David Guerra's Archive

The Katie Kirby Student Care Fund at ACU is funded by donations and provides meaningful, and often critical,  support to students on campus who encounter financial challenges. Housing and food insecurity, transportation, books and supplies, counseling fees, and other student needs are being addressed through careful stewardship of the fund. Over the past few years, the funding going out to help students has not been matched by the donations coming into the fund. We are inviting our ACU faculty and staff to be a part of the solution for students who face emergency living expense needs. Please consider how you can help sustain the work of the Katie Kirby Student Care Fund. You can provide a one time donation or sign up for payroll deductions on a recurring basis. If you know students who have financial challenges like the ones mentioned above, please contact SOAR at soar@acu.edu.

Dr. Mark Hamilton and Dr. Kelli Gibson have created Singing with the Shepherds: Meditations and Prayers for the Season of Advent.  A Spanish language version, Cantando con los Pastores: Meditaciones y Oraciones para el Tiempo de Adviento , which was translated by Dr. Omar Palafox, is also available. This collection is a collaboration from faculty, students, alumni and friends of The Graduate School of Theology at ACU. Many thanks to Mark and Kelli who have generously agreed to share this resource with the ACU Community.

Because of the growth of our December Commencement participation, ACU will host two ceremonies in December.  The Graduate Ceremony will be Friday, December 15, 2023, at 7 p.m. and the Undergraduate Ceremony will be Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 10 a.m.

Please join us for a going away reception for Emily (Berry) Carlyle as she and Zach make the move to Iowa. It will be in lower level of the Campus Center on Friday, December 1 from 1:30 until 3:00 PM. Light refreshments will be served.

Due to the Thanksgiving Bank Holiday on Thursday, timesheets must be submitted and approved Today, 11/20/2023, for the 11/5/2023 – 11/18/2023 pay period. Payday will still be Friday, November 24th. Any timesheets or PAFs received after the deadline will be processed on the following payroll. Supervisors should communicate this to their student employees. Please contact HR if you have any questions.

Support student entrepreneurs from the College of Business Administration at the Venture Out Market on Monday, Nov. 20, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. Student vendors will be offering unique and innovative products for sale ahead of the holidays. Stop by and see what’s available!

This week, November 6th – 10th, all full, reduced, and half-time faculty and staff will need to re-elect their benefits for 2024. Remember to make your elections this week for 2024. HR staff members will be available in the computer lab on the top floor of the Brown Library, Monday – Thursday, 8:00-5:00. You can schedule an appointment or drop by for assistance.

Please join us for a Come & Go Reception for Cyrus Eaton and family as they prepare to leave Abilene for a new opportunity in Nashville, TN. The reception will be in the lower level of the Campus Center on Nov 16 from 3-4:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served.

The Betty Hardwick Center is excited to be able to offer Mental Health First Aid classes. Below you can find the Eventbrite registration links.  After registration ends, participants will be contacted with further instructions regarding creating an account in MHFA Connect, which is where participants will complete a pre eval, opinions quiz, final test, course evaluation, and download their certificate.   This is also where participants will complete the required 2 hrs of prework if they choose to attend one of the virtual or blended MHFA classes.

MHFA is a course that teaches how to recognize signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge and provides skills on how to provide initial assistance until professional help is achieved or the crisis resolves. The course is free of charge due to some grant funding.  Class size is limited.

Blended Adult MHFA on December 15— Register Here. (registration ends November 26)

• The instructor led portion of class will be from 9am-3pm (approximately).
• Completion of 2 hrs of self-paced online prework is required prior to the day of class.

Fully in person Adult MHFA on January 17— Register Here. (registration ends January 2)

• Class will be in person from 8am-5pm(approximately).

If registration is full, please get on the wait list through Eventbrite.  Or please contact Sandra Lang, slang@bettyhardwick.org, for assistance.

Mark your calendar to join your colleagues Nov. 15 at noon or 4 p.m. in the McCaleb Conference Center in the Hunter Welcome Center for university updates from Dr. Phil Schubert and Dr. Robert Rhodes. The meeting will be recorded for ACU Dallas and remote faculty/staff to view afterward.