News

Learning Communities Bring Together Rural College Leaders

Since early 2020, leaders at rural community colleges have been meeting virtually to discuss ways their institutions could be better prepared to meet the challenges of learners and communities as they emerge from the COVID-19 health crisis. Convened through National Center for Inquiry and Improvement (NCII) and with grant funding from Ascendium, briefs created through the Rural Leader Learning Community remain helpful resources and tools for rural community colleges as they navigate pandemic challenges. Additionally, conversations from the initial learning community have laid the foundation for NCII to convene a new cohort of colleges focused on rural guided pathways implementation.

Read About Our New Team Supporting Incarcerated Learners, Help Us Shape Our Future Communications and More

• Introducing Our New Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison Team
• Help Us Evolve Our Communications
• Informed Self-Placement Engages Students in the College Placement Process, With Encouraging Results

Eight HBCUs Receive Funding to Explore Innovative Partnerships on Improving Mental Health among College Students of Color

The Transformational Partnerships Fund (TPF) awarded $50,000 to eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities to pursue collaborative efforts to improve mental health support for their students. The TPF provides colleges and universities support to explore student-centric partnerships that foster reliable, high-quality educational opportunities for diverse learners.

Informed Self-Placement Engages Students in the College Placement Process, With Encouraging Results

A new report from the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) suggests that Informed Self-Placement (ISP) has the potential to increase the number of students enrolling in and completing college-level math and English courses during their first year. This in turn increases students’ chances of completing their degree.

New Guide Supports Efforts to Better Recognize and Map Military Training to Civilian Credentials

Servicemembers entering postsecondary education or the workforce bring with them considerable knowledge and skills gained from their military experiences. Improving their postsecondary education and training outcomes requires the consistent awarding of prior learning to servicemembers. Read more about our recent support of a project that aims to increase credit mobility for learners from low-income backgrounds, particularly servicemembers and veterans.

Introducing the New Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison Team

Ahead of a vital period for the postsecondary education in prison space, Ascendium has added veteran leadership to support its Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison portfolio. Molly Lasagna joins as senior program officer, and Maryann Rainey is transitioning from our Streamline Key Learner Transitions focus area. The pair will oversee a portfolio that includes Ready for Pell, our two-year initiative designed to support and strengthen postsecondary education in prison programs in advance of the restoration of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated adults, coming in the 2023-24 academic year.

Latest Numbers Show College Student Transfers Continuing Steep Decline

New data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that transfer enrollments continued to decline in spring 2022, two years after the start of the COVID-19 health crisis.

Diverse Group Works to Strengthen Pathways at Michigan Community Colleges

With a grant from Ascendium, leaders from Michigan’s community colleges have been discussing how to build stronger and more equitable pathways to and through workforce programs for learners from low-income backgrounds. Convened by the Michigan Community College Association through its Michigan Center for Student Success, leaders have engaged with others across the state and heard from national experts on strategies guided by evidence-based practices.

Ascendium Gifts $2.5 Million to The Center for Black Excellence and Culture

Ascendium has gifted $2.5 million to The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, becoming the third major donor in The Center’s capital campaign. The Center will inspire, encourage and showcase Black excellence in the Madison, Wisconsin, area and beyond.

We’re Finally Making Progress Supporting Rural Tech – We Can Do So Much More

According to a report from the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), nearly 60% of rural Americans are interested in tech jobs and careers. CORI continues to push for investments in rural America to ensure rural learners have the opportunity for socioeconomic growth in the digital age.