Dear Colleagues,
We’re about halfway through the spring semester and getting ready for a much-deserved spring break. I hope you take the week to relax, recharge, and connect with your family and friends.
Soon after we return from the break, we will meet for our Data Summit. As you have heard, the college will close on Wednesday, March 27, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. so that we can gather as colleagues to learn, grow, and discover how ACC can become the best college in the nation. I want to share more with you about what to expect at the Data Summit.
Our conversation will focus on the results of my first 100 days here. That’s why I’m requiring all full-time employees to be there. If you’re a part-time employee or adjunct faculty, we also invite you to join the discussion, but it is not required. If you’re already scheduled to work this day as part of your regular hours, you can work directly with your supervisor to plan your day.
Since there are so many of us, we reserved the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park for our Data Summit. We’re going to review our institutional data, learn how to use it in our planning, and begin to map out strategies to improve student success. I will share the results from my first 100 days. You’ll see our new values and our theory of change, and we’ll discuss our North Star.
If we can help students start strong, create opportunities to help them enroll full time, help meet their basic needs, and wrap them in a culture of belonging and connection, we will grow completion and transfer rates and achieve a 70% success rate by 2030. I know that may feel like a lofty goal, but I have full confidence with the talent and resources we have at ACC and in Central Texas, we can lead the state and nation in student outcomes.
I encourage you to get familiar with our values and theory of change before the Data Summit. You can read The First 100 Days Report by clicking here or on the file below.
We have an informational web page about the Data Summit for you as well. It includes FAQs and details about how to prepare. If you haven’t submitted your RSVP, please take a moment to do so.
I want to thank you for your commitment to our students and this institution. If my first 100 days taught me anything, it’s that we are a college filled with people who care deeply about our students. We all agree — we want to love our students to success. The Data Summit will help us find ways to glue our work together for this common purpose.
I hope you have a wonderful spring break. Enjoy the well-deserved holiday. I will see you when we return on Monday, March 18.
Much love,
russell
Russell Lowery-Hart, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Austin Community College District