ASCEND Podcast
Episodes
S1 - E70 - Expert Session - Dr. Amelia Parnell (NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education)
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Amelia Parnell joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can increase their retenti...
S1 - E69 - 38 points of contact (Support)
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We recognize that it is critical for incoming students to feel supported. Therefore, from the time a student commits to our institution (through the p...
S1 - E68 - Expert Session - Dr. Beth Lingren Clark (University of Minnesota–Twin Cities)
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Beth Lingren-Clark joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can increase their ret...
S1 - E67 - Generation Z and certain jobs (Affordability)
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Generation Z students are highly self-directed, demonstrated by a strong desire to work for themselves, study entrepreneurship, and design their...
S1 - E66 - Expert Session - Dr. Drew Koch (John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education)
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Drew Koch joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share his knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can increase their retention an...
S1 - E65 - Benchmark study of retention rates and completion rates at comparable schools (Data)
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does your institution have a publicized, stated retention goal? Is the goal realistic? Do you have data that supports your ability to achieve or excee...
S1 - E64 - Expert Session - Dr. Terrell Strayhorn (Virginia Union University)
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Terrell Strayhorn joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share his knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can increase their rete...
S1 - E63 - Focus on 5 (Nudges)
13 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many students are figuratively drowning from the weight of their personal lives or scholastic endeavors. They feel lost. They feel alone. They feel ho...
S1 - E62 - Expert Session - Dr. Monica Brockmeyer (Wayne State University)
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Monica Brockmeyer, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Urban Studies and Associate Professor, Department Computer Science at Wayne State University...
S1 - E61 - Academic Affairs and Student Affairs partnership (Culture)
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A healthy campus culture will have a strong partnership between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. This is something that most campuses struggle wi...
S1 - E60 - Expert Session - Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart (Amarillo College)
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, President for Amarillo College, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share his knowledge, wisdom, and insights on h...
S1 - E59 - Campus resources and services document (Support)
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A great way to provide support for staff, faculty, and students is to make them aware of the campus and community resources and services that are avai...
S1 - E58 - Expert Session - Dr. Karnell McConnell-Black (Reed College)
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Karnell “Dr.K” McConnell-Black (he/him) is the vice president for student life at Reed College in Portland, OR. He has over 15+ years of exp...
S1 - E57 - Increase the capability of students to get jobs (Affordability)
23 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) suggests that there is a large gap between the percentage of employers that rate r...
S1 - E56 - Expert Session - Dan Carpenter (Purdue University)
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Carpenter, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Innovation at Purdue University, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share his kn...
S1 - E55 - Creating simple, but useful and inexpensive, homegrown predictive algorithms (Data)
16 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all have a pretty good idea of the data points that signal a student may be less likely to persist or retain. RIGHT?Yet, many campuses have purchas...
S1 - E54 - Expert Session - Dr. Stephanie Foote (John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education)
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Stephanie Foote, Vice President for Teaching, Learning, and Evidence-Based Practices at the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergradu...
S1 - E53 - Nudging certain populations of students (Nudges)
09 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Getting students to do the right thing at the right time can often be a challenge. Therefore, it is vital that we focus our limited time, energy, an...
S1 - E52 - Expert Session - Dr. Jim Hintz (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jim Hintz, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Inclusion, and Belonging at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, joins co-hosts ...
S1 - E51 - Strategy for breaking down silos across campus (Culture)
02 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we share our formula for breaking down silos on campus.One of the key aspects of changing a culture on campus is breaking down the exi...
S1 - E50 - Expert Session - Dr. Dhanfu Elston (Complete College America)
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Dhanfu Elston, Senior Vice President for Strategy and Chief of Staff at Complete College America, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to s...
S1 - E49 - Parent and family services office (Support)
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is important to remember that Generation Z students are much closer with their families and rely heavily on their parents or guardians in their dec...
S1 - E48 - Expert Session - Dr. Paul Dosal (University of Central Florida)
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Paul Dosal, Senior Vice President for Student Success at the University of Central Florida, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share h...
S1 - E47 - Increasing the number of on- and off-campus student jobs (Affordability)
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we have consulted with institutions across the nation, we have found that regardless of the academic reputation or extracurricular experience an in...
S1 - E46 - Expert Session - Dr. Dale Whittaker (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Dale Whittaker, Senior Advisor for Postsecondary Success and Pathways at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and...
S1 - E45 - Second week enrollment census (Data)
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each semester, during the 2nd week of classes, we work with faculty to report on the attendance status of each student. From this exercise we are able...
S1 - E44 - Expert Session - Dr. Tim Renick (National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University)
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Tim Renick, Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success and Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia State University, joins...
S1 - E43 - Praise the positive (Nudges)
04 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our quest to increase persistence and retention, we often spend all our efforts on the “murky middle” (Venit, 2015) or those that we know have ...
S1 - E42 - Expert Session - Dr. Melinda Karp (Phase Two Advisory)
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Melinda Karp, Founder of Phase Two Advisory, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campu...
S1 - E41 - Engaging our more introverted students (Engagement)
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Generally speaking, campus events cater to extroverted students. They are activities that often revolve around large crowds, high intensity activities...
S1 - E40 - Expert Session - Dr. Bernie Savarese (University of Tennessee System)
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Bernie Savarese, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success at the University of Tennessee System, joins co-hosts J...
S1 - E39 - Creating a culture of knowing our students by name, ideally (Culture)
21 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the cultural aspects we believe has had a large impact on increasing the retention and completion rates of our students is getting to know them...
S1 - E38 - Expert Session - Dr. Karen McGregor (Purdue Global)
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Karen McGregor, Executive Director of Student Success at Purdue Global, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, wisdom...
S1 - E37 - Withdrawal coordinator (Support)
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many campuses allow students to withdraw from their institution by simply filling out an online form. Historically this has been our institutional pra...
S1 - E36 - Expert Session - Dr. Blake Nemelka (HCA Healthcare)
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Blake Nemelka, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Clinical Operations at HCA Healthcare's Mountain Division, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets...
S1 - E35 - Removing “holds” as barriers (Affordability)
07 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is very common for colleges and universities to place holds on students’ accounts as a way to ensure that a student complies with a particular re...
S1 - E34 - Expert Session - Dr. Jennifer Latino (Education Advisory Board (EAB))
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jennifer Latino, Senior Director on EAB’s Strategic Advisory Services team, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, ...
S1 - E33 - Launch a "Third-Week Survey" to quickly identify students who are struggling from the start (Data)
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The 3rd week of each semester, we administer a survey to all new incoming students. The purpose of this survey is to check in with students to see how...
S1 - E32 - Expert Session - Carolina Recchi (EdSights)
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carolina Recchi, the co-founder and co-CEO of EdSights, joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, wisdom, and insights on ...
S1 - E31 - Comeback Kid (re-registration) campaign (Nudges)
23 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Course registration seasons are the time of year where the rubber meets the road. This is when you find out if any of your initiatives to increase per...
S1 - E30 - Expert Session - Dr. Neil Burton (Clemson University)
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Neil Burton from Clemson University joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share his knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can i...
S1 - E29 - The bucket list- 50 things to do before you graduate (Engagement)
16 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A simple way to engage students is to create a homegrown bucket list of items each student should do before they graduate. This list provides students...
S1 - E28 - Expert Session - Dr. Leslie Webb (University of Montana)
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Leslie Webb joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share her knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can increase their retention ...
S1 - E27 - Creating a slogan (concept/motto/approach) for campus to rally around (Culture)
09 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the more effective strategies for influencing the culture of an organization is for the leader to create a motto, approach, or concept that the...
S1 - E26 - Peer Mentors (Support)
02 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Peer mentoring programs have become all the rage in higher education. It seems like every campus has implemented a peer mentoring program as the resea...
S1 - E25 - Expert Session - Dr. Rick Sluder (Middle Tennessee State University)
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick Sluder joins co-hosts Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby to share his knowledge, wisdom, and insights on how campuses can increase their retention ...
S1 - E24 - Recruit-back campaigns (Affordability)
26 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In most instances, colleges spend a significant amount of time, energy, and resources on recruiting a new student to campus. But how many colleges spe...
S1 - E23 - Pre-arrival survey to identify at-risk behaviors and red flags before students show up on campus (Data)
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In addition to demographic data that institutions capture on students through the application process, we were interested in learning more about stu...
S1 - E22 - Appointment reminders and follow-up for no-shows (Nudges)
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Students are often not the best at placing things in their calendars. As a result, we implemented a text and email reminder system for all our stude...
S1 - E21 - New student handbooks (Engagement)
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To further help students prepare for the transition between high school and college, and to be ready to fully engage with our campus culture, schools ...
S1 - E20 - Keep on Raging!
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have received a number of emails from our listeners asking us why we end our podcast with the phrase, "Keep on raging!" Well, this podc...
S1 - E19 - The role and necessity of a Chief Retention Officer (Culture)
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have found that institutions that have the greatest success typically have a single person who spends the majority of their job thinking about, wor...
S1 - E18 - Holistic Academic Advising (Support)
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years there has been a movement in higher education to shift the role and responsibilities of academic advisors. Gone are the days of a sing...
S1 - E17 - Financial Literacy Specialists (Affordability)
05 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Because finances are a major barrier for so many students to stay enrolled in college, we recommend that institutions hire a full-time Financial Liter...
S1 - E16 - Retention rates by existing data points (Data)
29 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Because campuses are limited in their resources (time, energy, human capital, etc.) it is important to focus on those students who need us most, when ...
S1 - E15 - "Need to be needed" campaigns (Nudges)
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you get students who do not want to meet with you, or who do not want to get involved, to actually meet with you or get involved? You make them...
S1 - E14 - Teaching social skills (Engagement)
15 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the obstacles we have found with students engaging on campus is that Generation Z students often do not know how to socially interact with thei...
S1 - E13 - Getting everyone on the same page (Culture)
08 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we discussed in a previous episode, it is so important for a campus to all be on the same page when it comes to working toward a retention or compl...
S1 - E12 - Focus on the basics (Support)
01 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Too often we overcomplicate retention efforts. In many instances, we feel that we need a large, expensive, and complicated program before we will ever...
S1 - E11 - Teaching financial literacy (Affordability)
25 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many college students are concerned about finances, debt, and jobs. Notwithstanding this concern, college students often lack the knowledge, experienc...
S1 - E10 - Conducting a study to find out why students leave your institution (Data)
18 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We all have hunches as to why students withdraw based on our own experiences and conversations, but do we have actual data to back our beliefs? We wa...
S1 - E9 - Weekly campaigns during the first ten weeks (Nudges)
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The research is very clear when it comes to the short window colleges and universities have to “seal the deal” with new students. Typically, stude...
S1 - E8 - Interest-based Groups (Engagement)
04 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In many situations students arrive on campus without knowing another student. This can be a real challenge for many, and if not given opportunities to...
S1 - E7 - Shifting the Culture on Campus (Culture)
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Changing the culture of a campus to be more student-centered can be a monumental task. But, it is absolutely essential if you are hoping to make signi...
S1 - E6 - Step-down scholarships and extending the duration of scholarships (Affordability)
20 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A significant pressure for many new students comes from having to maintain a high-enough GPA in order to keep their scholarships. Most new students ...
S1 - E5 - Student Success Team (Support)
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of the first (and most important) things you must do to improve retention and completion on your campus is to assemble a Student Success Team. T...
S1 - E4 - What has worked in improving retention and graduation rates?
06 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After years of trying everything outlined in the literature and still experiencing many years of stagnant retention rates at our institution, it was c...
S1 - E3 - Why haven't previous retention efforts worked?
30 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many colleges and universities have spent countless time, energy, and resources trying to increase their retention and graduation rates. Unfortunately...
S1 - E2 - Why the focus on retention?
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are a number of good reasons why colleges and universities must focus a significant amount of time, energy, effort, and resources on retention, ...
S1 - E1 - Introducing the ASCEND Podcast
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing the ASCEND podcast, where Dr. Jared Tippets and Dr. Eric Kirby share practical and proven strategies for increasing student retention, com...