Skills training, community colleges, entrepreneurship, and civility were a few of the key issues President Obama spoke about in his State of the Union address last night. We asked some of our experts in these fields and others for their reactions. Their responses are below:
For millions of Americans, community colleges provide an essential pathway to well-paying jobs and continuing higher education. The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence honors those institutions that strive for and achieve exceptional levels of success for all students, while they are in college and after they graduate.Download Publication »
A jury of former elected officials and other prominent national business, labor, education and civil rights leaders will review quantitative and qualitative data to select a winner and runners-up. The Prize Jury is co-chaired by two former governors, one who is also a former Secretary of Education, with deep experience in education and the workforce:
Former community college presidents and faculty, along with respected researchers and policy experts, will review extensive data and applications for each eligible community college to select a set of finalists. We greatly appreciate the careful consideration provided by the Finalist Selection Committee members:
Panel Discussion on Community College Excellence:• Dr. Keith Bird, former Chancellor, Kentucky Community and Technical College System; Senior Policy Fellow, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce• Dr. Michelle Cooper, President, Institute for Higher Education Policy• Dr. Martha Kanter, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
To advise the Aspen College Excellence Program on the design of eligibility criteria for the Aspen Prize, Aspen convened a Data/Metrics Advisory Panel (DMAP), composed of policy experts, researchers, data analysts, and former college presidents with deep experience in community college performance and data. We greatly appreciate the thoughtful advice and assistance of DMAP members:
Ascend, the Family Economic Security Program, is a hub for breakthrough ideas and proven strategies that move parents, especially women, and their children beyond poverty toward educational success and economic security.
