News

Rural community colleges respond to health crisis, a look at non-traditional models for students transitioning from training to the workforce and more

• Resources Help Rural Community Colleges in Aftermath of COVID-19 Health Crisis
• An Interest in Innovation: New Grants Explore Non-Traditional Models
• Keith Witham Named Ascendium’s New Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking

Keith Witham Named Ascendium’s New Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking

Ascendium welcomes Keith Witham as our new Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking. He will provide day-to-day supervision and support to program officers across Ascendium’s four focus areas to maximize the impact of investments that support learners from low-income backgrounds.

Professional Development in a Pandemic - Part 2

Ascendium supported the University of Wisconsin System with a grant to help students increase completion of math gateway courses. This article is the second in a two-part series focusing on the experiences of mathematics instructors participating in the University of Wisconsin System Math Initiative. They share their methods of removing remote learning barriers to student success in gateway mathematics courses.

Our Vision for Learning and Impact, Ascendium Education Philanthropy on Social Media, New Rural Matters Podcasts and More

• Learning and Impact at Ascendium
• Starting this Month, Find Ascendium's Education Philanthropy News and Info on Social @AscendiumEP
• New Podcasts Shine Light on Rural Voices, Partners

Expanded Programming from Operation Fresh Start Prepares Dane County Youth for Careers in Construction and Conservation

Operation Fresh Start is creating a new Conservation Graduate Crew pathway, providing pre-apprentice training for young adults just starting careers in conservation work. A $250,000 grant from Ascendium will support the new pathway, as well as the existing Construction Graduate Crew pathway.

Professional Development in a Pandemic - Part 1

Ascendium supported the University of Wisconsin System with a grant to help students increase completion of math gateway courses. This article is the first in a two-part series that details the University of Wisconsin System Math Initiative’s development of instructional strategies to remove remote learning barriers to student success in gateway mathematics courses.

A Virtual Culture of Care

As part of the Caring Campus Initiative, supported by Ascendium, coaches from the Institute for Evidence-Based Change helped staff at several community colleges introduce small changes in their behavior to foster better connections with students. Supporters of the initiative believe that human connection between faculty, staff and students is the ultimate retention tool.

Biden Postsecondary Education Proposals Raise Profile of Evidence-Based Reform Strategies

A Biden Administration proposal includes $62 billion to invest in evidence-based strategies that increase retention and completion rates at institutions serving students from communities most underrepresented in postsecondary education. This focus on proven strategies targeting underrepresented learners closely parallels Ascendium’s strategy and mission to improve education and career outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds.

Starting this Month, Find Ascendium Education Philanthropy News and Info on Social @AscendiumEP

Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy is now on social media — find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Now you’ll be able to connect, share and converse with us on social media channels we’ve established just for our education philanthropy. These channels will be focused exclusively on initiatives we’re backing, the work of our amazing grant partners and other topics of interest to the field.

To Improve Student Retention, IEBC’s Initiative Aims to Create More Caring Campuses

Ascendium is supporting the implementation and evaluation of Caring Campus, an initiative of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change that works with college staff and faculty to build a culture of connectedness to increase learner success.