Citrus College has received an invitation to compete against 150 other schools for what former President Barack Obama once called “the Oscars for great community colleges,” the Aspen Prize.
This is the college’s fifth consecutive invitation for the award that has run seven times.
“Receiving another invitation to compete for the Aspen award is truly a great honor for Citrus College and a testament of the great work done by our faculty, staff and students,” Finance and Administrative Services Vice President Claudette Dain said in an email.
10 finalists will be chosen this spring or summer resulting in one winner who will gain the $1 million prize for their institution.
This prize awards high achievement and success among community colleges nationwide.
The award is given every two years and is judged in five areas: teaching and learning; certificate and degree completion; transfer and bachelor’s attainment; workforce success; and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.
“I believe that Citrus will do good when they compete, I can really see Citrus scoring very high when it comes to the five areas of judging,” said Andrew Mackliff, a student at Citrus.
The competition and ceremony for the award is in May 2023. The college with the most success or overall improvement will be victorious.
“I honestly believe that Citrus College is one of the best community colleges nationwide and think the money could be well spent on our school if we were to win,” another student, Kevin Golden, at Citrus College said.
