National Recognition from the Aspen Institute Highlights Forsyth Tech’s Commitment to Student Success

Forsyth Tech has, once again, earned national recognition for its commitment to student success, inclusive outcomes and institutional transformation. In late 2024, President Dr. Janet N. Spriggs was selected as one of only 25 community college leaders nationwide for the Aspen Institute’s Presidents Fellowship. This prestigious year-long fellowship empowers presidents to refine and advance reforms that help more students succeed.

Likewise, in 2025, Forsyth Tech was named to the second cohort of Aspen’s Unlocking Opportunity initiative. As such, the college is just one of 55 nationwide chosen to join this network. Participating in Unlocking Opportunity underscores Forsyth Tech’s role in a national effort to align programs with high-quality careers and transfer pathways, ensuring students gain credentials that lead to good-paying jobs and bachelor’s degrees. These dual honors from the Aspen Institute spotlight Forsyth Tech’s leadership on the national stage.

Underlying these accolades are the college’s measurable achievements in student success. Forsyth Tech has dramatically improved completion rates and narrowed achievement gaps through intentional, student-centered reforms. These efforts are guided by its Vision 2025 strategic plan, which set ambitious goals to improve completion, eliminate achievement gaps, and ensure graduates are prepared for high-demand careers. When Dr. Spriggs assumed leadership in 2019, the three-year completion rate stood at 19% (with outcomes for some student groups as low as 6%). Today, that rate has more than doubled to 45% within six years, which exceeded the college’s target set in the strategic plan, Vision 2025. Completion rates for underrepresented minority students have surged to 44%, virtually equal to the overall rate, signaling a significant reduction in achievement gaps. These gains illustrate Forsyth Tech’s commitment to improving student outcomes and expanding access to high-quality programs that create upward mobility for learners from all backgrounds.

This milestone affirms Forsyth Tech’s transformation into a college that is student-ready by design, and positions the institution as a leader among its peers. The national honors not only celebrate the college’s progress to date; they also energize Forsyth Tech’s forward-looking mission to ensure all students have the opportunity to thrive.

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