Richard Rhodes, Austin Community College president and CEO, announces ACC's partnership with Texas A&M University and Chevron Corp. to form Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy at ACC.[/caption]

Richard Rhodes, Austin Community College president and CEO, said the community college system had a good year in 2016.

Among partnerships with prestigious universities, groundbreakings for new campuses, and grants for nursing training programs and self-paced career accelerator programs, Rhodes said ACC's success can be measured in higher-than-ever graduation rates.

Rhodes, who joined ACC in 2011, sat down with Community Impact Newspaper at the beginning of 2017 to reflect on the community college system's 2016 successes and discuss what challenges ACC expects to face in the coming year.

Legislative priorities, including a new bachelor's in nursing degree and possible changes to dual-credit hour offerings, are at the top of the president's list for 2017.

Guided Pathways implemented

The community college system's goal in 2016 was to be more directive with students about completing their degrees. What initially began as the Futures Institute—modeled after three higher education institutions in 2015—became ACC's 10 Guided Pathways, created to help students better succeed and graduate on time through additional guidance and a mandatory student success class.

"Once [students] start at ACC, we want to make sure they finish what they started," Rhodes said.

Results can already be seen in higher graduation rates, he said.

Texas A&M engineering partnership

Beginning this fall, up to 100 students enrolled at ACC will be eligible to earn an engineering degree from Texas A&M University College of Engineering. Chevron Corp. is funding the operation of the program.

Here’s how the Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy at ACC works: Qualified students will be admitted to the Texas A&M University College of Engineering, take preliminary classes at ACC—some of which will be taught by visiting Texas A&M professors—and finish their engineering degrees in College Station.

Students will pay ACC tuition their first two years of school and Texas A&M tuition their final two years of school.

ACCelerator grows

Located on the Highland campus, the ACCelerator offers a self-paced course in developmental math at the state-of-the-art technology lab. JPMorgan Chase & Co. donated $250,000 in June to expand the Career ACCelerator Program, which focuses on technology and computer programming.

Rhodes said he has seen significant improvements in student persistence since the ACCelerator launched two years ago.

Biosciences incubator at Highland campus

The Jan. 31 opening of the biosciences incubator inside the former Highland Mall marks the start of the Highland campus's Phase 2 construction.

With a goal of establishing a permanent wet lab facility and business incubator, ACC hopes to accelerate Central Texas' biotechnology economy and train workers in the process. Community partners for the incubator include the Austin Technology Incubator and the Texas Life-Sciences Collaboration Center.

Rhodes said ACC is the only community college that received any funding—$4.9 million—from the Texas Emerging Technology fund under former Gov. Rick Perry.

The incubator will provide wet lab space for the community, which has been significantly lacking in Central Texas, according to Rhodes.

ACC is currently accepting applications for the biosciences incubator.

RN-to-BSN program

If state lawmakers allow ACC to confer four-year nursing degrees, ACC must then apply to receive program accreditation through the South Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges by proving the critical need for nurses with a bachelor’s degree, especially in the Austin area.

Rhodes predicts the four-year nursing degree will be implemented one to two years after ACC receives accreditation.

"We're really proud of our nursing program," he said.

Dual-credit enrollment

ACC is watching Texas legislators’ decisions on who should pay for dual-enrollment credits, how soon students should enroll and how rigorous the courses should be.

"We have the data to show that the rigor that we deliver in dual-credit is at least as good as what we have for the courses that are offered on our college campuses," Rhodes said.

Currently, teachers must have a master's degree in the discipline they are teaching to teach a dual-credit course.

Rhodes said about 15-20 percent of dual-credit courses at the college are taught by high school teachers who are credentialed to teach college courses. The rest of the dual-credit faculty is made up of college professors.

ACC currently waives tuition and receives reimbursements from the state for dual-credit courses.

Implementing campus carry

The law that allows people with concealed handgun licenses to carry guns on community college campuses must be implemented Aug. 1. Rhodes said trustees initially opposed the measure, saying it should be up to the institution’s discretion.

"The fact is, the law is the law, and we'll follow the law," Rhodes said. "The question is, how do we implement?"

A team of faculty and staff is currently working to implement the process by looking at how universities enacted the law as it waits to hear whether the Texas Legislature loosens or tightens the law.