Kennesaw State University has expanded its Campus Awareness, Resource, & Empowerment (CARE) Services to assist students facing challenges such as food insecurity and homelessness. CARE Services, established in 2011, offers temporary housing, access to food through the CARE Pantry, emergency financial assistance, additional resources and supports, and the ASCEND Program for students who have experienced homelessness or foster care during high school.
The success of these initiatives has led Kennesaw State to share its model with other institutions via the ASCEND Center. The center provides consulting services and training to colleges and universities seeking to better identify and support homeless students or those needing basic needs assistance. According to Lauren Padgett, director of CARE Services, “While an increasing number of colleges and universities have embraced the call to meet students’ basic needs, what was missing is practical, hands-on training from experienced practitioners to move campuses from awareness to fully realized action.”
The ASCEND Center delivers program evaluation and four levels of training aimed at improving college access, retention, progression, and graduation rates among vulnerable student populations. So far, staff from more than 40 colleges and universities—including 17 University System of Georgia (USG) institutions—have participated in ASCEND trainings. Additionally, a donation from the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger/Zero Waste Foundation enabled ASCEND to train staff at nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities on managing campus food pantries.
Steven Fazenbaker leads Georgia Tech’s STAR Services program—which consolidates various support programs under one banner—and recently consulted with the ASCEND Center about adopting a case management approach for student services. “Everybody in the state knows that Kennesaw State is sort of the crown jewel of these kinds of programs,” Fazenbaker said.
At the University of North Georgia (UNG), which operates volunteer-run food pantries across five campuses since 2016, administrators are working with ASCEND Center guidance on a strategic plan for sustainable pantry operations. Darcy Hayes, UNG’s associate vice-president for well-being said: “We have a solid draft of our strategic plan, have been awarded two graduate assistants to help support the work, and are starting outreach to strengthen partnerships. Working with the ASCEND Center has been helpful. KSU has one of the best models on the East Coast.”
Georgia Gwinnett College is also beginning implementation of a comprehensive CARE-style program on its campus using tools provided by ASCEND Center staff. J.P. Peters, assistant director for student outreach and service at GGC stated: “The ASCEND Center offered us tools that we could replicate easily and adapt to meet the needs of our students at GGC.”
Beyond Georgia institutions, Metropolitan State University of Denver engaged ASCEND Center staff for an external review of its Student Care Center.
To further expand its reach and effectiveness in helping other schools develop similar support systems for students in need, ACCENTURE is providing six months pro bono consulting services focused on strategy refinement and operational improvements at ASCEND Center. Padgett commented: “Accenture is working with the ASCEND Center to craft strategy and marketing assets to help the center reach more potential clients and thereby help more students… Leveraging our nonprofit consulting expertise we aim to guide strategy refinement data analysis operationalize processes.”
