Two years ago, Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown received national recognition when President Barack Obama made his only visit to South Dakota to give LATI’s spring commencement address.

Today, they’ve found themselves back in the national spotlight again.

The Aspen Institute, which has a committee that names the top two-year community college in the country, gave that award to Lake Area Tech.

LATI was recognized for its outstanding performance in student learning, degree completion, and the employment and wages its graduates find.

LATI President Mike Cartney was in Washington D.C. for today’s announcement, but his thoughts were back at home….

The judges with the Aspen Institute gave special recognition to LATI’s work with low-income students, something Cartney spoke of during his acceptance speech….

Cartney says being the number one ranked two-year college in the country among 1,100 such institutions is an incredible honor, but he says it’s not so much about competition as it is cooperation….

Along with the award, LATI receives a cash prize of $600,000.