ACC officials accept a petition October 30 from ACCtion4Education, a group of Round Rock citizens seeking to join the ACC taxing district. Left to right are President/CEO Stephen B. Kinslow, Board of Trustees Chair John Hernandez, and Trustee Allen Kaplan.

The Austin Community College District is on the fast track to building its largest campus in the region. This month, the Board of Trustees heard presentations from five architectural/engineering design finalists vying for the 60-acre project just northeast of Round Rock.

It is the first time the board has ever moved forward with design plans for a campus outside the college’s taxing district.

“We want to be able to begin building this campus immediately after Round Rock voters join our district,” said John Hernandez, board chair.

The design firms include: Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, 3D/International (Parsons Architecture), Skidmore Owings & Merrill/Aguirre Corp., PBS&J, and GS&C.

Initial plans cover only the first phase of the new campus, which will include an array of instructional programs and student services. ACC’s health sciences will experience a major expansion at the campus, which will be located just minutes from the new Seton Medical Center Williamson and Scott and White University Medical Campus.

Eileen Klein, dean of the Health Sciences Division, listened intently to the firms’ presentations.

“The Round Rock area is experiencing significant growth not only among a demographic that increasingly needs healthcare services, but also in hospitals and emergency care centers,” Klein says. “I want to be sure the expansion of our health science offerings will align well with that area’s needs.”

On October 30 ACCtion4Education, a local group of Round Rock leaders, presented a petition with more than 8,000 signatures supporting an election to annex the remaining portion of the Round Rock Independent School District into the ACC taxing district.

“As Round Rock continues to grow, it is imperative we provide additional educational opportunities for all residents,” says Glen Colby, committee co-chair. “Round Rock residents have a right to live here, learn here, work here, and stay here.”

On December 3 the board will consider certifying the petition and choose one of the five finalists to design the proposed Round Rock campus.