Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley Community College was named today one of 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges.

Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) was selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize.

“We are honored by this designation and the invitation to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. “NVCC is a college where hope lives on both our generous campuses and encourages the good work of all of us- students, faculty, staff and administration as we journey toward a splendid college. This is very welcome news!”

Awarded every two years since 2011, 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.

Naugatuck Valley Community College will move forward to the next round of the competition for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence by submitting an application to be reviewed through a rigorous evaluation for a spot on the top ten Aspen Prize finalists list. Top ten finalists will be named in May 2018. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner, finalist(s) with distinction, and rising star(s) in spring 2019.