Allan Hancock College Named One of Top 150 Community Colleges in the Nation, Eligible For $1 Million Prize

NOVEMBER 2, 2021 -- Allan Hancock College has been named one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges and is eligible to compete for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and $1 million in prize funds. This is the fifth time that Hancock has been recognized by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.

The 150 eligible colleges have been invited to submit data and narratives as the next steps in an intensive review process, culminating in the announcement of the Prize winner in spring 2023.

“Hancock is honored to be recognized for the amazing work that our faculty, staff and administrators do to support our students and ensure their success,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “This is further evidence that our college is truly changing the odds for our students and our community.”

The Aspen Prize is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. Institutions are recognized for exceptional student outcomes in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.

The colleges selected as eligible for the 2023 prize were identified out of more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide 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.

“In an era of persistent inequity and workforce talent gaps, our nation’s best community colleges are stepping up to deliver more degrees to increasingly diverse students so they are prepared for the good jobs waiting to be filled,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Leaders of exceptional community colleges understand that achieving excellence requires expanding college access and increasing degree completion, but it doesn’t stop there. They are committed to ensuring that all students—including students of color and those from low-income backgrounds—graduate with the skills needed to secure a job with family-sustaining wages or successfully transfer to and graduate from a university. That same commitment stands at the center of the Aspen Prize: to advance the goals of social mobility and equitable talent development.”

Hancock will now submit an application containing detailed data on degree/certificate completion (including progress and transfer rates), labor market outcomes (employment and earnings) and student learning outcomes. Ten finalists will be named in the spring and summer of 2022. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data in the fall of 2022. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner and a few finalists with distinction in early 2023 and will announce the winner of the prize in spring 2023.

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize

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The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes, especially for the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org.

Photo Caption: The Aspen Institute has recognized Allan Hancock College as one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation. Hancock is eligible for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and $1 million in prize funds.