Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow

Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, president/CEO of the Austin Community College District, announced Monday night his intention to retire when his contract ends in June 2011, after six years as president and thirty-four years of service to ACC.

Last June, Kinslow, 60, shared with the ACC Board of Trustees that he would not seek an extension of his three-year contract, enabling the college to plan an orderly succession and smooth transition.

“It has been a rewarding career at ACC, and amazing to be part of the evolution of a young and struggling college into a mature, complex organization that is positively transforming lives and communities every day,” says Kinslow. “ACC is a strong organization with a great future. It is gratifying when the community recognizes ACC’s critical role in providing the education and training necessary to produce a skilled workforce and in driving economic development.”

Kinslow has been with ACC since 1977, starting as an assistant dean. He held numerous leadership roles including twice serving as interim president before accepting the permanent post in 2005.

“Dr. Kinslow is an invaluable asset to ACC, and we are grateful for his many contributions to the college,” says Nan McRaven, chair of the ACC Board of Trustees. “Those shoes will be hard to fill, but his leadership has positioned ACC for a seamless, successful transition.”

The college will embark on a nationwide, collaborative search for a new chief executive, and Kinslow will remain in place until his successor begins work. This summer, board officers and the president will finalize the process and identify a firm or individual to guide the search. In the fall, the board will appoint and train internal and external committee members and finalize recruitment and outreach strategies. Interviews will be conducted next spring, with a goal of an appointment in June 2011.

“Dr. Kinslow has indicated to us that he will serve beyond the target transition time if a hire has not yet been made,” says McRaven. “That – along with the two-year notice he gave the board – allows us the flexibility we need to ensure the appointment of the best candidate.”

Under Kinslow’s leadership, the ACC District enhanced and aligned its master planning and accountability research functions, integrated the Master Plan and budget, expanded the taxing district, initiated a comprehensive student success model, and secured real estate to guide the future growth of the college.

“Steve Kinslow is an extraordinary leader – a true visionary who is extremely bright and also very humble,” says Dr. Walter Bumphus, chair and professor of the Educational Administration Department at the University of Texas’ Community College Leadership Program. “Since assuming the presidency, he has transformed the perception of ACC from a challenged institution to one that is recognized as among the best community colleges in the country. ACC is accomplishing amazing things, and Dr. Kinslow and the board have set the stage for more wonderful achievements and growth.”

Highlights of Kinslow’s presidency include:

• Leading the college through historic enrollment growth, with the addition of 10,000 credit students in just five years, from 31,908 enrollment in fall 2005 to 40,248 in fall 2009.
• Building minority student enrollment over the same period, with 48 percent growth among African-Americans (from 2,383 to 3,548) and 35 percent growth among Hispanics (7,456 to 10,065).
• Significantly expanding general education transfer courses as well as high-demand workforce/career programs.
• Bringing Round Rock ISD into the ACC taxing district through referenda; voters in Bastrop, Elgin, Hays, McDade, and San Marcos school districts will vote in November on whether to join the taxing district.
• Developing and opening the new ACC Round Rock Campus this August (on time and within budget).
• Purchasing land for future campuses in Bastrop, Buda/Kyle, Elgin, and Leander; securing a land donation in San Marcos; purchasing additional land for the Pinnacle, Cypress Creek, and Rio Grande campuses; and purchasing a facility and acreage within Highland Mall.

Other achievements:

• Strengthening financial stability, increasing the Standard & Poor’s bond rating to AA-, growing the college’s budget while maintaining an average property tax rate below the state average, and maintaining the lowest tuition in Central Texas.
• Instituting ACC’s Student Success Initiative and joining the national Achieving the Dream initiative to improve student success across all cohorts.
• Creating Weekend Colleges, expanding Distance Learning options, and enhancing Early College Start programs to help manage enrollment growth and expand high-demand programs and services.
• Implementing a Servant-Leadership model.
• Funding a five-year Full-Time Faculty Hiring Plan.
• Creating the I-35 Green Corridor Collaborative of higher education institutions, working with workforce boards in green/sustainable initiatives.
• Committing the college to become a leader in sustainability, including the passage of the Sustainability Practices Board Policy C-9, hiring a Director of Environmental Stewardship, and signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, a pledge to eventually become climate-neutral.
• Implementing a board directive to make market-competitive compensation a reality for all employees in order to attract and retain quality faculty and staff.

“The successes ACC has enjoyed are the collaborative work of a committed Board and the teamwork of great administrators, faculty and staff. When the majority are pulling in the same direction, good things happen,” says Kinslow.

Before coming to ACC, Kinslow worked for the Dallas County Community College District and was a public school teacher in Big Spring, Texas. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Kinslow was named a distinguished graduate of the UT Austin College of Education in 2004 and received the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) International Leadership Award in 2008. He serves on the boards of the Austin and Round Rock chambers of commerce, Leadership Round Rock, the ACC Center for Public Policy and Political Studies, and the E3 Alliance. He is on the executive committee of the Texas Association of Community Colleges and is vice chair of the Texas Campus Compact.

He was previously a board member of Skillpoint Alliance and Austin Partners in Education.  Kinslow is a graduate of Leadership Austin and participates in a variety of community activities throughout the region.

Click here to read an article about Dr. Kinslow and his retirement published in the Austin American-Statesman. The newspaper also published an editorial on Dr. Kinslow’s impact on ACC.