Moorpark College has been nominated for the Aspen Award as one of the top 150 community colleges in the country.

Based on a criteria of performance, improvement and equity, the Aspen Institution has nominated Moorpark College for a Community College Excellence Award, which presents an outstanding community college with $1 million once every two years. The institution nominated 150 community colleges out of over 1000 nationwide. The campus is currently in round two of a three-round prize administer process.

“Community colleges have tremendous power to change lives, and their success will increasingly define our nation’s economic strength and the potential for social mobility for every American,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institution College Excellence Program.

The round one selection process looks at community colleges that have a strong first-year retention rate for first-time, full-time and part-time students who enrolled in the fall semester and then again in the following year. Three-year graduation and transfer rates, in addition to the number of certificates and degrees awarded, are also taken into consideration. Moorpark College is known to have one of the highest transfer rates in the state due to its 24 Associate Degree for Transfer programs.

Moorpark College also has an increase of retention rates, graduation rates and certificates and degrees awarded.

“Moorpark has done continually better and better,” said Interim President Dr. Bernard Luskin.

The Aspen Institute also looks at the equity of minority and low-income students as they evaluate and nominate community colleges in round one.

Currently Luskin is in the beginning stage of drafting and editing applications for the second round. This long procedure involves a lot of paperwork.

Once the application is completed and submitted, the Aspen Institute will interview the college and evaluate the campus during the final round of the selection process.

Ten finalists will be chosen in late 2014. The winner of the $1 million prize, which is funded by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Lumina Foundation, will be announced in early 2015.

If Moorpark College was to win the prize, a priority list would be created followed by the establishment of a committee of faculty, staff and students to determine how to spend the funds. Also, an increase in moral and community support will be inevitable.

The quality of this institute will be known, which would likely inflate enrollment and benefit a wide range of programs, says Luskin.

“One of the biggest tools our coaches use in recruiting student athletes is the academic prestige of Moorpark College,” said Athletic Director Howard Davis.

Only 37 states had nominated community colleges.

Santa Barbara City College and Walla Walla Community College in Washington co-won the second Aspen prize in 2013, while Valencia College in Florida was the inaugural prize winner in 2011.

“We are proud to be nominated,” said Luskin. “To be acknowledged among the best is a prize in itself.”