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HCC is listed in the top 100 two-year colleges in the nation.

HIGHLAND, Kan. – Highland Community College has been recognized by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as one of the top 100 two-year colleges in the nation as part of the prestigious “Raise the Bar” initiative. With over 1,100 community colleges across the country who award certificates and associate degrees, this honor highlights the top institutions that excel in empowering students to transform their lives through education and workforce development. Highland Community College is proud to be among this distinguished group, reaffirming its commitment to student success and career advancement.

“It’s an honor to be named on this list,” said HCC President Vincent Bowhay. “As an institution, we are focused on collegewide success strategies that deliver results while providing the skills and credentials that help students achieve their dreams.”

Through the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program launched in April 2024, the Department of Education identified these institutions using publicly available data to measure performance on key indicators related to equitable access, success, and post-college outcomes at public and non-profit institutions across the country. These metrics consider the extent to which institutions:

• Enroll low-income students and students of color in their state;
• Help those students graduate or transfer successfully; and
• Prepare them to enter the career of their choice and enjoy upward mobility, including recouping their costs and earning a premium over high school graduates in their state.

In his introduction to the Raise the Bar initiative, Secretary of Education Cardona emphasized the importance of two-year institutions like HCC.

“Some of the most important innovations in higher education today are being driven by institutions that get little glory but that are narrowing gaps in access to college opportunity and accelerating their graduates’ economic mobility,” he stated. “I can think of no work more worthy of prestige than putting higher education within the reach of more Americans, and helping our students attain degrees that change their lives — just as mine did for me.”

Through policies, investments, and convenings, this initiative is calling on America's colleges and universities to raise the bar by increasing completion rates, closing completion gaps and living up to higher education’s promise of upward mobility for all students.

Recognition as one of the top 100 two-year colleges affirms the work HCC is doing to support its mission of providing lifelong learning opportunities and contributing to economic development to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve.

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