{"id":44371,"date":"2017-09-13T20:52:44","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T20:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=44371"},"modified":"2017-09-20T16:19:35","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T16:19:35","slug":"acc-highland-building-4000-is-open-hear-from-your-colleagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2017\/09\/13\/acc-highland-building-4000-is-open-hear-from-your-colleagues\/","title":{"rendered":"ACC Highland Building 4000 is open: Hear from your colleagues"},"content":{"rendered":"

ACC Highland is transforming into a regional center for workforce training and lifelong learning. Building 4000 is now open for students.<\/p>\n

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Faculty set up equipment in preparation for the\u00a0start of classes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really exciting to move,\u201d says Roberta Weston, ACC art history professor. \u201cThe move of the Art Department was a monumental task due to the number of studios, equipment, and tools. We met the challenge. Everyone worked well together to ensure everything was set up. We are ready to teach classes in this wonderful new space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phase 2 at ACC Highland expands ACC\u2019s innovative learning environment with centers designed to accelerate pathways to high-demand careers. It adds flexible, advanced facilities for the cutting-edge career-technical education and hands-on experience needed for today\u2019s jobs. The improved space also features wide pathways and natural lighting.<\/p>\n

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ACC Art Department classes inside the newly opened Building 4000, on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cFor students to walk into such a spacious, light-filled environment, it will inspire creativity. Hopefully, they gain inspiration,\u201d says Weston.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the best parts about this space is that the studios are close together,\u201d says Brent Baggett, ACC art professor.<\/p>\n

Studios include dance, drawing, painting, ceramics, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, this turns into a collaborative environment with great energy. Also, with an additional studio, we are now able to teach simultaneously, which we were not able to do in the past,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe move from Riverside Campus to this campus expands our space by three times. Before, we were landlocked. We literally could not buy another piece of equipment because there was no space,\u201d says Bill Evans, Jewelry Department chair. “Now we have more space and equipment to better suit the students.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Workers completing the final touches of the dance studio on Friday, September 8, 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe benefits of this space are manifold. We\u2019ve expanded the labs and have additional\u00a0machinery. Our goal is to grow classes with additional benches,\u201d he says. \u201cThe students I\u2019ve talked to are quite excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dwayne Bandy, instructional assistant in the Jewelry Department, agreed.<\/p>\n

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Faculty and staff move into the newly renovated Building 4000 at the Highland Mall on Friday, September 8, 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOn a scale of one to ten, this is awesome! The upgraded space is larger and more comfortable,\u201d Bandy says.<\/p>\n

Polly Monear, senior administrative assistant to the dean of arts & digital media, says: \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting. Our suite was designed so people would interact. Departments can see what other departments are doing and creating. This open concept will instill a feeling of all being here together.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also rooms set aside for collaborative group and project work between disciplines. For example, students who produce the Creative Writing Department’s Rio Review can now gather in a common space to create the biannual arts journal.<\/p>\n

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Faculty and students begin classes in new facilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt used to be difficult to find space and traditional classrooms are not the best for this process,\u201d Monear says.<\/p>\n

She reiterates a common theme: \u201cThe student space is amazing. It allows creative expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, September 1, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at 6101 Highland Campus Drive, ACC hosts a groundbreaking event<\/a> celebrating the start of construction at ACC Highland Phase 2.<\/p>\n

View more photos from Building 4000:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Moving in Building 4000<\/a>