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Spickard NCMC Named a Top 150 U.S. Community R-II BOE College by The Aspen Institute Meets The Aspen Institute named North Central Missouri College as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. “We are thrilled and honored to be selected as one of the top community colleges in the nation to be competing for this prestigious award,” said Dr. Lenny Klaver, North Central Missouri College President. “Our focus at NCMC has always been to put students first by providing affordable, accessible, and quality educational programs. We’re looking forward to highlighting the success of NCMC and our efforts toward successful student outcomes.” The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community colleges in order to drive attention to colleges achieving post-graduate success for all students, and is a central way Aspen researches highly effective student success strategies that are shared with the field. The 150 eligible colleges have been invited to submit student success data and narratives about strategies to achieve better and more equitable student outcomes as the next step in an intensive review process that culminates in the naming of the Aspen Prize winner in spring 2025. The eligible colleges represent the diversity and depth of the community college sector. Located in urban,
rural, and suburban areas across 30 states, these colleges serve as few as 169 students and as many as 49,619. “The Aspen Prize is rooted first and foremost in an assessment of whether colleges are walking the walk,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “As community colleges face enrollment variations, enroll students with pandemicrelated learning loss, and graduate students into a rapidly changing labor market, it is easy to lose track of what matters most. The best community colleges are continuing to focus on advancing the core mission: making sure as many students as possible graduate with credentials that lead to fulfilling careers and reflect the development of diverse talent that communities, states, and our nation need.” While community colleges are an essential contributor to our nation’s success, student outcomes vary substantially among institutions. Aspen measures those variances using multiple data sources and honors colleges with outstanding achievement in six critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, equitable access to the college, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. “These 150 colleges have achieved high and improving levels of student success for all students, including those who are often failed by our institutions,” Wyner said. “We’re excited to learn over the coming months how they achieved that success so we can share the most impressive practices with others in the field.”
In this first round, eligibility for the Aspen Prize is based on publicly available data. Colleges must show strong, improving, and equitable student outcomes in first-to-second year retention, credentials awarded, and completion and transfer rates. Nationwide, about 15 percent of community colleges have been invited to apply (150 of just under 1,000 public two-year colleges assessed for Prize eligibility). The full list can be accessed on the Prize homepage. The next steps in the process include: April 2024: Announcement of 25 semifinalists, selected based on assessments of extensive data and strategy documents by the Prize selection panel, a group of 16 experts in community colleges, higher education, and workforce training, and interviews with institutional leadership teams. June 2024: Announcement of 10 finalists, selected by the Prize selection panel. Fall 2024: Site visits to each of the ten finalists, during which the Aspen Institute and partners will collect additional information, including employment and earnings data and insights about promising practices. January 2025: Prize award decisions made by distinguished, independent Prize jury at fullday meeting Spring 2025: Announcement of the Aspen Prize winner and celebration of the 10 finalists in Washington, D.C. For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspenprize/.
Grundy R-V/N-H Teams Get the “W” in Holiday Hoops Action Photo by Alicia Endicott
Grundy R-V senior Zach Cross drives around the defender during the Holiday Hoops game between the Grundy County Panthers and the Pattonsburg Panthers on Friday, December 22. Grundy took the win by a score of 62-40.
from the Staff at the RepublicanTimes We will be closed through Monday, Jan. 1 and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. for regular business hours.
Jamey, D’Anna, Megan, Becca, Anita, Libby, Kristi & Chula
Photo by Alicia Endicott
Grundy R-V sophomore Kinsley Allnutt goes up for two as the Lady Panthers took on the Pattonsburg Lady Panthers in Holiday Hoops action on Friday, December 22. She led the team with 17 points as Grundy County took the win by a score of 44-38.
The Spickard R-II Board of Education met in regular session on Monday, December 18 at 6 p.m. The board approved payment of December bills totaling $44,173.48. Also approved was the 2023 Audit report from Conrad and Higgins. CSIP was reviewed with no action taken. The board accepted the MUSIC $5 million Umbrella Liability Policy for a premium of $700. Superintendent Erica Eakes reported that the November Top Pirate was Mason Wilson and Top Teammate was Deva Lanning. She said there were around 80 in attendance for the After School Club Holiday Meal held Friday, December 15. Staff delivered Christmas baskets to student homes after dismissal on that day. The 2023-24 APR score is 78.9 percent, which is down slightly from 202223 score of 80.2 percent. Attendance and performance are two areas the school will focus on in their improvement plan. The new refrigerator was ordered for the National School Lunch Equipment Grant that was received. She mentioned there have been students move in and out of the area and the school will start second semester with 20 students. Upcoming events mentioned include: • Jan. 3 - no school, teacher inservice. • Jan. 4 - school resumes. • Jan. 5 - 1st Mate Breakfast at 7:35 a.m. and December Top Pirate and Second Quarter Honor Roll Assembly at 3:15 p.m. • Jan 10 - School Spelling Bee at 2:00 p.m. • Jan 15 - No school. As there is no school on Monday, January 15, the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Spickard RII Board of Education has been moved to Monday, January 22 at 6 p.m.