The Austin Community College District needs your help to choose a mascot! After receiving hundreds of suggestions and vetting the ideas through a rigorous research/focus group process, the mascot search committee has narrowed down the choices to the final four. Follow along as the finalists are revealed in a March Madness-style bracket on the mascot search webpage (austincc.edu/mascot).

When it’s down to the last four choices, students, employees, alumni, and the entire Central Texas area will have a chance to cast a ballot for their favorite. The final four will be announced online at noon on Monday, March 22. Voting runs March 22 through April 2 on the mascot search webpage. The top vote-getter will be submitted to the legal department and administration for final approval.

To raise awareness of Mascot Madness, the search committee – and the pink bunny serving as the “interim mascot” – will make a stop at every ACC campus during the voting period. Check it out from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on the following dates:

• Cypress Creek: March 23
• Eastview: March 24
• South Austin: March 25
• Rio Grande: March 29
• Northridge: March 30
• Riverside: March 31
• Pinnacle: April 1

“We think the mascot is going to build school spirit and give ACC a lasting tradition,” says ACC student Avy Gonzalez, co-chair of the search committee. “It’s cool to be part of something that will have a big impact at ACC long after we finish school.”

Some of the remaining mascot choices include River Bats, Starblazers, Armadillos, and Pioneers. Each day, the field of contenders narrows.

“We’re excited to have a mascot to raise awareness about the importance of a college education,” said Brette Lea, co-chair of the search committee and ACC executive director of Public Information and College Marketing. “A very important part of ACC’s mission is to increase higher education participation rates and enhance student success. A mascot can help engage current students and create a college-going culture among prospective students, starting at a young age.”

ACC formed the mascot search committee in fall 2009, with the goal of finding the perfect symbol to represent the college. The committee is comprised of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. The committee developed a four-step process and criteria for choosing the college’s new mascot in a way that engages the community and is considerate of college history as well as current practices, policies, and procedures.

The four-step search process includes:

Idea Submission (October-November): encouraging the entire community to submit ideas.

Research (January-March): the process of elimination, research, and focus groups.

Vote (March 22-April 2): the final four mascot candidates will be voted on by the community. The winning nomination will be presented to the administration for final approval. ACC’s new mascot will be announced spring 2010.

Reveal (fall 2010): The mascot will be introduced to the public.

Criteria for selecting the mascot:

• Eliminate mascots already in use by high schools in ACC’s eight-county service area, local universities and colleges, and regional pro-sports teams, unless there is a unique tie to ACC.
• Focus groups told us the finalists should represent the entire Austin Community College District and the Central Texas region, be unique to ACC, and reflect the essence of ACC.