When Cowley College President Michelle Schoon talks about student success, she points to the dedication of faculty and staff who help make it happen every day. That work, she said, continues to earn national attention.
Cowley College has once again been recognized among the top community colleges in the country—this time as one of 200 institutions eligible to compete for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The award, often called the nation’s premier recognition for two-year colleges, honors schools that demonstrate strong outcomes in student learning, degree completion, and workforce success.
“We are proud to be recognized among the top 200 community colleges in the country,” Schoon said. “This honor reflects the dedication of our faculty and staff to supporting student achievement, and our commitment to preparing students for success both in their careers and in further education. Being previously named a finalist for the Aspen Prize in 2021 makes this recognition even more meaningful—it reaffirms Cowley College’s ongoing pursuit of excellence.”
Started in 2010, the Aspen Prize uses national data to identify community colleges that are achieving outstanding results in student retention, graduation, transfer, and post-graduation success. Cowley was selected from more than 1,000 eligible two-year institutions.
Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, said the prize aims to highlight community colleges that “deliver the kind of life-changing education that makes the American Dream real.”
Among the 200 recognized colleges are schools of all sizes and missions—from small, rural institutions to large urban campuses—each showing that stronger student outcomes are achievable across different communities.
For Cowley College, founded in 1922 and serving students in Arkansas City, Mulvane, Wellington, Wichita, and Winfield, the recognition adds another chapter to its century-long story of accessible education and workforce training in south-central Kansas.
The Aspen Institute will spend the next 20 months reviewing data and applications from the 200 eligible colleges. That process will narrow the field to semifinalists in spring 2026 and finalists later that year, before announcing the $1 million prize winner in spring 2027.
Previous winners include institutions in Texas, Florida, and South Dakota, with the 2025 prize going to Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.
To learn more about the Aspen Prize and see the full list of eligible colleges, visit as.pn/prize.
