Hosted by Ithaka S+R and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), with support from Lumina Foundation, this webinar will present findings from a new report, State Uses of IPEDS Data: Insights for Strengthening the National Postsecondary Data Infrastructure, on November 21 at 11am-12pm ET. Liam Sweeney (Ithaka S+R) will share results from a national survey and interviews with state higher education agencies exploring how states use the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for accountability, funding, and policy…
Past Events
Catharine Bond Hill, John B. King, Jr. and David Brooks at the ATI Presidential Summit
Emerging Trends in AI and Higher Education
On November 20 at 1:00pm ET, Ithaka S+R’s Dylan Ruediger participated in a virtual panel on emerging trends in AI and higher education, hosted by the University of Tennessee Library through their AI Series.
Maintaining and Increasing Lower-Income Student Access During Times of Uncertainty
Lessons from the American Talent Initiative
At the First-Generation, Lower-Income Conference at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Miriam Porras (Ithaka S+R) and Maile Symonds (College Excellence Program, Aspen Institute) moderated a panel discussion on the institutional commitments that have driven significant progress in enrolling Pell-eligible students at three member institutions of the American Talent Initiative. Attendees left with actionable insights and strategies on how to maintain institutional commitment to access and affordability. The event was held on November 19, 2025 at 4:30pm.
Implementing a Holistic Framework to Coordinate and Scale Efforts to Promote Mobile Student Success
Next: The 2025 Complete College America Annual Convening
This moderated panel discussion will use a framework for holistic credit mobility to guide a conversation with speakers from Nevada and Missouri, both of which are part of a new credit mobility community of practice, launched by Ithaka S+R and Complete College America. The community of practice is focused on accelerating promising policy, responsive practices, and technology approaches to help today’s mobile students navigate the complex postsecondary landscape to gain credentials that will help them be successful in the workforce.
Transfer Explorer
Next: The 2025 Complete College America Annual Convening
Launched by nonprofit ITHAKA in early 2025, Transfer Explorer is a national credit mobility website with a goal of making information about transfer open, accurate, and easily accessible. Transfer Explorer contains catalog, course equivalency, credit for prior learning, and program requirement data from a growing network of schools in Washington, South Carolina, Connecticut, and New York. Unique among similar services, the site shows how credits earned elsewhere transfer and apply toward degree programs at the multiple destination colleges and…
Measuring the Economic Value of a Liberal Education
At the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Conference in Denver, CO, Ithaka S+R’s Kyle Gray and Daniel Rossman will introduce a new methodological framework to measure how individual students’ exposure to a liberal arts educational experience relates to academic, labor market, and civic outcomes. The study found that greater exposure is positively associated with academic performance, educational attainment, career adaptability, civic engagement, and openness to diversity and pluralism. The session will take place on November…
Decoding the Path to a College Degree with Transparent and Actionable Credit Mobility Data
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Conference
Far too often students returning to higher education or moving between higher education institutions encounter significant barriers in transferring course credits and receiving recognition for prior learning. Part of this struggle is the siloed and opaque nature of information about how prior learning will be accepted and applied toward a credential upon transfer to a new institution. This session at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference will share insights on Transfer Explorer and CUNY Transfer Explorer, with…
Aligning Targeted Financial Aid to High-Demand, High-Value Occupations
At the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Ithaka S+R’s Elizabeth Pisacreta, Ini Umosen, and Jonathan Barefield will present preliminary data on states’ use of various types of industry-targeted financial aid. They will introduce the areas of focus of our case study, which will assess alignment between states’ financial aid portfolios and demand for high-opportunity occupations, explore how states develop and monitor targeted aid programs, and develop a framework to help states consider potential benefits and drawbacks…
Tools for Moving to a Holistic Approach to Credit Mobility to Support Adult Learners
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference
Student mobility is increasingly complex, with most graduates earning credits across multiple institutions and learning experiences. At the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference, a session will introduce Ithaka S+R’s holistic credit mobility framework, highlight Eastern Washington University’s work to modernize pathways for adult learners, and share practical tools to help institutions better support seamless credit transfer. Participants include Ithaka S+R’s Emily Tichenor, alongside Sue Magyar, Jacqueline Coomes, and Christi Harter. The session will take place on…
Building Strong Systems for Adult Learner Enrollment and Retention
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Conference
This roundtable session at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference will explore the unique challenges adult learners face in higher education, including financial barriers, basic needs insecurity, and complex institutional systems. Drawing on research and case studies from Ithaka S+R’s adult learner engagement work in several states and the 2024 National College Fluency Survey, Ithaka S+R’s Liz Looker and Melissa Blankstein will discuss actionable strategies to reduce administrative barriers and improve cross-departmental communication, as well as ways…
Reimagining Support: How Colleges and Policymakers Can Serve Student-Parents, Transfers, and Scholars of Color
Council on Public Policy Higher Education Pre-Conference
“Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility: Examining the Role of CUNY Transfer Explorer” evaluates CUNY’s Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) as a systems-level policy tool to enhance academic momentum and credit mobility. Findings show that CUNY T-Rex use increases the number of courses applied toward degree requirements, suggesting that transparent transfer information can strengthen student pathways, reduce barriers, and advance equity in degree attainment. In a session at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)’s Council on Public Policy Higher Education…
Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility
Examining the Role of CUNY’s Transfer Explorer
At the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and Council on Public Policy Higher Education (CPPHE) Pre-Conference on November 12 at 9am-10:30am, Ithaka S+R’s Alex Monday will join David Wutchiett (CUNY) and Alexandra Logue (CUNY) to discuss how colleges and policymakers can serve student-parents, transfers, and scholars of color. The session will share findings from a study that evaluates CUNY’s Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) as a systems-level policy tool to enhance academic momentum and credit mobility. Findings show T-Rex use…
Leveraging Collaboration to Address Barriers to Adult Learner Re-Enrollment
In this session at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference in Memphis, TN, representatives from the Tennessee Adult Learner Working Group will share insights from their collaboration across ten participating community colleges that audience members can bring home to their own institutions and systems. Panelists Lindsay Hager, Jessica Gibson, and Joanna Dressel will share how the working group structured collaborations within and across institutions, what participating members learned about adult learners with SCNC, and how they…
Pennsylvania Adult Learner Re-Engagement Virtual Convening
Today, 37.6 million Americans under 65 have attended some college but hold no credential to show for it, due to financial, administrative, or practical obstacles. Against this backdrop, it’s crucial that higher education institutions redouble efforts to re-engage stopped out learners. Since 2022, we’ve worked across six states to streamline the path for adults on their way to a credential of value. In Pennsylvania, we’ve collaborated with the PA Department of…
Accelerating Holistic Credit Mobility – What is it? Why now?
The Credit Mobility Convening, hosted by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), will bring together stakeholders from Pennsylvania and surrounding states who care to improve credit mobility, with breakout sessions highlighting promising approaches related to improving transfer and credit mobility, technology tools to improve transfer resources for students, and granting credit for prior learning and military experiences. Madeline Trimble will provide an opening address laying out the holistic credit mobility framework and why it matters, and Pooja Patel…
Ctrl+Alt+Innovate
Transforming the Curriculum with AI
Integrating AI into undergraduate education requires contributions from across the university. In a roundtable discussion at the Educause Annual Conference 2025, Ithaka S+R’s Dylan Ruediger will join Benjamin Brand, Jan Lewis, and Kimberly Acquaviva to share how they are using AI and the unique contributions they can make to university goals related to AI. They will also discuss opportunities for collaboration across the university to support teaching and learning with and about AI. The session is scheduled for October…
Open Research, Open Science
Is Your Software Ready?
The research enterprise is increasingly reliant on open source software (OSS), propelled by the momentum of the open science movement and evolving funder mandates. However, many researchers lack the tools and frameworks to ensure long-term OSS sustainability. This August, the Apereo Foundation and Ithaka S+R, with support from the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative sustainability framework workshop, worked to help close this gap. The workshop brought OSS leaders from across higher education,…
The Liberal Arts in Challenging Times
Join us for a conversation on the future of the liberal arts in today’s uncertain and challenging times, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm ET. Hear from leaders in higher education as they discuss the value of a liberal arts education and strategies for strengthening it across the higher education sector. Register today Catharine Bond Hill, managing director of Ithaka S+R and former president of Vassar College, will…
Transfer Explorer
Early Successes, Lessons Learned, and What Comes Next
At the 2025 South Carolina Transfer Excellence Convening, Ithaka S+R will present a session on the early experiences and successes of South Carolina colleges and universities participating in the Transfer Explorer project. Emily Tichenor and Chris Buonocore will join Lloyd Willis (Lander University), Leslie Barrett Brown (Coastal Carolina University), and Crystal Edwards (Aiken Technical College) to share lessons learned from the pilot period and a roadmap for Transfer Explorer growth in the state and nationally. This session is scheduled…
The Transfer Scorecard
What Is It and How Could It Be Used?
Transfer student success is a function of many different factors. Some student and environmental characteristics increase the probability that a community college student will successfully transfer to and graduate from a bachelor’s college, and others decrease that probability. On September 30, 2025 at 10am ET, CUNY’s Bronx Transfer Affinity Group will host a webinar to describe some of these possible characteristics and how we have been able to use them to predict the likelihood of transfer student success for particular…