Goal I. Access to Higher Education
PAC held its 8th Annual dual credit counselors meeting on campus which was attended by representatives of 30 high schools in the PAC service area. The goal of the meeting was to acquaint the counselors with the expansion of services now being provided to dual credit students, along with informing them of new policies, regulations and guidelines.

The Department of Student & Community Program Development’s Student Leadership Institute students from NVC, SAC, PAC, and SPC presented sessions at the Young Heroes conference (Your College Journey Begins Today) on Saturday, February 24 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the SPC campus. A total of 50 ACCD students, seven staff and faculty members, and 35 Young Heroes attended the event.

Goal II. Student Success
Steve Daluz, a former Visual Arts & Technologies student at San Antonio College, painted the winning design for the official 2007 Fiesta poster. He said he wanted to create a “timeless image of two dancers who might have been seen a hundred years ago in San Antonio, or just yesterday.”

In recognition of Black History Month, Northeast Lakeview College featured an event titled “A Brief History of Gospel Music in America” on February 27th. Facilitated by Dr. Dollie Hudspeth, chair of communications at Northeast Lakeview College, and featuring the St. Philip's Gospel Choir and its director, Henry Washington, the presentation included music ranging from earlier Negro spirituals which can be traced to Africa to contemporary gospel music.

On Saturday, February 24th, nearly 100 people from the college and the community participated in Northwest Vista College’s 5K Run/Walk in recognition of National Sports and Fitness Day. The purpose of the event was to promote health and wellness and inspire more people to take an interest in walking for fitness.

The Department of Institutional Advancement and the ACCD Foundation have completed the launch of a $200,000 mini-campaign to create an endowed fund to support the Ozuna Children’s Library program at Palo Alto College.

Goal III. Workforce Development
PAC’s program manager of industrial technology taped an episode of “Inside the ACCD” for broadcast on Channel 98, the Education Access Channel for the City of San Antonio. The 15-minute program focused on computer-based training, lectures and hands-on activities sought by local employers such as Toyota, Pioneer Flour Mills, SMI Steel Mill, and DPT Laboratories, Ltd.

SPC hosted an International Student Recruitment Workshop that presented information on successful international programs at Houston Community College and the Dallas County Community College District. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity for Alamo Community Colleges’ administrators and faculty to engage in dialogue and strategize on ideas to increase international student recruitment.

Dr. Federico Zaragoza participated in the National Science Foundation – Automotive Academy TPS (Toyota Production Systems) planning meeting in Georgetown, Kentucky. Dr. Zaragoza is one of four (4) NSF co-Investigators working on a national curriculum for the auto industry. Participating auto companies include GM, Chrysler, UAW, Ford, Toyota, Honda, BMW, CAM-CAR – Mercedes, and Kia.

The ACCD Board of Trustees approved the City of San Antonio and ACCD FY 2007-08 Memorandum of Agreement. The MOA authorizes $1,351,510 to provide training and workforce related services to 4,481 students. Dr. Leslie and Board Chairman Zárate will make a formal presentation to the City Council on the Inter-local agreement on March 15, 2007.

Goal IV. Capacity to Serve
Northwest Vista College will partner with the Texas Master Naturalists and volunteers from the Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne to rescue plants from designated construction sites at the college. The flowers, trees, and shrubs will be transplanted by these groups in an effort to save the plant life located in areas slated for construction. The first plant rescue will occur on Sunday, March 18 from 1-4 pm.

After a six-month renovation of the observatory and telescope, the San Antonio College Observatory re-opened to the public last weekend by hosting with the San Antonio Astronomical Association “Saturn Night Live,” an evening observing session in the observatory and in the adjacent parking lot.

A reception was held on March 1 to welcome Dr. Adena Loston as the 14th President of St. Philip’s College. Mr. Zárate and Dr. Leslie welcomed Dr. Loston and thanked Dr. Candia for her service as Interim president. Dr. Candia was honored with a handsome montage of photos of previous presidents, a Founders Day medal, and a historical sketch of SPC. The morning called for much celebration as SPC was celebrating its 109th anniversary! Another highlight of the reception was the presence of Dr. Gloria M. Jackson, a former chair of the SPC Business Administration department, former president of SPC, and professor of Dr. Loston’s at Alcorn University.

Goal V. Organizational Communication
The Thursday, February 22 edition of The Herald featured a full-page article on Northeast Lakeview College. The article discussed the progress of the new campus site, the upcoming groundbreaking ceremony, and more importantly – the beginning of construction to begin shortly thereafter. The Herald is a weekly newspaper that serves northeast Bexar County. The article can be accessed at http://www.clickitsa.com/content/view/10131/411

The Department of Governmental and Public Relations created a web page that links to the Texas Common Application, which will be active for the Alamo Community Colleges on March 5th.

The Department of Governmental and Public Relations posted a photo gallery for “Texas Community College Student Day” in Austin. To view the photos, click on New Photos on the bottom right hand corner of the Alamo Community Colleegs home page (www.accd.edu). Scroll down to “Alamo Community Colleges Students Journey to the State Capitol for Texas Community College Student Day.”

The Trustees, along with Dr. Leslie and Leo Zuniga, had a successful series of meetings as part of the ACCT National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C. Mr. Zuniga is coordinating several proposals for funding for legislative requests.

The Department of Institutional Advancement held the ACCD Foundation Board Retreat on February 24th to discuss the foundation’s strategic positioning for a future major gifts/capital campaign. Mr. Conner attended the retreat as liaison to the Board. Jim Lanier with AGB will facilitate training for the ACCD Foundation Board (and possibly the ACCD Board of Trustees) on May 18 and 19, 2007.

Dr. Bruce Leslie and Dr. Federico Zaragoza met with the Floresville ISD leadership team to discuss the framework for a Memorandum of Agreement and operational budget for the proposed Floresville Career Technology Center, modeled after the CTTC Workforce Specialty Campus in New Braunfels. This item will be featured as a program highlight at the March ACCD Board of Trustees meeting. Drs. Leslie and Zaragoza also met with representatives from Stockdale ISD.

SAC was publicized on a remote broadcast by The Beat (KBBT, 99.5-FM radio) from the college campus to increase awareness during this period of registration for the Spring Flex II session.