Ithaka S+R

@ithakasr.bsky.social

609 Followers 275 Following

Ithaka S+R provides research and strategic guidance to help the academic and cultural communities navigate economic, demographic, and technological change.

High-graduation-rate colleges enroll the lowest shares of adult learners, despite being best positioned to support their success.
Announcing New Leadership for Ithaka S+R.
The Next Phase of Transfer Explorer: Credit Mobility Tool to Add New States and Functionality in 2026. Includes image of students using laptop on campus quad.
Text reads: Addressing Re-Engagement and Re-Enrollment Barriers for New Jersey Learners with Some College, No Degree. Includes image of an adult student on campus.
Text reads: Re-Engaging Adult Learners with Some College but No Credential in Pennsylvania. Includes image of three college graduates walking on campus in cap and gown.
The question for poilcymakers is not, "do certificates have value or not?" but rather, "why certificates have value, in which fields, and for whom?"
The Liberal Arts in Challenging Times. October 22, 2025 at 11AM ET. Catharine Bond Hill, Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta, Andrew Delbanco, Kaye Husbands Fealing, Lynn Pasquerella.
Supporting First-Generation Students in a Time of Crisis: Lessons from the Kessler Scholars Program Response to COVID-19. Includes image of student in a virtual class in a dorm.
Launching the Rural-Serving Institution Student Success Network. Request for Participation due October 3, 2025.
Tackling Textbook Affordability: New Project with Empire State University, Buffalo State University, and SUNY Fredonia. Image of pile of textbooks.
Reflections from the Pennsylvania Adult Learner Re-Engagement Community of Practice. Includes photo of students in a student center of a college.
Student Success Research Featured in Special Edition of Peabody Journal of Education.
Any proposed revisions to IPEDS must be approached thoughtfully, with an emphasis on accuracy, feasibility, and strong engagement with both data providers and users.
Reflections on Sustaining Open Source Software in the Research Enterprise. Includes photo of workshop session.
PSEO is helping to shift the conversation from anecdotal evidence of workforce relevance to data that is helpful for students and families, institutions, and policymakers.
Building Stronger Library Partnerships: Lessons from the Library Partnership Development Institute
Federal data are an essential public good, enabling cutting-edge research and underpinning decision making by governments, businesses, and individuals.
Investing in data is not just a compliance necessity--it is essential to ensuring educational equity, program quality, and long-term success for students who are incarcerated.
SXSW EDU 2026. Vote for my PanelPicker Idea. Community voting - August 5-24, 2025.
What strategies are Open Source Program Offices using to promote open source software on campus? What challenges are they encountering?
"We want to be a national leader in credit mobility and acknowledging learning that happens through experience and working."
Vote for my PanelPicker Idea. Community Voting. August 5-24, 2025. SXSW EDU 2026.
Announcing the US Researcher Survey
"If we can make that sort of difference in their life, even if it is just one person at a class, I think that's a successful partnership."
There is still a lack of robust information and a consistent understanding of how students with disabilities navigate the academic landscape.
Reflections on the NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Ed.
Measuring the Economic Value of a Liberal Education
Learning Mobility: Empowering Educational Journeys Beyond Traditional Pathways. AACRAO introduces the first comprehensive exploration of learning mobility in US higher education.
"This intervention, where you directly guarantee financial aid to students before they had applied to college, resulted in significant increases in students' likelihood of applying, being admitted to, and enrolling at UT Austin."
Preparing Students for an AI-Infused Workforce: Reflections from the University of Baltimore's 2025 AI Summit
How States Use IPEDS Data to Strengthen the National Postsecondary Education Data Infrastructure. Includes image of college students on a staircase.
How researchers use PSEO data to study postsecondary outcomes and inform policy.
A set of institutions is now pushing for a plan that, in lieu of the dramatic tax increases, would require them to spend 5 percent of their endowment's value each year.
Expanding AI Literacy Integration: Fall 2025 Cohort. Join by July 18, 2025.
Understanding the Federal Role in Higher Education Accreditation.
Public and community college libraries tend to operate independently from each other, but through collaborative partnerships they could enhance their impact and reach.
Expanding AI Literacy Integration: Fall 2025 Cohort. Join by July 18, 2025.
It's likely that this policy would have a sizeable impact on institutional spending, help to counter the narrative that institutions unnecessarily stockpile assets, and ensure that more dollars are directed toward students.
"Is AI Literacy the Trojan Horse to Information Literacy? Insights from our AI Literacy Cohort Workshops." Includes image of students working over a laptop in an academic libraryl
"The Library and Institutional Success. The Chronicle's Virtual Leadership Program for Librarians."
"The Divided State of AI in Higher Education. by Zhuo Chen, Nathan Kelber, and Ruby MacDougall." includes image of a student studying with a laptop in a college library.
"Examining the Critical Role of Technology in Holistic Credit Mobility: Notes from the Cohort's Second Convening."
People in prison have a constitutional right of access to the courts--but access to legal information and materials is often restricted.
While colleges and universities have implemented various programs to support students’ basic needs, many adult learners do not take advantage of them due to critical barriers.
Given the profound impact accreditation has on institutional practices and student outcomes, a recent executive order has sparked considerable debate among education leaders, policy analysts, and media commentators alike.
"Goal Refining and Progression within the Pennsylvania Adult Learner Re-Engagement Community of Practice." Includes photo of a college campus during fall.
"Recent Data Show Minimal Change in Veterans Enrollment Patterns." Includes photo of students on a college campus.
Basic needs insecurity is a tangible crisis affecting adult learners nationwide. Without meaningful intervention, these barriers will continue to impede adult learners’ ability to persist and complete their degrees.
"Examining the New Carnegie Student Access and Earnings Classification at Four-Year Colleges and Universities." Includes image of a college campus.
"Making AI Generative for Higher Education: Adoption and Challenges Among Instructors and Researchers." Includes photo of students working at laptops in a modern university library.
"Under current Return to Title IV regulations, incarcerated students in New York risk not only losing the semester and the coursework they've completed so far, but also jeopardizing their future eligibility for financial aid."
"At Compact25, institutions showcased the variety of activities that they are undertaking to overcome...barriers and support community-engaged scholarship."
Reflections on the 2025 National Conference on Higher Education in Prisons (NCHEP). Includes icon of a university building.
"Sustaining Open Source Software in the Research Enterprise: Call for Participants. Apply by May 9, 2025." Includes image of researchers coding at a desktop computer.
"Successfully engaging with adult learners has positive consequences for state economies, institutional enrollment and completion goals, and resident quality of life." Includes image of students at graduation.
"Sustaining Open Source Software in the Research Enterprise: Call for Participants. Apply by May 9, 2025." Includes image of two people collaborating over a desktop computer.
"Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort Kicks Off." Includes image of students at college graduation. Includes Ithaka S+R and Complete College America logos.
What are the top challenges academic researchers face? How can campus data services provide effective support?
"Integrating AI Literacy into the Curricula. A new Cohort Project Gets Underway." Includes image of student using a laptop in class.
Advancing Student Success: insights from the American Talent Initiative Student Success Research Grant Program