Odessa College Named “Rising Star” by National Aspen Prize

Odessa College, a finalist for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, was recognized by Aspen with a "Rising Star" award for dramatic improvement, accompanied by a $100,000 cash award. During a ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Odessa College was honored for its remarkable efforts to engage students and faculty, resulting in a record-low course withdrawal rate of 1.8 percent and an increase in the graduation and transfer rate over five years from 15 percent to 36 percent.

 

“In a community where a college education has historically not been needed for a good job in the oil fields, Odessa understands that the world of work is changing and will demand increasing levels of educational attainment,” said Joshua Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. “That is why Odessa is singularly focused on finding innovative strategies to help students connect to and stay at the college to complete a credential, proving how fast student success rates can be improved.”

Read more about this accomplishment at Odessa College News.