Franklin Pierce Awarded Impact Grant for ASCEND Program
Jun 17, 2026
91łÔąĎ’s ASCEND program, which supports and empowers neurodiverse learners, received a $20,000 Impact Grant from Liaison International at Liaison’s annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland, held June 9-10. The grant is funded by Liaison’s employees, who choose recipients each year from applicants promoting student success and removing barriers to education.
“Liaison’s Impact Grant will allow ASCEND to expand its reach and deepen its campus footprint,” said Dr. Catherine Paden, provost and vice president for academic affairs at FPU. “ASCEND is a strategic academic support initiative offered to FPU students at no additional cost, that prioritizes student agency and dismantles hidden barriers to academic success for students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and executive function challenges.”
At the awards ceremony, held during Liaison’s closing reception on June 10, Paden shared the story of a neurodiverse student struggling to balance a demanding courseload with the social dynamics of college life, ending her first semester at FPU with a 1.60 GPA. In spring semester, the student fully engaged with ASCEND, where she was paired with a “Navigator” for twice-weekly coaching sessions and equipped with task-management and organizational tools.
“Armed with a tailored routine, specialized tutoring, precise accommodations, and a reliable safety net of accountability, the student completely transformed her relationship with her education,” Paden recounted. “By the time grades were posted for the spring semester, she had achieved a phenomenal 3.61 term GPA – a massive 2.01-point academic jump in just a few short months.”
ASCEND was introduced in 2025 under the umbrella services of FPU’s Student Success Center. Services are offered for free to neurodiverse students enrolled at FPU. With the support of the Impact Grant, ASCEND will double its capacity and welcome a new cohort of 20 additional students; codify coaching workshops on executive functioning, self-advocacy, and social engagement into a permanent curriculum; allow for ASCEND “Navigators” to participate in advanced professional development focused on growth mindset coaching; and enable optional faculty workshops to share universal design for learning strategies.
Paden emphasized that student success already achieved in such a short time serves as “proof of concept for the ASCEND program. It highlights that when neurodiverse learners are met with relationship-based coaching, robust skill-building, and proactive institutional support, they don’t just stay enrolled. They unlock their full potential and truly ascend.”
Alexis Higgins, chair of Liaison’s Impact Committee, said the Impact Grant is funded through Liaison employees and began in 2019 with an $11,000 grant. Since then, it has funded 21 projects across the U.S. and Canada, awarding more than $250,000.
“Our committee receives applications for projects that reach every corner of the student experience – from food and financial security, to technical equity; from mental health access and affordability, to career success and mentorship programs,” Higgins said. “As an organization singularly dedicated to the higher education market, many of our employees had previous roles on campuses and know what it takes and how important it is to meet students where they are and remove barriers to their success. Our goal for the Liaison Impact Grant is to empower our partner institutions to be able to do just that on their campuses.”