Welcome to our Partner Profile Series. Each month, we feature insights and perspectives from HR professionals and consultants working with various clients to address today's most pressing issues. 
This month, our spotlight is on Ascendium. Ascendium is a mission-driven nonprofit that invests over $100 million annually to make education and training beyond high school a reality for more learners. Its Attigo suite of solutions includes student loan benefits to help employers address the stress that education debt places on their employees.
I sat down with John Hansen, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Ascendium. For the past 25 years, John has created high-impact partnerships that align with organizational goals in the healthcare, finance, and student loan industries. He is responsible for identifying potential channel partners, finding key intersections where there is opportunity, and managing relationships to ensure mutual success.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and provide an overview of your role and responsibilities at Ascendium®?
I’m currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Attigo® by Ascendium® where I’m responsible for identifying potential channel partners, finding key intersections where there is opportunity, and managing relationships to ensure mutual success. Reach out to me if you have questions about student loan benefits, want to learn more about the different options, or better understand how these programs help employees and employers achieve their goals.
What is Ascendium’s overall mission and vision?
Ascendium is a mission-driven nonprofit that invests over $100 million annually to make education and training beyond high school a reality for more learners. We fund initiatives across the U.S. that help learners from low-income backgrounds achieve upward mobility; provide student and employee success solutions to colleges and businesses; invest in education-focused innovations to improve learner outcomes; and provide information, tools, and counseling to help millions of borrowers successfully repay their federal student loans. While we have many roles, we have one goal — elevating opportunity by creating a world where everyone can rise to their highest potential.
Can you describe the core services and products that Attigo® by Ascendium offers?
Attigo by Ascendium is a suite of solutions to support academic achievement, long-term financial wellness, and student loan repayment success. Through our student loan repayment assistance benefit, employers can make contributions to employees’ student loans or retirement account, reducing employees’ financial stress while improving workplace productivity and affinity. And, through our student loan repayment support benefit, employers can provide online financial education, personalized counseling, and a sophisticated tool to help people manage their highly complex student loans.
How does Ascendium differentiate itself from other organizations in the student loan and financial aid space?
Ascendium is a nonprofit with over 55 years of student loan experience. We’re the nation’s largest student loan guarantor and have earned a reputation of trust through an unmatched knowledge of federal student loan policy, programs, and servicing. Knowledge of the changing policies and programs is critical to providing informed support. Our extraordinary levels of experience and knowledge allow us to stand apart and best meet customers' needs. Equally important is the fact that, unlike our competitors, Ascendium doesn’t report to shareholders, and is not driven by profits. We’re motivated by our values, to support academic achievement, long-term financial wellness, and student loan repayment success.
What are some of the key challenges and opportunities facing the student loan industry today?
It’s a complicated industry with numerous challenges, for sure. The confusion surrounding the federal student loan programs consistently rises to the top and creates havoc for borrowers trying to stay informed. Between the plethora of programs and policies, new and updated legislation, and lawsuits, it’s no exaggeration to say things are changing daily. On the flip side, as the most trusted source for student loan repayment support, it gives us an opportunity to share our wealth of knowledge with our customers, their employees, alums, and members alike.
How is Ascendium addressing these challenges and capitalizing on these opportunities?
We’re addressing these challenges by doing what we’ve always done: by always doing what’s right for the student loan borrower. We do this by staying keenly aware of industry changes and being able to regularly share that knowledge with our customers and borrowers. The best way we can support borrowers is by continuously highlighting the added benefit student loan support brings to the marketplace.
What is Ascendium's approach to strategic partnerships?
It starts with what our customers need, and it goes from there. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive suite of services to meet all our customers' needs. And we’re not afraid to forge new relationships, like this one with PTO Exchange, if it leads to a better set of services for our customers. PTO Exchange is an innovative organization that sees the alignment between our services. They understand the burden that student loan debt places on employees and innately understand how our shared capabilities are perfectly aligned. We employ product integration approaches that make use of the best and most innovative aspects of both organizations – always with the customer in mind.
Follow Ascendium on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, YouTube, or visit its website.
Interested in becoming a partner? Learn more about PTO Exchange's partnership program.
Published on Sep 17, 2024 by Dave Sherman
