Amarillo College’s Career and Employment Services will host three industry-specific job fairs for students and employers in February. The fairs will begin with an Industry Career Fair from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17 at Amarillo College’s East Campus. The second, an Engineering Career and Transfer Fair, will be held from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus, College Union Building, Oak Room. 

Amarillo College’s President Jamelle Conner along with faculty, staff and students will attend the Texas Association of Community College’s Community College Day Monday, Feb. 3 in Austin. The day-long event will include opportunities to directly engage with legislators who represent the Texas Panhandle; learn from higher education leaders and interact with state leadership while advocating for education at Amarillo College.

Amarillo College’s Innovation Outpost will offer entry-level and expert-level IT certification courses and exams beginning Feb. 3. “These programs are designed to help individuals earn CompTIA certifications quickly and affordably,” said Linda Muñoz, dean of Innovation Outpost operations and programming. “They are perfect for anyone eager to gain the skills and credentials needed to succeed in the fast-growing tech industry.”  

The Keep Us Live! series will continue with a Valentine treat “Jam with Love 2025” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the Concert Hall Theater on AC’s Washington Street Campus.The AC music faculty and students will assemble to share music of love that nurtures the Valentine spirit. “This is a chance for anyone who may be feeling cooped up by the mid-winter’s blustery conditions to get out and listen to some spirited strains of optimism, hope, and love,” said Dr. Bruce Lin, director of piano at AC. 

More than 500 Amarillo College dual-credit students have earned 15 hours and a cool new T-shirt highlighting their accomplishment. Dual-credit students earn high school and college credit in one course. “Dual credit courses provide high school students with the chance to enroll in college-level classes within a supportive environment. High school educators act as valuable mentors, guiding students through the various challenges associated with college coursework,” said Sandra González-Moore, Palo Duro High School college, career, military readiness coordinator. 

 Amarillo College is pleased to announce that a total of 980 full-time students attained academic excellence worthy of inclusion on the Fall 2024 Dean’s List. “I am grateful for our faculty and staff whose dedication to student success defines who we are as a college and is clearly evident in the 980 students who earned recognition on the Fall 2024 Dean’s List,” said Dr. Frank Sobey, vice president of academic affairs. 

Amarillo College Graduate Samuel Bauman started working at Amarillo Gear as a CNC machinist while he was a student at AC. The California native was living in Borger when he became aware of Amarillo College’s welding program. “I heard it was a great program, so I enrolled to learn more,” he said. “I enjoyed those classes, but when we did a CAD modeling assignment in our machining class, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

The Board of Regents on Tuesday selected Dr. Jamelle J. Conner as the first female president of Amarillo College.Conner, the vice president of student affairs at St. Petersburg College in Florida, was one of two finalists for the AC presidency. Her selection as the15th president of AC marks the culmination of a 17-month national search to replace Russell Lowery-Hart, who resigned from AC in September of 2023 to become chancellor at Austin Community College.

Esports Player Christopher Petty earned Amarillo College’s first national championship in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Esports Madden 25.  Petty, a biology major, has been playing Madden since he was six, and started playing competitively last year by watching YouTube and Twitch.

When Jesus Marquez was in middle school, he dreamed about being a secret agent, never imagining he would actually get to work at Pantex as part of Amarillo College’s STEM Scholars Program. Marquez, who completed an electrical-engineering internship last summer at Pantex, has been chosen to serve as the student speaker at AC’s Fall Commencement, which is at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Amarillo College is pleased to announce that Alicia “Jill” Williams has been named dean of Moore County Campus (MCC) Operations, filling the vacancy created by the recent retirement of longtime dean Renée Vincent.Williams, who in May was elected to a three-year term on the Dumas ISD board of trustees, has for the past year and a half served as assistant director of continuing education and workforce development at the MCC-Technical Campus.

The two individuals who have been selected as finalists to become the next Amarillo College president are scheduled to attend separate 75-minute open forums Dec. 9-10 in Ordway Hall on AC’s Washington Street Campus.The open forum featuring Dr. Frank Sobey will be from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9.

The Amarillo College Theatre Arts Program in December will proudly present Proof, an award-winning drama that explores how the fine line between genius and mental illness affects family dynamics.The play, which has been described as a mystery, a love story and a psychological thriller all in one, features a cast of four and takes place on the back porch of a house in Chicago’s Hyde Park.

The Board of Regents on Tuesday, Nov. 19 invited the two finalists for the presidency of Amarillo College to present their visions for the College during separate on-campus public forums and interviews tentatively set for Dec. 9th and 10th, but subject to the candidates’ availability.The two finalists are Dr. Jamelle J. Conner, vice present of student affairs at St. Petersburg College, a four-year public college in Pinellas County, Fla.; and Dr. Frank Sobey, vice president of academic affairs, at Amarillo College. See their biographical information at actx.edu/president.

Amarillo College students were well represented in the winner’s circle, securing top-three finishes in multiple events, at the U.S. Information Technology Collegiate Conference (USITCC) South Central Regional, which was hosted Nov. 7-8 at AC.The event, which drew a network of IT programs from colleges and universities as far distant as Missouri and Tennessee, featured seven competitive categories: App Development, Office Solutions, Systems Analysis, Network Design, Security, PC Troubleshooting, and Database Design.

Amarillo College is pleased to announce that its Communications and Marketing Department has captured five national marketing awards – three at the topmost Gold level – from a leading authority on outstanding achievements in digital marketing for education.The prestigious accolades come courtesy of the 12th Annual Education Digital Marketing (EDM)Awards, and AC captured Gold awards in the categories of Digital Publication—Teaching for Transformation magazine, Social Media Content Campaign—Bright Future, and Total Digital Marketing Program—Bright Future.

A cavalcade of entertaining concerts will make for a distinctly musical November at Amarillo College, where performances are free and open to the public.Five diverse concerts will be featured this month in the Concert Hall Theater on the Washington Street Campus, beginning with the AC Band Concert on Nov. 11 and concluding with the AC Chamber Orchestra & Guitar Ensemble Concert on Nov. 21.

Amarillo College is excited to announce that it will administer physical ability testing for anyone seeking admission to the AC Fire Academy, and that same day all aspiring climbers are invited to ascend the fire tower for a good cause.The dual-purpose activities will take place Saturday, Nov. 16 at AC’s multi-million-dollar First Responders Academy on Plains Boulevard – adjacent to the Arts in the Sunset – which features state-of-the-art equipment and a new fire tower.

Amarillo College (AC) is pleased to announce that its Innovation Outpost has been singled out by the internationally acclaimed EC-Council as the 2024 Academic Innovator of the Year.The accolade recognizes AC’s effective implementation of its Cybersecurity Certifications Program.AC’s Innovation Outpost, located at 1220 S. Polk St., is dedicated to fostering education and workforce development, and at its heart is a robust focus on cybersecurity, which includes both academic programs and opportunities for continuing education. 

Three nurse educators with more than 40 combined years of full-time teaching experience at Amarillo College will be among the honorees at the 8th Annual Panhandle Great 25 Nurses ceremony.The event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at the West Texas A&M University Banquet Hall, is being co-presented by the Texas Nursing Association-District 2, and the Panhandle Organization of Nurse Executives.