Highlighting the critical importance of improving student success in America’s community colleges, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today named West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) as one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and $1 million dollars in prize funds.
The Prize, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges and recognizes institutions for exceptional student outcomes in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.
WKCTC is one of four Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) colleges on this year’s list of 150. The others are Hazard Community and Technical College, Madisonville Community College and Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College.
The Aspen Institute has named WKCTC one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation for two consecutive years. The College was a top five finalist in 2011.
“We are extremely pleased to again be named among the top community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute.” said WKCTC President Barbara Veazey. “Community colleges, like West Kentucky, are essential to the development of a competitive workforce. Being named to Aspen’s top 150 for the third time is recognition of our commitment to not only student success, but also to the continued success of our community.”
The Aspen Institute identified the top 150 community colleges through an assessment of institutional performance, improvement, and equity on student retention and completion measures. Together, the 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the Prize represent the diversity and richness of the entire sector:
- They are located in 37 states across the nation;
- They represent urban, rural, and suburban markets; and
- They encompass big community colleges and small community colleges—from Miami Dade College in Florida serving over 100,000 students to Carver Career Center in West Virginia serving fewer than 500 students.
See a full list of the 150 community colleges here. Prize winners will be announced in early 2015.
Nearly half of America’s college students attend community college, with more than seven million students – youth and adult learners – working towards certificates and degrees in these institutions across the country.
“Community colleges have tremendous power to change lives, and their success will increasingly define our nation’s economic strength and the potential for social mobility for every American” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “This competition is designed to spotlight the excellent work being done in the most effective community colleges, those that best help students obtain meaningful, high-quality education and training for competitive-wage jobs after college. We hope it will raise the bar and provide a roadmap for community colleges nationwide.”
The 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence was awarded to co-winners Santa Barbara City College (California) and Walla Walla Community College (Washington). Valencia College (Florida) was the inaugural Prize winner in 2011.
WKCTC and 149 other community colleges announced today were selected from a national pool of over 1,000 public two-year colleges using publicly available data on student outcomes. Expert analysts at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems in consultation with an expert advisory committee convened by the Aspen Institute devised the formula used to select the colleges. The data focus on student retention and completion, considered from three perspectives:
- Performance (retention, graduation rates including transfers, and degrees and certificates per 100 “full-time equivalent” students)
- Improvement (awarded for steady improvement in each performance metric over time)
- Equity (evidence of strong completion outcomes for minority and low-income students)
To ensure full representation of the range and diversity of the sector, adjustments were applied with respect to mission, size, and minority representation.
WKCTC has been invited to submit an application containing detailed data on degree/certificate completion (including progress and transfer rates), labor market outcomes (employment and earnings), and student learning outcomes. They must demonstrate that they deliver exceptional student results for all students – including those from racial minority and/or low-income backgrounds – and also use data to inform decisions and continually improve over time.
Ten finalists will be named in fall 2014. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data, including employment and earnings data from states and transfer data from the National Student Clearinghouse. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner and a few finalists with distinction in early 2015.
Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
(L to R) - Lynn King, 2013 Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce chairperson; Barbara Veazey, WKCTC president; Sandra Wilson, Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce president; Tim Miller, MSU interim president; Brian Van Horn, MSU dean of the Center for Continuing Education and Academics
Kirkpatrick created the patch last school year in Ms. Alyson Calhoun's science class while preparing for his class trip to fly a simulated space mission to return to the moon at the center. "Johnathon's patch features an eagle and American flag on the moon. It's a great representation of the moon mission," said Mellisa Duncan, center director.
