School has new values, mission

Amarillo College has new values and a new mission for its faculty, staff and students. “Wow,” “fun,” “innovation,” “family” and “yes” are the five new values at AC. Its new mission is “to enrich the lives of students and the community by helping learners identify and achieve their educational goals.” AC officials hope to make the environment fun for students and to find new ways to help with problems. They want to be caring toward students like a family would. All the changes go through the AC leadership team. The team consists of the vice presidents on the AC campuses and includes President Russell Lowery-Hart. The leadership team found the new values through studies at Harvard University. “The studies showed that if the employees are engaged in what they do and if they are happy at their work place, they will feel as if they are a part of something larger than themselves,” said Ellen Green, vice presidentof communication and marketing. AC’s faculty and staff goal of a 70 percent completion rate by the year 2020 led to a change in values. In the school year 2013-2014, the completion rate was 25 percent. “In order to stop getting a small percentage of our students completing, we have to change what we are doing. We have to change the way we are doing it,” Green said. “It’s not for me or for the president; it is for the community, because if our students are not successful, then our community is not successful.” The new values are meant to show the students that they are important to the faculty and staff. “We have to learn new things, along with complete responsibility for ourselves and our education,” said education major Arianna Biscoglio. “We have to become innovators in order to accomplish our goals.” The values and mission are meant to show that the faculty and staff will help in any way they can to prevent, block and help overcome any problems students may come against. “Our positions are less about our jobs and more about the students’ lives,” Green said. Janet Sanchez, a physical therapy assistant major, said she thinks the values are a great way to keep AC students motivated and help them strive for their goals. “These values will recognize and encourage students to keep going,” Sanchez said. The values were made to reflect the college and to show anyone who sees them that AC is passionate about its students and wants students to achieve their goals by helping them with encouragement.