CSM Eligible for $1 Million Aspen Prize

Excellence has become expected at College of Southern Maryland. The college has been named as one of 150 community colleges in the nation that are eligible to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the country’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance in US community colleges.

CSM was chosen from a pool of close to 1,000 public two-year colleges to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize.

“CSM’s invitation to apply is a testament to our innovative initiatives across the college,” said CSM President Maureen Murphy. “These are exciting times for the College of Southern Maryland. We are moving the needle in student success, and the invitation from the Aspen Institute recognizes the efforts by CSM’s many dedicated staff and faculty who are working in concert to see positive changes occur in student outcomes. “

The Aspen Prize has been awarded every two years since 2011, and recognizes colleges that have outstanding achievements in four areas: certificate and degree completion; learning; employment and earnings; and high levels of success and access for minority and low-income students.

The College of Southern Maryland will move into the next round of competition for the Aspen Prize by submitting an application to be reviewed through a rigorous evaluation for a spot on the top-10 Aspen Prize finalists list. Finalists will be named in May 2018, after which the Aspen Institute will conduct site visits with each of the finalists and collect more quantitative data. Winners, including a grand-prize winner and finalists with distinction and rising stars, will be announced in the spring of 2019.

In Maryland, Anne Arundel Community College and the College of Southern Maryland are the only two eligible institutions.

For information on the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, visit the organization’s website.

For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.