Windward Community College was honored for its innovative efforts in higher education, earning the 2025 ACE/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation. Presented by the American Council on Education (ACE), this award honors institutions that have successfully implemented transformative changes to meet the evolving needs of students and their communities.
Both Windward CC and Rio Salado College in Arizona are 2025 recipients of the national award, which was presented at ACE’s annual meeting on February 13, along with a $10,000 check for each institution.
Since implementing its strategic plan in 2020, Windward CC has seen success in boosting both access and completion. Enrollment is 20% higher than it was in 2020, and time-to-degree success rates are higher than they have been since 2005 for both full-time and part-time students.
“He pūnāwai kahe wale ke aloha. ’Aloha is an endlessly flowing spring.’ Through enacting this abundance of aloha, our faculty, staff and students have transformed our college to even more deeply support students and our entire community,” said Ardis Eschenberg, Windward CC chancellor.
Strategic changes, meeting students’ needs
Windward CC’s Early College High School program strengthened ties with local high schools, facilitating a seamless transition to college with targeted scholarships such as the Hoʻolei Scholarship Program. College application workshops and Senior Bash, where local high school seniors gather on campus for information, networking, and a reggae concert, helped Windward CC enroll some of its largest freshman classes in years.
As the institution with the highest percentage of Native Hawaiian student enrollment in the University of Hawaiʻi System (44%), Windward CC redesigned its Hawaiian Studies degree into a fully asynchronous online program to expand access, which ultimately led to an 80% enrollment increase. Recognizing workforce needs, the college introduced a Veterinary Technology program with statewide access and created a Mental Health Tech certificate in collaboration with key employers.
A wide range of programs now support students’ basic needs and enhance access. Windward CC provides free lunches to all students, maintains a food pantry and clothing closet for students, and has an on-campus childcare center for infants and toddlers. Additionally, Windward CC, which has served the women’s and youth correctional facilities in Hawaiʻi since 2017, expanded its offerings to a correctional facility serving men and will broaden its offerings this year to a correctional facility in Arizona.
ACE President Ted Mitchell said. “Windward Community College’s broad and tailored actions to meet the needs of students has enabled it to bolster its campus and strengthen the wider community.”
