The Aspen Institute has named Orange Coast College as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. The colleges selected for this honor represent 15 percent of more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide, and are recognized as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.
OCC has been invited to submit data and narratives as the next steps in an intensive data and practice review process, culminating in the announcement of the Aspen Prize winner in Spring 2025.
“We are honored to be recognized as a nationwide leader among two-year colleges,” said OCC President Angelica Suarez. “OCC would not receive such accolades without a tireless commitment to student success exemplified by our faculty, classified professionals and managers. We are thrilled to celebrate this distinguished honor once again and look forward to celebrating the success of our College and its students.”
According to a press release from the Aspen Institute: “The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community colleges in order to drive attention to colleges achieving post-graduate success for all students, and is a central way Aspen researches highly effective student success strategies that are shared with the field.
While community colleges are an essential contributor to our nation’s success, student outcomes vary substantially among institutions. Aspen measures those variances using multiple data sources and honors colleges with outstanding achievement in six critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, equitable access to the college, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.”
Previous winners of the Aspen Prize are Amarillo College (TX, 2023) and Imperial Valley College (CA, 2023); San Antonio College (TX, 2021); Indian River State College (FL, 2019) and Miami Dade College (FL, 2019); Lake Area Technical Institute (SD, 2017) Santa Fe College (FL, 2015); Santa Barbara City College (CA, 2013) and Walla Walla Community College (WA, 2013); and Valencia College (FL, 2011).
The first round of eligibility for the Prize is based on publicly available data. Eligible colleges must show strong and improving student outcomes in key areas such as retention, completion, and transfer. The full list of 150 colleges that have been invited to apply can be accessed on the Prize homepage.
Selection of the top 10 finalists by a panel of 16 experts in community colleges, higher education, and workforce training, will be announced in June 2024. The Aspen Prize will be announced in late Spring 2025.