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LaGuardia CC makes list of top 150 junior colleges

By Bill Parry

LaGuardia Community College was named one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges by the Aspen College Excellence Program Tuesday, so the Long Island City school is eligible to compete for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and $1 million in prize funds.

“To be recognized by this august institute, which understands the important role community colleges play in the economic growth and prosperity of the country, is a great honor,” LaGuardia President Dr. Gail Mellow said. “For over 40 years, LaGuardia and its faculty have been committed to removing obstacles that hinder our students, a majority of whom are minority and first-generation college students, and leading them to graduation, a job and a path to the middle class.”

The Aspen Prize, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings and a high level of access and success for minority and low-income students.

LaGuardia Community College was selected from a pool of 1,000 public two-year colleges using publicly available data on student outcomes.

Florida’s Vallencia College was the inaugural Aspen Prize winner in 2011 and California’s Santa Barbara City College and Washington’s Walla Walla Community College were co-winners in 2013.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.