Nominations Being Accepted for 2010 MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards
Fifth Round of Awards; Winning Colleges to Receive $40,000 Grants
“Community colleges are an undervalued asset in our
country. Not only is that not right—it’s not smart.”
— President Barack Obama, July 14, 2009
BOSTON, MA (September 1, 2009)— Nominations are now being accepted for the 2010
MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards, which recognize
exemplary institutions from across the country that are making a significant
difference in their communities. To apply, community colleges can submit
self-nominations online at http://www.jff.org
through Friday, October 2.
“This award program recognizes the important roles community colleges play in
their communities, ” said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife
Foundation. “We encourage community colleges across the nation to define,
document, and share their success."
The MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards were created in 2002
and have been awarded biennially to exemplary institutions, with a focus on
recognizing community colleges that contribute to helping less-advantaged youth
and adults meet educational and career goals. This year, the application
process has been significantly streamlined into a simple online self-nomination
process of no more than 750 words, with the intent of identifying as many best
practices as possible.
“Community Colleges are uniquely American and as different and distinctive as
the regions they serve,” said Marlene Seltzer, President and CEO of Jobs for
the Future. “They expand opportunity and add convenience, affordability,
innovation, and flexibility to the broad spectrum of higher education. JFF is
proud to partner with MetLife Foundation in this endeavor.”
In 2010, MetLife Foundation will present three awards, in three separate
categories:
• The Award for Exceptional Service to Students, which recognizes sustained
institutional commitment to and clear strategies for helping larger numbers of
students to succeed.
• The Award for Service to Communities, which recognizes success in addressing
demographic and economic change in the college’s community or region through
initiatives that provide solutions and have demonstrable impact.
• The Award for Service through Innovation, which recognizes a community
college that has employed creative approaches to address a specific,
distinctive local need, challenge, or opportunity.
Community colleges are encouraged to submit award nominations in any or all of
the three categories, but may apply only once per category. All public,
accredited community colleges in the United States are eligible to apply. The
three winning colleges will be announced in April 2010 at the annual convention
of the American Association of Community Colleges. Each will receive a $40,000
grant.
Based on the initial online submissions, selected institutions will be invited
to provide additional information. An expert panel will then select three
finalists in each category. A separate review panel composed of community
college experts will propose the three award recipients. Final decisions are
the responsibility of MetLife Foundation.
MetLife Foundation supports education, health, civic, and cultural
organizations. It seeks to increase opportunities for young people to succeed,
encourage leadership development for teachers and principals, and connect
schools, families, colleges and communities. Its funding for education is
informed by findings from the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.
For more information visit www.metlife.org.
Through research, action, and advocacy, Jobs for the Future develops promising
education and labor market models, expands successful models in communities across
the country, and shapes the policy environment that enables American families
and companies to compete in a global economy. Across the United States, in
partnership with foundations and other national nonprofits, JFF improves the
educational and workforce pipelines leading from high school to college to
family-sustaining careers. Our initiatives take us to 206 communities in 41
states and the District of Columbia. For more information visit www.jff.org.
