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.
Past Events
Catharine Bond Hill, John B. King, Jr. and David Brooks at the ATI Presidential Summit
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…
Faculty Members’ Perceptions of the Impact of Unionization on Shared Governance
Catharine Bond Hill will participate in a panel at the National Center’s 52nd annual national conference, which will focus on Unity in Defense of Higher Education and Collective Bargaining. The session, titled “Faculty Members’ Perceptions of the Impact of Unionization on Shared Governance,” will take place on Monday, March 24 at 3:30-5:00pm ET. Panelists include Brian Rossman, Ernesto Longa, Rotua Lumbantobing, and Catharine Bond Hill. Learn more about the session.
AI and Science: The Big Picture
We are just at the beginning of the artificial intelligence revolution. How will AI change the practice of science? What will this mean for how research is communicated? At the 2025 National Academy of Sciences Journal Summit on March 20 at 9am-10:15am ET, Ithaka S+R’s Roger Schonfeld will join Columbia University Executive Vice President for Research Jeannette Wing in a discussion of the current state and future of AI and science.
Conducting a Higher Education in Prison Needs Analysis
Varied Approaches and Perspectives
Join the New England Board of Higher Education’s New England Prison Education Collaborative on March 19 at 3pm ET for a virtual workshop on “Conducting a Higher Education in Prison Needs Analysis: Varied Approaches and Perspectives.” This workshop aims to equip such stakeholders as departments of corrections, state higher education executive officers, and program providers with the tools and knowledge needed to conduct a needs analysis and gauge barriers to increasing access to higher education in prison and student…
Using Lasso Regression to Examine Vertical Transfer Paths and Predict Student Success
At the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) 50th Anniversary Conference, Martin Kurzweil, Lexa Logue, David Wutchiett, and Colin Chellman will give a presentation of research using lasso regression to address multicollinearity and interaction effects in estimating graduation and academic outcomes for students transferring from community colleges to bachelor’s colleges. The session will be held on March 15 at 1:45-3:15pm ET.
Understanding Researcher Needs and Challenges
Findings from a Qualitative Study on Research Data Services
In the past few decades, partnerships between libraries and other campus units have become important contributors to sustaining the growth of the research enterprise at higher-education institutions across the globe. Providing cross-campus research support services, these partnerships are essential for helping researchers navigate the increasingly complex world of research data management and for developing connective infrastructure to effectively support researchers. To better understand effective strategies for research data services delivery at North American research universities, Ithaka S+R, in collaboration with…
Using Technology to Shine a Light on College Transfer Data
Students now earn college credit from many sources—dual enrollment, exams, work experience, and attendance at multiple colleges—throughout their education. However, institutions often struggle to accept this multisource and nonlinear transfer of credit, creating barriers that cost students time, money, and deepen inequities. At the SXSW EDU 2025 Conference, Emily Tichenor will join Brandon Felder, Kristin Brooks, and Renee Rhodd to explore how institutions in New York and South Carolina are reducing these barriers with credit mobility technology solutions that…
AI & Edu: Sharing Real Classroom Successes & Challenges
SXSW EDU 2025
The AI hype cycle is in full swing. It’s time to do what we do best: share insights to learn from one another. At SXSW EDU 2025, on March 4 at 1:00pm-2:00pm CT, Ithaka S+R’s Dylan Ruediger and ITHAKA’s Zhuo Chen will lead an open discussion about AI usage in the classroom for college and college readiness-focused educators. Participants will exchange real world experiences and evidence about how they’re using AI to successfully, and not so successfully, improve student…
John Dewey 90 Years Later
How Liberal Arts Strengthens Democracy
The value of higher education generally, and a liberal arts education in particular, is viewed with heightened skepticism. While there are many inspiring anecdotes about the value of a liberal education, it is increasingly important for the sector to produce high quality, evidence-based research on the post-graduation outcomes of such an education, and around its civic value in particular. In this session, you will hear from researchers addressing these questions, including Ithaka S+R’s Elizabeth Pisacreta. The session is scheduled…
Transfer Explorer
Education in Motion: Connecting Careers, Community, and Change
At the SCTEA Education in Motion Conference, Ithaka S+R’s Betsy Mueller will introduce participants to Transfer Explorer, a new national credit mobility website hosted by ITHAKA. The website launched in late 2024 in partnership with systems and institutions across Connecticut, South Carolina, New York, and Washington. Transfer Explorer lets students explore how courses and credits they have earned, or may take in the future, will transfer between institutions and count towards a degree. Aiken Technical’s Chad Crumbaker, Horry-Georgetown Technical’s…
Generative AI in Higher Education
Emerging Impacts on Research & Teaching
On Thursday, February 20, Ithaka S+R’s Dylan Ruediger will participate in a virtual panel discussion hosted by the University of Delaware that will be focused on generative AI in higher education and emerging impacts on research and teaching.
44th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience
In this session at the 44th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, Ithaka S+R’s Ifeatu Oliobi will join the Kessler Scholars Collaborative’s Kristen Glasener to present findings from a multi-institutional, mixed methods study that examines how participation in a comprehensive, cohort-based support program influences success outcomes for first-generation, limited-income (FGLI) students. We explore students’ experiences in the Kessler Scholars Program, which supports FGLI college students at 16 institutions through financial aid and robust, evidence-informed programming. Drawing on surveys, focus…
Charting the Way Upward
Preliminary Findings in AI Services and Adoption in Higher Education
In the Summer of 2023, Ithaka S+R launched a research and consulting project, “Making AI Generative for Higher Education” that assists 18 higher education institutions in identifying ways and areas generative AI (GAI) is poised to revolutionize educational practices, yet these areas are not receiving sufficient attention from our institution or the higher education sector at large. This panel discussion, part of NISO Plus Baltimore 2025, aims to explore the preliminary findings of our ongoing project, which investigates…
The Civic Campus
SUNY Public Good U
At SUNY Public Good U on February 8, Ioana Hulbert and Deirdre Harkins will participate in a session sharing insights from an Ithaka S+R report exploring the link between higher education and civic engagement. The session will focus on turning insights from the report into actionable items for campus civic leaders, with an emphasis on how to sustainably and strategically strengthen civic engagement efforts. Specifically, participants will be asked to discuss what assessment needs they want to prioritize, the…
The Landscape of Generative AI in Teaching and Research
For the past two years, universities have been grappling with the implications of Chat-GPT and other tools that have put generative AI into the hands of students and faculty. As libraries and other university units develop policies, programming, and resources to support the ethical adoption of generative AI, they need empirical evidence about how campus communities are using it. In a presentation at Temple University on February 6 at 2pm, Dylan Ruediger will share findings from three major Ithaka…
Institutional Debt, Administrative Holds, and Student Enrollment
In this session at the 2025 Transfer Convening at UNC-Charlotte, the Adult Learner Re-Engagement team, Ithaka S+R’s Liz Looker and Jonathan Barefield, will present findings from research in North Carolina. We partnered with the UNC System Office and individual institutions to conduct mixed methods research on institutional debt and administrative holds for stopped out students in the state. Specifically, we found that the vast majority of stopped out students owe less than $2,000, and that existing hold policies have disproportionately…