HANCEVILLE –Wallace State Community College was named this week one of 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges.
Wallace State was selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize.
“An Aspen Prize nomination is among the highest accolades a community college can receive, and this recognition is especially gratifying for Wallace State. It represents the dedication of our administration, faculty and staff to student success as evidenced by our extensive work in Achieving the Dream and the American Association of Community Colleges’ Guided Pathways Project, the addition of stackable credentials leading to greater opportunities for completion, and the investment we have made in success coaching for students. All of these efforts have contributed to ever increasing rates of students earning credentials before transferring and/or entering the workforce,” said Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics.
This is the third time in five years Wallace State has been named to the list.
Awarded every two years since 2011, the Aspen Prize recognizes institutions with outstanding achievements in four areas: learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.
Wallace State will move forward to the next round of the competition for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence by submitting an application to be reviewed through a rigorous evaluation for a spot on the top 10 Aspen Prize finalists list. Top 10 finalists will be named in May 2018. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner, finalist(s) with distinction and rising star(s) in spring 2019.
