Daytona State College selected among 150 top two-year colleges to vie for $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

DSC is also eligible to compete for the Excellence and Equity Community College STEM Award which recognizes outstanding community college STEM programs

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 5, 2019) – The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today named Daytona State College as one of 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges. Only 15 percent of community colleges nationwide have been invited to apply for the Aspen Prize, and DSC was selected based on its strength of student outcomes including student completion rates, employment rates, and equity.

The Aspen Institute, an organization that seeks to advance higher education practices, policies and leadership, selected DSC from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide to compete for up to $1 million in prize money. Awarded every two years, the Aspen Prize recognizes institutions with outstanding achievements in four areas: learning, program completion, post-graduate employment and earnings, and equitable outcomes for underrepresented students. It is the fourth time DSC has been eligible since the competition's inception in 2011.

In addition, Daytona State College is also eligible to apply to compete for the Excellence and Equity in Community College STEM Award. This award is a partnership between Aspen and the Siemens Foundation, designed to highlight the benefit to communities and businesses delivered by excellent community college programs that prepare diverse students for skilled careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

"It is a great honor to be recognized as a strong, diverse institution with high student achievement, and we look forward to compete not only for the Aspen Prize, but also the Excellence in Equity in Community College STEM Award," said Dr. Tom LoBasso, DSC President. "The criteria for the Aspen Prize align perfectly with our strategic plan to improve student retention, graduation rates and degree completion. I'm so proud of our faculty and staff who dedicate themselves to providing Daytona State College students with some of the highest quality teaching and learning environments in the nation."

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.

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize.

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