Northwest Florida State College Named One of 150 Top U.S. Community Colleges Eligible to Compete for $1 Million Dollar Aspen Prize
October 11, 2017
Prize for Community College Excellence Recognizes Outstanding Achievements that Result in Community College Student Success
NICEVILLE, FL- Northwest Florida State College was named today as 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. NWF State College has been chosen to participate in the program every year since its inception in 2010.
NWF State College was selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize.
“Northwest Florida State College is honored to be recognized among the nation’s most outstanding institutions of higher education,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, President. “Our faculty and staff are committed to providing the best education and collegiate experience for our students, and to once again be chosen for this honor speaks to that commitment. Together with our community partners, we are in an unrelenting pursuit to transform the economy of Northwest Florida by providing the future workforce and closing the educational attainment gap- one student, one opportunity, and one possibility at a time.”
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.
NWF State College 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 ten Aspen Prize finalists list. Top ten 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.