May 5, 2011

CLC among 120 best in U.S.

In its first step to identify the nation’s best community colleges and award $1 million in prize money, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program on April 25 ranked Central Lakes College as one of the nation’s 120 best community colleges. CLC will compete for the December prize by insisting on high standards for learning, college completion without delay, and serving as a training ground for jobs that pay competitive wages. The full list of eligible institutions can be found at http://www.aspenccprize.org/. Josh Wyner, AICEP executive director, said, “We must set the bar much higher than we have in the past. To achieve excellent student outcomes, we need to highlight our country’s success stories and learn from them so that we can keep reaching higher. Recognizing community colleges like Central Lakes College sends a message to others that aspire to excellence, while encouraging Central Lakes College to apply for the nation’s top community college prize. We need all community colleges to graduate more students with the knowledge and degrees they need to be successful in the workforce.” Central Lakes College and 119 other community colleges will be winnowed to eight-to-10 finalists in September based on how much students learn, how many complete their programs on time, and how well students do in the job market after graduating. CLC is submitting an application with detailed data on these criteria and will demonstrate that it delivers exceptional student results, uses data to drive decisions, and uses that information to continually improve over time.
News Release: http://clcnewsblogreleases.blogspot.com/