ACC District chancellor to serve as interim president of Texas A&M-Central Texas
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Austin Community College Chancellor Richard Rhodes will now join Texas A&M University as interim president of its Central Texas campus.
Rhodes is set to take on the role on October 1 pending approval by the Board of Regents. He will be replacing inaugural president Marc Nigliazzo, who announced his retirement in June.
Rhodes has served as ACC chancellor for 12 years, overseeing the district's growth to 11 campuses and a more than 168% increase in the number of degrees earned by students.
Dr. Richard Rhodes (Austin Community College)
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Rhodes also is credited with working with the Texas Legislature so ACC could offer its first four bachelors degree programs and with Apple, Samsung, NXP, NI, Tesla, and St. David’s, Ascension Seton and Baylor Scott & White hospitals to add coding camps and workforce training programs.
Rhodes also created co-enrollment programs for ACC students with The University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University and Texas A&M University.
Texas A&M's Central Texas campus in Killeen focuses on transferring in students who have begun, but not completed their undergraduate degrees. The campus offers 30 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs and has awarded more than 10,000 degrees in the past 15 years.
The ACC Board of Trustees has announced Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart as the lone finalist to replace Rhodes as the next Chancellor of the district.
After a nationwide, months-long search, the Board unanimously approved Dr. Lowery-Hart during its regular board meeting on Monday, July 24.
The ACC Board will now begin the negotiation process with Dr. Lowery-Hart. There is a state-mandated 21-day waiting period before finalizing leadership changes.
Rhodes will stay at ACC through September to allow the college time to develop a deliberate and smooth transition of power.