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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Austin Community College is celebrating its 50th |
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anniversary in 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, In the fall of 1973, ACC opened under the auspices of |
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the Austin Independent School District, welcoming more than 1,700 |
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students; the former L. G. Anderson High School building in East |
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Austin served as its main campus, dubbed Ridgeview, and it also |
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offered night courses at Crockett, Reagan, and Austin High Schools; |
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just two years later, nearly 10,000 students registered for fall |
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classes; ACC was able to accommodate them by taking over the former |
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Austin High campus on Rio Grande Street, as that school moved to a |
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new location; and |
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WHEREAS, ACC was fully accredited as a public, two-year |
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community college by the Southern Association of Colleges and |
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Schools in 1978; in the 1980s, it established its own board of |
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trustees, expanded to serve Leander ISD residents, and opened a |
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third campus on East Riverside Drive with vital space for the health |
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sciences program; and |
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WHEREAS, Helping to meet ever greater workforce needs, ACC |
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has grown to become one of the largest colleges or universities in |
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the country; it serves approximately 70,000 students annually at 11 |
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campuses across Central Texas; in recent years, it has transformed |
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the former Highland Mall into centers of learning, completely |
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renovated the Rio Grande Campus, and developed the ACC Bioscience |
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Incubator, which supplies research space for biotech companies and |
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real-world training for aspiring professionals; and |
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WHEREAS, ACC has earned wide recognition for innovation and |
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academic excellence; data from the Texas Higher Education |
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Coordinating Board indicates that it has the fastest-growing |
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graduation rate among its peer colleges; nearly 80 percent of the |
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school's alumni stay in the area; in 2022, voters in its district |
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approved a $770 million general obligation bond to increase |
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training capacity for high-demand fields, build and upgrade |
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campuses, and expand student support services; and |
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WHEREAS, For half a century, Austin Community College has |
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provided students with an outstanding education and a solid |
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foundation for advancement, and it has been an important engine for |
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economic prosperity in the region; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Austin Community College on its |
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50th anniversary and extend to all those associated with the |
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institution sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the college as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |