General Assembly 2025: “Building a Culture of Love…Together”
Every fall, Austin Community College (ACC) comes together for our signature annual event—General Assembly (GA)! This all-college celebration brings together employees from across the District to reconnect, recharge, and reignite our shared purpose. It’s a dynamic day of inspiration, learning, and community as we reflect on our successes, hear about the exciting future ahead, and celebrate what makes ACC extraordinary—our people.
The 2025 theme is “Building a Culture of Love…Together” and will take place on Friday, September 26, 2025, at the ACC Highland Campus (HLC) and virtually. Mark your calendars! While all ACC classes will be cancelled, General Assembly is a workday. This allows every employee to participate—whether in person or virtually—on this unforgettable day of connection and inspiration.
For those attending in person, HLC will feature small-group watch parties during the morning session to encourage cross-campus conversations in a more interactive format.
In addition to the main event, we’ll host an exciting resource fair and engaging afternoon breakout sessions designed to inform, energize, and empower.
We can’t wait to see you there and make this year’s General Assembly our best one yet—together!
For any questions, please review the frequently asked questions (FAQs) below or email the General Assembly Planning Team via [email protected].
Welcome to General Assembly 2025!
SCHEDULE
8:00 a.m. Pre-show Begins & Resource Fair Opens
9:00 a.m. Welcome by Dr. Lowery-Hart, ACC Chancellor
9:20 a.m. Employee Recognitions & Riverbat Bravo Employee of the Year Award
9:50 a.m. General Assembly Video: “Building a Culture of Love… Together”
10:00 a.m. Keynote Presentation by Dr. Patrick Lee, “Leading with Love”
10:50 a.m. State of the College Address by Dr. Lowery-Hart, ACC Chancellor
11:25 a.m. Closing Video
11:30 a.m. Lunch & Resource Fair
1:00 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions
2:00 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Location
General Assembly will take place at HLC with small-group watch parties during the morning session to encourage cross-campus conversations in a more interactive format. For security purposes, employees must wear their ACC ID badges to GA.
Highland Campus (HLC) Map
Transportation Options
Parking
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- Parking at the Highland Campus (HLC) is free. Review the HLC Map to plan for parking.
Carpooling
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- Do you need a ride to General Assembly? Or are you able to be a driver? Sign up on the ACC Carpool App.
Public Transportation Information
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- As an ACC employee, you get access to CapMetro for FREE!
- Get Your Digital Green Pass
Food
For in-person attendees, a light breakfast will be served, including coffee. During lunch, ACC will be providing lunch via food vendors. Gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options will be available for meals. Please consider bringing your own reusable cup for coffee in the morning and water through out the day
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
In-person registration has closed. Only virtual attendance is available. Below are the afternoon virtual breakout sessions. Please only select one from each time slot. Please use the General Assembly Registration Form to sign up for an afternoon breakout session.
1 – 1:50 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Virtual)
(ONLINE) Accessibility: Designing Course & Website Documents to Promote Success for All
Presented by Sandy Kendell and Michelle Escudier
Explore hands-on strategies and tools for creating accessible course and website content that aligns with ACC’s values and promotes success for all learners.
(ONLINE) AI-Powered, People-Centered: Gemini and NotebookLM at ACC
Presented by Stephanie Bogdanich
Discover how Gemini and NotebookLM can help you work smarter, stay organized, and create with confidence—while keeping people at the heart of AI innovation.
(ONLINE) Building Stronger Courses with the New Student Course Evaluations Teaching Dimensions
Presented by Dr. Marcus McGuff, Chelsea Biggerstaff, Dr. Theresa Glenn, and Aimee Finney
Learn how to use ACC’s new Student Course Evaluation dimensions to reflect on your teaching practices, strengthen course design, and enhance student engagement and success.
(ONLINE) Computer Ninja 2.0 – Work Smarter, Not Harder
Presented by Neteka Haywood
Level up your tech skills and slash wasted time with powerful keyboard shortcuts and smart tools that turn you into a true Computer Ninja.
(ONLINE) From Compliance to Compassion: Tools and Strategies for Inclusion
Presented by Sean Loraas, Megan Kareithi, and Trent Griggs
Move beyond basic compliance and discover practical tools and compassionate strategies for creating accessible, inclusive course materials that support all learners.
(ONLINE) Real-Time Feedback: Practical Strategies for Mid-Semester Course Check-Ins
Presented by Shih-Ting Lee
Discover practical, easy-to-implement strategies for collecting and responding to mid-semester student feedback to enhance engagement, improve learning, and foster a more responsive classroom environment.
(ONLINE) Supercharge Your Chrome: Customizing Your Browser for Productivity & Sanity
Presented by Lauren Montagnino
Tame your tabs and boost your brainpower—discover fun, simple ways to customize Chrome so it works for you (and your sanity).
(ONLINE) Tobacco Cessation Resources at ACC: Creating Support for Freedom from Tobacco and Other Substance Use Disorders
Presented by B Prema Strecker and Courtney Fowler
Learn how to support a healthier ACC community through compassionate conversations, practical cessation tools, and campus-wide initiatives that promote freedom from tobacco and other substance use disorders.
2 – 2:50 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Virtual)
(ONLINE) ACC Fellowships: Blending Technology and Pedagogy
Presented by Richard Palmer
Explore how ACC’s course redesign fellowships empower faculty to merge technology with teaching innovation—and learn how you can get involved.
(ONLINE) AI-Powered, People-Centered: Gemini and NotebookLM at ACC
Presented by Stephanie Bogdanich
Discover how Gemini and NotebookLM can help you work smarter, stay organized, and create with confidence—while keeping people at the heart of AI innovation.
(ONLINE) Embedded Tutoring at Austin Community College: Next-Level Academic Support for Online Students
Presented by Catherine C. Wadbrook
Discover how ACC’s embedded tutoring program brings personalized, next-level academic support directly into online courses to boost student success.
(ONLINE) Expanding Mental Models for Belonging and Dignity
Presented by Dr. Thymai Dong-Sheehan
Learn how to broaden your mental models with actionable shifts that foster greater belonging and dignity.
(ONLINE) Pathways in Action: Faculty Development Aligned with College Goals
Presented by Dr. Theresa Glenn and Dr. LaKisha Barrett
Level up your teaching and become a Pathways Champion by exploring AI Literacy, Universal Design for Learning, and Belonging & Connection—three powerful strands driving student success at ACC.
(ONLINE) Supercharge Your Chrome: Customizing Your Browser for Productivity & Sanity
Presented by Lauren Montagnino
Tame your tabs and boost your brainpower—discover fun, simple ways to customize Chrome so it works for you (and your sanity).
(ONLINE) The Role of Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Experiences for Student Belonging at ACC
Presented by Grant Potts and Matthew “Matty” Martinez-Mandell
Join a thoughtful, research-informed conversation on how religious, spiritual, and secular identities shape student belonging at ACC.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Patrick Lee
Dr. Patrick Lee has been the president and CEO of Central Health, Travis County’s hospital district, since January 2024. In that short time, he’s guided, supported, and cheered on Central Health’s rapid transformation into not only a planner and payor but also a provider that’s repairing Travis County’s healthcare safety net. In the current fiscal year, Central Health has opened three clinical sites and gone from zero to 19 specialty care lines, including cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, pulmonology, infectious disease, sleep medicine, palliative care, and more. Central Health’s direct practice of medicine has saved lives, reduced wait times for essential care, and connected patients with true, whole-person care. As Central Health celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, it’s preparing to increase its specialty care patient volumes tenfold in fiscal 2025, while also bringing healthcare to underserved areas in Travis County’s eastern crescent.
Dr. Lee’s roles before coming to Texas include service as chairman of medicine at One Brooklyn Health, a new safety-net system serving more than 1 million New Yorkers, and at Mass General Brigham Salem Hospital, which saved more than 1,200 lives during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Lee developed the Global Primary Care Residency Program at Massachusetts General and a global health course at Harvard Medical School, both informed by his early career work with Dr. Paul Farmer in Rwanda and as Medical Director of Last Mile Health in Liberia, a nonprofit partner of the nation’s Ministry of Health.
Dr. Lee is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and received further training at Massachusetts General, and Harvard Medical School. He has written on improving primary care health systems, quality improvement, and medical education for publications including The Lancet, BMJ Quality, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
Submit Your Pre-Show Slides
Showcase your department or program at General Assembly 2025! Take advantage of this opportunity to highlight your area in our pre-show presentation.
Please submit a single slide in 16:9 format (.PNG or .JPG). You’re welcome to use our branded Canva templates linked here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will the entire ACC District be closed to attend General Assembly?
Yes, the entire ACC District will be closed, and all ACC employees will be expected to attend General Assembly either in person or virtually.
What is the setup for watching General Assembly’s morning program this year?
For in-person, the Highland Campus (HLC) will be set up with color-coded watch parties across Buildings 1000 and 2000 to experience General Assembly in small, cross-departmental groups. Each in-person attendee will be handed a colorful “Riverbat Buck” meal ticket that will serve as their watch party location designation, as well as their voucher for receiving food during the lunch hour. For example, a pink Riverbat Buck indicates the attendee should go to the Pink Watch Party area, which will be designated with a pink balloon arch and signage. For virtual attendees, the morning program will be streamed online.
Is there a limit on how many people can attend in person?
The information you submit in your registration form will help the planning team determine the attendance limit.
When can I register for General Assembly?
The deadline to register for in-person attendance has passed. Only registration to attend virtually is open.
In what modalities will General Assembly be offered?
The General Assembly morning program will be offered in person and virtually. Afternoon breakout sessions will only be offered in person (will not be recorded) and virtually (will not be recorded). The resource fair will be in person and virtual.
Will there be any shuttles available for General Assembly?
No shuttles will be offered from other campuses to the Highland Campus (HLC), but we do encourage you to take advantage of your ACC-provided Green Pass to use public transportation.
Will there be any afternoon breakout sessions available?
Yes, breakout sessions will be available for the afternoon. Breakout sessions will be offered virtually and in person. Breakout sessions will not be recorded.
Will there be a resource fair?
Yes, there will be a resource fair available virtually and in person at Highland Campus, Building 1000, ground floor.
Do I need to wear my ACC ID badge if I am attending General Assembly in person?
Yes, for security purposes, please wear your ACC ID badge if attending General Assembly in person.
Is there professional development credit for attending General Assembly?
Yes, there is professional development (PD) credit for General Assembly. Up to five hours of PD credit is available: three hours for the morning program and one hour for each afternoon breakout session attended. PD credit is self-reported.
How do I report my professional development credit in Workday?
Professional development credit is self-reported in Workday. For instructions, please review this PDF.
What do I do if I need help finding where to go the morning of GA?
An Info Desk will be located in Building 1000 at the top of the Social Staircase, staffed with helpers ready to provide maps and directions. You’ll also spot volunteers across campus in bright gold t-shirts, available to assist. For the most up-to-date details—including maps, parking, and more—visit the General Assembly website anytime.
Will students be notified of the campus closure?
Yes, we are working with campus management offices and Student Affairs to ensure students are aware of the districtwide closure with plenty of time in advance to prepare.
Should we wear purple?
We encourage attendees to wear their Riverbat purple and consider this year’s General Assembly a homecoming of sorts. Get ready for lots of school spirit, photo opportunities, and excitement!
General Assembly Archive
Review programs, videos and resources for past General Assembly experiences.
Need Help?
CONTACT
If you have any General Assembly questions, please email [email protected].