Butler Named One of 150 Top Community Colleges by the Aspen Institute

Butler Community College was named one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation by The Aspen Institute. Of the top 150, one college will be chosen to receive the $1 million 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The top 10 finalists will be selected in May 2018.

Butler was chosen from approximately 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide. The selected colleges come from 39 states and have 300 to 95,000 students. Awarded every two years since 2011, the Aspen Prize recognizes institutions with outstanding achievements in four areas: learning; certificate and degree completion; employment and earnings; and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students. The 2019 Aspen Prize is sponsored by the Joyce Foundation and the Siemens Foundation.

“Butler Community College strives to promote excellence,” said Butler Pres. Kim Krull, Ph.D. “It is indeed an honor to be considered for this prestigious award.”

Butler will move forward to the next round of the competition for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence by submitting an application to be reviewed through a rigorous evaluation for a spot on the top ten Aspen Prize finalists list. Top ten finalists will be named in May 2018. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner, finalist(s) with distinction, and rising star(s) in spring 2019.

Three other area colleges, Coffeyville Community College, Hutchinson Community College and Pratt Community College, were named.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the Siemens Technical Scholars Program, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges' understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income and minority students on American campuses. For more information,  visit http://highered.aspeninstitute.org/.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.