Broward College Recognized as Finalist with Distinction in National Prize Competition

Broward College Recognized as Finalist with Distinction in National Prize Competition
Indian River State College also recognized and awarded a $100,000 prize.

Washington, DC, March 14, 2017 – Broward College was honored today in Washington, DC as a Finalist with Distinction for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s preeminent recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges.

“Our designation as a College of Distinction affirms years of hard work by our passionate faculty, advisors, counselors, community partners, and students,” said President J. David Armstrong, Jr. “Our faculty will do anything to support our students, advisors and counselors work tirelessly to guide our students down their academic path, and community partners help us provide real-world experiences that augment education in the classroom. Finally, what our students have accomplished is nothing short of impressive. This award is about their grit, determination and, ultimately, success.”

The institution was selected from 1,000 public community colleges nationwide. The $1 million Aspen Prize awards institutions for their outstanding 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.

Outstanding Student Outcomes

Broward College serves more than 63,000 students from more than 180 countries with a strong culture of collaboration and commitment to continuous improvement. It has ensured that students are on the right track to graduation and have what’s needed to transfer to a four-year university by creating clear, career-oriented pathways and mandatory academic advising when students reach certain credit-accumulation milestones.

“Broward College excels at creating clear pathways for students to complete their associate’s degrees and then transfer to a four-year college and get a bachelor’s degree. Transfer students at Broward are about 50 percent more successful than at the average community college.” said Joshua Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and author of What Excellent Community Colleges Do. “This success is even more amazing given its diverse student population. Broward College is busting a myth by proving that all students can succeed at high levels.”
 
The outstanding student outcomes that helped the College earn its recognition include:
Supporting a highly diverse student population – 66 percent of students are underrepresented minorities – to attain bachelor’s degrees at a rate 50 percent higher than the national average; and
Achieving virtually no gap in three-year graduation/transfer rates between all students (47 percent) and underrepresented minorities (46 percent), compared to the national average (34 percent) for minorities.

The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

2017 Aspen Prize winner, Lake Area Technical Institute from Watertown, SD, will receive $600,000 in prize funds. Finalists-with-Distinction and institutions recognized with the “Rising Star” award for rapid improvement in student completion will all receive $100,000 prizes.

The 2017 Aspen Prize Finalists

• Winner: Lake Area Technical Institute – Watertown, SD
• College with Distinction: Broward College – Fort Lauderdale, FL
• College with Distinction: Indian River State College – Fort Pierce, FL
• Rising Star: Odessa College – Odessa, TX
• Rising Star: San Jacinto College – Pasadena, TX
• Finalist: Anoka-Ramsey Community College – Coon Rapids, MN
• Finalist: Chaffey College – Rancho Cucamonga, CA
• Finalist: Northeast Community College – Norfolk, NE
• Finalist: Pasadena City College – Pasadena, CA
• Finalist: West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Paducah, KY

The Prize has been awarded every two years since 2011 by the Aspen Institute, a Washington, DC-based educational and policy studies organization which recognizes outstanding community colleges through a rigorous review process.

For more about the 2017 Aspen Prize, profiles of the community colleges, photos and videos go to: http://as.pn/1kr.