Governing Board Equity in Student Success Project

Achieving equitable student success outcomes in Kentucky.

The John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (Gardner Institute) received a $2.1 million grant in January 2021 from Ascendium Education Group to develop and launch the Governing Board Equity in Student Success Project. The effort will be developed and delivered in partnership with AGB over three and a half years. The grant funds development of a Governing Equity in Student Success Academy, as well as deeper data mining and analysis to inform equity-focused work with a select number of institutions.

The Academy will provide professional development and learning experiences for those leaders who serve as governing board members of America’s colleges and universities. The overall goal is to ensure that our nation’s trustees have a greater awareness of the challenges, opportunities, and strategies that colleges face in achieving equitable student success outcomes, including retention, graduation, and post-college employment.

This demonstration project will occur in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, working in collaboration with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. All postsecondary institutions in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are eligible to participate in the Academy. In addition, up to seven of the institutions participating in the Academy will be selected to participate in deeper retention redesign efforts. Resources and findings from the project will be disseminated widely by AGB and the Gardner Institute to extend the impact of our work.