Joyce-sponsored Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence honors the nation’s top 10 community colleges

Orlando-based Valencia College received the first ever Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in a ceremony honoring the work of the country’s top community colleges. Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden; Prize Jury co-chairs, former Michigan Governor John Engler and former US Secretary of Education Richard Riley; and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan all spoke of the important role community colleges as gateways to four-year institutions, and most central to Joyce’s work – providing workforce training programs that help adult students get good-paying jobs in their communities.

The four finalists with distinction are:

• Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, SD
• Miami Dade College in Miami, FL
• Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, WA
• West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, KY

The other finalists are

• Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, MS
• Mott Community College in Flint, MI
• Northeast Iowa Community College-Calmar in Calmar, IA
• Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara in CA
• Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, TX

Valencia College was singled out for its comprehensive range of programs that provide pathways to technical certification and associates degrees that guarantee admission to the University of Central Florida. The school’s Start Right program, which reimagines how the school year begins for students and professors, and Student Success, which provides personalized education plans for students clustered in learning communities, are two examples of Valencia’s approach to tailoring curriculum to meet student needs.

Thirteen million Americans attend community colleges, and more than half of those students are working toward a degree or certificate. Despite the role these institutions have in postsecondary education, community colleges are frequently under-recognized, under-appreciated, and undervalued. The Aspen Prize distributed $1 million to community colleges that demonstrate measurable excellence. More importantly, the Prize brings attention to the importance of community colleges and honors leaders within the field. The competition is sponsored the Aspen Institute and supported by Joyce, the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

Click here for more information about best practices and how lessons learned from these community colleges can help other schools.

Read Melody Barnes’, White House Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, blog about the Aspen Prize.

Read “Aspen Competition Drives Innovative Ideas for Community Colleges,” Chronicle of Higher Education, published January 1, 2012.