Logo for Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
 
To our Hostos family,

Since 2014, Eugenio María de Hostos Community College has had the privilege of being included in the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence selection process. This is no small accomplishment, and it was possible because of the hard work of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and the College's extended family of supporters.

Today, I was in Washington, D.C., for the announcement, along with many other higher education policy makers and leaders, I felt so proud while listening to Angela Rios, Hostos' Student Success Coaching Unit Director, who was selected to speak about the program on an Aspen Institute educational panel. Angela discussed how this initiative has aided student retention and graduation rates and how it has become a model for other colleges across the nation.

And while we were not selected today as one of Aspen's top prize winners, being chosen as a Top 10 finalist-the only community college in the Northeast to earn such a distinction-validates the extraordinary achievement of this institution and proves that we are one of the best community colleges in the nation.

I would like to personally congratulate the following colleges on their awards:


LIST OF WINNERS
  • Santa Fe College (Gainsville, FL),
    Winner of the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
  • Lake Area Technical Institute (Watertown, SD),
    Finalist with Distinction
  • West Kentucky Community and Technical College (Paducah, KY),
    Finalist with Distinction
  • Kennedy-King College (Chicago, IL),
    "Rising Star" - Award for Rapid Student Improvement
     
You can also read the statement from the Aspen Institute's Executive Director Joshua Wyner, commending Hostos Community College on its selection as a finalist and the official national press release.

As Hostos looks forward to the next Aspen Prize announcement in two years, we remain committed to our successful student support programs, including the Student Success Coaching Unit, the Single Stop USA Resource Center, the Bridge Tuition Support Assistance Program, and the Aspen Institute Ascend Fund Two Generation Student Program. These initiatives brought us in line with a growing national movement, while helping Hostos improve retention and graduation rates for some of the least academically prepared students in the nation.

That this institution refuses to rest on our laurel is evidenced by other community-based efforts  such as the Center for Bronx Nonprofits and our new Food Studies Program. These are just two more shining examples of our commitment to the community that brought this college to life nearly 50 years ago. Our job now is to grow from this good work and continue to give back.

I hope you are as proud as I am about all of the hard work we have put into making Hostos an Aspen Top 10 finalist. 
 
 
Sincerely,


David Gómez, Ed.D. 
Interim President 
Hostos Community College