Community College Journal - October/November 2011

NEWS & ANALYSIS
...
Aspen Prize
Finalists Announced

BY TABITHA WHISSEMORE

Nearly a year after the Aspen Institute announced the creation of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the field has been narrowed from a pool of 120 colleges to 10 finalists. In December, one winner and up to three runners-up will be named to share in the $1 million
prize fund.

From urban to suburban to rural,
the finalist colleges represent “the best
of what we all want from these insti-
tutions,” said Josh Wyner, executive
director of the Aspen Institute’s Col-
lege Excellence Program. A nine-person
committee, made up of former com-
munity college presidents, researchers,
and policy experts, selected the colleges
based on several criteria, including
completion rates and labor-market and
learning outcomes.

“This is an affirmation of the unique initiatives we use every day to maximize student success,” LATI President Deb Shephard said. Another finalist, California’s Santa Barbara City College, was selected for how the college uses data to ensure its programs are relevant to students and businesses.

“We clearly demonstrated to the Aspen selection committee that our college is data- and outcomes-driven, and that student success and academic excellence are our top priorities,” said Jack Friedlander, the college’s acting superintendent/president.

The remaining eight colleges chosen were Miami Dade College (Florida), Mississippi Gulf Coast College, Mott Community College (Michigan), Northeast Iowa Community College-Calmar, Southwest Texas Junior College, Valencia College (Florida), Walla Walla Community College (Washington), and West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

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