Three CUNY Community Colleges Advance to Semifinals for 2023 Aspen Prize, Nation’s Top Recognition for Community Colleges

Hostos, Kingsborough and LaGuardia among 25 Schools Selected Nationwide to Vie for $1 Million in Funds

Three CUNY community colleges are semifinalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The biennial prize, which comes with a $1 million award, is considered the highest recognition for community college achievement, likened by former President Obama to the "Oscars for great community colleges."

The CUNY colleges - Hostos Community College, Kingsborough Community College and LaGuardia Community College - were among 25 chosen from over 150 institutions, and the only semifinalists named from New York State. In the first round of competition that concluded last fall, six CUNY community colleges were chosen from over 1,000 institutions nationwide to vie for the prize. They represented 86 percent of CUNY's community colleges, the highest percentage of schools from any university or state system in the Aspen Prize's 11-year history.

"We are delighted that three of our schools have been chosen for the next round of selection for the prestigious Aspen Prize," said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. "As the nation's foremost honor for community colleges, the Aspen Prize recognizes CUNY's great success in propelling students into the middle class and beyond, and preparing them for careers in in-demand fields that will transform their futures."

The Aspen Prize assesses institutions based on exceptional student outcomes in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of success for minority and low-income students.

Two of the semifinalists, Kingsborough and Hostos, have competed for the prize in the past, with Hostos named as a top 10 finalist in 2015 and Kingsborough in 2019.

"This is terrifically exciting news, and a real testament to the individual and collective strength of the institution's faculty - and its students. Together we forge futures we couldn't have dreamed of alone," said Hostos President Daisy Cocco De Filippis.

In addition to being included on each of Aspen Institute College Excellence Program's biannual list of the nation's top 150 community colleges since the inception of the prize, Kingsborough was also a 2013 Finalist-with-Distinction.

"This is the seventh consecutive time KCC has been recognized by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program - but it doesn't get old," said Kingsborough President Claudia Schrader. "This accolade is a nod to the hard work of our faculty and staff, who support and prepare our students in achieving their dreams. It also recognizes the College's gains in student achievement, graduation rates, and the work we do to help New Yorkers rise from poverty to the middle class."

"We are proud that LaGuardia's performance in the five critical areas examined by the Aspen Institute has earned us a spot among the top 25 Aspen Prize semifinalists," said LaGuardia President Kenneth Adams. "The dedication and innovation of our faculty and staff in fulfilling our mission to educate and graduate students has awarded us this opportunity, and we look forward to the next round of the Aspen Institute's selection process."

The three colleges will now compete in the final round, which includes site visits by the Aspen Institute and collection of additional data. The list will be narrowed to 10 finalists in early June, and the Aspen Prize winner will be announced in late spring 2023.

Founded in 1963, Kingsborough Community College is Brooklyn's only community college. Located on a 70-acre campus in Manhattan Beach, Kingsborough remains firmly committed to its mission of providing both liberal arts and career education, promoting student learning and development, as well as strengthening and serving its diverse community. Kingsborough provides a high-quality education through associate degree programs that prepare students for transfer to senior colleges or entry into the workforce. Serving approximately 10,000 full- and part-time students annually and an additional 10,000 students in its expanding continuing education program, Kingsborough has earned recognition as a Leader College of Distinction for excellence in student success by Achieving the Dream, and has been identified as a Top Community College in the nation by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program seven consecutive times.

Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change, transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. Hostos serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, and a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College's unique "student success coach" program, which partners students with individualized guidance, is emblematic of the premier emphasis on student support and services.

Hostos offers 28 associate degree programs and 2 certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture (HCAC) is one of the pre-eminent Latino arts centers of the northeast. The HCAC has distinguished itself for showcasing traditional art forms as well as emerging and internationally renowned artists.

LaGuardia Community College, located in Long Island City, Queens, educates thousands of New Yorkers annually through degree, certificate, and continuing education programs. Our guiding principle Dare To Do More reflects our belief in the transformative power of education-not just for individuals, but for our community and our country-creating pathways for achievement and safeguarding the middle class. LaGuardia is a national voice on behalf of community colleges, where half of all U.S. college students study. The College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his championing the underserved. Since our doors opened in 1971, our programs regularly become national models for pushing boundaries to give people of all backgrounds access to a high quality, affordable college education.

The City University of New York is the nation's largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation's first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City's five boroughs, serving over 260,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY's mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University's graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city's economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city's workforce in every sector. CUNY's graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur "Genius" Grants. The University's historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.

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