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General Assembly

General Assembly 2024:
Loving Students to Success Post Event Summary

Each fall semester, Austin Community College (ACC) employees from across the district gather at General Assembly (GA) to hear key College updates. This event helps connect the dots between an employee’s daily work with the Theory of Change work and ACC’s North Star goal for the College. About 2,000 employees attended in person.

The 2024 theme was “Loving Students to Success” and took place on Friday, November 8, 2024, at the Travis County Exposition Center. An online virtual resource fair was also part of the event.

Preshow

The show kicked off at 9:00 a.m. with an engaging pre-show. We had over 135 slides submitted for the preshow representing different departments, programs, and offices from across ACC.

Opening Video

The dynamic and engaging videos shared each year at General Assembly are always looked forward to by many. This year was no different, and the first video featured a mosaic of ACC staff and faculty focused on this year’s theme: “Loving Students to Success.”

Feature Video

Continuing on the mosaic theme, the General Assembly feature video focused on how everyone at ACC can help students meet their educational goals through the Theory of Change and ACC’s North Star target. Several students were featured, which showed how loving students to success can give them the boost and support they need towards their finish line.

General Assembly Program Summary

ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart welcomed attendees and acknowledged the upcoming Veterans Day and thanked veterans in the audience for their service. Additionally, he acknowledged the community partners, ACC Foundation Board members, and the ACC Board of Trustees members who were in attendance. He touched upon the mosaic theme and shared: “This next year is about moving beyond the centering of ourselves to centering our students. This is the time for us to come together in advocacy of our students, to glue ourselves together to ensure that this mosaic is strong and beautiful and representative, and is permanent.”

The Chancellor introduced Dr. Barbara Mink, Chair of the ACC Board of Trustees, who recognized new staff and faculty. Alongside, Dr. Mink, Dr. Lowery-Hart continued with the recognition of employees and faculty graduates from various programs. Dr. Lowery-Hart congratulated the Riverbat Employee of the Year: Edward “Teddy” Chapman, Technician, Health Sciences (Computer Lab Support).

After employee recognitions, the keynote speakers followed: Stephanie Land, accomplished author and activist, shared her compelling story and how love and support can profoundly impact a student’s success against significant odds.

Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a leading scholar-activist focused on transforming how higher education addresses the needs of students, spoke about the importance of compassion and understanding in educational institutions.

The final segment of the General Assembly program was presented by Chancellor Dr. Lowery-Hart and focused on data related to ACC’s Theory of Change goals.

After the 2024 General Assembly program concluded, employees had the opportunity to connect further, exchanging ideas and discussing how they could bring insights from the day back to their work. Many stayed to network with colleagues, reflect on the keynote speeches, and share their takeaways on applying the “Loving Students to Success” theme in their daily roles. Some also took part in the virtual resource fair, exploring tools and services available to support students more effectively. It was an inspiring wrap-up, as employees left with renewed purpose and fresh ideas for the academic year ahead.

The Chancellor’s presentation materials are available below:

Watch General Assembly Program

This video includes the morning program starting at 10:30 a.m. and includes the Chancellor’s address, the two keynote speakers, and all the videos shared on this page.

Closing Credits Video

Watch the closing credits from General Assembly 2024. A heartfelt thank you to all those who made General Assembly a wonderful experience.

Attendees shared what they enjoyed most about their General Assembly 2024 experience…

Getting to see fellow employees and receiving motivation from the speakers. I enjoy getting a positive charge and boost of inspiration!

The theme that it takes all the pieces of a mosaic together to generate success for our students as well as our faculty and staff!

I actually enjoyed seeing coworkers and people across the district dressed up in their rodeo fancies.

To gather with the entire college community and feel like you matter to the success of our students and college.

Gathering with colleagues outside of the workplace builds a sense of comradery by sharing a new experience together.

The feature video was AWESOME!!! Big props to the IMP team for producing it. That was by far the highlight of GA!

Everything was great. Looking forward to future ones. TLED did an excellent job, as always.

Connecting with my colleagues before and especially after. I carpooled with someone in my division and it was helpful to explore themes during our drive back.

Being able to hear that students feel that they belong and know that they have a chance of being successful and that we have the resources to help them complete their studies.

We’re doing remarkable things and we can keep doing those things. I really really really really really really really needed that. Thank you.

For the first time in the 6 years that I have been with the College, I was able to attend because Russell prioritized it for everyone. THANK YOU!

The student video showing a hopeful vision of ACC’s future, crafted by what seemed like loving students and staff alike.

The opportunity to be in community with all the other faculty/staff. It was a great boost of energy as we get ready to close out this semester.

Being able to attend my first ever General Assembly! Prior to this event, my team was not able to attend as our center remained open and we needed to stay on campus and work. (We could catch parts of it online, but with many interruptions.) The opening video was very moving and made me proud to be a part of ACC!

Seeing all my colleagues and seeing our accomplishments as a whole. Realizing how important my role is within the college.

Running into old friends and colleagues and making a new friend by using the carpool.

Special Thanks

Heartfelt thanks for all of your work and dedication to making General Assembly such a success!

Contact

If you have any General Assembly questions, please send an email to generalassembly-group@austincc.edu.