Alvin Community College music students and faculty and members of the Alvin Community Band participated in the annual Gulf Coast Intercollegiate Conference Jazz Festival held at San Jacinto College Central on March 26. Each year, GCIC community college students gather at a different host college to improve skills and perform for the public. The event also gives instructors and band directors an opportunity to play together and perform.

Susan Baker, wife of former Secretary of State James Baker and author of Passing It On - An Autobiography with Spirit, will be the guest speaker at the annual ACC Foundation Author's Luncheon on April 5, at 11:30 a.m., at the Nolan Ryan Center. Baker is a founding member of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and has served on the boards of Families for the Homeless, Neighborhood Centers, Inc., Houston Food Bank and the Enterprise Foundation, an organization dedicated to creating low-income housing. She was also an instrumental member of a bipartisan parents' group that persuaded the music industry to voluntarily issue warning labels for lyrics. In addition to highlighting the challenges Baker purposely tackled to help others, Passing It On is also a reflective narrative of facing unplanned personal challenges that demonstrate what can be accomplished through faith. Prior to the luncheon, Baker will be available to sign copies of her book. Proceeds from book sales and the event will be used toward ACC student scholarships, staff development and community enrichment programs. Tickets are $40 each and a reserved table for eight is $400. For more information, call (281) 756-3600. 

The ACC Mu Upsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa inducted 34 new members during its spring ceremony on March 25. Over 3,600 students have been inducted into the ACC PTK chapter since its inception in 1963. PTK is the international honor society of two-year colleges. Members follow four hallmarks, including scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship. To be eligible for PTK, students must have completed at least 12 college credit hours at ACC and maintained a grade point average of at least 3.5. Those recently inducted include: Tracy Blakely (right photo, left), Sean Boggan, Asaea Burns, Christin Catalina, Mark Copeland, Heather Corona, John Dowling, Melissa Dowling, Matthew Driscoll, Victoria Fath, Laurell Garcia, Darline Gonzalez, Michelle Goodrum, Sara Greene, Kevin Johnson, Megan Kehr, Elizabeth McAfee, Rebecca Neillands, Kathie O'Donovan, Joaquin Olivarez, Jr., Timothy Olsen, William Parker, Rachel Randall, Tamra Rowe, Theresa Saenz, Miranda Sanchez, James Seals, Elizabeth Smith, Denice Spreeman, Justin Standard, Isaac Tidwell, Isaac Wehmanen, Melissa Wilburn, and Laura Williams.

For the full story, visit: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs003/1102393881324/archive/1104773457105.html.

All history has a home. Reading about history is one thing, but visiting "where it all began" often supplies vivid images, evidence and clues that can help inspire people to greater understanding, awareness and change. Wanting to bring the meaning and importance of the past to life for his students, ACC History Department Chair Christopher Chance incorporates travel into his instruction whenever possible. Locally, the Holocaust Museum in Houston and other museums are common destinations each semester. For the past 3 years, however, he has also led open tours each summer to Germany which have been attended by ACC employees and students. This summer, he will be leading two different tours to Germany so guests can learn about and sample various Bavarian beers. Chris (right photo, center) is shown with Jeff Harbour (left), husband of ACC math instructor Robin Harbour, and ACC history graduate Sara Teel, now a history major at University of Texas, at the summit of Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, in 2009.

For the full story, visit: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs003/1102393881324/archive/1104918633558.html.

Dr. Bill Crider, retired chair of the ACC English Department, was recently inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. Dr. Crider has authored approximately 50 novels and numerous short stories.  He received an Anthony Award for "Best First Mystery Novel" for Too Late to Die, his first Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery in the series, Golden Duck Award for "Best Juvenile Science Fiction Novel" for Mike Gonzo and the UFO Terror and also co-authored Murder Under Blue Skies with well-known former television weatherman Willard Scott.

Dr. Crider earned his Ph.D. at the University of Texas in Austin with a doctoral dissertation entitled The Private-Eye Hero. After 19 years of service at ACC, he retired as the chair of the English and Fine Arts Department in 2002.

Soroptimist International of Alvin is offering two $500 Returning Woman's Scholarships for qualified female applicants who apply before the April 8 deadline. Applicants must be enrolled, or qualified to be enrolled, at ACC, plan to enroll as a full-time student in a one-year certificate or two-year degree program beginning in the summer or fall semester, and have experienced an interruption in education due to family constraints, economic hardship or other limiting factors. In addition to submitting two letters of recommendation, applicants should be able to demonstrate academic ability, integrity and the ability to carry out goals. Applications can be picked up and submitted at the ACC Human Resources Office, located in Building C (room C100) on the main campus, 3110 Mustang Road. The application for the "Returning Woman's Scholarship" can also be found on the college's website, www.alvincollege.edu, under "Student Scholarships," and mailed to the address listed. For more information, call (281) 756-3640.