NRCC eligible for $1 Million 2027 Aspen Prize
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Aspen Institute has named New River Community College as one of the 200 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s premier recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges.
The 200 colleges were selected based on their student outcomes data, including retention, completion, transfer, and bachelor’s attainment rates. Started in 2010, this is the ninth cycle of the Aspen Prize.
“New River Community College is honored to be recognized by the Aspen Institute as one of the nation’s leading community colleges. I believe this distinction reflects the daily work of our outstanding faculty and staff as well as the support of our partners across the New River Valley,” said NRCC President Robert Brandon. “It affirms that our focus on excellence in teaching and learning, comprehensive student support, and clear pathways to success is making a real difference for our students.”
Together, these 200 colleges represent the breadth and diversity of the community college sector. They are located in urban, rural, and suburban areas across the country and serve anywhere from a few hundred students to tens of thousands. Some of these colleges focus primarily on workforce programs, while others focus on transfer and bachelor’s attainment or a combination of the two.
“The Aspen Prize rewards colleges that achieve the kind of outcomes that actually matter to students—completing college degree programs that, in turn, lead to lifelong success,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Aspen Prize winners offer a powerful message: Community colleges can deliver the kind of life-changing education that makes the American Dream real.”
Community colleges educate nearly six million students. Yet community college student outcomes fall short in both the rate at which students graduate and the percentage of students who achieve success after graduation. The Aspen Prize process identifies and celebrates community colleges that demonstrate that achieving stronger outcomes is possible, providing a roadmap of effective practices and strategies for other colleges to follow.
The 200 eligible colleges have been invited to submit an application and participate in a rigorous review process that will culminate in the naming of the Aspen Prize winner in spring 2027. Over the coming 20 months, the colleges that apply for the Aspen Prize will be assessed based on (1) student outcomes data, ranging from student transfer and completion rates to employment and wages after graduation and (2) whether they have engaged in scaled practices that led to high and improving student outcomes.
“Among these 200 colleges are some really special places that deliver strong and improving outcomes for students across the board,” Wyner said. “Our job over the coming 20 months is to gather a lot more data and work with a deep bench of field experts to assess which of these 200 stand out so we can not only honor them with a monetary award, but drive attention to the most effective field practices that other colleges can replicate.”
This is the first time since the inception of the Aspen Prize that 200 colleges are eligible to apply, growing from 150. This year, in addition to publicly available federal data, over 600 colleges authorized the use of National Student Clearinghouse data on their institution’s degree completion, transfer, and bachelor’s attainment rates for full- and part-time students.
NRCC
The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium Education Philanthropy and the Joyce Foundation.
Previous winners are:
- 2025: Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (WI)
- 2023: Amarillo College (TX) and Imperial Valley College (CA)
- 2021: San Antonio College (TX)
- 2019: Indian River State College (FL) and Miami Dade College (FL)
- 2017: Lake Area Technical Institute (SD)
- 2015: Santa Fe College (FL)
- 2013: Santa Barbara City College (CA) & Walla Walla Community College (WA)
- 2011: Valencia College (FL)
Note: Colleges that have won the Aspen Prize are not eligible to apply in subsequent years.
New River Community College (NRCC) is a comprehensive community college located in the New River Valley of Virginia and is one of 23 colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Founded in 1964, NRCC is governed by the VCCS’s State Board for Community Colleges, with NRCC Board serving as an advisory board. At NRCC, students find small classes and instructors who are invested in student success. In recent years, individual professors and college programs have received state and national awards for their quality. NRCC’s mission is to give everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened.
NRCC has locations in Dublin and Christiansburg and offers daytime, evening, online, and hybrid course options. Two of Virginia’s public universities, Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) and Radford University (Radford), are located just minutes from NRCC. Metro areas of Christiansburg and Blacksburg along with the suburban and rural areas of the surrounding counties of Giles, Floyd, Montgomery and Pulaski along with the city of Radford provide NRCC employees with the best of both worlds and provide diverse options and opportunities to live, learn, work and raise a family.
The college offers two-year associate degrees in transfer and career and technical programs as well as career studies certificates, diploma, and certificate programs; NRCC also offers non-credit short-term training program that take as few as six weeks to complete.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to strengthen higher education leadership and practice to improve student outcomes—with the ultimate goal of advancing economic mobility and developing talent for the good of each individual and society as a whole. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and X.
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.
