In 40 years, Austin Community College has reached many milestones, including purchasing 96 acres in Kyle for a new campus and growing student enrollment at its nine other campuses by nearly 41,000 students.

In 1973, when ACC first opened its doors to students, it enrolled about 2,200 students at its sole campus, Ridgeview, which was owned by Austin ISD. Barbara Mink, an ACC trustee and one of ACC's founders, said the college's first president, Thomas Hatfield, hired faculty and staff in July 1973, about a month before the college opened.

"[The faculty and staff] worked together as a well-oiled machine—a really high-energy group of dedicated people to the community college mission and to opening a quality school here in Austin," Mink said. "The energy, the commitment, the vision of that core group was electric."

After the college opened, it took about 13 years for ACC to become financially stable, said William Montgomery, adjunct faculty member and historian. Director of Center Operations Linda Morrison said the college rented its facilities from Austin ISD for several years. ACC was governed by the Austin ISD board until March 1, 1982, when it appointed nine members to form its own board of trustees.

"We had no facilities. ACC owned nothing back then," Morrison said. "We were just outgrowing everything we had available to us."

By 1983, the college had grown to nearly 19,000 students but did not have local tax support. Getting local tax support for ACC was a grass-roots effort by its faculty and staff, Montgomery said. Many people did not understand the purpose of community colleges, and with the presence of The University of Texas and other higher education institutions, it was difficult to convey ACC's message to voters. Two separate attempts to obtain tax support from voters failed.

In 1986 the Texas Legislature threatened to not support ACC unless it had the financial backing from ACC district voters. A property tax was approved in 1986 for 5 cents per $100 of valuation and was a milestone for ACC, Montgomery said.

Many events have contributed to the college's success, including continued voter support in 2010, when residents in Hays CISD voted to be annexed into the ACC taxing district. A Kyle resident contested the annexation, but the vote was upheld, clearing the way for the college to begin building its 10th campus in July 2012.

Neil Vickers, vice president of finance and budget, said the legal battle never really worried school officials.

"We were never concerned," Vickers said. "We knew that we had complied with all the requirements of the law. We never really had a concern that the project wouldn't end up going forward."

ACC now serves about 43,000 students in seven district communities, including Austin, Del Valle, Elgin, Hays, Leander and Manor ISDs and the city of Austin.

ACC President Richard Rhodes said the college's mission during the past 40 years has been to provide reisdents a pathway to achieving their dreams. ACC plans to continue to work with its partners to meet resident and workforce needs, he said.

"ACC has become a trusted partner, and I'm proud to say we play a profound role in growing the Central Texas economy and ensuring a great quality of life," he said.