Josh Wyner The Aspen Institute has selected 55 additional community colleges to join its Unlocking Opportunity network, expanding the initia...
Josh Wyner
The expanded network now includes 65 colleges across the United States, up from 10 pilot institutions. The initiative is designed to reform community college programs to better serve more than 100,000 students by ensuring graduates earn credentials that lead to good-paying employment or successful transfer to four-year universities.
Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, said millions of students rely on community colleges as an affordable pathway to valuable credentials each year.
"The leaders at each of the 55 colleges that have signed up for Unlocking Opportunity have made clear that they will spend the next three years working towards the kinds of reforms needed to make that assumption a reality for thousands more students," Wyner said.
The three-year program will engage college leadership teams through virtual and in-person sessions focused on scaling reforms that align community college programs with regional job markets and bachelor's degree transfer opportunities.
Early results from the 10 pilot institutions show promise. Southwest Wisconsin Technical College doubled enrollment in its agronomy program since 2023 after updating curriculum to include GPS-guided tractors and drone operation to meet employer demands. The college also eliminated low-wage culinary programs after determining graduates earned insufficient wages.
In Texas, San Antonio College is addressing nursing shortages by partnering with local hospitals to increase clinical training capacity and developing a state-of-the-art simulation laboratory. The college's accelerated RN-to-BSN program has graduated 185 students and will expand capacity to 274 students in the 2025-26 academic year.
Laramie County Community College in Wyoming established a dual admission program with the University of Wyoming to increase transfer student success while expanding its own bachelor's degree offerings in healthcare administration and applied management.
Collectively, the 10 pilot institutions are on track to move more than 20,000 students into high-value programs that lead to good jobs, according to the Aspen Institute.
The initiative is supported by Arnold Ventures, Ascendium Education Group, Bank of America, ECMC Foundation, and JPMorganChase. The network expansion is funded by JPMorganChase.
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