ASCEND Podcast
Are you ready to ASCEND to new possibilities? In this podcast, Dr. Jared Tippets and Dr. Eric Kirby outline why a focus on retention and completion is so important, why previous retention efforts have not always worked, and discuss how we can successfully "ASCEND" to these great expectations. In each episode, we will share innovative ideas, creative initiatives, and best practices and strategies that campuses have used to achieve amazing results. This podcast has intentionally been produced in a quick-tip, bite-sized format where the listener can quickly find ideas, initiatives, and solutions that can be tried on campus today.
Episodes
185 episodes
S3 - E19 - Dr. Stephanie M. Foote, Dr. Brandon Smith, Dr. Rob Rodier - Toward Transfer Student Success Through a Process to Examine Curricular Pathways (Data)
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 Ex...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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27:54
S3 - E18 - Dr. Joe Cuseo - Nudging Students to Use Support Services: Making Referrals Sensitively and Strategically (Nudges)
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 c...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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24:05
S3 - E17 - Dr. Amber Williams - New Vol Experience (Engagement)
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 jour...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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12:43
S3 - E16 - Dr. Karen McGregor - Best in Class Basic Needs Support Badging Program (Culture)
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 populatio...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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16:05
S3 - E15 - Susan Merrill - Thor’s Hammer of Knowledge: A Case Study in Proactive Connection to Campus Resources (Support)
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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13:44
S3 - E14 - Dr. Alexei M. Marquez and Fred Huang - Practical? Possible? Sustainable?- Transforming Financial Literacy for Student Success at UArizona (Affordability)
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? S...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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25:02
S3 - E13 - Jon Ambrose - Using Data to Enhance Career Services Programming (Data)
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 ...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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21:49
S3 - E12 - Dr. Anna Newsome Holcomb and Brian E. Garsh - Midterm Alert of Academic Risk for Transfer Students (Nudges)
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 initiativ...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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27:01
S3 - E11 - Tom Hicks - Long Night Against Procrastination (Engagement)
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 col...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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13:16
S3 - E10 - President Mark Milliron and Dr. Angela Baldasare - The Unlikely Culture Builder: Using ‘Operating Reviews’ to Drive Student Success (Culture)
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 overl...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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21:41
S3 - E9 - Dr. Joshua Wilkin - Holistic Support Strategies to Improve Retention (Support)
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 acade...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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19:59
S3 - E8 - Dr. Lara Lomicka Anderson and Dr. Shelley Dempsey - Bridging the Financial Gap (Affordability)
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 insecuri...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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31:05
S3 - E7 - Dr. Kris Bliss - Holistic View of Students (Data)
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 c...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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17:17
S3 - E6 - Dr. Solomon Tention - ‘Project Graduate’ Increases the Number of Completers Amongst Community College Students (Nudges)
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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12:17
S3 - E5 - Dr. Brian Garsh - Helping Students Take FLIGHT (Engagement)
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 Pr...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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23:02
S3 - E4 - Featuring Patrick Tanner and Luis Caloca - One Student at a Time (Culture)
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 cla...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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17:05
S3 - E3 - Featuring Dr. Amber Williams - Vol Success Teams (Support)
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. Launch...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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13:03
S3 - E2 - Featuring Joel Spiess - Scholarships as Strategy: Redesigning Processes to Boost Recruitment, Retention, and Outcomes (Affordability)
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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19:26
S3 - E1 - Introducing Season 3 of the ASCEND Podcast
It's great to be back for season 3 of the ASCEND Podcast! Thanks for listening!
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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23:02
S2 - E62 - Data (Data)
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!...
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Season 2
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Episode 62
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13:43
S2 - E61 - Nudges (Nudges)
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!
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Season 2
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Episode 61
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15:58
S2 - E60 - Engagement (Engagement)
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!
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Season 2
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Episode 60
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31:46
S2 - E59 - Culture chapter (Culture)
In this episode, we talk about the remaining ideas and strategies in the Culture chapter of the book. Tune in to learn about a number of strategies for impacting the culture on your campus and increasing retention rates of your students!
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Season 2
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Episode 59
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16:13
S2 - E58 - Support chapter (Support)
In this episode, we talk about the remaining ideas and strategies in the Support chapter of the book. Tune in to learn about a number of strategies for supporting your students and increasing retention rates on campus!
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Season 2
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Episode 58
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32:00
S2 - E57 - Common Bond Dance (Culture)
In this episode, we explore how a simple dance became a powerful tradition that unites first-year students and fosters a sense of belonging from the moment they step on campus. Inspired by Purdue University’s Boiler Gold Rush, our First-Year Ex...
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Season 2
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Episode 57
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12:09