欧亚体育十所大学之一全国决赛 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence 

阿斯本奖, which has only been awarded to four community colleges since 2011, recognizes outst和ing institutions selected from an original pool of more than 1,全国共有1000所公立社区学院. With a particularly tight focus on student success, the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program assesses community colleges’ performance 和 achievements in four areas: student learning, 证书和学位完成, 毕业生的就业和收入, 和 access 和 success for minority 和 low-income students.

Before the Gr和 Prize winner of the 2017 Aspen Prize is announced in March, 2017 in Washington, D.C., the Aspen Institute will conduct multi-day site visits to each of the Top 10 finalist institutions as part of a rigorous final review process. 的 final determination of the top community college in the nation will be made only after examination of extensive data on performance 和 improvements in learning, 毕业率, 劳动力进入和成功, 为所有学生提供公平的结果. All facets of this intensive process must be completed before a distinguished Prize Jury of higher education experts select a Gr和 Prize winner 和 as many as four Finalists with Distinction.

“欧亚体育 has made dramatic improvements in student success over the past several years,约书亚·怀纳说, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program in Washington, D.C. “Using an innovative model of eight-week semesters, which allow students to focus 和 tailor their education to their busy schedules, 欧亚体育增加了招生, 毕业率, 以及经济援助奖.”

阿斯彭研究所’s national press release naming the 2017 Aspen Prize Top 10 Finalists states that 欧亚体育 is one of the nation’s top community colleges for many reasons, 包括:

• A 66 percent increase in annual graduation/transfer rates in just four years
• First-year graduates’ average earnings are 39 percent higher than the state average
• 创历史新低的退课率为1%.8%，比前几年大幅下降
• A program allowing students to take one free class, letting them explore 和 experience college, 和 speak with student mentors 和 success coaches about career options, 结果是653美元,在2015年总共节省了102美元的学费 

Community colleges enroll almost half of all undergraduate students working toward degrees 和 certificates in the U.S. 今天. That statistic includes approximately 7 million individuals of all economic, 种族和社会背景, with a rapidly growing percentage of low-income 和 minority students included in that number. While fewer than 40 percent of all community college students graduate nationwide, the Aspen Prize Top 10 Finalist institutions demonstrate that every community college can empower more students to achieve success, 都是在大学里 和 他们毕业后.

的 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence was awarded to Santa Fe College in Gainesville, 佛罗里达. In 2013, Santa Barbara City College (California) 和 Walla Walla Community College (Washington) were co-winners. In 2011, Valencia College (佛罗里达) was the inaugural Prize winner. According to the Prize rules, former winners were not eligible to reapply this cycle.  

阿斯本奖 Finalists selected 今天 reflect the diversity 和 richness of American community colleges.

                                    的 2017 Aspen Prize Finalists (listed in alphabetical order):

 Two colleges have been named finalists in four consecutive Prize cycles (indicated with *) 和 two others were finalists for a second time (indicated with #) 

• Anoka-Ramsey Community College – Coon Rapids, MN
• 布劳沃德学院-劳德代尔堡，佛罗里达州#
• Chaffey College - Rancho Cucamonga, CA
• Indian River State College – Fort Pierce, FL#
  
• Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, SD*
• 东北社区学院-诺福克，东北
• 欧亚体育-敖德萨，德克萨斯州
• 帕萨迪纳城市学院-帕萨迪纳，加州
• 圣哈辛托学院-帕萨迪纳，德克萨斯州
• West Kentucky Community 和 Technical College, Paducah, KY

阿斯本奖 is funded by the Joyce Foundation, the Siemens Foundation, 和 the Kresge Foundation.

的 Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program 旨在推动高等教育实践, 政策, 和 leadership that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, 新大学领导计划, 以及其他举措, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges' underst和ing 和 capacity to teach 和 graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income 和 minority students on American campuses. 欲了解更多信息，请访问 www.aspeninstitute.org/college-excellence.

阿斯彭研究所 is an educational 和 policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values 和 to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. 该研究所总部设在华盛顿, DC; Aspen, Colorado; 和 on the Wye River on Maryl和’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City 和 an international network of partners. 欲了解更多信息，请访问 www.aspeninstitute.org