Page 55 - Harnett Life Winter 2020

leges can improve outcomes for students, both in and after col- opment,” said Jennie Sparandara, head of workforce initia-
lege,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Insti- tives, JPMorgan Chase. “JPMorgan Chase is proud to partner
tute College Excellence Program. “And the urgency for them with the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program to build
to do so only increases — especially for students of color and the next generation of diverse community college leaders.”
low-income students. These fellows have shown they are fully,
urgently committed to excellence and equity, and we look for- The program for new presidents is an addition to the Aspen
ward to working alongside them.” Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence,
which has been serving aspiring presidents since 2016. Of the
Nearly 80 percent of community college presidents nationwide nearly 160 fellows who have taken part in the Rising Presi-
plan to retire in the next decade. Through this fellowship and dents Fellowship, 41 are now community college presidents,
its other leadership programs, Aspen is committed to helping serving more than 500,000 students.
to replace those exiting the presidency with an exceptionally
capable and highly diverse talent pool. According to the Amer- JPMorgan Chase is funding the Aspen Presidential Fellowship
ican Council on Education, only 36 percent of community col- as part of New Skills at Work, a five-year, $350 million in-
lege presidents are female, and 20 percent are people of color. vestment to support community colleges and other pathways
The incoming class of Aspen fellows is 48 percent female, and to great careers and economic mobility.
40 percent are people of color. Their institutions span 15 states
and vary widely, from a rural college with fewer than 2,000 stu- For a bio and photo of Dr. Chapman and a list of the 2020-
dents to a statewide system that educates more than 150,000. 21 class of Aspen Presidential Fellows, visit: https://highered.
aspeninstitute.org/meet-the-aspen-presidential-fellows-new-
“By preparing students and workers for in-demand jobs and presidents/.
meeting the training needs of businesses, community colleges
are critical institutions for their regions’ prosperity and devel-