ACC Mobile Go Center Takin’ It to the Streets

The Austin Community College District recognized two major initiatives Nov. 16 to help Central Texas close the higher education gap. Donors and school leaders from across the region gathered at ACC’s Eastview Campus to launch the ACC Mobile Go Center and College Connection program expansion.

The Texas economy is imperiled by the declining percentage of college-educated Texans. The state’s Closing the Gaps initiative addresses the decline by aggressively promoting college and university enrollment. In Central Texas, an additional 60,000 college students are needed by 2015, and the majority of those students are expected to enroll in a community college.
The ACC Mobile Go Center is a large, air-conditioned trailer equipped with computers and a high-speed satellite connection to the Internet. It will visit festivals, sports events, supermarkets, shopping malls, and schools to reach parents and middle school and high school students who might be unlikely to attend college. Grants from AMD and the AT&T Foundation funded the trailer and its equipment.
College Connection is a 3-year-old program in which ACC staff travel to partner high schools in order to work one-on-one with seniors on college enrollment and financial aid steps. This month College Connection received the Texas Star Award, which recognizes exemplary Closing the Gaps programs. Grants from TG, the Texas Pioneer Foundation, and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce are funding the program’s expansion for 14 additional school districts.

Participants:

Back to Top