Wendy Jones's Archive

As you know, it’s been over a year since we’ve gathered together in person as a staff and faculty community. We believe it’s time to have such a gathering for those of you who feel comfortable doing so!

Please mark your calendars for Tues., April 13, 4-5 p.m., in the Teague Center. Masks are required and social distancing is encouraged. You may choose to sit in closer proximity to people who are in your “bubble”, but we will have plenty of room for everyone to distance. The meeting will also be live streamed for those who prefer a virtual format.

We will share important information about COVID-19 protocols for summer and fall; construction on campus; and expected Fall enrollment. In addition, we want to celebrate the ending of a successful school year, recognize some key colleagues for their work, and acknowledge the losses we’ve experienced over the last year.

This gathering will be an important time for our community, and we encourage you to attend if you are able to do so!

-Phil Schubert and Robert Rhodes

ACU’s Medical Clinic was able to receive and administer a limited supply of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccines during Spring Break.  Our hope is to secure the vaccine weekly, and offer additional appointments as more vaccines become available. As with all providers, we do not know week to week which brand (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J) of vaccines we will receive. Once we are notified that we are being sent vaccines we need to quickly schedule appointments. If you, your spouse, or dependent children over 18 would like to be on the Medical Clinic’s waitlist to receive a vaccine, please submit the ACU COVID-19 Vaccine Waitlist form. Appointments will be made based on the number of vaccine doses available and prioritized by the current criteria set by the state of Texas.  ACU will use the allotted vaccines for current faculty and staff before moving to students, retirees or other household members. Once your name is reached on the waitlist, the Medical Clinic will call to schedule your appointment to receive your vaccine.

We were able to resume employer-matching retirement contributions with the February 5, 2021 paychecks, which was two weeks earlier than anticipated. As a reminder, we also said we would match any contributions you have made, up to the maximum of 8%, retroactively back to the October 16, 2020 paychecks. We communicated that Human Resources would submit these retroactive amounts to TIAA no later than March 5, 2021. We would like to confirm that those amounts were sent to TIAA on February 24, 2021. Log in to TIAA to review your retirement account.

As a reminder, our campus read for this spring is Brenda Salter McNeil’s Becoming Brave. To receive a copy of the book staff should complete this form. Faculty books have been made available in each college dean’s office. Stay tuned for opportunities to participate in a book study to be announced soon.

Following Chief Jimmy Ellison’s departure earlier this year, Lieutenant Randy Motz has stepped into the role of interim chief of police for the ACU Police Department. In addition to his military and other police experience, Randy has served as a member of ACUPD for 9-years. Randy and all of the ACUPD team are committed to providing the same level of excellence established under Jimmy’s leadership. This commitment and his ability to uphold it were made all the more clear in the past week as ACUPD helped guide the campus and community through an unprecedented winter storm.  Randy will continue in the interim role until a new chief of police is named. A search committee has been formed, and applications are currently being accepted for this vital role.

CCCU is delighted to announce that Westmont College will host the sixth annual Advancing Women in Leadership conference. Join colleagues from around the world for a FREE series of leadership events celebrating National Women’s History Month, on March 5 and 26, thanks to Westmont Women’s Leadership Council’s generous sponsorship. These events are open to the entire CCCU community, including leaders, faculty, staff and students on CCCU campuses. Join on March 5, 11am-12pm EST  to hear Nancy Koehn, Harvard Historian & Bestselling Author and on March 26, 2-3pm EST  Inclusive Excellence Leadership in Action: Panel with Chief Diversity Officers  Learn more and register here.

The City of Abilene has invited ACU faculty, staff, and students to provide input to the City’s 20-year Comprehensive Plan.  This is an excellent opportunity for the ACU community to help shape Abilene over the next two decades.  Part of recruiting students, faculty and staff to ACU hinges on increasing the attractiveness and vibrancy of our hometown.  If you’re willing to participate in the City’s process, please complete the survey.

Abilene has been designated as a Vaccine HUB for COVID vaccines in Taylor county. This means that currently, the state is routing Abilene’s vaccines to the health department for distribution. Anyone who thinks they might qualify as a 1B (people 65 years of age and older OR people 16 years of age and older with at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19) should submit their information to the City of Abilene’s 1B Request Form. This form places you on the waitlist to be vaccinated.

Once ACU receives the vaccine, we will announce the Medical Clinic’s distribution plans.

Because COVID-19 symptoms can mirror allergies, we strongly encourage anyone experiencing symptoms to get tested.

We continue to meet NCAA guidelines for COVID-19 testing of student-athletes. Basketball and volleyball players are each tested three times per week. Students in other sports are tested based on their determined risk level per NCAA recommendations.

For students who are participating in student activities this semester, we are implementing surveillance testing.

As a part of our research partnership with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, all faculty, staff, and students who are NOT experiencing symptoms can receive free COVID-19 PCR testing by scheduling an appointment on this calendar.

For individuals who are experiencing symptoms, the ACU Medical Clinic offers the rapid antigen test for $40. Call the clinic at (325) 674-2625 to schedule an appointment.

For information regarding COVID-19 testing during the break please see COVID-19 During the Winter Break. Members of the ACU community should continue to complete the COVID notification form as soon as possible if they are exposed or test positive.