Making Beautiful Music

Commercial Music Adjunct Professor André Moran and Noelle Hampton, who together form the band The Belle Sounds, have just released their first album. The duo is featured in a recent Austin Chronicle article that tells how they met and found their way to Austin. Moran, who has taught at ACC since 2004, also is an engineer at Congress House Studio. The Belle Sounds, recorded in East Nashville, is described as indie folk-pop.

Headlining in the Bahamas

Music Professor Tom Husak will headline the Hope Town, Bahamas Jazz & Arts Festival May 19-25 in Hope Town, Bahamas.  Performances are designed to highlight the island region’s rich historic and cultural legacy. Husak also leads ACC’s Jazz Ensemble.

Presidential Committee Appointment

Linda Young is serving on a U.S. presidential committee charged with expanding the applicant pool for upper-level positions in the federal government. Young was tapped because of her role as president of the non-partisan National Women’s Political Caucus, which helps recruit, train, and elect women to public office.

Young, ACC’s special assistant to the president for external affairs, also was in the nation’s capital recently to participate on a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored panel addressing ways to promote equality and achievement of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, and was honored in April by Women of Wealth magazine for her leadership, mentoring, and philanthropic efforts on behalf of women.

Sharing Expertise

At the inaugural SXSWedu policy forum in March, Terry Bazan participated on a panel of financial aid experts who discussed what students, institutions, and lawmakers can do to make college affordable. Bazan is the director of student assistance and veterans affairs.

Recognizing Leaders of Leaders

ACC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter recently brought home an armload of awards from the organization’s international convention in San Jose, Calif. Among them: recognition for Mary Kohls and Reed Peoples, who received the Continued Excellence for Advisors and the Distinguished Advisor award, respectively. Kohls, chair of the Computer Information Technology Department, has been chapter advisor for more than 25 years. Peoples is chair of the Accounting Department.

Forging a Path in Metalsmithing

William Bastas, a professor of welding technology and co-founder of the Balcones Forge Association, was recently presented the group’s Lifetime Member award. Bastas helped develop the metalsmithing portion of the Welding Technology Department’s Art Metals Program. Â The award features a miniature of a handcrafted hammer modeled after Bastas’ own design.

Innovation in Distance Learning Instruction

ACC’s Instructional Design staff recently earned honorable mention in the annual SoftChalk Lesson Challenge for a series of distance learning instructional modules. Educators from across the country evaluated the lessons for creativity, professionalism, interactivity, and reinforcement of learning objectives. Six winners were selected from about 80 submissions.

Laura Lucas, instructional design specialist, designed and developed the modules in SoftChalk. Lucas and fellow instructional design specialists Jimmy Clark, Michelle Escudier, Jennifer Gray, Martha Meachum, Peg Raiford, along with Manager Teresa Moore developed content, instructional activities, and assessments. Lucas and Escudier will present the modules to higher education professionals at the Innovations in Online Learning Conference in San Antonio this month. Click here to view the instructional modules the team created.

Award-Winning Design

The Public Information and College Marketing staff was recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District IV with a Bronze “Accolades” award for the design of the ACC Foundation booklet “Together We Educate.” Lisa Rehbein, graphic design specialist, accepted the award on behalf of the department.

New Campus Leadership

Sylvia Galvan-Gonzalez has been named dean of student services for the Elgin Campus. She has been a counselor at the Cypress Creek Campus since 2007.  Before joining ACC, Sylvia was as a clinical counselor and lecturer at Our Lady of the Lake University and a psychotherapist at the Mexican American Unity Council — Child & Family Mental Health.

Wade Bradfute is dean of student services at the Northridge Campus. He has been a counselor at the South Austin Campus since it opened in 2006. Bradfute previously was a math teacher and counselor at Hays ISD. He has been part of the team working on the New Mathways project with the University of Texas at Austin’s Dana Center, and has been instrumental in designing and teaching ACC’s Transition to College Success math course.

Tim Kelly is campus manager for the South Austin Campus. Kelly previously was a programmer/analyst with National Instruments Corp., but has worked in various part-time positions at ACC’s Rio Grande and Eastview campuses since 2003, including evening supervisor, weekend supervisor and evening/weekend coordinator. Kelly replaces Betsy Erwin, who is now campus manager for the Elgin Campus.

Honoring Excellence

ACC honored the recipients of various awards recognizing excellence in teaching and leadership at the annual awards dinner April 25. Read about the awards and the recipients.

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 Jennifer Powers, [email protected].

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