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.

The Amarillo College Board of Regents on Tuesday, Oct. 22 named two finalists for the position of president, one an internal candidate, and one currently in a leadership role at a college in Florida.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. 

The Common Lobby Gallery at Amarillo College will come alive for a student art show celebrating the Day of the Dead – Dia de Los Meurtos – an exhibit opening with a reception at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, and the public is welcome to attend.Dia de Los Merutos is a Latin American holiday honoring dead loved ones, encouraging them through their journey in the afterlife with both costumed revelry and prayer. This marks the AC Art Department’s 22nd observance of the holiday.

Selected STEM majors at Amarillo College will have a chance to enhance their prospects for summer internships and future employment when they network with a number of local employers at AC’s STEM Employability Forum. The event, which is being co-sponsored by the College’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) STEM Grant and AC’s Career Services, is from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 25 at AC’s Innovation Outpost, 1220 S. Polk St.

On a recent morning in downtown Havana, Dr. Jim Laughlin saw some kindergartners immersed in a dance-exercise class on a roped-off section of a street near his hotel. Inspired, he grabbed his saxophone and hastened to ask their teacher if he could play for them.His ensuing rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In prompted a spontaneous marching parade of delighted children, a scene the woodwind aficionado is not likely forget.

Major renovations to the Ware Student Commons (WSC) at Amarillo College will be completed early next year, at which point specialized academic tutoring recourses – now scattered in different buildings – will be united under one roof.Additionally, Lynn Library, long a mainstay on the building’s uppermost fourth floor, will be fully redesigned and relocated to the third floor, where it will rest adjacent to the Writer’s Corner, long an occupant of Ordway Hall. And such student-centered assets as AC’s math and science testing centers and the behavioral health and wellness Counseling Center also will be moved into the WSC from other locations.

Two uniquely accomplished individuals have been selected to receive 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards from Amarillo College.Mary Bralley, executive director for Window on a Wider World (WOWW), and award-winning music video director/producer and documentarian Michael Merriman will be the guests of honor at AC’s Distinguished Alumni Luncheon at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Amarillo Area Foundation, 919 S. Polk St.

The Amarillo College Truck Driving Academy will host a regional convening of the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) Oct. 2-4, with a full day of presentations on Oct. 3 at AC’s Innovation Outpost.The convening is expected to attract approximately 55 representatives from NAPFTDS member institutions from throughout Region 4 – from as near as Frank Phillips College to as far away as Laredo College and Houston Community College.

High school juniors and seniors will have a profusion of higher-education materials to explore – and people to meet – at the Texas Panhandle Area High Schools University and College Night being co-sponsored by Amarillo College. Approximately 50 colleges and universities from across the state and the nation are expected to have representatives in attendance at the event, which is from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Amarillo ISD’s AmTech Career Academy.

How faculty can avoid the pitfalls of hyper-specialization and teach across the spectrum of academic fields while remaining true to their own disciplines is the focus of a unique interdisciplinary seminar series underway at Amarillo College.The brainchild of Dr. Robert Fulton, assistant professor of humanities, The Two Cultures is a series of conversations – one each month through November – fittingly subtitled A Meeting of the Minds Across the Arts & Sciences.