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Former Dillard\u2019s women\u2019s store will house joint office and production facilities <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Austin Community College (ACC) unveils plans for the redevelopment of the former Dillard\u2019s women\u2019s space at Highland in partnership with KLRU-TV, Austin PBS.<\/p>\n The partnership will bring paid internships and enhanced job training for the college\u2019s arts, digital media, and communications students while allowing KLRU to set up its offices and production facilities in the newly renovated building.<\/p>\n \u201cACC Highland is about renewal and building up our community. It takes innovative thinking and collaborative partnerships to bring that vision to life,\u201d says Dr. Richard Rhodes, ACC president\/CEO. \u201cWhat\u2019s happening here with KLRU will expand learning and training opportunities and provide real-world experiences that benefit our students and the region. Together, we share in a vision to enrich lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cACC and KLRU share a deep, long-standing commitment to the Central Texas community,\u201d says Bill Stotesbery, KLRU general manager. \u201cThis collaboration will benefit both organizations as we work together to launch new initiatives that leverage the power of media to positively impact Central Texas communities while creating new training opportunities for ACC students.\u201d<\/p>\n The first floor of the 185,000 square-foot building will house joint facilities for ACC\u2019s television studios including programming and production for ACC-TV and KLRU\u2019s offices. It features two private studios and a large community soundstage. The two organizations intend to work together to expand the vision of ACC-TV, create internships for ACC students, create joint productions, and seek collaborative opportunities to address a variety of Central Texas concerns.<\/p>\n “This is one of those home-grown collaborations that is truly one of the transformative moments happening in our city,” says Austin Mayor Steve Adler. \u201cWe’re taking two of the most trusted institutions in our city, and they’re joining together in a way that’s going to provide greater access and opportunity for people in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n KLRU has been located on the University of Texas at Austin campus since it was founded in 1962.\u00a0In recent years the rapid growth of both the Moody College of Communications and KLRU have created significant space issues for both.<\/p>\n \u201cThis move will allow both the Moody College and KLRU to increase the amount of space available and the efficiency with which space is used,\u201d says Stotesbery. \u201cMore importantly, the move to ACC opens exciting new opportunities for collaboration with ACC while maintaining our longstanding cooperation with UT-Austin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot we can do with this type of facility,\u201d says Dr. Rhodes. \u201cToday ACC-TV primarily provides educational material for our distance learning classes, but we want to do much more for the community. With KLRU\u2019s guidance, we will develop more engaging programming highlighting our faculty, students, and programs and we\u2019ll build feature programming with our elected officials, community leaders, and employers to discuss the important news happening in Central Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n Funded by a $55 million ACC Public Facilities Corporation bond using existing tuition and tax dollars, construction is expected to begin fall 2018. The building will remain owned by the college, and KLRU will lease its office and production space. Other portions of the renovation will house ACC administrative and student services offices. Construction is expected to be complete in 2020 around the same time that ACC Highland Phase 2 is expected to open. For more information about the Highland redevelopment project, visit austincc.edu\/vision<\/a>.<\/p>\n A message from Mayor Steve Adler, City of Austin<\/strong><\/p>\nFollow construction progress<\/a><\/h2>\n