Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) conference in Chicago. My colleagues and I were at AEFP to present on workforce-aligned financial aid, community college transfer, and employer perceptions of online degrees. We were in good company here—scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from around the country are deeply engaging with the challenges that are straining education systems everywhere.

As Ithaka S+R’s managing director, Martin Kurzweil, wrote this month, this is a consequential time in postsecondary education, and while the challenges are great, so are the opportunities. Today’s challenges offer a chance to shape a postsecondary sector that is more responsive to students, more intentional about how students’ education helps them achieve their future goals, and better positioned to deliver long-term economic, social, and civic value. We can work toward a future postsecondary sector that prepares learners from all backgrounds to contribute in myriad ways—to the labor market, to their communities, and to society more broadly.

Ithaka S+R’s work is meeting this moment. Building on a decade or more of research and practice, we recently formed a new program area, Postsecondary Value & Public Trust. This program advances the economic, social, and civic value of postsecondary education through rigorous research and evaluation, strategic consulting, and technical assistance. We partner with state agencies, build networks of institutions, and collaborate with field leaders to improve affordability, strengthen workforce alignment, and maximize value, all key levers in rebuilding public trust in higher education.

I invite you to explore our new webpage for this program area to learn more about our work, where you’ll find our new analysis on how states are (or aren’t) using financial aid to boost enrollment in credentials aligned with workforce needs, along with three new reports examining the employment outcomes of associate and bachelor’s degree graduates in South Carolina. We’re also embarking on new projects to explore the effects of community-college bachelor’s degrees and industry-recognized microcredentials on students’ completion and economic outcomes. In addition, our work on the economic impact of the liberal arts continues through a new project focused on the sustainability and economics of the humanities workforce.

If you share our goal of advancing a postsecondary sector that prepares students not just for their first job in today’s labor market, but for a long, meaningful career and deep community engagement, please feel free to reach out to me at Elizabeth.Pisacreta@ithaka.org.