Austin Community College is proposing a new four-year nursing program in which the school's past graduates can upgrade their associate's degrees to earn a bachelor of science in nursing. If approved by the state, the new program could begin by 2017.[/caption]

Nine Austin-area residents were selected Feb. 2 to oversee how Austin Community College spends nearly $386 million in bond money approved by voters last November.

Each ACC board trustee nominated one district resident for the 13-member Bond Oversight Advisory Committee. The board officers—Chairman Vic Villarreal, Vice Chairman Allen Kaplan and Secretary Barbara Mink—will decide the final four nominees by the board's Feb. 16 work session.

ACC board members established criteria for a Bond Oversight Advisory Committee during the group's Jan. 20 meeting. The new committee will meet at least twice per year—and likely more often—and monitor the timing, progress and scope of any changes to the projects voters agreed upon.

Trustee Nan McRaven complemented the board on the geographic diversity of the nominees.

"We did a pretty good job, I would say," McRaven said before the board unanimously approved all nine nominees.

Bond Oversight Advisory Committee members so far include: Dan Listrom, Austin; Steve Yau, Austin; Sid Sokol, Leander; Joene Grissom, Austin; David Glass, Elgin; Robert Thomas, Austin; Erica Solis, Austin; Ellen Skoviera, Round Rock; and Terry Mazurek, Buda.