8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 1/20
How Exceptional Community CollegesAchieve High Levels of Student Success
RP Group Student Success Conference
October 9, 2013
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 2/20
Overview of College Excellence Program
Central Higher Education Program at the AspenInstitute
Focus on What it Takes in Policy and Practice toAchieve College Excellence
Excellence Defined as Student Success
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 3/20
Overview of College Excellence Program
Two Major Projects
Aspen Prize for Community College ExcellenceOne million every other year
Year-long deep research into metrics and practices
New College Leadership ProjectAlign hiring and professional development of presidents
with student success goalsMajor research report due out this springSymposia for community colleges presidents in 2013-14
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 4/20
Definition of Excellence
Four Areas, Student Success FocusedCompletion outcomes
Learning outcomes
Labor market (post-graduation) outcomes
Equitable outcomes
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 5/20
Goals of the Aspen Prize
Elevate the Community College Sector
Define and Benchmark Excellence
Identify and Replicate Effective Practices
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 6/20
Prize Finalists and Winners
2011 Inaugural Aspen Prize for Community College Excellenceo Winner - Valencia Collegeo Finalists-with-distinction - Lake Area Technical Institute, Miami Dade
College, Walla Walla Community College, West Kentucky Communityand Technical College
2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellenceo Co-Winners - Walla Walla Community College, Santa Barbara City
Collegeo Finalists-with-distinction – Kingsborough Community College- CUNY,
Lake Area Technical Institute
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 7/20
Valencia College – 2011 Winner
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 8/20
Walla Walla Community College – 2013 Co-Winner
Completion- Within three years of entering Walla Walla, 54% of full-timestudents graduate or transfer, compared to the national average of 40%.
Labor Market- Washington state records show that 2011 graduates ofWalla Walla earn 79% more – on average – than do other new hires in the
area around the college ($41,548 compared to $23,244).Equity- Underrepresented minorities at Walla Walla succeed at rates wellabove the national average (48% of URM students graduate or transferfrom Walla Walla within three years versus the national average of 34%).
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 9/20
Santa Barbara City College – 2013 Co-Winner
Completion- Within three years of entering SBCC, 64% of full-timestudents graduate or transfer, compared to the national average of 40%.
Transfer- 57% of full-time students at SBCC transfer to four-year collegeswithin six years of entering, and over half of transfer students go on to get
a bachelor’s degree.
Equity- SBCC achieves a strong three-year graduation/transfer rate of 48%(compared to a national average of 35%) for Hispanic students, whocomprise over 30% of its student body.
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 10/20
How Do We Select the Winners?
Round 1: From over 1,000 to 150 based on national data.•
Aspen identifies a list of 150 institutions eligible to apply for the AspenPrize based upon completion, improvement, and equity with help ofan expert panel (DMAP).
• 90% participation rates over first two years.
Round 2: From 150 to 10 finalists based on institutional data and
practice.• Aspen receives applications from eligible institutions• An expert selection committee chooses 10 finalists based on
qualitative and quantitative information on completion, learning,labor market, and equitable outcomes.
Round 3: From 10 finalists to one winner and finalists-with-distinction.• In Round 3, the Prize Jury meets to select the winners and finalists-
with-distinction.• Next winner(s) awarded in March 2015
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 11/20
2013 Data/Metrics Advisory Panel
Members• Dr. Keith Bird (Co-chair), Corporation for a Skilled Workforce• Dr. William Trueheart (Co-chair), Achieving the Dream,• Dr. Tom Bailey , Community College Research Center, Columbia University• Dr. Jacquee Belcher, Options Unlimited• Kevin Carey, New America Foundation• Dr. Randy Eberts, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research• Dr. Kent Farnsworth, University of Missouri-St. Louis•
Gerri Fiala, U.S. Department of Labor• Dr. Robert McCabe, Miami-Dade College (emeritus)• Dr. Charlene Nunley, University of Maryland University College; Montgomery Community
College (emeritus)• Jane Oates, U.S. Department of Labor• Jon O’Bergh , U.S. Department of Education• Jay Pfeiffer, MPR Associates, Inc.• Kent Phillippe, American Association of Community Colleges• Dr. Shirley Robinson Pippins , Victory University • Jessica Shedd, U.S. Department of Education• Dr. David Stevens, University of Baltimore• Dr. Jeff Strohl, Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 12/20
2013 Finalist Selection Committee
Members• Dr. Elaine Baker, Community College of Denver • Dr. Keith Bird, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce• Dr. George R. Boggs , American Association of Community Colleges (emeritus)• Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, University of Wisconsin-Madison• Dr. Shanna Smith Jaggars, Community College Research Center, Columbia University • Dr. Rob Johnstone, National Center for Inquiry and Improvement• Amy Laitinen, New America Foundation • Dr. Nan Poppe, Consultant• Deborah Santiago, Excelencia in Education• Dr. Nancy Shulock, Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy, California State
University, Sacramento• Dr. Nicole Smith, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce• Dr. Gregory Stoup, Research & Planning Group for California Community Colleges • Jane Wellman, National Association of System Heads
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 13/20
2013 Prize Jury
Co-Chairs• The Honorable John Engler , Business Roundtable, former Governor of Michigan• The Honorable Richard Riley , Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP and EducationCounsel
LLC; former Secretary of Education; former Governor of South Carolina
Members• Esther Aguilera , Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute• Dr. Anthony Carnevale , Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce• David Leonhardt , The New York Times• Dr. Michael Lomax , United Negro College Fund• Joe Loughrey , Cummins, Inc. (retired)• Wes Moore , Author, The Other Wes Moore• John Morgridge , Cisco Systems, Inc. (emeritus)•
Dr. Charlene Nunley , University of Maryland University College; Montgomery CommunityCollege (emeritus)• Jon Schnur , America AchievesGeneral• Anthony Zinni , Former Commander in Chief of United States Central Command (CENTCOM);
United States Marine Corps (retired)
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 14/20
What Exceptional Colleges Do: Completion
Create Clear Pathways with Clear ResultsCTE: Structured programs tied to jobs (Lake Area Tech, WallaWalla)Transfer: Value that students see (Valencia, Santa Barbara)
Improve Student DecisionsEliminate late registration (Valencia, West Kentucky)Improve student direction (Santa Fe, Valencia, Walla Walla)Establish pathways (Miami Dade)
Improve Developmental EducationPrevent (Harper College)Accelerate (CUNY Start)Redefine (Virginia)
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 15/20
What Exceptional Colleges Do: Learning
Create urgencyUse college wide measures (West Kentucky)Engage in processes that make the need to normalizeexpectations clear (West Kentucky)
Create faculty culture of student successOn-boarding —tenure system and hiring process (Valencia)Build professional development into union contract (PierceCollege)
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 16/20
What Exceptional Colleges Do: Labor Market
Use combination of data and conversations to decideon programs (Walla Walla)
Use data to improve/accelerate student choice (WallaWalla)
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 17/20
What Exceptional Colleges Do: Equity
Work with K-12 to improve pathways (Santa Barbara,NOVA)
Ensure that students have resources to succeed(Kingsborough, Miami Dade)
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 18/20
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 19/20
Conversation with Community College President
• Lori Gaskin, President, Santa Barbara City College
• Co-Winner, 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College
Excellence
• Finalist, 2011 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aspen-prize-finalists-how-exceptional-community-colleges-achieve-high-levels 20/20
For more information, contact:
Josh WynerThe Aspen InstituteOne DuPont Circle NW, Suite 700Washington, DC 20036
[email protected] (202) 736 – 2286www.aspeninstitute.org/cep