Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success

8/13/2019 Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success

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How Exceptional Community CollegesAchieve High Levels of Student Success

RP Group Student Success Conference

October 9, 2013



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



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



Definition of Excellence

Four Areas, Student Success FocusedCompletion outcomes

Learning outcomes

Labor market (post-graduation) outcomes

Equitable outcomes



Goals of the Aspen Prize

Elevate the Community College Sector

Define and Benchmark Excellence

Identify and Replicate Effective Practices



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



Valencia College – 2011 Winner



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%).



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.



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



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



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



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)



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)



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)



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)



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)





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



For more information, contact:

Josh WynerThe Aspen InstituteOne DuPont Circle NW, Suite 700Washington, DC 20036

[email protected] (202) 736 – 2286www.aspeninstitute.org/cep

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.aspeninstitute.org/cep

http://www.aspeninstitute.org/cep

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Aspen Prize Finalists: How Exceptional Community Colleges Achieve High Levels of Student Success