West Kentucky Community and Technical College ranked in the top ten of community colleges nationwide in two separate evaluations

West Kentucky Community and Technical College has gained national attention in a Forbes article naming it the ninth best community college in the United States. The list was compiled by Academic Influence, an organization that ranks colleges and universities using different criteria than other organizations that publish similar reports. The college is also one of the finalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the winner of which will be selected in May and receive a $1 million prize. Administrators at WKCTC expressed excitement to be recognized as a leader in community college education.

According to the Forbes article, Academic Influence established three basic criteria for community colleges to be considered for its ranking. Colleges had to be fully accredited, enroll at least 1,000 students, and primarily provide two-year degree programs. After meeting these basic qualifications, community colleges were analyzed using intelligence technology that searches databases to quantify the impact of people affiliated with the institution. The premise of the analysis is that the best colleges will have individuals associated with them who are active in publication, and that the most influential institutions will have the most mentions in a variety of media platforms.

The Aspen Prize uses a more traditional college ranking system and awards are given every two years. Colleges are evaluated based on outcomes in four key areas including: Teaching and learning, degree completion transfer success rate, workforce success rates, and equitable outcomes for diverse student groups. The top place honor comes with a $1 million grant to the college and will be announced in May 2021. In a release from WKCTC regarding the Aspen Prize finalist announcement, President Anton Reece said, "The Aspen Institute national rankings are heavily vetted and incredibly competitive across 1,000 sister community and technical colleges and it is a powerful testament to the exemplary efforts. I commend our faculty and staff for embracing and maximizing our culture of excellence and intentionally focusing on high expectations of learning and student success outcomes."

WKCTC also released a statement in reaction to the ranking from Academic Influence. In it, President Anton Reece reflected on the hard work of faculty and staff, and the importance of community support. Reece also noted the challenges encountered due to COVID-19 in maintaining the respected status of the college, "I am profoundly thrilled and excited for the WKCTC family and the hard work of our faculty and staff to receive yet another prestigious top ten national ranking! It is particularly rewarding as we continue to navigate COVID19's impact on enrollment and delivery of instruction. These national rankings continue to raise the profile of our college and the stellar reputation for academic and student success excellence, which parents, students, and community stakeholders view as a powerful factor for choosing WKCTC as a guaranteed return on investment."