May 6, 2015
North Carolina Community College Presidents and Senior Leaders,
I am writing to invite you to consider an opportunity to engage with The Aspen Institute in a process that will
culminate in concrete recommendations—tailored to your own context—for next steps your community
college can take to advance student success in four areas: equity, learning, completion, and labor market
outcomes.
Over the past decade, North Carolina’s community colleges have collectively pursued student-focused
reform and capacity-building strategies. Through collaborative efforts in partnership with Achieving the
Dream, the Developmental Education Initiative, the Student Success Leadership Institute (SSLI), and
Completion by Design, many of the state’s community colleges have worked together to make significant
advances in student outcomes while maintaining their long-standing commitment to open access. To
complement the significant student-success work already occurring across the North Carolina Community
College System, Aspen is launching its North Carolina Roadmap to Excellence project. This project will
provide eight colleges in the NCCCS a comprehensive review of strategic initiatives and a feedback report
containing concrete recommendations for next steps to advance student success.
During two-day site visits to each selected college, leading community college experts and practitioners will
interview leadership, staff, faculty, students, community partners, and others about student success efforts.
Aspen staff and national experts will then carefully analyze quantitative and qualitative information and
provide concise feedback reports that offer clear summaries of the college’s student outcomes, strengths, and
potential areas for improvement, with specific reference to tools, models of excellence, and next steps the
college may consider based on what has worked elsewhere in the field, including among Aspen Prize finalist
colleges. Site visits will be conducted during the Fall and Spring of the 2015-16 academic year.
Through a partnership with the John M. Belk Endowment, we are able to substantially subsidize the costs
associated with the site visit and feedback process so that each college will be charged only $10,000. This
amount, to be paid by each of the eight selected colleges, will offset administrative, travel and research costs
associated with gathering qualitative and quantitative information, preparing the feedback reports, and
meeting with college leaders to discuss and answer questions about the report’s contents.
If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, please complete the accompanying application and
submit it to KC.Deane@AspenInstitute.org by June 19th. If you have any questions, or would like to
discuss the opportunity further, please reach out to KC Deane, Program Manager at the Aspen Institute’s
College Excellence Program (KC.Deane@aspeninstitute.org), who can answer your questions and, as
needed, schedule a time for us to speak directly.
Thank you for your commitment to student success and community college excellence. We look forward to
learning more from your application.
Sincerely,
Vice President, The Aspen Institute
Executive Director, Aspen College Excellence Program
North Carolina Roadmap to Excellence
Site Visit Application
All 58 community colleges in the North Carolina Community College System are invited to apply for the Aspen
Institute’s North Carolina Roadmap to Excellence project.
OVERVIEW & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
For each of the eight selected community colleges, Aspen staff and national experts will carefully analyze
quantitative and qualitative information aimed at revealing strengths and potential areas for improvement in
four areas: learning, completion/transfer, labor market, and equitable outcomes. Fifteen-page feedback
reports will offer clear summaries of the college’s student outcomes, strengths, and possible next steps for
improvement, with specific references to tools, models of excellence, and next steps the college may
consider based on what has worked at Aspen Prize finalist colleges.
Your institution and all other community colleges in the North Carolina Community College System are
invited to complete and submit—by 5 PM ET June 19, 2015—this application for the North Carolina
Roadmap to Excellence site visits. With generous grant support from the John M. Belk Endowment, we are
able to provide the site visit and feedback report at a price of $10,000 per college.
The application is designed to enable Aspen and expert site visitors to understand each college’s student
success efforts so that we are able to tailor our inquiries and recommendations to your specific context. After
submitting your application, Aspen will contact college leadership teams, as needed, to schedule a time to
ask follow-up questions. Aspen will conduct site visits during the 2015-16 academic year to the eight
colleges selected to participate in the North Carolina Roadmap to Excellence. Each community college will
receive a thorough feedback report and will be provided an opportunity for a debriefing conversation within
three months of the initial visit.
Additional information about the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the North Carolina
Roadmap to Excellence can be found at www.aspeninstitute.org/cep.
Application & Selection Timeline:
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JUNE 19, 2015: Application due.
JULY 1 – JULY 30, 2015: One-hour screening calls with presidents and two or three other institutional
leaders (as needed).
AUGUST 2015: Aspen notifies colleges, and works with selected colleges to schedule site visits.
FALL 2015/SPRING 2016: Site visits conducted.
THREE MONTHS AFTER SITE VISIT: Feedback reports provided and debriefing conversations
completed.
Instructions for Application Submission:
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APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5PM EST ON JUNE 19, 2015.
COMPLETED APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO: KC.DEANE@ASPENINSTITUTE.ORG
PLEASE LABEL YOUR SUBMISSION USING THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:
o APPLICATION NARRATIVE: [FULLCOLLEGENAME]-APPLICATION-2015.DOC
For questions regarding the application, please email KC Deane at KC.Deane@aspeninstitute.org.
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SECTION 1: INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION AND PROFILE
Please complete the following contact information.
INSTITUTION NAME:
DESIGNATED CONTACT
PERSON/TITLE:
CONTACT TELEPHONE:
CONTACT EMAIL:
INSTITUTION ADDRESS:
CITY, STATE, ZIP:
WEBSITE:
PRESIDENT’S NAME:
NUMBER OF YEARS CURRENT PRESIDENT HAS HELD THE POSITION:
PRESIDENT’S ASSISTANT:
PRESIDENT’S EMAIL:
ASSISTANT’S EMAIL:
INSTITUTIONAL MISSION:
In 120 words or less, describe
your mission, the populations
you serve, and the programs
you offer.
FACULTY COMPOSITION
NUMBER OF FACULTY
FULL-TIME FACULTY
PART-TIME FACULTY
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PERCENTAGE OF ALL FACULTY
External Partners: On no more than one page total, please list between three and five external entities (including individual and
consortia from K-12, business, non-profit, research, four-year colleges or other sectors) with which your community college is
engaged in partnerships that are important to the student outcomes your institution has achieved. Provide a brief explanation of the
role these partnerships have played in student success:
PARTNER
ENTITY
KEY CONTACT
NAME/TITLE AND EMAIL
DESCRIPTION
OF PARTNERSHIP
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SECTION 2: STUDENT SUCCESS STRATEGIES
In each of the four areas listed below, please describe the two or three most important interventions or
programs you employ to achieve high and improving levels of student success. In your description,
please indicate how many students are served by those programs and, if available, provide specific
evidence of the outcomes associated with each.
1. Student Learning Outcomes (500 word maximum)
Reflecting efforts to measurably improve student learning at the course, program, and college-wide
levels.
2. Completion and Transfer Outcomes (500 word maximum)
Reflecting the community college’s efforts to improve the number of students who earn an
associate’s degree, attain a certificate with demonstrated value in the labor market, or transfer to a
four-year college.
3. Labor Market Outcomes (500 word maximum)
Reflecting efforts to ensure that degree and certificate programs result in employment opportunities
that provide graduates with family sustaining wage.
4. Equitable Outcomes (500 word maximum)
Reflecting efforts to improve equitable access and success among the college’s students who are
often under-served, including those from three underrepresented racial/ethnic groups—African
American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian—and students from low-income backgrounds.
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SECTION 3: STUDENT SUCCESS GOALS
In one page or less, please explain your community college’s goals for student success and how the
feedback that results from the Aspen site visit could best help you attain those goals.
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