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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

Resource Library

Sharing knowledge is at the heart of our mission. Explore Ascendium’s growing library of publications that examine the complex challenges facing postsecondary learners, and how we’re helping our partners address them.

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introducing nations rural serving

Introducing Our Nation’s Rural-Serving Postsecondary Institutions

January 2022
To complement their rural-serving institutions (RSIs) data tool, the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) also released a report detailing their process and findings. The report uses ARRC’s new metric to identify over one thousand RSIs, providing insights on these institutions, their learners and the communities they serve.
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Rural Matters

Mapping Postsecondary Providers with Nicholas Hillman (Part VIII)

December 2021
The final segment of an eight-part Rural Matters podcast series, sponsored by Ascendium, features the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Nicholas Hillman and his colleagues at the Student Success Through Applied Research Lab. Hillman discusses his current research efforts and goals to map rural-located postsecondary providers, providing a deeper understanding of rural institutions and learners.
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Rural Matters

Building Transfer and Career Pathways with Erica Orians and Lia Wetzstein (Part VII)

November 2021
Building transfer and career pathways for rural learners is a key issue for rural communities. The seventh in an eight-part podcast series from Rural Matters, sponsored by Ascendium, features discussions with two experts. This episode covers a range of topics from important issues in transferring between colleges, lessons learned from the COVID-19 health crisis, a STEM transfer partnership project and ideas on improving rural student transfer success.
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Rural Matters

Postsecondary Partnerships in Rural America with Sheila Martin, Dakota Pawlicki, and Gretchen Schmidt (Part VI)

November 2021
This episode is the sixth in an eight-part podcast series from Rural Matters and sponsored by Ascendium. It features discussions with three expert guests on the challenges and opportunities involved in building and sustaining postsecondary partnerships in rural America.
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SSTF Resource Library

Strong Start to Finish Knowledge Center

October 2021
The Strong Start to Finish (SSTF) Knowledge Center is a clearinghouse of research and resources from those in the SSTF network, intended for all institutions and systems interested in implementing developmental education reforms. Resources can be searched by keyword, sorted by format and filtered by topic. SSTF is supported by Ascendium, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.
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Rural Matters

Rural Research Initiatives with Danielle Vetter, Kirstin Yeado, Emily Cole, and Allen Pratt (Part V)

October 2021
This episode is the fifth in an eight-part podcast series from Rural Matters and sponsored by Ascendium. It features discussion on a new rural postsecondary education research agenda with program officers from Ascendium, along with representatives from Sova and the National Rural Education Association (NREA).
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Rural LISC

Rural Works Highlights Report

September 2021
The Rural Works initiative, supported by Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), focuses on the alignment of systems to help rural workforce stakeholders overcome barriers. With funding from Ascendium, Rural LISC has used the framework to engage postsecondary education and workforce partnerships over the past year, highlighting their initial successes in this new report.
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BRIDGES Rural Design Insights, PART 1: Understanding the Potential of Rural Community College Learners

July 2021
Education Design Lab received funding from Ascendium to complete a three-year design challenge aimed at developing transformative new models that improve education and career outcomes for rural learners and their communities. This brief offers insights used to develop new models for rural community colleges to serve as critical economic growth engines. Education Design Lab's efforts are supported by Ascendium in line with our focus area to support rural postsecondary education and workforce training.
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Rural Community College Leader Series

July 2021
The COVID-19 health crisis hit rural community colleges hard, but leadership at those institutions quickly began to focus on solutions. The Rural Leader Learning Community, created by the National Center for Inquiry & Improvement and funded by Ascendium, developed a series of briefs that explore how rural community colleges can best support learners from low-income backgrounds after the COVID-19 health crisis.
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Rural Matters

Rural Higher Education & Student Voice with Meghan McCann, Desiree Jones-Smith, William Hendon and Matthew Vishino (Part II)

June 2021
The second in an eight-part series from Rural Matters and sponsored by Ascendium, this episode includes discussion on how to best support rural learners using insight gained from a recent Education Commission of the States report and through the Aspen Rural Community College Success Initiative. Two community college students also share how postsecondary education has transformed their lives.
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Rural Matters

Rural Community Colleges with Lisa Larson, Chad Brown, Angel Reyna and Jay Falker (Part I)

June 2021
The first in an eight-part podcast series from Rural Matters and sponsored by Ascendium, this episode features four rural community college leaders. Each share their experiences of focusing on student success and the integral role community colleges play in rural regional economic success.
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Perceptions of Postsecondary Education and Training in Rural Areas

Perceptions of Postsecondary Education and Training in Rural Areas

June 2021
This Education Commission of the States report, in partnership with Strada Education Network and Gallup and funded by Ascendium, provides a greater awareness and deeper understanding of how rural residents perceive postsecondary education and training, particularly in light of the COVID-19 health crisis.
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