April 20, 2023

HACU applauds two Texas Hispanic-Serving Institutions as recipients of the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities congratulates member institutions Amarillo College and Imperial Valley College for being named the winners of the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Both colleges are Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) as well as HACU members.

The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition for America’s community colleges. The Aspen Prize honors institutions with outstanding achievement in six areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, and leadership and institutional culture. By focusing on student success and lifting up models that work, the Aspen Prize aims to celebrate excellence, advance a focus on equitable student success, and stimulate replication of effective culture and practice.

Both colleges serve large rural areas with high rates of poverty and low rates of educational attainment. These challenges make their achievements in graduation rates and post-graduation success for students especially notable. Amarillo College and Imperial Valley College are among the nation’s fastest improving community colleges, achieving 8 and 12 percentage point improvements in graduation rates respectively over four years, exceeding national improvements by a large margin. Both colleges also both record exceptional post-graduation success for students, with more than half of transfer students from Imperial Valley earning a bachelor’s within six years of entering community college, nearly 10 percentage points above the national average. Amarillo graduates earn wages $11,000 higher than earned by other new hires in their region.