Texas Capitol Building

The Austin Community College District is hosting events throughout spring to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the college’s founding.

The biggest celebration will be the “All Access ACC” community festival Saturday, March 28, at the Eastview Campus, 3401 Webberville Road. It will showcase the college’s courses, programs, students, and faculty, with food, live entertainment, and prizes for all ages. Visitors will enjoy hands-on activities for all ages, demonstrations, seminars, a health and fitness fair, and a hip-hop musical celebration.

Additionally, the college is commemorating its anniversary at additional events:

• April 2-4, Carnival ah!: Arts and humanities festival at the Rio Grande Campus, 1212 Rio Grande Ave. Includes author readings, drama and dance performances, guest lectures, and a student art exhibit and sale.
• April 25, El Dia de Familia: A family-oriented bilingual, bicultural festival sponsored by the college’s Latino/Latin-American Studies Center. Includes food and children’s games. Live entertainment, prizes, and information on college programs and services.

“We are inviting the community to join us in celebrating the college’s history,” says Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, president/CEO of ACC. “It has been 35 years of amazing progress.”
Since opening September 17, 1973, ACC has grown to become the primary gateway to higher education and training for a majority of Central Texans. The college enrolls more than 35,000 credit students in a service area stretching over eight counties. ACC has seven campuses, nine regional centers, and dozens of additional teaching sites. Its eighth and largest campus will open in Round Rock in 2010.

“Community support has always been positive for ACC because the college provides rapid response to the varied education and training needs for area residents and businesses,” Kinslow says.
Publicly supported community colleges, once called junior colleges, have existed in Texas since 1922. However, the state underwent a community college boom in the ‘60s, with 40 college districts in existence by 1968. These two-year colleges filled a vital need for education and training not being met by the four-year institutions.

“Community colleges provide a broad variety of education not available through the university system, which is more research-driven,” Kinslow says. “The community college’s sole mission is to teach. We provide a community with local workforce training and associate degrees; university transfer programs; basic, remedial education to bring skills to the college level; and continuing education for lifelong learning.”

Ironically, the Austin area, home of the University of Texas System, was one of the last regions to establish a community college. As early as 1963, the Chamber of Commerce and numerous prominent citizens were advocating for a two-year college. Their efforts failed, however, when voters rejected a local tax base required in order to found a community college.

In the early 1970s, it was the Austin ISD Board of Trustees that returned the issue to voters. Relying on a legislative loophole, this newest proposal would create a college without first establishing a local tax base. Voters approved the measure on December 9, 1972, and the college opened its doors at the Ridgeview Campus on September 17, 1973. Evening classes were taught at three high schools, Reagan, Austin, and Crockett.

“The founding of ACC acknowledged the unique role of community colleges in promoting economic development and social equity,” Kinslow says.

A major turning point for ACC came in 1986 when voters approved an ad valorem tax of 5 cents per $100 valuation, then again in 2003 when they OK’d a 4-cent increase on the rate plus 1 cent for construction bonds. “ACC’s tax rate has been increased only once, a testament to the excellent fiscal stewardship of the college,” Kinslow notes.

“Support for ACC’s bond programs, to expand and build new facilities, has occurred because the community understands the tremendous return on investment in ACC,” he says. “As the region grows, ACC must grow because of its essential role as the gateway to four-year colleges and universities, and as the gateway to good paying jobs in Central Texas.”

The ACC Master Plan reflects ACC’s vision to be the gateway to higher education and training for the majority of area residents who enter higher education. It is achieving its goals in several ways:

• Expanding the taxing district so that access to affordable education becomes real for many thousands more students;
• Securing land throughout the service area to support future growth of the college;
• Taking a leadership role to strengthen the P-16 educational continuum; and
  Remaining responsive to changes in the local labor market.

“Today’s world is more complex than ever, and the diverse mission of the community college aligns well with those complexities and challenges,” he says.

“ACC is the best resource for strengthening the economy, for growing and creating more equity in the distribution of the tax base, and for developing the skills which allow people to create and sustain the quality of life they and their families deserve.”