The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees held its October regular meeting on Monday, October 5, via teleconference due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Below are highlights from the meeting.
ACC Equity Council
ACC is forming an Equity Council to help the college reach its equity goals and serve as an advisory group to the Chancellor and the Chancellor's Cabinet. The council will be made up of 24 districtwide representatives and five subcommittees and will collaborate with the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center; and ACC Employee Associations. Faculty and staff interested in serving on the council have until October 23 to apply. Learn more here.
Fast Track Pilot Program
Trustees heard an update on ACC's Fast Track programs that are being piloted this fall to support getting Central Texans back to work. Continuing Education selected 12 programs in high-demand industries with high completion and job placement rates and heavily discounted their tuition between September 1 and December 15, 2020. Learn more here.
Chancellor's Report
Chancellor Dr. Richard Rhodes informed trustees fall 2020 enrollment has seen a steady, modest increase to 40,600 students, which is 99 percent of last year's overall headcount and 100 percent of last year's credit and contact hours. ACC is faring better than community colleges across Texas and the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic — the national average is an enrollment drop of six percent. Additionally, the college has awarded more than 6,200 students more than $5.9 million in CARES Act funding this semester.
He also announced ACC is one of six colleges selected to be part of the inaugural cohort of the Community College Growth Engine Fund. The partnership with the national nonprofit Education Design Lab is to up- and re-skill displaced workers as Certified Production Technicians (CPT) and Certified Medical Assistants (CMA) to support Central Texas' fast-growing healthcare workforce. Learn more here.
Lastly, two ACC programs have been designated Programs to Watch for 2020 Examples of Excelencia by Excelencia in Education. Excelencia staff acknowledge ACC's Student Money Management Office and Transfer Resources Department for the impact they have had thus far on Latino students and recognize the potential of the programs to grow in practice and evidence of effectiveness.