LCCC named a finalist for national award, $1 million prize

Lorain County Community College was named as a finalist for a prestigious national award, which includes a $1 million prize. In a release on Tuesday, the college announced that it was one of 10 nationwide finalists for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, making it the first college from Ohio to be named a finalist for the award. The Aspen Prize is a recognition granted to one community college in the country every two years by the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization. It honors community colleges that the institute believes deliver the best value and results for their students, and the institution that wins the 2027 award will receive a donation of $1 million. "Being named an Aspen Prize finalist is a tremendous honor, but what makes this recognition so meaningful is what it represents," LCCC President Marcia Ballinger said in the release. "The Aspen Prize is grounded in student success outcomes, and we are proud of the results our students achieve. But behind every data point is a person, a family, and a dream for a better future. This recognition belongs to the students who persevere, the faculty and staff who support them and the community partners who help create pathways to opportunity and success." Representatives from the Aspen Institute will visit LCCC's campus in the fall as a part of the award judging process. The process began nearly two years ago with data evaluation, and LCCC has made it to the top 10 of an initial field of more than 1,000 community colleges across the country. "Lorain County Community College's recognition as an Aspen Prize finalist reflects a prestigious national nomination and reinforces the leadership role Ohio's community colleges play nationally in expanding opportunity, strengthening our workforce, and growing our economy," said Chancellor Mike Duffey of the Ohio Department of Higher Education in the release. "I congratulate President Marcia Ballinger, the Lorain County Community College board of trustees, its faculty, staff, students and community partners on this well-deserved honor." The release said that what made LCCC stand out among the 25 semifinalists for the award was the college's ability to reach beyond the bounds of its own campus, offering credit to high schoolers and off-campus programming for students at the college. The college said that more than half of the high school graduates in Lorain County through its dual enrollment program, and it also touted its University Partnership program that allows students to work toward and even complete bachelor's and master's degrees from universities while staying on campus at LCCC. "Student outcomes like those we see at the 10 finalists cannot be achieved without major reforms to programs of study, student advising systems, and other college practices that we know make a difference," said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, in the release. "We're excited to dive in and learn more about how these colleges accomplished these outcomes so that we can elevate their work and enable 1,000 community colleges nationally to achieve similar success." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.