KCC Finalist For The 2023 Aspen Prize

KCC a Finalist For The 2023 Aspen Prize

KCC a Finalist For The 2023 Aspen Prize

KCC A Finalist For The 2023 Aspen Prize

Kingsborough Community College Named A Finalist For The 2023 Aspen Prize By The Aspen Institute For Community College Excellence For Third Time

Today, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program named Kingsborough Community College (KCC) one of 10 finalists eligible for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Generously funded by Ascendium, the Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan, and the Kresge Foundation, the Aspen Prize, which offers $1 million in shared prize funds, is the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that are achieving high, improving, and equitable outcomes for students. This year’s finalists also include sister CUNY institution Hostos Community College.

Awarded every two years since 2011, the Aspen Prize honors colleges that show outstanding performance in five critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. KCC has been placed in the top 150 or better seven consecutive times since the prize’s inception. This marks the third time the College has been named a finalist. The winner will be announced in the spring of 2023.

“We know that our students rely on us to help them reach their next steps on the way to realizing their dreams. By placing in the top ten of of community colleges nationwide, the Aspen Institute acknowledges that we are serving our students well,” said Dr. Claudia V. Schrader, president of Kingsborough Community College. “Kingsborough has always played an important role in helping move low-income students into the middle class and beyond. Many lost their footing due to COVID. As we emerge from the pandemic, our mission is even more critical to their recovery – and to the recovery of Brooklyn and New York City.”

The Aspen Prize selection process began in October 2021, when the Aspen Institute worked with an expert data panel to craft a formula to assess student outcomes at nearly 1,000 community colleges in key areas such as retention, completion, transfer, and equity. Based on the data, 150 community colleges were invited to apply. A selection committee of 16 higher education experts reviewed the 109 applications received, including extensive data and narratives on student success strategies. From the 25 highest ranking colleges, announced as semifinalists in April, the committee met in May to choose the 10 Aspen Prize finalists. The full list of 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence finalists can be found here: as.pn/prize

“We’re grateful to all the experts who have helped Aspen identify these impressive colleges,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “We can’t wait to dive in to learn more about how they have achieved these measurable student outcomes so we can share what we learn with the field.”

Next steps include:
     • Fall 2022: Additional data gathered on student outcomes, including in employment after college; multi-day site visits to each of the 10 finalists to gather insights about effective practices
     • Winter of 2023: A distinguished jury decides the Aspen Prize winner, based on quantitative data and qualitative information from each of the 10 finalists.
     • Late spring 2023: Announcement of the Aspen Prize winner

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