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ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Indian River State College ranked among the top three among 1,000 schools considered for national recognition by the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy-studies organization based in Washington, D.C.

IRSC was named as a finalist-with-distinction of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, earning the school $100,000, the organization announced Tuesday.

The selection is a tremendous honor, and a recognition of the faculty, staff and administration’s commitment to students, Edwin Massey, IRSC president, said in a Florida Department of Education news release.

“IRSC was particularly commended as an example of outstanding responsiveness to business and community needs,” Massey said. “Above all else, it’s the perseverance of our students that inspires us to continuous improvement.”

The college stood out for strong three-year graduation and transfer rates for all students, 49 percent compared to 39 percent nationally, and underrepresented minorities, 43 percent compared to 34 percent nationally, according to the Aspen Institute.

Further, the U.S. Department of Education ranked IRSC as the third-most-affordable college in the nation, and the college does exemplary work developing guided degree and career pathways, according to the Aspen Institute.

“Indian River State College excels at providing a top-notch education for its students that is deeply aligned to the needs of employers in its region,” Joshua Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, said in a news release.

The $1 million Aspen Prize is awarded every two years as a recognition for community colleges excelling in four areas: student learning; certificate and degree completion; employment and earnings; and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students, according to the organization.

Lake Area Technical Institute in South Dakota took home $600,000 as the 2017 Aspen Prize winner. Broward College also was named a finalist-with-distinction and received $100,000. Two other top-10 finalists received $100,000 as “Rising Star” awards for improvements in student degree completion, according to the organization.

For more information: http://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/education/indian-river-state-college/2017/03/14/indian-river-state-college-wins-100000-award-finalist/99181574/ 

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