In recent decades, low-income students have applied to and started attending college in greater numbers than ever before. But even as the college-attendance gap between rich and poor has shrunk, the gap in the number of college graduates has grown. How can we keep closing the first gap, and begin to address the second? In this episode, Jim McCorkell talks about College Possible's flagship initiative—an intensive curriculum of coaching and support to help low-income students enroll in college—as well as the newer Catalyze Program, which supports student persistence and success directly on college campuses. Recorded July 11, 2019 Episode Notes Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Infographic on rural colleges and universities Education Deserts: The Continued Significance of "Place" in the Twenty-First Century Nicholas Hillman and Taylor Weichman, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Identifying Predictors of Credential Completion Among Beginning Community College Students Jonathan Turk, ACE A Look at Five Key Outcomes in Early Adulthood for Associate Degree Earners Jonathan Turk, ACE AmeriCorps Posse Foundation College Board Environmental Context Dashboard From the introduction: Alaska's University System Faces Its Fate The Chronicle of Higher Education (July 15, 2019) ACE Letter to Alaska Legislature on Proposed Cuts to the State's Higher Education Budget ABOUT THE SHOW Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major issue impacting college campuses and students across the country. Hosts from ACE are joined by guest experts to lead you through thought-provoking conversations on topics such as campus free speech, diversity in admissions, college costs and affordability, and more. Listen to all episodes of the podcast here. Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or email podcast@acenet.edu. HOSTS Lorelle Espinosa is ACE's vice president for research, where she is responsible for developing the association's thought leadership and research agenda. Jon Fansmith represents ACE and its members on issues related to the federal budget and appropriations process, with a particular focus on student aid. Podcast produced by the American Council on Education.