ACC Selected for Exclusive National Success Initiative
Austin Community College District is proud to announce its participation in the national student success initiative known as “Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count.” | Read the Story
ACC Selected for Exclusive National Success Initiative
AUSTIN, TX (June 30, 2009) – The Austin Community College District is proud to announce its inclusion in the national student success initiative known as “Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count.” Originally developed by the Lumina Foundation for Education to help more community college students succeed, ACC’s participation is funded by a generous grant from the Greater Texas Foundation – which has awarded the college an $85,000 grant for the first year and $65,000 for the second year of the initiative.
ACC is among 20 colleges chosen for participation in Achieving the Dream, which will augment ACC’s established Student Success Initiative. In a two-year undertaking, Achieving the Dream will provide ACC more tools and opportunities to boost student retention, success, and completion rates. The initiative helps strengthen the institutional commitment to data-driven decision-making, to equity in access and student success across all cohorts of students, and to a culture of “students first.”
“Boosting student success rates is already a priority for the Austin Community College District,” says Dr. Stephen Kinslow, ACC president/CEO. “The Achieving the Dream effort strengthens our commitment to helping more students reach their goals.”
Achieving the Dream strives to help schools close performance gaps among students who traditionally face the most significant barriers to success, including economically disadvantaged students, those who are the first in their families to attend college, and minorities.
“Achieving the Dream colleges are identifying methods for increasing student success and implementing interventions to create institutional improvements for all students,” says Carol Lincoln, the initiative’s national director. “We’re excited about bringing the Austin Community College District into the initiative and working together to take ACC student success to the next level.”
Achieving the Dream now reaches more than 100 community colleges. The following schools are joining the initiative in 2009 along with ACC:
Texas
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Illinois
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Indiana
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Vermont
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Kansas
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South Carolina
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New York
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Michigan
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California
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Maryland
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About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):
ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls more than 35,700 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”
ACC professor wrote the book on Texas history
State’s middle-schoolers use ACC professor’s textbook
Austin Community College Professor - Larry Willoughby
Austin Community College Professor Larry Willoughby does more than teach Texas history. He also writes about it.
A four-time author, Willoughby has written two history textbooks including one that’s used in more than half of all Texas seventh-grade public school classrooms. “Texas!” has sold more than 300,000 copies and is in its third printing.
A self-proclaimed civil rights historian, Willoughby tries to write the textbooks from multiple perspectives. He especially revels in the underrepresented characters of history and tries to expose their stories.
“Other people contributed to history, not just white males,” he says. “I like to bring diversity to history and talk about all Texans, including African Americans, women, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans.”
Writing for middle school readers requires some changes for a professor used to addressing college classes. “I had to bring the reading level down, and my editors helped me revise content that may have been too controversial for seventh graders,” he says.
Willoughby’s ultimate goal is to make history memorable and meaningful to students. “I love history. It’s the story of the human experience, and there is something in it that everyone can relate to. I want people to look beyond the facts and dates and see their grandparents.”
Willoughby began teaching at ACC 30 years ago and continues to share with students his passion for history. Waiting together before class on a recent day, students could overhear Willoughby relating Old West tales of stagecoach robberies and shootouts. His voice literally boomed from a nearby room, capturing an audience well before class started.
“I thought his class was going to be so hard-core and intense because he wrote a history book, but it is completely the opposite,” says Holly Wilson, a Texas Tech University senior taking Willoughby’s Texas History class at ACC this summer. “He keeps it interesting, and I don’t ever find myself getting bored.”
Willoughby’s favorite Texan is Sam Houston but not for the traditional things people like about him. “He did things that were not popular in his time, like supporting Indian rights and opposing the spread of slavery,” Willoughby says.
Like his hero, Willoughby isn’t afraid of confrontation and likes to push current discussions to get students engaged. “I throw out points of view they may not have considered before. I want to challenge their traditional views on anything and everything,” he says.
A recent discussion flared on whether the state should subsidize a new Dallas Cowboys football stadium.
“Why should taxpayers have to pay for a profit that will be made by individuals?” Willoughby challenged his students. Most liked the subsidy, but one student, an education major, objected. “It doesn’t make sense to me to be spending on sports when students need textbooks,” she said.
“Those of you who go on to teach in public education may be frustrated with the amount of funding that is funneled to sports programs,” Willoughby agreed.
Willoughby often takes opposing viewpoints during classroom discussions–even when they’re not his personal beliefs. “I’ll take any side, just to get students involved,” he says.
And it works.
“Professor Willoughby brings conviction, dedication, humor, and vast knowledge of the subject matter to his classes,” says Gaye Lynn Scott, dean of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division which oversees the history department. “His students benefit from Professor Willoughby’s passion for the subject and ability to bring history alive in the classroom.”
ACC Accounting Professor Named Educator of the Year
AUSTIN, TX (June 29, 2009) – The American Accounting Association has selected Austin Community College Professor Sheila Ammons as the Two-Year College Section’s 2009 Educator of the Year. This award honors educators who have distinguished themselves in the field of accounting education.
Sheila Ammons - Accounting Professor
The award committee recognized Professor Ammons for excellence and innovation in instruction and her commitment to improving accounting education, in her own classes and beyond.
“It is a pleasure to serve the ACC community through the variety of courses and programs offered by our Accounting Department,” says Professor Ammons. “Our great students keep me energized and committed to excellence.”
Professor Ammons, who began teaching at ACC more than 24 years ago, will receive her award at the American Accounting Association’s annual meeting in New York this August.
“Sheila Ammons personifies the high quality of ACC’s Accounting Program,” says Charles Quinn, dean of the Business Studies Division. “She is an outstanding instructor of both traditional classroom courses and distance learning courses. Her dedication to quality accounting education has helped make ACC’s Accounting Program competitive with the best colleges and universities in Texas.”
ACC’s CPA licensure rate is among the highest in the state. ACC graduates taking all or part of the CPA exam between April 2008 and March 2009 passed nearly 60 percent of the tested sections. That places ACC in the top 10 colleges and universities in Texas:
1. University of Texas – Austin (73.8%) 6. University of Texas – El Paso (60.3%)
2. Texas A&M – College Station (68.8%) 7. Austin Community College (59.5%)
3. Baylor University (64.4%) 8. Tarleton State University (59.3%)
4. Texas Christian University (63.5%) 9. Texas Tech University (58.8%)
5. Southern Methodist University (61.9%) 10. Trinity University (54.6%)
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About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):
ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls more than 35,700 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”
Five Regional Colleges Announce Green Corridor Collaborative
The college leaders sign the agreement.
What if you could prepare for the jobs of tomorrow – today? That’s the strategy behind a new partnership formed by the Austin Community College District and four other regional community and technical colleges.
Members of the new I-35 Green Corridor Collaborative – ACC, the Dallas County Community College District, the Alamo Colleges, Temple College, and the Texas State Technical College System – signed an agreement in Austin with two key objectives in mind: putting Texans to work in emerging green economy careers and attracting federal stimulus dollars to the region. Read More
- ACC, others form green training team - statesman.com
- ACC Joins Green Energy Partnership - kut.org
Five Regional Colleges Announce Green Corridor Collaborative
AUSTIN, TX (June 25, 2009) – The Austin Community College District joined four other regional colleges to announce the Green Corridor Collaborative, a new partnership aimed at putting Texans to work in emerging green economy careers and attracting federal stimulus dollars to the region.
ACC hosts open house for veterans
Austin Community College will host a Veterans Appreciation and Open House 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Riverside Campus, 1020 Grove Blvd.
Veterans will be able to meet with ACC student services staff and the Office for Students with Disabilities and learn about the latest changes to the GI Bill and other benefits. Read the rest of this entry »
ACC now offers online tuition installment plans and more
No more lines at the Cashier’s Office! ACC’s new payment system lets students pay by check over the Internet or go online to set up a tuition installment plan that spreads tuition and fees over four payments. | Find out more
Take a math refresher workshop
ACC is holding three-hour math workshops that cost only $10 and help students book their scores on the COMPASS math exam. | Read the story.
Fall class helps businesses adopt green practices
Starting this fall, Austin Community College is introducing a management course to guide local businesses yearning to “go green” by incorporating sustainability practices. | Read the story