The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees met for its regular meeting on Monday, December 2, to hear college updates, discuss a new degree, and vote on a contract for a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider to replace Colleague. Below are highlights from the meeting.

APPLE RECOGNIZED FOR SUPPORTING ACC IT PROGRAMS
"Apple has supported ACC in numerous ways — by providing speakers and professional development opportunities, hosting the executive team at its campus, money for a computer lab at San Gabriel Campus, a coding academy for ISD faculty, and money for a temporary full-time dual credit instructor for SWIFT coding," says Dr. Charles Cook, ACC provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.

The technology company's most recent support of ACC comes in the form of $75,000 in scholarships and internships for ACC students, which it was recognized for at the meeting.

"We want to do everything we can to further education and provide true equitable access to quality education and we can't think of a better partner to do that with than ACC," says Stacy Erb, Apple Inc. director of Community Education Initiatives.

RECOGNITION AND ACHIEVEMENTS
A number of recent retirees were recognized by Dr. Richard Rhodes, ACC president/CEO, including:

• Enrique "Henry" Cantu, Maintenance technician
• Soon Merz Flynn, Effectiveness and Accountability vice president
• Dr. Marlene Meador, Associate Degree Nursing Program full-time faculty
• Dr. Patti Singleton, Student Affairs professor/counselor
• Nelda Walker, Area of Study senior advising specialist

PRESIDENT'S REMARKS
Dr. Rhodes announced that the college has selected a director for the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center. Khayree Williams will be joining the college in January.

He also reported that ACC was one of five colleges nationwide to participate in the Emergency Aid Lab, a project which works to improve and expand emergency aid programs. Dr.Melissa Curtis and Steve Christorpher represented the college at the Emergency Aid Outcomes Harvest at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Wash. "ACC's student emergency aid programs help students with unexpected expenses. The Gates Foundation will use some of our successful strategies to share with other colleges across the nation on promising practices."

Dr. Rhodes also shared that ACC was the recipient of the 2019 Star Award by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for its Z-Degree program, which has saved students more than $4.5 million since 2016.

He also provided an update on the first Pinnacle Community Conversation that happened earlier that day and encouraged everyone to participate in Giving Tuesday, which benefits the Student Emergency Fund.

Dr. Rhodes also provided a registration update — spring registration is up 3 percent compared to the same time last year. In a Texas Association of Community Colleges Fall Enrollment Report, with a one percent increase, ACC did better than most of its peer institutions, a vast majority of which were down in the fall.

He also announced that he was looking forward to fall commencement, which includes the first cohort of RN-to-BSN graduates.

NEW ARCHITECTURE DEGREE APPROVED
The board unanimously voted to approve a new Associate of Science in Architecture degree. Currently, the college offers an Associate of Applied Science degree for students who are seeking a workforce credential and direct job entry. The new degree will focus on creating a transfer pathway for those seeking a bachelor's degree or higher.

NEW ERP SOFTWARE PROVIDER SELECTED
The board voted to negotiate a contract with Workday, Inc. for the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to replace Colleague. The college's ERP system is an ecosystem comprised of human resource management, finance, and student information services software.

A comprehensive implementation plan is expected in spring 2020. The college is developing a microsite dedicated to the ERP process to provide regular updates that will launch in January.