Grantee Video Spotlight: Aspen Institute
October 24, 2018
Years of Grants: 2015, 2016
Amount: $825,000
Community colleges across the United States are facing a wave of presidential retirements. More than half of the current presidents will be leaving their positions in the coming decade, creating the need and opportunity to develop a new generation of diverse, transformational leaders.
ECMC Foundation granted the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute $825,000 over the past three years for the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.
This program is the only one of its kind that is specifically focused on community college presidents. The ten month program selects individuals aspiring to or recently appointed to community college presidency.
Fellows participate in three five-day in-person sessions and have access to a vast support network including a mentor within the industry. The intensive training provides fellows with the skills necessary to ascend to presidential appointments within 5 year of the program.
Seventy-eight fellows from more than 20 states across the country have completed the program. Among them, 67% of fellows are women; 37% identify as a person of color. Twenty-four of the past fellows are now serving as college presidents at institutions that collectively serve more than 400,000 students.
The Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence is in its third cohort of fellows. The team is committed continuing the program through 2021 to reach 5 cohorts with the goal of having 100 past fellows holding positions as community college presidents by 2025.
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