At the Education Commission of the States National Forum on Education Policy, Ithaka S+R’s Martin Kurzweil will participate in a moderated panel discussion on holistic solutions for mobile postsecondary students. The panel will use a framework for holistic credit mobility to guide a conversation with speakers from Ohio and South Carolina, both of which are part of a new community of practice on credit mobility and/or were featured in a recent research case study highlighting promising policy, practices, and…
Past Events
Catharine Bond Hill, John B. King, Jr. and David Brooks at the ATI Presidential Summit
Student Veteran Pathways Through Admissions to Enrollment
Service2School VetLink Summit
Ithaka S+R’s Michael Fried will be facilitating a panel at the VetLink Summit in Washington DC on July 11, 2025. Fried will lead a discussion of the major decision points student veterans make during their transition from service to higher education featuring representatives from three American Talent Initiative member institutions. RSVP for the summit here.
Bridging Justice: Legal Information Support for the Incarcerated
ALA Annual Conference
Tammy Ortiz of Ithaka S+R will be at the American Libraries Association’s (ALA) Annual Conference to present their research on the importance of accessibility to legal information for incarcerated people. Tammy’s presentation will take place on Monday, June 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM EDT.
Tracking the COVID Class
How Cohort-Based Interventions Distinguished the College Journey for First-Generation Limited-Income Students Entering Fall 2020
At the 2025 NASPA Conference on Student Success in Higher Education on June 30 at 10:10am, Ithaka S+R’s Ifeatu Oliobi will join Gail Gibson, Kristen Glasener, and Shakima Clency of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, as well as Carlota Deseda-Coon of Syracuse University, in a session sharing how cohort-based support distinguished the experience for first-generation limited-income students through the Kessler Scholars Collaborative. Learn more about the session.
Developing College Fluency
Strategies for Supporting Student Navigation and Success
At the NASPA Conference on Student Success in Higher Education, Melissa Blankstein, Elmira Jangjou, and jean amaral will lead a session on college fluency, sharing insights from Ithaka S+R work. “For me the college is just so big…you get bounced back and forth…you get lost in bureaucracy.” Most of us have heard similar stories from our students as most may not know what programs and assistance are available nor how to access them, impacting their well-being and academic success.
Turning the Page: The Role of Libraries in Re-entry
ALA Annual Conference
At the American Library Association’s (ALA) Annual Conference, Ithaka S+R’s Tammy Ortiz will be presenting their research on the impact that access to libraries have on incarcerated individuals and their re-entry outcomes. This session will take place on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM EDT.
National Association of College and University Attorneys Conference
At the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) annual conference in June 2025, Ithaka S+R’s Catharine Bond Hill will speak at a featured session alongside Timothy Lynch, the Vice President and General Counsel at the University of Michigan. The session is scheduled for 11:00am-12:30pm PT on June 23, 2025. See the full schedule to learn more.
From Debt to Degrees
Strategies Drive Re-Enrollment
Join us on June 12, 1 pm CST for “From Debt to Degrees: Strategies Drive Re-Enrollment,” a webinar covering actionable strategies to tackle institutional debt and transcript holds while creating pathways for adult learners to successfully return and complete their degrees. Discover what’s working—from debt forgiveness to success coaching—with insights from ReUp Education, Ithaka S+R, and Ohio’s innovative College Comeback Compact. Panelists include Brittany Pearce (Ithaka S+R) and Ben Shoemaker (ReUp). Register to join the webinar.
Creating Sustainable Data Infrastructure
Collection & Reporting
Ithaka S+R’s Alex Monday will be participating in a talk at Aligning Efforts: Navigating the Intersection of Student Services and Prison Education Agenda, hosted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) in Washington DC. The question of data collection and data reporting for prison education programs is complex. This conversation will explore what data should be collected, how that data can be consolidated and analyzed, and mechanisms for data sharing. In conversation with Alex Monday, Donna…
AI Summit 2025
Ithaka S+R’s Claire Baytas will speak at the University of Baltimore’s AI Summit 2025, which offers an in-depth exploration of artificial intelligence’s transformative impact across sectors, with a particular focus on workforce development, educational adaptation, and responsible innovation. Learn more about the event, scheduled for June 3, 2025.
The Chronicle’s Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs
As a bridge between administration and faculty, department chairs have one of the toughest jobs on campus. Research experts at Ithaka S+R will join experienced academic leaders at Dever Justice LLC in a program hosted by the Chronicle of Higher Education that will help guide new and experienced chairs through the challenges and transformative opportunities of their role. This series has been enhanced to improve the participant experience through greater scheduling flexibility and a more dynamic program format. This program…
Civil Discourse as Pedagogy
Managing Divided Classrooms
At the National Council for Faculty Senate’s annual convening, Ioana Hulbert will lead a session on civil discourse as pedagogy and managing divided classrooms, sharing insights from Ithaka S+R research on civic education and engagement. The session will take place on May 30, 2025 at 10:30am.
Addressing Enrollment Barriers for Students with Some College, No Degree
Data, Policies, and Solutions
At the Statewide Some College, No Degree Virtual Convening, hosted by the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, Toni-Anne Richards, Jonathan Barefield, and Christy McDaniel will present preliminary data from a collaborative research project between NJ OSHE and Ithaka S+R to help better understand the challenges students and institutions face when students with SCND have past due balances and want to enroll. The event will take place on May 29, 2025 at 10:45am.
Open Codes, Open Minds
Navigating AI and Open Education in College Instruction
At the Cal Poly Humboldt Library Innovation Summit, focused on “Digital Humanities, Polytechnics, & AI,” Ithaka S+R’s Mark McBride will present a hybrid Zoom session on navigating AI and open education in college instruction. The session will take place at 10am on Wednesday April 30, 2025. See the full schedule for more details.
Terrain Leveling
Design Strategies for Improving Higher Education in Prison
With support from Ascendium Education Group, Ithaka S+R and Ennead Lab have examined how educational spaces in prison impact the teaching and learning experience and developed actionable strategies for integrating educational best practices into the redesign of these spaces. Join us for a webinar on April 16, 2025 at 2:00-3:00pm ET as we speak with experts in the field about their experiences with college education in prison, the challenges they navigated, and how architects, designers, and educational leaders can…
Building Data Collection and Evaluation Capacity for Higher Education in Prison Programs
This session at the National Conference on Higher Education in Prison will explore the challenges and opportunities related to building data collection capacity in higher education in prison programs, focusing on Pell compliance and tracking student success. Participants will develop a framework for data collection and engage in an interactive exercise to identify and solve data-related challenges in their own programs. The session is scheduled for April 11 at 10:25-10:50AM CST.
Bridging the Digital Divide in Prisons
Access to technology in prison education is essential for preparing people who are incarcerated for today’s workforce—but for many, digital tools remain out of reach. On Wednesday, April 9 at 1pm ET, the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement will host a LinkedIn Live discussion on the impact of limited technology access in prison education programs and the solutions that can drive better outcomes, featuring Ithaka S+R’s Ess Pokornowski. Hear insights from researchers and people who have experienced these…
Modernizing Credit Mobility in Support of Postsecondary Access & Achievement
As students navigate increasingly complex educational journeys, retaining the value of their credits and credentials remains a persistent challenge. Lost credits and inefficient pathways can derail student progress and drive up costs. However, new technologies, data-driven solutions, and AI-powered tools are changing the way institutions approach evaluating and recognizing credit for prior learning, and the information and resources that students can use to plan their route to a degree through multiple institutions. At the ASU-GSV Summit on April 8…
Cave Canem Presents Magnitude & Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts Organizations
Cave Canem has been engaged in a study which explores the organizational needs, strategies, and models that enable Black literary organizations to thrive despite adverse socioeconomic conditions. The learning gained from the operations, programming, strategic planning, and leadership of such organizations is discussed in its historical and cultural context by literary powerhouses and leaders in literary arts administration. At AWP Conference & Bookfair on Friday, March 28 at 1:45-3:00 PM PT, Ithaka S+R’s Mark McBride will join Clint Smith,…
Supporting College Readiness
How Public and Academic Libraries Can Foster College Literacy and Fluency
How are students supposed to know where to start when applying to college? Once they arrive, how do they continue navigating complex institutional systems and advocating for themselves? For many students—especially first-generation students, English language learners, and adult learners—higher education can feel like an overwhelming maze of unfamiliar terminology, decentralized services, and bureaucratic roadblocks. Without clear guidance, students may struggle to access the support they need, impacting their ability to enroll, persist, and succeed in college. Join us for…