Earning As: November 2020

This regular feature recognizes achievements, activities, and accolades of Austin Community College District (ACC) faculty and staff. To submit news or suggestions, see the contact information below.

Renee Esparza, ACC director of Transfer Resources, was named by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students as a Transfer Champion Rising Star Award Winner for 2021. Esparza was a leader in creating ACC's Transfer 101, a Blackboard extension that helps students learn about transfer opportunities and receive personal guidance through the process. She will be honored at the NISTS 2021 virtual annual conference in February.

ACC's International Programs was awarded a grant from the French-American Cultural Foundation for a project to develop a virtual collaborative government course with the University of Strasbourg (Unistra) in France. ACC Government Department Chair Ted Hadzi-Antich and Dr. Ghislain Potriquet from Unistra will be the lead faculty on developing and implementing the project, while International Programs will manage the grant. Ted and Ghislain will also present on the project at the Community College for International Development conference on February 18 and will be joined by the cultural attache from the French Embassy in NYC.

ACC EMS Professions associate professor Ginger Locke-Floyd is the creator and host of the Medic Mindset Podcast. She served as the moderator for an on-demand webinar titled, "Reimagining Resuscitation: Behind the scenes of Rialto's breakthrough" to discuss how to improve patients' chances for surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by implementing a coordinated set of advanced cardiac resuscitation techniques.

Dr. Rodney Rohde, ACC Biology associate adjunct professor recently appeared on several local media outlets to share insights about the COVID-19 vaccine. He also published two new articles:

ACC Music associate adjunct professor Jacob Wise performed an online concert with his band, the Jacob Wise Quartet, to raise money for the Austin Jazz Society's Project Safety Net. The campaign is raising money to help jazz musicians affected by COVID-19. Watch a recording of the live stream here.

ACC RTF assistant adjunct professor Logan Ann Taylor, co-founded a consultancy firm for horror filmmakers called Blood Oath. Taylor will handle festivals and promotions for the firm, which will be based out of Austin, Los Angeles, and New York. Learn more here.

Do you know a faculty or staff member who has accomplished something notable outside the classroom or in their community? We want to hear about them. Contact Vicky Garza Gonzalez at victoria.garza@austincc.edu.