New ACC PD Lieutenant | Clayton Harris was sworn in as lieutenant of the ACC Police Department on August 20. Lt. Harris received his associate degree from ACC before joining the Texas Department of Public Safety. He retired from DPS as a sergeant and joined ACC in 1999.

Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award | Meredith Denton-Hedrick, geology professor, was awarded the National Association of Geoscience Teachers award for Outstanding Adjunct Faculty for the Geo2YC Division. Students and colleagues have nominated Denton-Hedrick four times for the college's Teaching Excellence Award. She also recently received a NISOD Teaching Excellence Award. 

Newly Published | Roy Casagranda, government professor, has published the book "The Blood Throne of Caria.' In the novel, Casagranda reexamines the much-maligned queen to create an explicitly feminist portrait of ancient woman who must achieve to fulfill her ambitions and endure both familiar and extreme gender limits.

ACC Librarian Selected as SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow | Highland Campus Head Librarian Carrie Gits has been selected as a fellow in the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, an intensive professional development program to empower library professionals with the knowledge, skills, and connections to lead successful open-education initiatives that benefit students. The two-semester program blends online, peer-to-peer, and project-based learning to build a comprehensive understanding of the open-education space coupled with practical know-how to take action on campus and beyond. Carrie is one of 24 fellows selected from a competitive application pool for the program’s 2018-2019 cohort. 

Designated Central Texas Outdoor Learning Environments | The ACC Child Lab School was designated as the Central Texas Outdoor Learning Environments (OLE!) Austin demonstration site. OLE! Texas is a statewide initiative of the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department designed to improve health, well-being, and general developmental outcomes for early childhood.

Aspen Presidential Fellowship | Vice President of Student Services Dr. Virginia Fraire and Vice President of Institutional Planning, Development & Evaluation Dr. Mary Harris have been awarded the prestigious Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence. The renowned leadership program is aimed at preparing the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions across the nation to help students be more successful both in college and in the workforce.

2018 Academic Advising Administrator Award | Kathy James was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Advising Administrator — Certificate of Merit from the National Association of Academic Advisors (NACADA) for her work to improve academic advising services for ACC students. NACADA is an association of professional advisors, counselors, faculty, administrators, and students working to enhance the educational development of students.

BL Joyce Parade Grand Marshal | Director of Community Engagement Loretta Edelen served as grand marshal of the 2018 BL Joyce Parade. The parade, named in honor of Benjamin Lee Joyce, celebrates the arts, culture, and history of East Austin. Joyce was the first band director of the LC Anderson High School and served in this role from 1933 to 1955. He also directed music at Kealing Middle School and Blackshear Elementary.  He is recognized as the first educator to bring fine arts instruction to East Austin, winning seven statewide marching band championships.

Bioscience Incubator Receives Honors | President/CEO Dr. Richard M. Rhodes and ACC Bioscience Incubator Director Dr. Tyler Drake accepted the College of Excellence Award from the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) for work underway at the ACC Bioscience Incubator to foster industry partnerships and support entrepreneurship. ACC is one of five institutions nationwide and in Canada recognized by NACCE.

Radiology Assistant Professor Awarded Master’s Degree | Michelle D. Hamilton, assistant professor of diagnostic medical imaging - radiology, received her master’s degree in education with a concentration in adult, professional, and community education from Texas State University. She was honored with initiation into two honor societies, Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Chi.

Professor on International Discussion on Sound Design | Francis Preve, music business and performance, and technology adjunct professor, discussed the importance of sound design at Ableton Loop in Berlin. His conversation was featured in an international podcast in May. Listen to the discussion here.