Top Ten Finalists Named for 2013 Aspen Prize

Ten finalists have emerged from a field of 120 semifinalists to compete for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The prize recognizes institutions for achievements in

• student learning outcomes
• degree and college completion
• rates of students securing jobs after college
• minority and low-income student success.

Through acknowledging exceptional institutions, the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence hopes to draw attention to how community colleges train and prepare students to perform well and compete in the marketplace. If programs and methods that work at top community colleges can be implemented elsewhere, more students could receive the education they need at a place they can afford.

The Aspen Prize Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Brazosport College, Lake Jackson, TX
Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, FL
College of the Ouachitas, Malvern, AR
Kingsborough Community College - CUNY, Brooklyn, NY
Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, SD*
Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, CA*
Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, Cumberland, KY
Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla, WA*
West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Paducah, KY*

Four of the colleges on the list earned this distinction for a second straight year (indicated by an asterisk)

The Aspen Institute selection committee of former community college presidents, respected researchers, and policy experts will visit each finalist this fall. A grand prize winner and up to four finalists-with-distinction will be announced in March 2013. Watch the 2012 Aspen Prize presentation.

In recent years, the Joyce Foundation has focused on the potential of prize competitions to catalyze solutions to persistent social policy problems and reveal best practices which other entities can replicate.  The Joyce Foundation believes that equipping workers to succeed in good-paying jobs benefits individuals, their families and communities, and regional economies as a whole. Current priorities include promoting training partnerships with major industries and improving community colleges through the Aspen Prize.

The Aspen Prize is funded by America Achieves, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education.

Learn more

2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Presentation
Aspen Prize Press Release
 

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