INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE NEWS
IRSC PHOTOS
EXCELLENCE AWARD
Dr. Edwin Massey, IRSC president, and Jose Conrado, right, chairman of the
IRSC District Board of Trustees, present the Aspen Award during the celebration
on the college’s Main Campus in Fort Pierce.
IRSC wins nation’s top prize for community colleges
TREASURE COAST BUSINESS STAFF REPORT
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Indian River State College has been
named the 2019 winner of the Aspen
Prize for Community College Excellence,
the nation’s signature recognition of high
achievement and performance among
America’s community colleges.
The Aspen Prize, awarded every two
years since 2011, recognizes outstanding
institutions selected from an original pool
of more than 1,000 community colleges
nationwide. With a singular focus on
student success, the Aspen Prize assesses
institutional performance in four areas:
student learning, certificate and degree
completion, success after graduation in
the labor market and in transfer to fouryear
institutions, and equity in access and
success for students of color and lowincome
students.
“Excellent community colleges like
these are dedicated to finding the best
ways to foster social mobility for their students
and develop talent for their communities,”
said Josh Wyner, executive director
of the College Excellence Program and
an Aspen Institute vice president. “Indian
River has among the strongest graduation
rates for both associate degrees and
bachelor’s degrees in the nation.”
The institute also named Miami Dade
College as a 2019 winner. In addition,
Aspen awarded three colleges with the
Rising Star Award for their strong record of
improvement: Odessa College in Odessa,
Texas; Palo Alto College in San Antonio,
Texas; and Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom
in Lakewood, Washington. All three
“Rising Stars” will be awarded $100,000,
while the two winners, Indian River State
College and Miami Dade College, will
receive $350,000 each.
The winners, Rising Stars and finalists
were announced at an event at the Newseum
in Washington, D.C., by Aspen Prize
jury co-chairs Ángel Cabrera, president
of George Mason University, and Kathy
Warden, chief executive officer and president
of Northrop Grumman. Cabrera and
Warden led a distinguished jury of education,
business and civil rights experts to
select the top colleges, part of a rigorous
review process that included the examination
of extensive data on performance and
improvements in learning, graduation,
workforce and equitable outcomes, along
with multi-day site visits to each of the 10
finalist colleges.
IRSC celebrated the award May 16 at the
college’s Kight Center on the main campus
in Fort Pierce with a gathering of trustees,
employees, members of the Treasure Coast
legislative delegation, program partners
and community members.
“The 2019 Aspen Prize is a credit to the
people of Indian River State College and
the outstanding communities we serve,”
said Dr. Edwin Massey, president of IRSC.
“From our trustees to our community partners
to our employees to our dedicated
students, IRSC is enriched with some of
the most incredible people supporting our
college mission, and this distinct honor
validates their commitment on a national
level. Bringing home the Aspen Prize is
truly a celebration of their hard work.” v
Indian River State College celebrated its 2019 Aspen Prize victory with community
members and partners, students, faculty, staff and administration on
May 16 at the Kight Center for Emerging Technologies.
Alma Lee Loy, who serves on the board of directors
for the IRSC Foundation, was among the happy
participants celebrating IRSC’s award.
/TCBusiness.com