Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, as part of the Student Affairs realignment, all leadership positions—including existing regional leadership roles, will be posted and open for internal application. If someone applies and is not selected for a specific role, there will be other opportunities posted on the Student Affairs Realignment hiring page. We encourage all employees to apply for positions that align with their skills and interests. It’s important to note: No one is losing their employment or pay as a result of the realignment. Everyone currently employed at ACC will continue to be employed, even if their role changes.

As demand and traffic ebbs throughout the semester, leaders will provide more concrete insights in regards to how to best serve students in real-time.

The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities is in the process of updating its procedures as part of the Student Affairs realignment to better serve students, faculty, and staff.  Until the new functional area is fully launched, we will continue with our current process. Please direct any immediate concerns or complaints to the office of rights and responsibilites : https://students.austincc.edu/student-rights-responsibilities/student-conduct/ who will continue serving as the primary point of contact. You may also use the existing Complaint Form to submit concerns.

We will share updates once the new Student Rights and Responsibilities team is in place and ready to assume these responsibilities.

We will continue to monitor the workload of and impact on our admins and will respond accordingly, if the need should arise to staff more admin support in specific units. 

Theory of Change Design Teams have been working with leaders across Student Affairs, as valued stakeholders to help shape their solutioning recommendations. As a reminder, the Design Teams are not designing the roles or the organizational structures needed to realize a new student experience; instead, they are focused on reimagining how and when a student accesses or receives services.

Design Teams have ensured their solutioning recommendations complement this alignment. For example, the Required Advising Design Team (lead by Arun John, David DeRouen, and Maze) has met with Executive Dean for Advising Kathy James to discuss how their proposal could help shape the processes and experiences in the advising space. Paying for College (lead by Karina Hernandez and Lottia Windham) have met with an extensive amount of stakeholders across the entire college - including Veteran’s Services, Business Services, Instruction, and Meeting Basic Needs. 

Student Affairs leaders are actively structuring their teams and roles to prepare ourselves for eventual implementation of these designed recommendations. 

Processing admissions applications will be the responsibility of Admissions in the Admissions & Assessment office.

Academic coaches will now serve as Advising Specialists in the office of Academic Advising  & Planning in Student Affairs and will report under the functional area of the Executive Dean of Advising, Kathy James 

Supplemental Instruction will be housed in the Office of Accelerated Learning Support under the leadership of our Executive Dean for Accelerated Learning Support Services 

The office of Student Affairs is working in collaboration with Dr. Dorado Kinney to make sure that our International Student Office is structured in the most effective organizational chart. We haven’t rushed a decision because it is important to make sure that we give this area the attention and consideration it deserves. 

No, the realignment is focused on bringing the availability of services to all campuses and students. The services will not be the same modality across

campuses, but will be available to best serve students at the corresponding campus. 

As we move through the realignment, students should not feel a disruption in their experience, we are building a stronger, more seamless structure that enhances their journey through the college.

For Staff:

We’ve been sharing regular updates on the realignment through our Internal Communications page and continue to work closely with the Chancellor, Cabinet, and our Instructional Partners to ensure transparency and alignment across the college. Training dates for Student Affairs staff is forthcoming as a part of the Change Management process. For staff outside of the college who engage with Student Affairs to support students, we will also offer information and training where needed. 

While many roles will be open for employees to apply to, we want to reassure you that, by the end of the realignment process, all current employees will be placed in a position within the college that best aligns with college needs, taking into account experience and skills. 

The Student Affairs Functional Realignment Initiative is designed to better align Student Affairs functions into a cohesive, student-centered framework that ensures equitable access to services across all campuses. This realignment supports our commitment to delivering high-quality, student-focused services that are clear, consistent, and collaborative. Our goal is to enhance how we deliver essential support, strengthen communication across teams, and ensure all students have access to the services they need to succeed.

As part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and student success, we took a step back to assess how Student Affairs services are currently organized, delivered, and experienced by students, staff, and faculty. Through this process, we engaged stakeholders across the division, including staff, faculty, and students, to identify opportunities to improve clarity, eliminate duplication of effort, and strengthen seamless access to critical student resources.

At the same time, the college is actively working through the design phase with the ToC Committees. These committees are charged with developing student-centered processes that align to the institution’s strategic goals and the evolving needs of our students. However, designing effective processes is only one part of the equation — those processes must be supported by the right organizational structures and leadership capacity to sustain and implement them effectively.

This realignment is a proactive step to create the structures needed to support and elevate the work of the design teams. While the design teams are focusing on building the processes, we are recentering leadership and preparing the administration to be implementation-ready. In short, this realignment ensures that Student Affairs has the organizational foundation necessary to deliver on the innovative, student-centered processes being developed by the design teams.

It is important to note that the realignment — particularly for areas like advising — does not conflict with or preempt the work of the design teams. Instead, it is intentionally designed to provide the right leadership alignment and collaborative structures that will support and help implement the advising plan (and other student-facing process changes) when they are ready.

The realignment focuses specifically on defining portfolios of work — clarifying who works with whom and flattening hierarchical structures to improve communication and decision-making. These structural changes directly respond to feedback from Student Affairs employees, who have consistently asked for clearer alignment and fewer layers of management.

The realignment does not, however, dictate the operational processes themselves. In fact, the entire division will engage over the next several months to work collaboratively with the ToC designs, reshaping processes to enhance effectiveness, remove unnecessary complexity, and improve the overall student experience.

As a college community, we will work together to ensure that our students, staff, and faculty have the information and resources to navigate these changes. Our approach reflects a key principle of leading sustainable organizational change: balancing structural adjustments with intentional culture change and collaborative process design. We recognize that some members of the division may feel anxious or uncertain during this transition — those feelings are normal and expected in times of change. We are committed to addressing concerns as needed while being mindful not to react prematurely before we have the full picture.

The realignment is an evolving process designed to foster collaboration, enhance efficiency, and support student success across all functional areas. All areas within Student Affairs have been carefully reviewed, and discussions about their alignment within the realignment framework will continue. The functional areas outlined in the current structure serve as the foundational framework for building a more cohesive and student-centered Student Affairs division. However, we recognize that additional areas may require evaluation and integration as we move forward.

If your area is not currently included in the realignment, this does not mean it has been overlooked or deemed less critical. Rather, it signifies that discussions around its best placement and alignment are still in progress. Over the coming months, we will continue to assess evolving needs, gather feedback from stakeholders, and refine our structure to ensure all functional areas contribute effectively to the student experience.

The realignment focuses on four primary areas:

• Clarifying Functions: Ensuring each functional area has clearly defined roles and responsibilities, so students, faculty, and staff know exactly where to go for support.

• Coordinated Service Delivery: Strengthening communication and collaboration across campuses to create seamless support experiences for students.

• Training and Communication: Providing ongoing training, resources, and clear communication so staff feel supported and confident in their roles within the realigned structure.

This work is led by Dr. Shasta Buchanan, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and is driven by the valuable feedback provided to the college since our engagement with Swim Digital Group began in 2021. It also reflects the insights gathered from our Chancellor during his first 100 days, as well as input from focus groups, emails, town hall feedback, Campus Conversations, and various survey responses. This collective input has shaped our approach, ensuring this realignment reflects the needs and aspirations of our students, staff, and faculty.

• Dr. Shasta Buchanan – Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

       Leads the Student Affairs division and provides strategic guidance for the Chancellor’s Office and the SA division; champions 

       advising, orientation & FYE, and tutoring streams as interim.

• Ana Rummer – Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Development & Communications
  Provides leadership and oversight for talent development, internal and student communications, strategic initiatives, student affairs analytics and special projects that enhance the student experience across all campuses.

• Dr. Dorado Kinney – Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Enrollment Management
  Leads enrollment management strategies, including recruitment, admissions, and records. Ensures alignment between enrollment strategies and student support services.

• Dr. Willie Martinez – Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Rights & Support
  Oversees student conduct, student rights and responsibilities, and student support programs that foster a safe and inclusive campus environment.

• Dr. Monique Johnson-Jones - Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Advising & Student Planning 

Oversees advising, accelerated learning support, career & life design, and transfer services 

• Tina Lynch – Manager of Student Affairs Operations & Budgeting

       Leads the coordination and implementation of cross-divisional operational processes, ensuring alignment with institutional 

       priorities and seamless collaboration across Student Affairs functions.

The Basic Needs System Department ( Health & Well-Being) plays a vital role in supporting our students' holistic success by providing coordinated care that includes mental health services, basic needs, and advocacy support. This department is led by Cara Crowley, who serves as the Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Basic Needs Systems. In this role, Cara provides strategic leadership and oversight for the alignment of student health and wellness initiatives across all campuses, ensuring students have equitable access to essential services and resources.

Advocacy
Led by Cara Crowley, Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Basic Needs Systems

Basic/Essential Needs
Led by Angelica Cancino de Sandoval,  Director of Basic Needs and Advocacy 

• Coordinate basic needs and essential student support resources across all ACC campuses

• Supervise ACC Student Advocates

• Oversee ACC Riverbat Bites Food Pantries and support staff

• Coordinate childcare and family resources across all campuses

• Coordinates basic needs services at CARE Network Center at Round Rock Campus

• Coordinates basic needs student assessment at HLC and RRC

Outreach
Led by Christie Curtis, Director of Basic Needs Outreach

• Coordinate community partnerships and collaborations

• Develop/Implement Social Work Internship Initiative

Special Projects
Led by Paula McDermott, Basic Needs System Special Projects Coordinator

• Coordinate food access and logistics for ACC Food Pantries (excluding HLC)

Mental Healthcare
Led by Dr. Ruth Reinhart, Associate Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Basic Needs Systems

• Coordinate mental healthcare services for all ACC campuses led by ACC Mental Healthcare Counselors

• Support counseling services led by CARES Case Managers

Accessibility
Led by Rosalind Blackstar, Executive Dean, Access and Disability Services

• Coordinate student accessibility services led by Student Accessibility Services Advocates

We know that change can feel overwhelming, and we want to acknowledge that it is okay to have questions and even some uncertainty. We want the next few weeks to be about processing and allowing the teams that are immediately impacted to get settled into their new roles and understand what this transition means for them.

You’ve already received encouragement to provide feedback, and we want to continue hearing from you if anything comes to mind. However, please do not make any immediate process changes based on the functional structure we are transitioning to. It is still too soon to do anything. We are sharing this information with you now to be transparent as things become clearer, but the completed structure and phased implementation plan will be delivered in May.

March 2025

• Workshop with Student Affairs executive leadership to develop and finalize Student Affairs leadership structure and transition timeline.

• Meet with leadership to review and confirm decisions.

April 2025

• Present proposed structure to AVCs and begin discussions surrounding training and transition implications for leaders within the division.

• AVCs will propose primary responsibilities and transition plans to Vice Chancellor and Human Resources, and present to Student Affairs Council.

• Workshop with SA Council to present proposed structure, primary responsibilities, and training plans to confirm there are no blind spots to training needs and structure.

• SA All Call to present updated SA Council with functional responsibilities.

May 2025

• AVCs will also be reviewing proposed completed organization chart framework, and work with respective SA Council members to finalize their divisions.

• Finalize training needs, synthesize feedback, and provide any necessary recruitment strategies for needed positions.

• Meet with Human Resources to ensure that all elements are within institutional standards.

• SA All Call Workshops to present structure, training strategy, transition plan, and timeline.

The Interanal Comms Page will be updated as we move through the realignment: 

The realignment is being implemented in phases to ensure a smooth transition and minimal disruption to students and staff.

Effective immediately, the following departments will report to Cara Crowley, Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Basic Needs Systems:

• Mental Health

• Accessibility

• Mental Health Counselors

• Accessibility Advocates

• CARES Case Managers

The remaining changes, including further departmental shifts and operational adjustments, will occur in a phased approach, with notable transitions beginning in May 2025.

As we navigate our organizational realignment, I want to emphasize that feedback is critical to our success. However, I want to be clear about why we are not using anonymous feedback mechanisms in this process.

Our goal is to gather meaningful, actionable input that helps us move the organization forward in a positive and productive way. To do that effectively, we need context — understanding the position, role, and perspective of the person providing feedback allows us to fully grasp the challenges and opportunities they see.

This isn’t about tracking individuals or assigning blame; it’s about ensuring we can connect the dots between feedback, roles, and processes, so we can make informed decisions that reflect the realities of the work being done. Without that context, feedback risks becoming too general, making it harder to translate into practical solutions.

We are committed to fostering a culture where open, honest, and constructive feedback is not only welcome but valued. Our intent is to use your insights to drive meaningful improvements — not to weaponize your input, but to understand it and act on it in ways that benefit both our teams and the students we serve.