CONCORDIA — Cloud County Community College has been named one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute and is now eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

Based on strong and improving student outcomes – including in learning, completion rates, employment rates, and earnings, and equity – 15 percent of community colleges nationwide have been invited to apply for the Aspen Prize.

Data show that over the last two years, student retention, graduation rates, and degree completion have improved at the top tier of 150 Aspen Prize-eligible colleges.

The 150 community colleges named as eligible to compete for the 2021 Prize were selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide using publicly available data on student outcomes. Located in 39 states in urban, rural, and suburban areas, serving as few as 500 students and as many as 75,000 students, these colleges represent the diversity and depth of the community college sector.

Cloud County is one of nine community colleges in Kansas eligible for the 2021 Aspen Prize, along with Coffeyville Community College, Cowley Community College, Flint Hills Technical College, Hutchinson Community College, Manhattan Area Technical College, North Central Kansas Technical College, Northwest Kansas Technical College, and Salina Area Technical College.

The top ten finalists for the 2021 Aspen Prize will be named in May 2020. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data, including employment and earnings data. A distinguished jury will make award decisions in spring 2021.

About the Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes, especially for the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses.