The Aspen Institute Names Forsyth Technical Community College as a Semifinalist for $1 Million Aspen Prize

Today, the Aspen Institute (Aspen) named Forsyth Technical Community College as one of 25 semifinalists for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Rooted in deep research and backed by $1 million in award money, the Aspen Prize is the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that deliver value for their students.

“This recognition belongs to our students and to the employees who work alongside them every day,”

— Dr. Janet Spriggs, President, Forsyth Technical Community College

“Our graduation rate more than doubled under Vision 2025, growing from 19 percent to 45 percent. Completion for our minority students grew from 12 percent to 45 percent. Those gains happened because a team of educators, advisors, and support staff built a system designed to help students finish what they start. The Aspen Institute has named what we have been building for the last six years. I am grateful to every person who contributed to the work, and to the Aspen Institute for the recognition.”

The 25 semifinalists, which come from 20 states, were selected from nearly 1,000 institutions nationwide based on their outcomes data and collegewide practices aligned to achieving high and improving levels of student success. Aspen defines student success as achievement in learning and completion of a college credential, and by post-college success in the form of a good job or successful transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment.

“In over 15 years of awarding the Aspen Prize, we have learned a lot about how top colleges ensure that more students obtain credentials that lead directly to good jobs or successful attainment of a bachelor’s degree through transfer. We congratulate the semifinalists for their strong and improving student outcomes and for prioritizing improvements in student success both during and after college.”

Forsyth Tech Commencement 2025 — the largest in our 65-year history.

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The Aspen Prize is awarded every two years and recognizes excellence across a wide range of institutions, from Florida’s large, multi-campus Valencia College in 2011 to rural Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in 2025. With each cycle, Aspen deepens its understanding of what value looks like. The top colleges, no matter their size or location, ensure students complete programs with strong regional labor market value and clear transfer pathways that lead to bachelor’s degrees. The complete list of semifinalists can be accessed at as.pn/prize. Looking for Forsyth Tech assets to download and share? Visit our landing page at forsythtech.edu/aspen-prize.

For community colleges that want to benchmark their outcomes against the Aspen Prize top 200 colleges or custom peer groups, Aspen provides a free-to-use benchmarking tool with all the metrics used to compare 1,000 community colleges at the outset of the selection process, including newly available data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Learn more and access the tool at as.pn/prizebenchmarking.