Indian River State College was named today as a top-ten finalist for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, America’s most respected and selective recognition of sustained high achievement and performance in state and community colleges. After a rigorous review of the College’s performance, IRSC was selected as one of ten Prize finalists from a pool of more than 1,000 colleges nationwide.
“The selection of IRSC as a top-ten college finalist for the Aspen Prize is one of the most significant accomplishments in the history of the College, and recognizes IRSC at the national level for consistently outstanding results in helping students succeed,” said Dr. Edwin R. Massey, IRSC President.
With a focus on student success, the Aspen Institute assesses college’s achievements in student learning, certificate and degree completion, high rates of employment and earnings for graduates and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.
The announcement was made at a college-wide celebration today. Joshua Wyner, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s College for Excellence Program in Washington, D.C. and author of What Excellent Community Colleges Do, said in a statement: “Indian River State College shows how a sustained and concerted effort by an entire college can yield strong results for students. IRSC’s hard work to consistently support students from the moment they enroll through graduation and into the workforce has yielded steady, compelling increases in the number of students earning certificates and degrees.”
The Aspen Prize recognized IRSC for exceptional achievements culminating in student success:
• College-Wide Focus on Student Success – IRSC has increased the number of degrees and certificates awarded by 69% over a five year period. This significant increase is the result of continuous focus on quality of instruction, student services, academic support, learning environment and innovative technologies to ensure students complete a degree or certificate.
• Extreme Affordability – Recognizing that over 60% of IRSC students come from counties with a relatively low average income, IRSC takes an extremely proactive approach to keep college affordable through low tuition rates, exceptional scholarship support, and creative strategies such as a $10,000 Bachelor’s degree in STEM Teacher Education. As a result, IRSC has been ranked as the 4th Most Affordable College in the Nation (and 1st in Florida) by the U.S. Department of Education for the second consecutive year. Further, through careful financial planning, IRSC has not raised its tuition rate for the past two years.
• Workforce Readiness Through Hands-on Partnerships – Over 90% of IRSC graduates in career-based fields are placed directly in jobs related to their degree within one year of graduation. Students are job-ready through internships, practicums, capstone experiences, and service learning opportunities developed by IRSC in partnership with over 400 businesses, industries, schools , public agencies and medical facilities.
• Leadership in Emerging Industry Job Creation – IRSC is taking a national lead in creating new jobs in emerging industries, through establishment of industry/college partnerships in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at the regional, state and national levels. IRSC has been selected by the National Science Foundation as the lead institution for three Regional Centers for Nuclear Energy, Laser/Fiber Optics, and Photonics (co-lead) bringing together 119 colleges/universities and over 4,6000 industry and agency partners to develop industry-standard training programs that will fuel economic development with a highly skilled workforce. As one example, IRSC’s Power Plant Technology Institute with NextEra Energy has placed 159 graduates in jobs with salaries exceeding $55,000 per year, resulting in national recognition as one of the Top 5 Industry Partnerships by the American Association of Community Colleges.
Aspen’s Finalist Selection Committee, comprised of former community college presidents, respected researchers and policy experts, selected the ten finalist institutions after reviewing extensive data on performance and improvements in learning, graduation, workforce outcomes, and equitable outcomes for all students.
