Austin Community College names Russell Lowery-Hart as lone chancellor finalist

Austin Community College has named Russell Lowery-Hart as its sole finalist for chancellor. With his appointment, expected next month, he would become the college's ninth executive head.

The college has been searching nationwide for months for a new leader to replace Richard Rhodes, who is leaving Aug. 31.

The ACC Board of Trustees named Lowery-Hart, the current president of Amarillo College, the lone finalist during a Monday night meeting.

Lowery-Hart is now on track to take the helm at ACC after Rhodes led the community college for 12 years, the longest tenure of any chancellor in the school's history.

Lowery-Hart started his career teaching at St. Edward’s University and said he’s happy to return to be returning to Central Texas.

He's excited to step into the new role in Austin, which is an epicenter of technological innovation, he said. He’s especially interested in how ACC can teach students to adapt to a future in which artificial intelligence permeates every industry, he said.

“That means we can be at the epicenter of shifting our skill center for our students to be the employees for the companies that need those skills,” Lowery-Hart said.

Lowery-Hart also noted Austin students face significant affordability challenges.

“The real challenge that ACC students are facing is with basic needs, the income disparity, the economic injustice that is happening I think everywhere but especially in Austin,” Lowery-Hart told the American-Statesman in an interview Tuesday.

Barbara Mink, ACC board chairwoman, in a statement Monday said Lowery-Hart "is a visionary with a proven history in the community college."

"Under his leadership, Amarillo College became one of the top community colleges in the nation," Mink said. "His focus on student success and his deep understanding of what students need to succeed is evident in his remarkable tenure."

Lowery-Hart has been at Amarillo College, a Texas Panhandle community college with about 12,000 students, since 2014.

As president, he said his accomplishments include building "a robust culture of caring" that drives student success and building the college's Advocacy and Resource Center, which provides social services, food and other support to students outside of the classroom.

Lowery-Hart was one of three finalists the college's board named in June.

Joyce Ester, president of Normandale Community College in Minnesota, and Robert Garza, president of Palo Alto College in San Antonio, also made the shortlist.

Rhodes plans to work through Sept. 30 to help ACC with the leadership transition, according to the college.

Texas requires a 21-day waiting period between naming a lone finalist and offering that person a contract, so the ACC board won’t be able to vote on officially hiring Lowery-Hart until August.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: ACC picks Russell Lowery-Hart as lone chancellor finalist