Colleagues,
I am honored to join your team, officially, today. I assume the role of chancellor with excitement and a deep sense of responsibility. As with many across the country, I’ve been inspired by ACC’s innovation, resources, and talent. As I’ve prepared for this transition, the past two weeks of connecting with you helped me understand why and how ACC is such a special place. We have an amazing college. Yet, we are not a perfect one. Today, I am ready to work alongside you to celebrate our hard work and ensure we lead with students at the center of our decision-making.
Transition can be unsettling, even painful. It should also be a time for learning and growth. As we embark on this journey together, I want to share my vision for the first 100 days as your colleague.
The first 100 days will give us a unique opportunity to identify a collegewide “north star” for student success and establish a theory of change to help us reach our one big goal. Together, we will listen to and collaborate with our students, and each other, to enhance every aspect of our students’ journeys.
I promise to foster an inclusive, caring, and transparent environment. In order for you to do your best work, I must lead with inclusivity, clarity, integrity, and transparency.
Starting this week, I will visit each campus and spend quality time with the campus community. We will host Campus Conversations to talk about successes, opportunities, and share our experiences and ideas. You can expect regular virtual Town Hall meetings directly with me to dialogue about what we are learning. We developed a First 100 Days website as a resource for information, schedules, and opportunities to join the conversation.
My leadership approach guides me by a singular principle — LOVE. Love for our institution, love for our mission, and, most importantly, love for our students and each other. We can build a culture rooted in service to each other and our students. When we collaborate with honor and intention across our departments, we can become the greatest college in the country.
I am excited to begin this work with each and every one of you, and I look forward to connecting with you during our Campus Conversations, starting Tuesday, October 3, at Eastview Campus. The full schedule is available on the First 100 Days website.
I am so grateful, in advance, for your kindness and partnership.
Much Love,
Russell
Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart
Chancellor
Austin Community College District