ASCEND Podcast

In this episode, we visited with Nii Kpakpo Abrahams to explore how Butler University is strengthening student success by investing in one of its most powerful assets, faculty. The conversation challenges common misconceptions and highlights how institutions can encourage, empower, and equip faculty to play a central role in retention, especially for first-year students. Through initiatives like f...

In this episode, we explore how proactive academic advising can play a critical role in retaining students who struggle in their first semester. Drawing on the work at Idaho State University, the conversation highlights how early identification, personalized advising, and intentional follow-up can help students on Academic Warning regain confidence and momentum. We discuss the importance of meetin...

In episode 20, we had a fun conversation with Dr. Anna Newsome Holcomb and Rick Clark from Georgia Institute of Technology where we explored how Georgia Tech is building a networked approach to student success by aligning access, retention, and academic support for high-priority student populations. The conversation examines how cross-campus collaboration, data-informed strategy, and new leadershi...

In this episode, we examine how clearer curricular pathways can improve transfer student success and reduce one of higher education’s most persistent barriers, credit loss. Featuring insights from experts at the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, the conversation explores how faculty and staff can work together to analyze curriculum design, identify unnecessary complexit...

In this episode, we explore the art and science of helping students use the support services available to them. Drawing on the work of Joe Cuseo, the conversation focuses on how faculty and staff can make referrals more effective by listening carefully, explaining resources clearly, personalizing connections, and reducing the barriers that often keep students from seeking help. Rather than simply...

In this episode, we explore the New Vol Experience at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, an innovative approach to supporting first-year student transition and success. This program guides new students through a multi-phase onboarding journey, from online orientation and academic advising to the six-week Big Orange Welcome experience and a first-year success course. The conversation highlight...

In this episode, we explore Purdue Global’s Best in Class Basic Needs Support Badging Program , an innovative approach to building a campus-wide culture of care for students facing non-academic challenges. Designed for a large population of working adult learners, the program empowers faculty and staff to identify students struggling with issues such as food insecurity, housing instability, and ot...

What do you do when you know a First-Year Experience course improves student success, but you don’t have the funding or institutional support to build one? In this episode, we explore an innovative workaround born from a simple idea: Thor’s Hammer of Knowledge. This conversation covers how Susan Merrill and colleagues from Southern Utah University highlights created a low-cost workshop series desi...

What happens when financial literacy moves beyond theory and into honest, student-centered conversations? In this episode, we visit with Dr. Alexei M. Marquez and Fred Huang from the University of Arizona about how their “Practical? Possible? Sustainable?” model is transforming financial wellness for first-generation and underrepresented students. By demystifying financial aid, surfacing the real...

How can career centers use data to design programming that students actually need and attend? In this episode, Jon Ambrose from the University of Oregon Career Center walks through a data-informed approach to evaluating past programs, tracking student engagement, and leveraging platforms like Handshake and labor market insights to shape future initiatives. From boosting survey response rates to la...

Transfer students often face unique academic challenges that can go unnoticed in traditional retention efforts. In this episode, Dr. Anna Newsome Holcomb and Dr. Brian Garsh from Georgia Tech share how a redesigned midterm early-alert initiative uses timely data, targeted outreach, and transfer-specific support to identify academic risk and promote student success. Learn how Midterm Progress Repor...

In this episode, we discuss the  “Long Night Against Procrastination"  event, a practical and student-centered approach to tackling one of the most common academic challenges. Drawing on experience from a small liberal arts college, the conversation explores how a single, well-timed evening in the library evolved into a campus-wide tradition supporting hundreds of students at a critical point...

Building a culture of student success doesn’t happen by chance, it requires focus, discipline, and shared accountability. In this episode, we explore how National University uses Quarterly Operating Reviews (QORs) as a powerful, and often overlooked, culture-building practice. Based on the their write-up in ASCEND To Higher Retention Rates (Vol. 3),  “The Unlikely Culture Builder: Using Operating...

In this episode, we explore how Moore College of Art & Design is improving student retention through a deeply intentional, holistic support model. Dr. Joshua Wilkin, Dean of Students, shares how Moore’s multipronged approach (spanning academic early alerts, mental health services, and financial wellness initiatives) has strengthened student success and belonging at a small, mission-driven inst...

College affordability doesn’t end with tuition, and for many students, hidden financial barriers can be the difference between stopping out and graduating. In this episode, we explore how financial gaps, aid complexity, and basic needs insecurity impact student retention, particularly for Pell-eligible and first-generation students. Leaders from the University of South Carolina share a suite of in...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kris Bliss from Indiana Tech University to explore what it truly means to take a holistic view of students, and why breaking down data silos is essential to student success. Drawing on her experience, the conversation highlights how centralized student information, collaborative data practices, and both qualitative and quantitative insights can enable earlier,...

In this episode we visit with Dr. Solomon Tention, Assistant Professor of Advanced Studies, Research, & Leadership at Morgan State University. We talk about how intentional outreach and proactive advising can bring stopped-out students back to the finish line. Through Project Graduate , a targeted “nudge” campaign at a large Texas community college, leaders re-engaged former students who were...

In this episode, Eric Kirby visits with Dr. Brian Garsh to explore how institutions can strengthen student belonging and retention through intentional, cross-functional design. Using Kennesaw State University’s FLIGHT: Class-Year Connections Program as a case study, the conversation unpacks why the first year matters so deeply, how academic and social integration shape persistence, and what it loo...

In this episode, we explore the transformative journey of the College of Western Idaho’s Enrollment & Student Services division as it embraced a unifying mantra: One Student at a Time . When rapid growth left staff searching for clarity, direction, and a deeper connection to their work, new leadership introduced a philosophy that centered on individualized student care, equity, and the belief...

This episode features Dr. Amber Williams, Vice Provost for Student Success at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who shares how the university’s Vol Success Teams have transformed support for first-year and transfer scholars. Launched in 2020, this holistic model unites advisors, One Stop counselors, Academic Coaches, peer mentors, and faculty to provide personalized, wraparound guidance. The...

For episode 2, Jared talks with Joel Spiess of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee about his powerful contribution to Volume 3, “Scholarships as Strategy.” Joel shares how UWM transformed scholarships from scattered, last-minute awards into a unified, institution-wide strategy that boosts recruitment, retention, and student success. From reshaping timelines and centralizing processes to driving...

It's great to be back for season 3 of the ASCEND Podcast!  Thanks for listening!

In this episode, we talk about the remaining ideas and strategies in the DATA chapter of the book.  Tune in to learn about a number of strategies for capturing data and using it to help students on your campus and increase retention rates!

In this episode, we talk about the remaining ideas and strategies in the NUDGES chapter of the book.  Tune in to learn about a number of strategies for nudging students on your campus and increasing retention rates!

In this episode, we talk about the remaining ideas and strategies in the ENGAGEMENT chapter of the book.  Tune in to learn about a number of strategies for engaging students on your campus and increasing retention rates!