Next Steps for Aspen Prize

TCC is consistently ranked as one of the top community colleges in the U.S. These last few weeks have proven that once again that we are among the nation’s best.

On November 5, we were proud to announce that TCC was selected as one of 150 public two-year colleges to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.

We were chosen from nearly 1,000 public two-year institutions nationwide to compete for the prize, which is awarded every two years. Eligible colleges are highlighted for student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high-levels of access and success for students of color and low-income students. Remarkably, data show that over the last two years, student retention, graduation rates, and degree completion have improved at the top tier of 150 Aspen Prize-eligible colleges. To be selected as one of the top 150 is an outstanding achievement in and of itself, but I believe we are well positioned to compete.

Because of our commitment to student success and continuous improvement, our team is always working towards enhancing and streamlining the student experience. For example, over the past year alone we’ve expanded our open educational resource (OER) initiative to make course materials more affordable, increased student success rates through programs like Math Champions, ranked as one of the top nursing programs in the state, launched a new TCC2Work campaign to drive students towards in-demand careers, initiated a new strategic plan, and the list goes on.

As we move through the next steps on the Aspen Prize, we will once again lean on our team to help us tell our story and highlight all this great work. More details on that process with be shared as information becomes available.

In other good news, we’re also proud to have announced at our inaugural STEM Summit that the College is the recipient of a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will expand our STEM scholarship efforts to provide full tuition and fees scholarships for 60 students over the next five years. This is a big deal as it will target students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds who may not have otherwise been able to attend college. We were the only community college in the state to have received the award.

As always, thank you to all our faculty and staff for making TCC a great place to learn and work!

Read the news releases on the Aspen Prize announcement here.

Read the news release on the NSF grant announcement here.