Excelencia in Education Congratulates Finalists for 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

WASHINGTON, DC — The Aspen Institute has announced that two community colleges previously recognized through the Examples of Excelencia initiative have been selected as finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

The two Texas schools, El Paso Community College, the 2011 Example of Excelencia in the Associate category for its Early College High School Initiative, and Brazosport College in Jackson, TX, a 2011 Finalist in the Associate category for its Learning Frameworks Program, could be chosen as the grand prize winner or one of the four finalists-with-distinction by the Washington-based Aspen Institute in March of 2015.

In response, Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, and Deborah Santiago, chief operating officer and vice president for policy of Excelencia in Education, released the following statement:

“Today we congratulate all 10 Aspen Prize finalists, and especially want to recognize Brazosport College and El Paso Community College for their incredible work improving Latino student success.  In 2011, we identified and recognized Brazosport College as a Finalist and El Paso Community College as an Example of Excelencia for programs with clear evidence of helping Latino students prepare and succeed in higher education.  We are thrilled to see these two effective community colleges sustaining their work to improve educational outcomes for Latino students and all students.

“Every year, Excelencia in Education selects Examples of Excelencia, programs that, emerge from a national search and rigorous review process as significant for their impact on Latino student success.  Like the Aspen Institute, Excelencia in Education believes that, by sharing what has worked for other institutions, we can inform, inspire and equip decision makers to accelerate Latino student success.”

Conceived and run by Excelencia in Education, Examples of Excelencia is the only national initiative to systematically identify, recognize, and catalogue evidence-based programs that improve Latino college success.

Excelencia in Education is a Washington, DC-based national nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate Latino student success in higher education. For more information, visit www.EdExcelencia.org.

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • blurry image capturing students navigating crowded hallways between classes

    How Human Behavior Data Is Reshaping Campus Facilities Management

    The ebb and flow of students, faculty, and administrators across a campus have a larger impact on maintenance, cleaning, and sustainability than many realize.