Community College Journal - April/May 2013

QUICK HITS

A Snapshot of

College Fundraising

Split Decision

As state and federal budgets dwindle, donations and foundation support are more important than ever

Two institutions share Aspen Institute’s annual prize for community college excellence

BY COREY MURRAY

U.S. community colleges raised nearly $640 million in private fundraising in 2011, according to the most recent IRS figures. That might sound like a lot of money. But a recent report by William Crowe, senior public service faculty member at the University of Georgia and former president of Tyler Junior College in Texas, says colleges have to do more—potentially much more—if they want to offset the pain of state and federal budget cuts. For more, visit Communit College Times at http://bit.ly/YZ8jz2.

$5,156,466 Average Community College Foundation Assets

$717,974 Average Amount Raised by Community Colleges

$4,578,941,498 Total Assets in Community College Foundations

$637,560,588 Total Amount Raised by Community Colleges

BOBBOZ/VEER

Santa Barbara City College in California
and Walla Walla Community College in
Washington were named co-winners of the
Aspen Institute’s prestigious annual Prize for
Community College Excellence. The winners
will each receive $400,000 to support programs
at their colleges. Two finalist colleges—Kings-
borough Community College in Brooklyn, N. Y.,
and Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown,
S.D.—will receive $100,000 each.

Source: William Crowe, “A National Study of Private Support for America’s Two-Year Colleges,” 2013/IRS 2011 filings

The winners were announced March 19 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

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“Santa Barbara City College and Walla Walla Community College offer outstanding models for achieving exceptional levels of student success at a time when our nation needs community colleges to do even more than they have in the past,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, in a statement.

The colleges were selected for their ability to improve transfer rates through rigorous coursework and match educational offerings with opportunities in the workforce.

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The winners were chosen from a pool of more than 1,000 public community colleges. The other six finalists for this year’s prize include Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Texas; Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; College of the Ouachitas in Malvern, Ark.; Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla.; Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College; and West Kentucky Community and Technical College.