There are over 1,000 community colleges in America serving the needs of millions of students, many of whom are the first generation of their families to continue on to college. The best schools across the nation not only offer a great educational opportunity, but also are the bedrock of their communities and surrounding areas across the nation.

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“The community part of community college is real,” according to Josh Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. What the most successful schools offer reflects what the communities themselves are most in need of, such as workforce readiness and economic development said Wyner.

The College Excellence Program recently announced this year’s recipients of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, “the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.”

In this episode of Aspen Insight, we’ll hear from the leaders of this year’s Prize winners, Indian River State College and Miami Dade College, and we’ll learn how those schools use innovative methods to ensure student and postgraduate achievement in a rapidly changing economy. We’ll also learn from winners of previous years about the impact of community college on individual students and the nation at large.

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For more information about the topics discussed in this episode, visit the links below:

The Aspen Prize for Community College

Indian River State College

Miami Dade College

2019 Aspen Prize Finalist Institutions

The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program