Renton Technical College In The Running For Million Dollar Aspen Institute Prize

Renton Technical College has been recognized as one of the top 120 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. RTC's work with Reading Apprenticeship, student services, outstanding classroom instruction and program completion rate improvement all contributed to this recognition.

RTC is now eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize. This award, in its second year, honors extraordinary accomplishments at a US community college. Three factors are considered:

• Performance (retention, graduation rates including transfers, and degrees and certificates per 100 "full time equivalent" students)

• Improvement (awarded for steady improvement in each performance metric over time)

• Equity (evidence of completion outcomes for minority and low-income students)

Ten finalists will be named in September. The Aspen Institute will conduct site visits to each of the finalists in the fall. A distinguished Prize Jury co-chaired by John Engler, president of Business Roundtable, former Michigan Governor, and former president of the National Association of Manufacturers and Richard Riley, former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education, will select a
grand prize winner and four runners-up, to be announced in March 2013.


*Editor's Note: Information provided by Renton Technical College.