Students at the Austin Community College District’s Round Rock Campus can look forward to new resources as work begins on the campus's renovation project, officials said Monday. The revamp will feature a new Welcome and Student Care center, a significant addition aimed at bolstering student support services. Pfluger Architects has almost wrapped up design work, with contractor bidding soon to follow for the project, priced at an estimated $5.5 million.
According to an announcement from the college, the Student Affairs Center's transformation is part of ACC's Maintenance and Operations bond program, the funds for this come from existing college dollars specifically earmarked to refresh and enhance existing college facilities. The new centers, which are expected to swing open their doors by fall 2025, mirror the features of the inaugural welcome and student care centers that opened back in October 2023 at ACC's Highland Campus.
These centers aim to create a unified, easy-access area for students, offering a "one-stop shop" to gather support, said the college. The Welcome Center will provide a space for prospective, new, and current Riverbats—a nickname for ACC students—and their families to discover college programs, get personalized advice, and learn about complimentary support services, meanwhile, the Student Care Center will become a hub for essential life amenities such as food, housing assistance, transportation, legal aid, and more, strengthening the fabric of community resources available to students.
ACC officials plan to extend this model across all regions in the district, building similar centers that embody the dual function of welcome and care. While the Round Rock Campus adaptation is taking shape, the focus remains consistent: to open not just doorways, but avenues, for students to thrive, creating a nexus for educational exploration and personal growth embedded within the college's nurturing infrastructure.
