The Aspen Institute has announced that City Colleges of Chicago’s Kennedy-King College and Wilbur Wright College are contenders for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The two colleges are among 150 schools from 37 states being considered for the prize.

Kennedy-King College and Wright College were selected from more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide for their demonstrated commitment to student success. Three areas were used to determine success: rate of student retention, graduation and transfer to four-year institutions; improvements over a five-year time span in outcomes and performance metrics; and equity in outcomes for students of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Since the launch of Reinvention at Kennedy-King College:

• The college’s official graduation rate has nearly tripled, increasing from eight percent to 26 percent[1] in Fiscal Year 2013.
• Total number of degrees and certificates awarded increased by more than 75 percent to 1,164 in FY2013.

Since the launch of Reinvention at Wright College:

• The official graduation rate has risen 75 percent, increasing from 8 percent to 14 percent in Fiscal Year 2013.
• The college’s total number of completers increased by 74 percent, reaching 1,600 in FY2013.

Through the College to Careers program, launched by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chancellor Hyman in December 2011, City Colleges works with industry and four-year college partners to better align its classes with industry demand to ensure Chicagoans are prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The top 10 finalists will be announced in fall 2014, and the winner of the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence will be announced in early 2015.