State Tech has been named to the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, meaning the school is considered one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges and the only college in Missouri to receive this honor. 

“We are fortunate to be in a position where we have received a number of national rankings, including WalletHub naming us the top two-year college for the last three years,” said State Tech President Dr. Shawn Strong. “The Aspen Institute has a very rigorous selection process and making their list is something we are very proud of.  Our mission is to prepare students for profitable employment and a life of learning.  Being named to the Aspen Top 150 is positive confirmation that we are living out our mission.”

With this selection, State Tech is eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. 

According to a statement from the Aspen Institute, the colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.

Based on strong and improving student outcomes —including in learning, completion rates, employment rates, earnings, and equity — 15% of community colleges nationwide have been invited to apply for the Aspen Prize.

With a singular focus on student success, the Aspen Prize recognizes institutions with outstanding achievements in four areas: learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.

 State Tech was selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide using publicly available data on student outcomes.  

The top 10 finalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize will be named in May of 2022. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data, including employment and earnings data. A distinguished jury will make award decisions in the spring or summer of 2022. 

This latest recognition comes just a few months after State Tech was once again ranked the best two-year college in the country by WalletHub and recorded its fifth straight year of record first-year enrollment.