Wallace State Community College was recognized as a Rising Star at the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence award ceremony Thursday, April 17. The award recognizes the college’s significant improvements in student outcomes and comes with a $100,000 prize.

“We are extremely honored to be among the top three colleges in the nation recognized by the Aspen Institute with this designation as a Rising Star,” said Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics. “This honor only provides more incentive for us to continue to work to improve our student outcomes and make sure we offer only the best to our students and community.”

Wallace State was one of 10 finalists for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and is the first college in the Alabama Community College System ever to be a finalist in the competition. Including this year, the college has four times been among the top 150 colleges invited by the Aspen Institute to compete for the award given every two years.

“The 10 finalists for the 2025 Aspen Prize demonstrate what’s possible when community colleges are deeply committed to student success,” said Josh Wyner, founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Each of these institutions has taken scaled, innovative approaches to better outcomes, from improving completion rates to making sure credentials open doors to good-paying, in-demand careers — whether directly after community college or after transfer and bachelor’s attainment.”

According to a statement from the Aspen Institute, “Wallace State Community College has consistently graduated well-prepared students to fill in-demand jobs across multiple sectors — welding, health care, manufacturing and trucking — inspiring employers to invest so that talented students from the college service area, including Appalachian communities, have the equipment and work-based experiences needed to enter one of a growing number of good jobs.”

Wallace State serves around 8,000 students each year between credit and non-credit courses, workforce training, adult education and dual enrollment. Its three-year graduation rate is 51 percent, outpacing the national average of 35 percent. The college has persistence rate of 85 percent, a transfer success rate of 78 percent and employment and licensure rates of more than 90 percent, all above national averages.

Wallace State was the first community college or university in Alabama to be named a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence, is the first Alabama community college to be named an Achieving the Dream Leader College and is a Caring Campus.