{"id":52455,"date":"2025-10-15T16:31:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T21:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=52455"},"modified":"2025-10-15T16:31:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T21:31:57","slug":"austin-community-college-district-launches-alliance-of-future-makers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/10\/15\/austin-community-college-district-launches-alliance-of-future-makers\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Community College District Launches Alliance of Future Makers\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New initiative brings together educators, innovators, and leaders to redefine what\u2019s next in higher education<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Austin Community College District (ACC) is taking another step to shape the future of higher education. On Monday, October 13, the College launched the Alliance of Future Makers <\/strong>(AFM). This new initiative\u2014formed under ACC\u2019s Office for the Future\u2014convenes presidents, faculty, staff, and administrators to co-create strategies for the rapidly changing landscape in education.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigher education is preparing students for a future we can\u2019t fully predict, using systems built for a past we can\u2019t recreate,\u201d says ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. \u201cThe Alliance gives us space to wrestle with that paradox together. It\u2019s where we challenge outdated models, embrace new opportunities, and design systems that truly serve today\u2019s students. This work is bigger than ACC \u2014 it\u2019s about reshaping higher education so our students, employers, and communities can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The AFM functions as a community of practice, offering members the opportunity to learn foresight methods, experiment with new approaches, and apply future-focused strategies at their own institutions. In its inaugural year, AFM will feature two tracks: a Fellows Track for scholar-practitioners and a Leadership Track for college and university CEOs.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange is not mandatory, but neither is survival,\u201d says Dr. Monique Reeves, ACC\u2019s Executive Vice Chancellor for the Future. \u201cWe are preparing students for jobs that don\u2019t yet exist, with systems designed for a world that no longer does. The Alliance of Future Makers is about closing that gap \u2014 creating a future of education that is flexible, human-centered, and built to last.\u201d<\/p>\n

The launch signals a new chapter for ACC\u2019s Office for the Future. By bringing together educators, the Alliance focuses on building stronger pathways for students for today\u2019s careers and emerging opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a conversation for later. It\u2019s a call for leaders, innovators, and educators to step into the work now,\u201d says Dr. Reeves. \u201cBy joining the Alliance, you become part of the community that will decide what higher education looks like in 2030 and beyond \u2014 and ensure that it continues to serve students, employers, and society in ways that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inaugural cohort kicks off in mid October. Over the following eight months, members will work to identify emerging trends, develop scenarios, and design solutions that anticipate the needs of students, institutions, and communities. The program will culminate in spring 2026 with a national Innovation Hub Summit, showcasing future-ready models for higher education and workforce development.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Alliance of Future Makers, visit austincc.edu\/afm<\/a>. <\/p>\n

About the Office for the Future<\/h2>\n

The Office for the Future is ACC\u2019s hub for foresight, innovation, and transformation in higher education. Established in May 2025 with the appointment of the nation\u2019s first Executive Vice Chancellor for the Future, the office leads scenario planning, builds institutional agility, and fosters collaboration between higher education and industry. Led by Dr. Monique Reeves, the office produces national playbooks for transformation and works to ensure that colleges don\u2019t just respond to change, but actively shape what comes next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New initiative brings together educators, innovators, and leaders to redefine what\u2019s next in higher education Austin Community College District (ACC) is taking another step to shape the future of higher education. On Monday, October 13, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":52460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,12,17],"tags":[4285,4283,4284,4282],"class_list":["post-52455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates","category-business-and-community","category-news-and-announcements","tag-afm","tag-alliance-of-future-makers","tag-dr-monique-reeves","tag-office-for-the-future"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}