Seminole State College named semifinalist for prestigious 2025 Aspen Prize
Seminole State is ranked in the top 20 community colleges considered for the $1 Million national prize that recognizes excellence in student outcomes
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Written by: Seminole State Staff
The Aspen Institute named Seminole State College of Florida a semifinalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The $1 million award is the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among community colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among 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.
"Based on strong and improving graduation, transfer and workforce outcomes, Seminole State is in the running for the 2025 Aspen Prize,” said Dr. Georgia L. Lorenz, president of Seminole State College. “This distinguished recognition serves as evidence of the excellent outcomes produced every day by our dedicated faculty and staff. At Seminole State we know that everyone is key to student success, and I am honored to work alongside the College team on behalf of our students and this community.”
Awarded every two years, the Aspen Prize honors colleges with outstanding performance in six critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, broad access to the college and its offerings, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. The winner will be announced in the spring of 2025.
Joshua Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, congratulated the semifinalists. “Each of these colleges has demonstrated a sustained commitment to moving beyond enrollment and retention as the markers of student success to defining their success by whether the education they provide changes lives,” Wyner said. “These colleges understand that enrollment and graduation matter most when tied tightly to post-graduation success in transferring for a bachelor’s degree and in securing fulfilling, good-paying jobs and careers.”
The semifinalists are (in alphabetical order):
- Broward College
- Georgia Highlands College
- Kingsborough Community College
- MiraCosta College
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- Moorpark College
- North Iowa Area Community College
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
- Northwest Iowa Community College
- Northwest Vista College
- San Jacinto College
- Seminole State College of Florida
- South Puget Sound Community College
- Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
- State Technical College of Missouri
- Trinidad State College
- Union College of Union County, NJ
- Wallace State Community College-Hanceville
- Western Technical College
- William Rainey Harper College
The Aspen Prize selection process began in October 2023, when Aspen invited 150 community colleges to apply, based on data showing strong, improving, and equitable student outcomes in key areas such as retention, completion, and transfer. One hundred and eighteen colleges applied, and their applications went to a diverse selection committee of 18 higher education experts who assessed each application based on extensive data and narrative answers to questions. Following interviews with leadership teams from applicants receiving top scores, 20 semifinalists were selected. In the coming weeks, the committee will continue its review and narrow the field to 10 finalists, which will be announced in June. To read more on the selection process, visit https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize/.
The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium, the Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Kresge Foundation.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program supports colleges and universities in their quest to achieve a higher standard of excellence, delivering credentials that unlock life-changing careers and strengthen our economy, society, and democracy. We know it takes visionary college leaders to lead scaled, sustainable reforms, and we make it our mission to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and research-backed tools to inspire change, shift practice, and advance the capacity of colleges to deliver excellent and equitable student outcomes. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
About the Aspen InstituteThe Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
About Seminole State College of FloridaSeminole State College of Florida, established in 1965, serves more than 24,000 students across six sites in Central Florida. A full-service education provider, Seminole State has thrived by adapting to and meeting the needs of an ever-changing, vibrant community. Seminole State offers 11 bachelor’s degrees in high-demand, high-growth fields; two-year associate degrees; specialized certificates; continuing professional education; adult education and guaranteed admission via DirectConnect to UCF® to the University of Central Florida for Associate in Arts (A.A.) graduates. By offering flexible, affordable, high-quality educational programs and services, the College continues to help students learn, succeed and GO Far. For more about Seminole State, visit seminolestate.edu.
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