training, fringe benefits and all other aspects of employment. All personnel actions will be administered without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or physical disability.

The College’s Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy shall be supported throughout the College. It is the responsibility of all departments and all employees to ensure the College’s compliance with the College’s policy.

For information or assistance, contact the Associate Vice President, Office of Human Resources, 223-7572.

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Campus Police/Campus Emergency

The ACC Campus Police Department has offices at each campus. The office at the Service Center operates twenty-four hours a day, year round. Should an individual need to report a crime or report any suspicious person or activity, contact the Campus Police Office on campus or call 223-7999 (Dispatcher) and an officer will respond. Officers are available for escorts to vehicles upon request. For campus emergencies call 222. In addition, most campus police offices have the necessary equipment to assist an individual who has locked his or her keys in a vehicle or left lights on and has a dead battery. Parking permits (and copies of the ACC Parking Policy) can be obtained at the Campus Police Offices. Each Campus Police Office also maintains a lost and found facility. Additional information can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/ehs/emergencyprocedures.php.

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Inclement Weather

Generally, all employees are expected to report to work unless bad weather conditions create hazards in traveling to and from work. Quite often, bad weather conditions are localized and by waiting a short time, employees may be able to safely arrive at work. If this is the case, the employee must notify the immediate supervisor of the circumstances and advise the supervisor of the expected time of arrival. When there are bad weather conditions that make it unsafe to travel, Austin Community College may announce that it is closed due to inclement weather. Notification is made through local radio and television stations, as well as Time Warner, Channel 19 and Heartland Wireless, Channel 28. If the employee does not receive the notification, the employee may contact the immediate supervisor or call the College police to determine if the College is closed and the anticipated time of reopening.

When the College closes due to inclement weather, regular employees who are regularly scheduled for that time period will receive their normal pay for the time period of the announced closing. Employees, who do not report to work, if the College is reopened following the weather phenomenon, must take vacation or other appropriate leave as approved by the supervisor. If classes are in session when a decision is made to close the College, notification is made to instructors, students and employees by the Provost or designated site supervisor or Campus Manager.

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Employee Associations

ACC is committed to the philosophy of collaborative decision-making by supervisors and the elected leaders of employee organizations in the development and revision of College policies and procedures. The College recognizes these employee organizations as representatives of ACC employees and are an integral part of the organization. Employees have automatic membership in the employee association by virtue of their ACC classification.

ACC Classified Employees Association (ACCCEA)

The ACCCEA was originally organized in 1984. In 1990, ACCCEA was revitalized and reorganized. The ACCCEA’s purpose is to promote the best working conditions for its members through the collaborative efforts of respect, communication and mutual decision-making among all sections of the College. The ACCCEA has representation on college-wide standing and ad hoc committees. Classified employees are automatic members and the organization currently has approximately 500 members. The structure for the governing body consists of elected officials: President, President Elect, Secretary and Parliamentarian. Campus Representatives are also elected in accordance with the organization’s bylaws. The Association holds open meetings on the second Tuesday of every month. The Campus Representatives share information and materials with their respective constituents via flyers, meetings and e-mail. See the ACCCEA web site at http://www.austincc.edu/acccea/.

Association of Professional-Technical Employees (APTE)

The Association of Professional-Technical Employees (APTE) has been organized since 1994. The Association exists for the purpose of providing leadership and support to facilitate the delivery of quality educational services. Leadership and support are demonstrated by representative participation on the college’s shared governance councils and committees and by providing APTE activities to promote the professional growth and mobility of professional-technical employees. Membership is open to all persons employed at the College under the category of “Professional-Technical” employees. Meeting information is distributed via e-mail, advertised in college information letters or posted at each campus. Minutes of the meetings are made available on the web or emailed to members. The association serves as a vehicle to enhance communication, facilitate networking, identify and resolve issues, increase activism, and to have fun! Learn more about the Association at the web site at http://www.austincc.edu/proftech/.

Adjunct Faculty Association

The Adjunct Faculty Association officially represents the concerns of all Adjunct faculty at ACC. The Association deals with issues involving compensation, benefits, job security, academic freedom, instruction, teaching and evaluation, and communications. All adjunct faculty are automatically members and are encouraged to participate in working on issues of concern. There are no dues. Each campus has two elected representatives. For more information, visit the AFA web site at http://www.austincc.edu/afa/.

Full-time Faculty Senate

The Austin Community College Full-time Faculty Senate was organized to facilitate effective communication among the faculty of ACC and between those faculty members and the administration of the College. The Senate presents the views and recommendations of faculty to the administration. The primary objective of the Senate is to ensure that the educational needs of students receive the highest priority within the district and to foster programs that develop cooperation and fellowship among the faculty and between instructional programs of the institution. The Senate meets once a month. See the Full-Time Faculty Senate web site at http://www.austincc.edu/ftfac/.

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Affiliate Organizations

There are recognized affiliate organizations that have a special relationship with Austin Community College. They are composed of voluntary, dues-paying ACC employees who cut across employee classifications. The organizations are: Texas Association of Black Professions in Higher Education (TABPHE), American Federation of Teachers (ACC/AFT), American Association of University Professors (ACC/AAUP), Texas Community College Teachers Association (TCCTA) and Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE).

As “affiliates”, the college allows these organizations:

• Use of ACC email
• Use of bulletin board space in any mailroom or break room
• Use of ACC telephones
• Permission to develop an electronic mail list for their organization on the ACC system.
  

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ACC Retirees Association

In 1996 a group of retirees met for the purpose of forming an ACC retiree association. In October the Board expressed approval and voted to officially recognize the Austin Community College Emeritus Association. In 2002 the organization slightly revised its constitution and bylaws. One change was to a new name: The Austin Community College Retirees Association.

The purpose of the Association is to develop continuing relationships between retired and current ACC employees and to provide opportunities for the membership to support the educational mission of the College. The Association attempts to keep abreast of new directions in the educational programming of the College, to plan meetings and activities of interest to the membership, and to communicate to members notices of important College events.

The Association has regular meetings four times each year, with special meetings called as needed. Typical meetings include lunch, business, and programs planned with the interests of members in mind. Benefits of membership: (1) One ACC Tuition Exemption Voucher per academic year. The voucher may be used as payment for credit and non-credit courses, except specialty courses in which enrollment may be limited. (2) An ACC courtesy library card plus access to all library facilities, including computer centers; and (3) ability to order business cards stating that the person is an ACC retiree. Most of the annual dues of $25 go into a student scholarship fund.

New retirees will find this a delightful, non-political, social group. Members retain their linkages to ACC and their ties with old friends.

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ACC Publications

ACC Catalog details our 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 calendars. Copies for faculty and staff are available in the Campus Administration Office. See http://www.austincc.edu/catalog/.

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. It is available through the Admissions and Records Offices. See http://www3.austincc.edu/schedule/.

ACC Effectiveness Review is a biennial publication containing summaries of effectiveness studies conducted among faculty and staff, assessment information and a “Q&A” section. See http://www.austincc.edu/oiepub/pubs/accer/index.html.

Fact Book presents statistical information on such topics as enrollment figures, College curricula, student characteristics, budget and finance, and faculty and staff. It is available in the libraries. See http://www.austincc.edu/oiepub/pubs/factbook/index.html.

Faculty-Staff Directory lists telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for staffing table employees, adjunct faculty and grant employees. Directory information is available on the ACC web site at http://www3.austincc.edu/IT/phones/.

The ACCWEB has a public page to access information on items of interest to the general public and an internal page to access information relevant to ACC employees. See http://www.austincc.edu.

The ACCWEB internal page contains information on college policies, procedures, faculty and employee handbook, benefits, services, events, and other information that is of interest to all employees. See http://www.austincc.edu/facstaff/.

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