By Jennifer Smith
Ascendium Education Group
Governor Tony Evers honored Northside-based business Ascendium Education Solutions and 13 other individuals, businesses and organizations as recipients of the 2019 Governor’s Financial Literacy Award in a ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol in February.
“Financial literacy training is something we all need throughout our lives from elementary school to the workplace to retirement,” Evers said. “The dedication of these individuals and groups to help the people of Wisconsin become financially secure and achieve their dreams is commendable.”
Ascendium Education Solutions was recognized for College Cost Meter®, part of Ascendium’s Attigo® suite of tools. College Cost Meter is a versatile tool designed to help colleges and universities easily communicate important college cost and financial aid related information to their students. By partnering with Wisconsin schools seeking to comply with WI ACT 284 (student debt letter legislation signed into law in 2016), Ascendium has helped colleges and universities meet their mandate to inform students of their cost of education, cumulative amount of grants received, student loan indebtedness and estimated future monthly payments, total loan cost and financial literacy sources.
Student loan repayment success hinges on students’ understanding of things like how much student debt they have and what an estimated monthly payment could look like. Armed with this knowledge, students are more likely to make wise financial decisions related to their education (e.g., borrowing less, graduating sooner, choosing a different career path, etc.).
“College Cost Meter is one of a suite of tools to help students avoid default and its crippling consequences,” said Beth Erickson, Ascendium’s vice president of repayment solutions. “Our partnership with Wisconsin colleges and universities played a strong role in the successful use of the tool.”
Since 2017, 40 Wisconsin colleges and universities, including Madison College and Edgewood College, have sent nearly 600,000 emails to Wisconsin students through College Cost Meter.
College Cost Meter is part of the Attigo family of student success solutions that also includes: GradReady®, a comprehensive online student success curriculum presenting the topics students need in order to improve persistence and completion; Cohort Catalyst®, a comprehensive repayment support, default prevention and default rehabilitation solution supporting students through outreach, education and counseling; and SmartSessions™, free online learning sessions for schools on a range of financial wellness topics.
“Getting students to and through college is in our corporate DNA, and Attigo is fueled by this belief in the power of higher education to transform lives,” said Ascendium Education Solutions President and CEO Jeff Crosby.
More information on Ascendium Education Solutions’ Attigo product suite is available at attigo.com.