Today, the Aspen Institute named South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the 2025 $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. This is the fourth consecutive time that Aspen has named SPSCC in the top 150. Earlier in 2023, SPSCC was named a national finalist and a top 10 community college.
The Aspen Prize is the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. This prize drives attention to these colleges to share highly effective student success strategies that can be applied at other colleges.
“We are incredibly honored to again be selected as a top 150 community college,” said Dr. Timothy Stokes, president of SPSCC. “Since earning a top 10 finalist designation in April of this year, our staff and faculty are more motivated than ever to keep student success at the center of our decision-making. Over the past decade, we have built a campus culture that centers and values every student and I’m honored that the results of that work continue to be recognized by the Aspen Institute.”
The 150 eligible colleges have been invited to submit student success data and narratives about strategies to achieve better and more equitable student outcomes as the next step in an intensive review process that culminates in the naming of the Aspen Prize winner in spring 2025. SPSCC plans to submit this application and move forward toward the final prize.
While community colleges are an essential contributor to our nation’s success, student outcomes vary substantially among institutions. Aspen measures those variances using multiple data sources and honors colleges with outstanding achievement in six critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, equitable access to the college, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.
The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium, the Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Kresge Foundation.
About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.