The Aspen Institute named Northeast Wisconsin Technical College a semifinalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
NWTC is one of 20 institutions nationwide eligible for a $1 million prize recognizing success in student outcomes.
The colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges for achieving high and improving levels of student success, as well as providing equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.
NWTC’s President, Kristen Raney, said, “This is a moment of immense pride at NWTC as we celebrate our recognition as one of the nation’s top community colleges by the Aspen Institute. This is a clear testament to the dedication and success of our employees, partners, and community. This achievement will fuel our momentum as we continue our mission in transforming lives through higher education.”
Awarded every two years, the Aspen Prize honors colleges with outstanding performance in six critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, broad access to the college and its offerings, and equitable outcomes for students of color and sudents from low-income backgrounds. The winner will be announced in the spring of 2025.
Aspen invited 150 community colleges to apply in October 2023, based on data showing strong, improving, and equitable student outcomes in key areas such as retention, completion, and tansfer. One hundred and eighteen colleges applied, and their applications went to a committee of 18 higher education experts who assessed each application based on extensive data and narrative answers to questions. Following interviews with leadership teams from applicants receiving top scores, 20 semifinalists were selected. In the coming weeks, the committee will continue its review and narrow the field to 10 finalists, which will be announced in June.
The winner will be chose from the finalists following site visits, additional data collection, interviews and analysis.
