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The �������� will hold its fall 2021 commencement ceremony at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, at the World Equestrian Center, Expo Center 1, 1750 N.W. 80th Ave., Ocala. For easiest access, graduates and their guests should use the entrance on State Road 40.

“We are excited to invite CF graduates and their loved ones to celebrate their success at this new venue,” said Dr. Saul Reyes, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. “It’s an opportunity to honor our students’ hard work and share their stories with our community.”

Carolyn Barton Grissom will be honored posthumously with the CF Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award, and student Edgar Soto will be the graduation speaker.

The in-person ceremony also will be webcast live at CF.edu/graduation.

For more information, call the Ocala Campus at 352-854-2322, ext. 1391 or ext. 1739; Citrus Campus at 352-746-6721; or Levy Campus at 352-658-4077.

In each two-year cycle, a jury of national experts selects 10 finalist institutions, and, ultimately, one winner of the prestigious award. CF was also recognized and deemed eligible for the $1 million prize in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2021.

“Recognition by the Aspen Institute reflects the commitment by CF faculty and staff to our students and our belief in the power of education to transform lives and enrich our community,” said Dr. James Henningsen, CF president. “We are looking forward to providing the additional documentation to show that we are one of the best colleges in the nation.”

The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community colleges in order to elevate the sector, drive attention to colleges doing the best work, and discover and share highly effective student success and equity strategies. Since 2010, Aspen has chosen to focus intensively on community colleges because they are, as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stated at the 2021 Aspen Prize ceremony, “a powerful engine of prosperity.”

The 150 colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. Located in urban, rural, and suburban areas across 34 states, these colleges serve as few as 230 students and as many as 57,000.

“In an era of persistent inequity and workforce talent gaps, our nation’s best community colleges are stepping up to deliver more degrees to increasingly diverse students so they are prepared for the good jobs waiting to be filled,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Leaders of exceptional community colleges understand that achieving excellence requires expanding college access and increasing degree completion, but it doesn’t stop there.  They are committed to ensuring that all students – including students of color and those from low-income backgrounds –graduate with the skills needed to secure a job with family-sustaining wages or successfully transfer to and graduate from a university. That same commitment that stands at the center of the Aspen Prize: to advance the goals of social mobility and equitable talent development.”

The top 10 finalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize will be named in summer 2022. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data, including employment and earnings data. A distinguished jury will make award decisions in spring 2023.

Previous winners of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence are: Miami Dade College and Indian River State College, 2019; Lake Area Technical College (South Dakota), 2017; Santa Fe College, 2015; Santa Barbara City College (California) and Walla Walla Community College (Washington), 2013; Valencia College, 2011.

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize.

The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium and the Joyce Foundation.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes, especially for the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit �ɷɷ�.�󾱲��������.�������Ծ��Բ��پ��ٳܳٱ�.�ǰ��������Ի���, and follow  on Twitter. The Aspen Prize hashtag is #AspenPrize.

The Aspen Institute is a community-serving organization with global reach whose vision is a free, just, and equitable society. For 70 years, the Institute has driven change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the world’s greatest challenges. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute has offices in Aspen, Colorado, and New York City, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit .

Future students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 150 academic pathways, including 70 job-training programs. Attendees can receive assistance with the application process, financial aid, placement testing, academic advising and registration for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 10.

Everyone who completes an admissions application at the event will have the $30 admissions fee waived and will be entered to win free tuition for a 3-credit-hour class at CF’s standard tuition rate.

A virtual open house will also be offered on Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., on Zoom.

For more information, visit or call 352-875-5800, ext. 1379.

The Webber Gallery is located at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road.

This display will feature model train layouts built and maintained by the Ocala Model Railroaders’ Historic Preservation Society. Every year, CF is honored to partner with the society to bring their beautiful model train collection to the community. As Jim DeLawter, OMRRHPS president, said, “The CF Express has been chugging along for 25 years!”

Viewing the trains is a holiday tradition for many local families, and thousands of patrons, young and old, visit each year. The display features modular train layouts and railroad memorabilia. Many of the layouts are inspired by historic Ocala landmarks, such as the Six Gun Territory theme park that operated in Marion County until 1984.

The display will open Saturday, Dec. 18, and will be on view from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through Jan 2, with holiday hours of 12-3 p.m. on Dec. 24 and 31. The gallery will be closed Dec. 25-27 and Jan. 1. Admission is free. Visitors are highly encouraged to wear masks inside the gallery, and masks are provided at the front desk. For more information, call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664, or visit cf.edu.