Sept. 10, 2026
Aurora, Colo. – The Community College of Aurora (CCA) has received the 2026 Community College Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia magazine for the third year in a row. The HEED Award is a prestigious honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging, and community-building across all levels of campus life.
This third consecutive HEED Award is especially meaningful because it reflects who we strive to be as a college community,
said CCA President Dr. Mordecai Brownlee. At CCA, excellence is not simply measured by what happens in the classroom, but by whether our students and employees experience a genuine sense of belonging, opportunity, and support. I am incredibly proud of our faculty and staff for continuing to build a college where people from all backgrounds can see themselves, pursue their goals, and thrive.
CCA is one of nine community colleges nationwide to receive the 2026 HEED award and the college and will be featured alongside 60 other award recipients in the October 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine. The magazine is the oldest and largest publication focused on best practices in higher education.
We use a detailed scoring process as well as a holistic approach to reviewing each application to determine who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where academic excellence and belonging are woven into the work being done every day across their campus,
said Lenore Pearlstein, Co-Publisher of Insight into Academia magazine.
After receiving the HEED award in 2024 and 2025, CCA is distinguished for its service to build meaningful connections with students, faculty, and the surrounding community. These efforts also recently earned CCA the magazine’s Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being award, further highlighting CCA’s efforts to create a supportive campus environment for students and employees.
Earning the HEED Award for three consecutive years demonstrates that CCA’s commitment to academic excellence and belonging is not a single initiative, but an ongoing institutional priority. Through continued investment in its students, employees and campus community, CCA remains focused on creating an environment where every student has the opportunity and support to achieve their educational goals and build greater social and economic mobility.
About Insight Into Academia
Insight Into Academia magazine is the leader in advancing best practices in higher education excellence. Through thought-provoking print and online articles, we share expert advice, valuable resources, in-depth profiles of top programs at colleges and universities, headline news, and much more to help keep our readers informed and empower them to advance initiatives at their institutions. Current, archived, and digital issues of Insight Into Academia magazine are available online at insightintoacademia.com.
About the Community College of Aurora
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.
Contact
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]