Dear Student Affairs Colleagues,

As we begin the fall semester, I want to share how proud I am of you and the work that has happened thus far with our Staff Coaching and Professional Development team! Over the past couple of years, you have shared your voices and your feedback with our leadership. That feedback is helping us come full circle today from the work of our Student Affairs New Employee Onboarding and Staff Culture Strike Team and efforts from so many of you in other forums. Thank you for having the courage to provide your thoughts and express your needs. We have heard you, and we are ready to take the next steps in equipping each of you with the knowledge and tools required to support each other and love our students to success.  

There is still plenty of work to be done! That work starts with each of us as Student Affairs team members and leaders.

We have taken the first steps in expanding opportunities and securing our Student Affairs Training Fellows, whose names will be shared soon! Furthermore, I want to acknowledge and thank you for the evolution of our Student Affairs Professional Development team comes directly from your voices and your feedback. In addition to your input, our new values - Courage, Compassion, Joy, and Yes - charge us with defining what it means to live into these values as Student Affairs professionals. 

Together, we will build a culture within Student Affairs founded on empathy and inspiration, keeping our students' well-being at the forefront of everything we do. By doing this, we will establish an environment that enables all of our staff to feel supported and equipped to help our students realize the dreams they had when they chose ACC as their educational pathway. 

To jumpstart our culture reboot, the Student Affairs Professional Development Team will be providing training to all Student Affairs team members over the coming months and year. This training will provide details and insight into how we as Student Affairs colleagues can live into our values, support one another, and help our students succeed.

Timeline & Next Steps: 

We will start with our frontline leaders and supervisors. All employees who supervise staff will be invited to participate in a two-day required training this fall. All other Student Affairs staff will receive training in Spring 2025 before we launch our New Employee Onboarding experience for all new staff in Fall 2025. There will be multiple dates to choose from for training during both the fall and spring semesters. All Student Affairs employees - including myself - are required to participate in this culture reboot training over the next year. 

The Student Affairs Professional Development Team will be reaching out to supervisors later this week with further details about their training this fall, and will provide continued updates to all Student Affairs staff prior to training in the spring semester. 

My Expectation: 

As we embark on this journey, I ask that we remember the ultimate goal of why we are here - our students - and that change won’t happen overnight. It will take time and effort from each of us as professionals and colleagues to continue to redefine the culture we want and we must continue to reinforce it as we move into the future as a division.

We are navigating a tremendous amount of change as a team and as a college and will continue to do so in the coming months and years. There will be challenges and discomfort along the way, but I ask that together, we build a community rooted in our values and a culture that ensures every team member is equipped to guide our students and staff to maximum success.

Thank you for your relentless passion and dedication. Let's continue to inspire, uplift, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve!

Sincerely, 

Dr. Shasta Buchanan

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

Austin Community College District