On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Richard Rhodes, the new president of Austin Community College, at a reception for local superintendents hosted by the E3 Alliance and Austin Area Research Organization. Dr. Rhodes has an impressive background, including, as President of El Paso Community College, rich experience in community college success and collaborations with school districts in the El Paso region. Dr. Rhodes just started at ACC last month, but already he is well informed about our community. I was excited to hear about his commitment to the district's Early College High School and Early College Start programs, which allow students to earn college credit while in high school.
Dr. Rhodes takes his new job seriously, but he clearly likes to have fun. I asked him some questions from "Connection Bingo," a game I learned during my first week-of-school visits at Gorzycki Middle School. In addition to his amazing professional background, Dr. Rhodes shared this: He has four wonderful children; He likes John Wayne movies; He has never given himself a haircut; The strangest pets he has ever owned were a beagle puppy and a rabbit that lived happily together in his backyard; And, if he had a magic wand and could change anything, he wouldn't use it.
Hope you have the opportunity to meet him!
