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Goodland, KS. (10/04/2022) – Northwest Kansas Technical College is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2022–2025 for its 1:1 iPad initiative. The idea was to build on the school’s tradition of hands-on instruction by using a device that was rewriting the rules for interactive learning. The iPad initiative has changed the entire dynamic of our campus because all students have personal access to one of the most innovative pieces of technology at their fingertips.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence. They use Apple technology to inspire creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in learning, teaching and the school environment, and have documented results of academic accomplishment.

“Building a technology-forward campus at Northwest Tech is an essential part of the academic learning environment we create for our students,” said Ben Schears, President. “However, our goal is much more than technology; Our overall goal is to provide students with the tools they need to enter the workforce, connect with the community, and become lifelong learners.” 

The selection of Northwest Tech as an Apple Distinguished School highlights our success as an innovator and a compelling learning environment that engages students, and provides tangible evidence of academic achievement. Our teachers are trained to integrate Apple technology into their curriculum and daily instruction. Students are using the technology they are already accustomed to and learning how to use it in effective and innovative ways.

Students in programs such as Precision Agriculture use Apple technology daily. The Precision Agriculture students use the iPad to capture mapping data for agricultural applications, remotely control field equipment, and make adjustments to farm implements. The compatibility aspects of Apple technology enable agricultural activities to become more convenient, cost-effective, and accurate.

For more information about Northwest Tech, please visit NWKTC.EDU

Northwest Tech continues to demonstrate strong national graduation rate rankings according to a recent report published by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Almanac, an annual publication produced by The Chronicle of Higher Education, provides national insights on data and trends throughout higher education. The college has maintained steady success with graduation rates, and this year Northwest Tech was ranked #21 among 815 two-year publicly-funded colleges in the United States. The new ranking places Northwest Tech among the top 3% in success rates in the nation. Perhaps more remarkable is the college has been among the Top 25 for six out of the last seven years....

Rexford, Kansas (9/7/2022) - Northwest Tech is pleased to announce a new apprenticeship opportunity in cooperation with Davis Electric. Through the new partnership, Davis Electric provides a paid OWE (occupational work experience) for Northwest Tech electrical students at the McCarty Dairy job site located in Rexford, Kansas. In exchange, Northwest Tech students have the opportunity to expand their skills on a job site, and perform work that supports their classroom and lab instruction.

Goodland, KS. November 8, 2021 – Northwest Tech has officially launched the newest advanced manufacturing lab in Kansas higher education following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 8th. Members of the community joined legislators, representatives from the Kansas Department of Commerce, industry employers, Goodland Ambassadors, and members of the college to unveil the latest addition to the Engineering Technology program.

The new lab was funded through the recent award of a Kansas Department of Commerce Higher Education Advanced Manufacturing & Information Technology Equipment grant for $500,000 focused on expanding advanced manufacturing opportunities around the state. Regionally, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation provided an additional $100,000 for renovations to the existing facility to accommodate the new lab.

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 2, 2021 — Today, the Aspen Institute named Northwest Kansas Technical College 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 America's community colleges. The colleges 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. 

The 150 eligible colleges have been invited to submit data and narratives as the next steps in an intensive data and practice review process, culminating in the announcement of the Prize winner in spring 2023.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Aspen Institute for the efforts of our faculty and staff to improve the success and outcomes of our students,” said Northwest Tech President Ben Schears. “We are blessed to be a small campus where we get to know our students on a personal basis and can work to remove roadblocks to success.”

The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community colleges in order to elevate the sector, drive attention to colleges doing the best work, and discover and share highly effective student success and equity strategies. Since 2010, Aspen has chosen to focus intensively on community colleges because they are—as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stated at the 2021 Aspen Prize ceremony—“a powerful engine of prosperity.”

But student outcomes vary enormously among community colleges, and improving those outcomes is essential to securing our nation’s economic future, strengthening communities, and ensuring that diverse populations experience economic mobility and prosperity. With these goals in mind, the Aspen Prize honors colleges with outstanding achievement in five critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

“In an era of persistent inequity and workforce talent gaps, our nation’s best community colleges are stepping up to deliver more degrees to increasingly diverse students so they are prepared for the good jobs waiting to be filled,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Leaders of exceptional community colleges understand that achieving excellence requires expanding college access and increasing degree completion, but it doesn’t stop there.  They are committed to ensuring that all students—including students of color and those from low-income backgrounds—graduate with the skills needed to secure a job with family-sustaining wages or successfully transfer to and graduate from a university. That same commitment that stands at the center of the Aspen Prize: to advance the goals of social mobility and equitable talent development.”

The eligible colleges represent the diversity and depth of the community college sector. Located in urban, rural, and suburban areas across 34 states, these colleges serve as few as 230 students and as many as 57,000. Winning colleges have ranged from smaller institutions serving rural community and smaller towns—including Lake Area Technical Institute (SD, 2017 Prize winner) and Walla Walla Community College (WA, 2013)—to large community colleges serving major metropolitan areas, including Miami Dade College (FL, 2019) and San Antonio College (TX, 2021).

The four other previous winners are Indian River State College (FL, 2019); Santa Fe College (FL, 2015); Santa Barbara City College (CA, 2013); and Valencia College (FL, 2011).

In this first round, eligibility for the Aspen Prize is based on publicly available data.  Eligible colleges must show strong and improving student outcomes in key areas such as retention, completion, transfer, and equity. Nationwide, 15 percent of community colleges (150 of the approximately 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide assessed for the Prize) have been invited to apply—the full list can be accessed on the Prize homepage.

The next steps in the process include:

• Selection of the top ten finalists by an expert panel of 15 experts in community colleges, higher education, and workforce training, to be announced in spring/summer 2022
• Fall 2022 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
• A distinguished jury will meet and make award decisions in the first quarter of early 2023
• Announcement of the Aspen Prize in late spring 2023

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize.

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The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium and the Joyce Foundation.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes, especially for the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org and www.linkedin.com/showcase/aspenhighered, and follow @AspenHigherEd on Twitter. The Aspen Prize hashtag is #AspenPrize.

The Aspen Institute is a community-serving organization with global reach whose vision is a free, just, and equitable society. For 70 years, the Institute has driven change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the world’s greatest challenges. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute has offices in Aspen, Colorado, and New York City, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.