Connection May/June 2026
In this Issue …
Inaugural Class Signs to Join TCTC Dual Enrollment Academy-Clemson Connect.............3
Carol Clarke Delivers Spring Commencement Address..................8
TCTC Awarded $50,000 Grant from Delta Dental of SC......................9
Tri-County Technical College Named One of 10 Finalists for 2027 $1 Million Aspen Prize In early June, The Aspen Institute (Aspen) named Tri-County Technical College as one of 10 community college finalists for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The Aspen Prize is the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that deliver value for their students. Backed by $1 million in award funds, the Aspen Prize honors colleges that achieve strong outcomes, focusing on whether students complete credentials that lead to bachelor’s attainment and jobs that pay family-sustaining wages. “We are honored to be named an Aspen Prize finalist and are especially proud of how this recognition reflects our students completing, transferring, and launching into careers that sustain families and strengthen our region,” said President Galen DeHay. “From day one, we focus on clear pathways, strong advising, and close alignment with workforce needs to ensure our graduates succeed. This recognition reflects a shared commitment across our college to put student success at the center of everything we do,” President DeHay said. TCTC consistently has the highest graduation rate, success rate, and transfer rate in the South Carolina Technical College System. Nationally, the College’s performance falls in the 90th percentile for student success and transfer, and Pell grant recipients who transfer from TCTC to Clemson University have the highest bachelor’s degree completion rates in the nation. Additionally, 93% of TCTC graduates are placed in a job related to their field of study, and nearly 72% of TCTC graduates are working in South Carolina 10 years after graduation—second highest for all higher education in the state. The Aspen Prize selection process began in October 2025, when Aspen applied a formula assessing student outcomes to select 200 colleges and invited them to apply for the prize. From the 170 that applied, a 15-member independent selection committee selected 25 semifinalists—and now 10 finalists—based on comprehensive outcomes data and evidence of the practices that led to those outcomes. In fall 2026, teams of experts will conduct in-depth site visits to each finalist institution and review additional data. The Aspen Prize winner will be selected by an independent Aspen Prize Jury and announced in April 2027.