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Topic: Educational Transformation

Past Event
May 7, 2019

Martin Kurzweil at the EWA National Seminar

Alternatives to College Degrees: Testing, Badging, and Microcredentials

On Tuesday, May 7, Martin Kurzweil is speaking on “Alternatives to College Degrees: Testing, Badging, and Microcredentials” at the Education Writers Association National Seminar in Baltimore.  The session will run from 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm. Martin will be joined on the panel by Danielle Goonan, Walmart Foundation and Van Ton-Quinlivan, Institute for the Future. Sydney Johnson from EdSurge is moderating the discussion. For more information, and to register, please see the EWA website. About the panel: Americans looking…
Issue Brief
April 9, 2019

Challenges to Higher Education’s Most Essential Purposes

In his 2000 Romanes Lecture, entitled “At a Slight Angle to the Universe, the University in a Digitized, Commercialized Age,” William Bowen anticipated many of the challenges higher education faces today. His incisive summary of the most important purposes of higher education offers a useful framework for assessing how higher education is fulfilling its uniquely important role supporting a vibrant democratic society. Those responsible for higher education’s well-being, including presidents, administrators, trustees, faculty, and government policy makers, would do well…
Issue Brief
April 9, 2019

Technology, Georgia Tech, and the Future of Learning

An Interview with Charles Isbell

I invited Charles Isbell, Professor of Computer Science at Georgia Tech to join me at the October 2018 Bowen Colloquium, a forward-looking gathering of college and university presidents and other leaders. In addition to his work in Artificial Intelligence, Professor Isbell is the Associate Dean in the College of Computing responsible for overseeing Georgia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS). Our conversation covered a wide area, from the unsustainable costs of traditional modes of instruction to his…
Issue Brief
April 4, 2019

The Market, the American Dream, or Dreams of the Lottery

The Robert H. Atwell Plenary Address, ACE 2019

This paper was originally presented on March 10, 2019, as the Robert H. Atwell Plenary Address at ACE 2019 in Philadelphia. The income disparity in our country has been growing for 40 years, and this increasing inequality is putting pressure on the social cohesion of our nation. Commitment to our country’s institutions, including colleges and universities, and values, including equal opportunity and economic and social mobility, depends on everyone feeling that these institutions and values serve their welfare and their…
Past Event
June 24, 2019

Equity in the Academic Experience

Hosted by Georgetown University and University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with the American Talent Initiative

Martin Kurzweil is serving on the steering committee for the summer institute on “Equity in the Academic Experience,” to be hosted by Georgetown University and University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with the American Talent Initiative. The institute will run from June 24-26 in Washington, DC.  Martin Kurzweil, Sindy Lopez, Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta, and Emily Schwartz are participating in the institute. For more information, please see the institute’s website.
Past Event
April 29, 2019

Martin Kurzweil at the Inaugural Meeting of the Non-Degree Credentials Research Network

On April 29, Martin Kurzweil is taking part in the inaugural Non-Degree Credentials Research Network Meeting hosted by George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy. The Non-Degree Credential Network (NCRN) is two year project funded through a grant from the Lumina Foundation and managed by researchers at the George Washington Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP). The NCRN is a small and by-invitation only group of leading researchers and key stakeholders (employers, policy makers and providers of employment, training and certification).
Past Event
May 30, 2019

Access & Affordability: Flipping the Conversation

Martin Kurzweil Speaks at Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges Conference

On Thursday, May 30, Martin Kurzweil is speaking at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges’ conference, “Access & Affordability: Flipping the Conversation.” This conference, held at Muhlenberg College, is part of LVAIC’s year-long series, “Facing Higher Education’s Future.” For more information about the conference, please see the event website.
Blog Post
March 27, 2019

Three Questions for Giuseppe Basili

For our most recent newsletter, we interviewed Giuseppe “Seppy” Basili, the executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKCF), a foundation dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. In this interview, Basili addresses how JKCF’s mission has evolved, what new initiatives it is undertaking, and the challenges the foundation faces as it seeks greater access to higher education for high-achieving, low-income students.  1. You’ve been with…
Blog Post
March 26, 2019

March Madness: Socioeconomic Diversity Edition

At Ithaka S+R, one of our primary missions is to expand educational opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. Some of our programs, including the American Talent Initiative which aims to increase the number of lower-income students enrolled at the top colleges and universities in the country, focus on increasing socioeconomic diversity at higher education institutions, while others focus on improving outcomes for lower income, first generation, and underrepresented minority students at the colleges and universities where they are already more…
Blog Post
March 21, 2019

Understanding the Value of the Liberal Arts

Last year, Catharine Bond Hill and Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta undertook a study on the economic benefits and costs of a liberal arts education on behalf of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. As they note in the report, critics claim that the value of a liberal arts education–in terms of both the increasing costs to delivering higher education and in students’ diminished earnings–is limited, especially compared to alternative…
Past Event
April 1, 2019

Jenna Joo and Martin Kurzweil at the TPSE Partners Meeting

On Monday, April 1, Jenna Joo and Martin Kurzweil will participate in the TPSE Partners Meeting in Miami, Florida. About the meeting TPSE Math aims to support the efforts of organizations working to effect change in post-secondary mathematics education. By understanding where priorities overlap and where they differ, what research and data are available and what additional information is needed, what innovations have been implemented and merit scaling up, and what additional resources are needed, TPSE is committed to enhancing…
Past Event
April 27, 2019

Opportunities, Threats, Disruptions, or Challenges Facing Prison Higher Education

Catharine Bond Hill Presents at Bennington College Conference

On Saturday, April 27, Catharine Bond Hill is presenting on “Opportunities, Threats, Disruptions, or Challenges Facing Prison Higher Education” as part of a panel discussion at Bennington College’s Conference on Freeing the Mind and Building a Future: The Role and Future of the Liberal Arts in Prison Education. The panel will run from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. For more information, and to register for this free conference, please visit the conference website.
Past Event
March 6, 2019

Catharine Bond Hill Joins the “Shark Tank” at SXSW EDU

On Wednesday, March 6, Catharine Bond Hill will take part in the “Shark Tank: Edu Edition” at the SXSW EDU Conference in Austin, Texas. The Shark Tank will run from 12:30 – 1:30 pm. Presented by The Chronicle of Higher Education, this fifth annual pitch-a-thon pays homage to the TV show, but with a twist. Our panel of experts bring a mix of viewpoints – from a journalist, an academic, and an entrepreneur – weighing in on transformative ideas from new…
Past Event
March 10, 2019

Catharine Bond Hill Will Deliver the Robert H. Atwell Plenary Address at ACE 2019

On Sunday March 10, from 5:00 – 6:00 pm, Catharine Bond Hill will deliver the Robert H. Atwell Plenary Address at ACE 2019 in Philadelphia. For more information on the pleanary sessions, please see ACE’s press release. To register, please visit the conference website.    …
Past Event
February 20, 2019

Martin Kurzweil Attending the ELI Annual Conference in Anaheim

Martin Kurzweil will be attending the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, on February 20 -21. For more information about the conference and to register, please visit the ELI website. About ELI The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to advancing learning through information technology innovation. The ELI Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for those interested in learning principles and practices, all dimensions of student success, and innovation…
Past Event
March 5, 2019

Martin Kurzweil at SXSW EDU

Who Does Online Education Really Serve?

On Tuesday, March 5, Martin Kurzweil is speaking as part of a panel session on “Who Does Online Education Really Serve?” at SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas. Martin will be joined on the panel by Jill Buban, Chief Academic Officer at Unizen,  Robert Ubell, Vice Dean Emeritus of Online Learning, at New York University, and Jeffrey Young, Senior Editor at EdSurge. The panel will run from 4 – 6:00 pm. For more information and to register, please see the SXSW…
Past Event
February 14, 2019

Catharine Bond Hill at NACUBO’s Endowment and Debt Forum

On Thursday, February 14, Catharine Bond Hill is presenting on “Endowments and the Challenges Facing American Higher Education” at the 2019 Endowment and Debt Forum held by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) in New York City. The talk is at 8:20 am. For more information, please see the NACUBO website.
Past Event
February 21, 2019

Catharine Bond Hill to Deliver Keynote Address at Union College’s Founders Day

On Thursday, February 21, Catharine Bond Hill is delivering the keynote address at Union College’s Founders Day. The event commemorates the 224th anniversary of the College’s charter, and Hill’s talk will center on coeducation at Union, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of admitting women in 2020. For more information about the event, please see Union College’s website.      …
Blog Post
January 10, 2019

New Report: Enrolling More Veterans at High-Graduation-Rate Colleges and Universities

In November, Ithaka S+R and the College Board hosted “Improving Opportunities for Veterans.” This conference brought together leaders from higher education, the military, and veterans service organizations who share the goal of increasing the enrollment and graduation of veterans at colleges and universities with the highest graduation rates. In our new report with Catharine Bond Hill and Martin Kurzweil, we investigate the underrepresentation of United States military veterans at colleges that graduate at least 70 percent of their students.
Research Report
January 10, 2019

Enrolling More Veterans at High-Graduation-Rate Colleges and Universities

Higher education plays a vital role in raising income, moderating income inequality, and increasing economic growth and global competitiveness. But U.S. higher education attainment continues to lag for lower-income and underrepresented-minority students, particularly at the colleges and universities that have the most resources and the highest graduation rates. As a stark example, research by economist Raj Chetty and his team found that there are more students from the top one percent of the income distribution at the Ivy-Plus colleges than…