WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Aspen Institute named Flint Hills Technical College one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. Colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success, and equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.

The 150 eligible colleges have been invited to submit data and narratives as the next steps in an intensive data and practice review process, culminating in the announcement of the prize winner in spring 2023.

“Flint Hills Technical College is honored and humbled to be recognized by the Aspen Prize as an exemplary college representing the community-technical college sector,” said Dr. Caron Daugherty, president of Flint Hills Technical College. “Our students, employees, alumni, and industry and civic partners engage in collaborative efforts to support student success, advance equity outcomes, and seek continuous improvement. I am proud of the hard work and resilience of our institutional and regional community, without whose efforts such acknowledgments and nods to our students and their success would be impossible.”

The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community colleges to drive attention to colleges doing the best work, and discover and share effective student strategies. The Aspen Prize honors colleges with outstanding achievement in five critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

The eligible colleges represent the diversity and depth of the community college sector. Located in urban, rural, and suburban areas across 34 states, these colleges serve as few as 230 students and as many as 57,000. Winning colleges have ranged from smaller institutions serving rural community and smaller towns to large community colleges serving major metropolitan areas.

The four previous winners are Indian River State College, Florida, 2019; Santa Fe College, Florida, 2015; Santa Barbara City College, California, 2013; and Valencia College, Florida, 2011.

In the first round, eligibility for the Aspen Prize is based on publicly available data. Eligible colleges must show strong and improving student outcomes in key areas such as retention, completion, transfer, and equity. Nationwide, 15 percent of community colleges, 150 of the approximately 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide assessed for the prize, have been invited to apply.

The next steps in the process include:

• Selection of the top ten finalists by an expert panel of 15 experts in community colleges, higher education, and workforce training, to be announced in 2022.
• Fall 2022 site visits to each of the ten finalists, during which the Aspen Institute and partners will collect additional information, including employment and earnings data and insights about promising practices.
• A jury will meet and make award decisions in the first quarter of early 2023.
• Announcement of the Aspen Prize in late spring 2023.

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and more information about the award, see www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize.