Washington, DC — On Tuesday, the Aspen Institute named Northwest Iowa Community College one of the ten finalists for the 2023 $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
Starting in 2010, the Aspen Prize was created to be the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that are achieving high, improving, and equitable outcomes for students. There are over one thousand community colleges of prosperity and social mobility in the United States.
According to a release from NCC, the group of ten finalists for the award vary from NCC being the smallest enrollment with 2,700 students granting primarily technical awards, to a Florida college with 57,000 students that focus on transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment. It is the focus on outcomes and strategies to develop students’ talents in ways to strengthen their regional economies and communities that define excellent community colleges like NCC. There are five critical areas that finalists have to show outstanding performance in: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment, workforce success and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.
The president of NCC, Dr. John Hartog says that NCC is one of just a few colleges that have been eligible for the prize all seven times since it’s inception. The prize is given to community colleges on a bi-annual basis on odd number years. Dr. Hartog says that it’s the employees and Trustees serving the students of NCC that the recognition speaks well of, and that it highlights the work of the students of NCC as they graduate and enter the workforce.
The winner of this select group of finalists for the Aspen Prize will be announced in the spring of 2023.
