88R12401 BPG-D
By: Hinojosa H.R. No. 463
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Austin Community College is celebrating its 50th
anniversary in 2023; and
WHEREAS, In the fall of 1973, ACC opened under the auspices of
the Austin Independent School District, welcoming more than 1,700
students; the former L. G. Anderson High School building in East
Austin served as its main campus, dubbed Ridgeview, and it also
offered night courses at Crockett, Reagan, and Austin High Schools;
just two years later, nearly 10,000 students registered for fall
classes; ACC was able to accommodate them by taking over the former
Austin High campus on Rio Grande Street, as that school moved to a
new location; and
WHEREAS, ACC was fully accredited as a public, two-year
community college by the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools in 1978; in the 1980s, it established its own board of
trustees, expanded to serve Leander ISD residents, and opened a
third campus on East Riverside Drive with vital space for the health
sciences program; and
WHEREAS, Helping to meet ever greater workforce needs, ACC
has grown to become one of the largest colleges or universities in
the country; it serves approximately 70,000 students annually at 11
campuses across Central Texas; in recent years, it has transformed
the former Highland Mall into centers of learning, completely
renovated the Rio Grande Campus, and developed the ACC Bioscience
Incubator, which supplies research space for biotech companies and
real-world training for aspiring professionals; and
WHEREAS, ACC has earned wide recognition for innovation and
academic excellence; data from the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board indicates that it has the fastest-growing
graduation rate among its peer colleges; nearly 80 percent of the
school's alumni stay in the area; in 2022, voters in its district
approved a $770 million general obligation bond to increase
training capacity for high-demand fields, build and upgrade
campuses, and expand student support services; and
WHEREAS, For half a century, Austin Community College has
provided students with an outstanding education and a solid
foundation for advancement, and it has been an important engine for
economic prosperity in the region; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Austin Community College on its
50th anniversary and extend to all those associated with the
institution sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the college as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.