Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Kick-Off Event
Following on President Obama’s announcement last October at the White House Community College Summit, national leaders in education, business, labor, philanthropy and civil rights kicked off the 8-month process that will lead to the selection of the nation’s first Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. These community colleges must demonstrate that students in their schools (1) gain knowledge and skills; (2) complete degree or certificate programs; and (3) obtain jobs with competitive wages.
The Aspen Prize will celebrate colleges that deliver exceptional student results, particularly critical for economic growth and opportunity, given that six million students – nearly half of all in postsecondary education — attend community colleges.
Featuring
- Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States; professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College
- Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education
- Dr. Martha Kanter, Undersecretary of Education, US Department of Education
- Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, US Department of Labor
- Jamie Merisotis, president, Lumina Foundation for Education
- Richard Riley, former US Secretary of Education, former Governor of South Carolina, and senior partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Education Counsel
- Josh Wyner, executive director, Aspen Institute College Excellence Program
The Aspen College Excellence Program aims to identify and replicate campus-wide practices that significantly improve college student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, projects targeting a new generation of college leaders, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges’ understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income and minority students on American campuses. For more information, visit www.AspenCCPrize.org.
Following on President Obama’s announcement last October at the White House Community College Summit, national leaders in education, business, labor, philanthropy and civil rights will kick off the 8-month process that will lead to the selection of the nation’s first Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.