College Excellence Program

Eligible Community Colleges

The Aspen Institute is pleased to name the following 120 community colleges eligible for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. We recognize that there are many community colleges around the country that are employing innovative strategies and achieving excellent results for their students. The bar for the Aspen Prize was intentionally set high in order to identify those institutions that have demonstrated high levels of student success.

In a comprehensive review of publicly available data, these 120 two-year institutions—from 32 states—have demonstrated strong outcomes considering three areas of student success:

• student success in persistence and completion,
• consistent improvement in outcomes over time, and
• equity in outcomes for students of all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

With technical support from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) and guidance from our Data/Metrics Advisory Panel, this first round of the Prize selection process was designed to incorporate a broad range of criteria using nationally available data.  We looked at a variety of metrics in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), including graduation rates, retention rates, and the total number of degrees/certificates awarded relative to total enrollment, taking into account part-time students as well as full-time students.  Using these measures, equal weight was given to overall performance, improvement, and performance by minority students.  The selection process measured outcomes with a comprehensive set of data points that took into account the varied missions and populations served by community colleges. A detailed technical description of how Round 1 eligibility was determined can be found here.

The 120 eligible institutions are:

Alabama

• Enterprise-Ozark Community College in Enterprise, AL
• George C. Wallace State Community College-Hanceville in Hanceville, AL
• Northeast Alabama Community College in Rainsville, AL

Arizona

• Cochise College in Douglas, AZ
• Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale, AZ

Arkansas

• Arkansas State University-Beebe in Beebe, AR

California

• Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, CA
• Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, CA
• Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA
• San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA
• Mt San Antonio College in Walnut, CA

Colorado

• Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, CO

Florida

• South Florida Community College in Avon Park, FL
• Brevard Community College in Cocoa, FL
• Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, FL
• Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL
• Florida Gateway College in Lake City, FL
• Lake-Sumter Community College in Leesburg, FL
• Chipola College in Marianna, FL
• Miami Dade College in Miami, FL
• Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, FL
• Central Florida Community College in Ocala, FL
• Valencia Community College in Orlando, FL
• Saint Johns River Community College in Palatka, FL
• Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, FL

Georgia

• Augusta Technical College in Augusta, GA

Illinois

• Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, IL
• Rend Lake College in Ina, IL
• Lake Land College in Mattoon, IL
• Illinois Eastern Comm. Colleges-Olney Central College in Olney, IL
• Illinois Eastern Comm. Colleges-Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, IL

Iowa

• Northeast Iowa Community College-Calmar in Calmar, IA
• Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, IA
• Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, IA

Kansas

• Salina Area Technical College in Salina, KS
• Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, KS
• North Central Kansas Technical College in Beloit, KS
• Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia, KS
• Garden City Community College in Garden City, KS
• Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, KS
• Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, KS
• Manhattan Area Technical College in Manhattan, KS

Kentucky

• Ashland Community and Technical College in Ashland, KY
• Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Cumberland, KY
• Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, KY
• Madisonville Community College in Madisonville, KY
• Maysville Community and Technical College in Maysville, KY
• West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, KY
• Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg, KY
• Somerset Community College in Somerset, KY

Maine

• Washington County Community College in Calais, ME
• Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, ME

Michigan

• Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, MI
• Macomb Community College in Warren, MI
• Mott Community College in Flint, MI
• Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, MI
• Delta College in University Center, MI

Minnesota

• Alexandria Technical College in Alexandria, MN
• Central Lakes College-Brainerd in Brainerd, MN
• Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls, MN
• Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Granite Falls, MN

Mississippi

• East Central Community College in Decatur, MS
• Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead, MS
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, MS
• Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, MS
• Hinds Community College in Raymond, MS

Missouri

• Metropolitan Comm. College-Business & Technology in Kansas City, MO
• Linn State Technical College in Linn, MO
• Crowder College in Neosho, MO
• Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, MO
• North Central Missouri College in Trenton, MO
• Missouri State University-West Plains in West Plains, MO

Montana

• Fort Belknap College in Harlem, MT
• Chief Dull Knife College in Lame Deer, MT
• Miles Community College in Miles City, MT

Nebraska

• Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, NE
• Southeast Community College Area in Lincoln, NE
• Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE

New Mexico

• Navajo Technical College in Crownpoint, NM

New York

• CUNY Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY
• Erie Community College in Buffalo, NY
• SUNY College of Technology at Canton in Canton, NY
• Corning Community College in Corning, NY
• Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, NY
• Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY
• Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY

North Carolina

• Surry Community College in Dobson, NC
• Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, NC
• James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, NC
• Cleveland Community College in Shelby, NC
• Davidson County Community College in Thomasville, NC

Ohio

• Lorain County Community College in Elyria, OH

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology-Okmulgee in Okmulgee, OK
• Carl Albert State College in Poteau, OK
• Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, OK

Pennsylvania

• Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster, PA

South Carolina 

• University of South Carolina-Union in Union, SC

South Dakota

• Mitchell Technical Institute in Mitchell, SD
• Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, SD

Texas

• Alvin Community College in Alvin, TX
• Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, TX
• Lee College in Baytown, TX
• Blinn College in Brenham, TX
• Texas State Technical College-West Texas in Sweetwater, TX
• Texarkana College in Texarkana, TX
• Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, TX
• Victoria College in Victoria, TX
• Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, TX

Utah

• Snow College in Ephraim, UT

Virginia

• Wytheville Community College in Wytheville, VA

 
Washington

• Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, WA
• Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, WA
• Spokane Community College in Spokane, WA
• Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, WA

West Virginia

• Carver Career Center in Charleston, WV
• Bridgemont Community and Technical College in Montgomery, WV

Wisconsin

• Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac, WI
• Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, WI
• Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee, WI

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