🔑 Access and outcomes: Back to School, Sept 15–17
Carnegie, CUNY, Rutgers and EdTrust in NYC, Sept 15–17, 20% off with BTSADS20
Hello 👋
Higher education is under growing pressure to demonstrate its value, and the usual framing treats broad access and strong student outcomes as competing goals, but a growing set of institutions is showing they aren't. What makes that possible are the practices, the partnerships, and the conditions that carry students from enrollment through to economic mobility.
At the 25th Annual Back to School Summit, Mushtaq Gunja (American Council on Education), Alicia Alvero (The City University of New York), Lauren Asher (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching) and Tonya Smith-Jackson (Rutgers University–Newark) will lead an interactive workshop on Carnegie's Opportunity Colleges and Universities framework on what distinguishes these institutions. Expect data, peer exchange, and a working discussion of the conditions and partnerships that turn a college into an engine of opportunity.
⏰ Join us in New York → Use code BTSADS20 for 20% off.
What about access?
Institutions can only deliver mobility for students who make it through the door, and the mechanism that gets many of them there is under review. In Access Denied: Pell Grants, Affordability, and Equity in Higher Ed, Wil Del Pilar (SVP, EdTrust) joins Sarah Brown of the Chronicle of Higher Education to examine what proposed funding changes could mean for the millions of students who rely on federal aid to enroll, persist and complete — and what institutions can do to hold those pathways open.
Employers are moving on the same question from the other side.
The New Talent Playbook: Workplace Learning in the Age of AI brings together Professor Mitchell Stevens (Stanford), Susan Youngblood (Operating Advisor on AI and Workforce Strategy, Bessemer Venture Partners) and Brian Maygers (Stanford Social Innovation Review) to look at what happens as degrees lose ground to skills and adaptability, and what higher education can learn from companies now building talent rather than buying it.
The Summit runs September 15–17 in New York City, bringing together leaders across higher education, business, government, investment and technology to work through the forces reshaping society and the global economy. Geopolitical change, demographic pressure and technological disruption are redefining competitiveness. This milestone edition looks at how institutions prepare for the next 25 years of leadership, talent and innovation.
⏰ Join us in New York → Use code BTSADS20 for 20% off.
📍 Upcoming Education Innovation Events
| Event | Date | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ⚖️ Webinar: Governing the AI University—Leadership, Risk and Responsible Innovation | 27 Aug | Register |
| 🤝 Webinar: Partner or Perish—Collaboration as Growth Strategy for Higher Ed | 1 Sept, 16:00 BST | Register |
| 🤖 Webinar: The Responsive Campus—Putting AI Agents to Work | 9 Sept, 16:00 ET | Register |
| 🗽 25th Annual 'Back to School' Summit, NYC ⏰ Don't miss your chance — tickets are selling out. Use code BTSADS20 for 20% off. |
15–17 Sept | Register today → |
| 📊 Webinar: Measuring What Matters—Practical AI for Teaching, Learning and Assessment | 23 Sept, 16:00 ET | Register |
| 🧪 Webinar: Connecting Research, Teaching & Technology—Test Bedding in Action | 6 Oct, 16:00 BST | Register |
| 🔬 Webinar: Accelerating Research in the Agentic Era | 7 Oct, 16:00 ET | Register |
| 🌱 Webinar: Innovating with Integrity—Sustainability, AI and the Responsible Institution | 25 Nov, 16:00 GMT | Register |
| 📅 QS Reimagine Education 2026, London ⏰ Early bird runs to 31 Oct. |
7–8 Dec | Register today → |
| 🗓️ 2026 Innovation Webinar Series | On-demand + live | Browse all |
⭐ AI & Digital Innovation Spotlight
📚The UAE’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research launched the AI-enhanced “Higher Education Institutions Indicators Observatory,” enabling universities to track performance, assess data quality, and benchmark against peers to support data-driven decision-making.
🎓 Karnataka proposed establishing an AI university in partnership with Anthropic, alongside plans to support 25,000 startups, to expand AI capabilities and strengthen the state’s technology ecosystem.
📱 Samsung launched the 2026 edition of Samsung Innovation Campus, targeting 20,000 people, providing AI and technology training to help develop industry-ready skills and strengthen the country’s AI talent pipeline.
🤝 Policy & Partnerships
🛠️The UK government launched a technical education reform to address skills shortages, with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation calling for stronger links between schools and employers to improve youth employment pathways.
🤖 The National University of Singapore announced a strategic collaboration with OpenAI to expand AI support across education, research, and administration, strengthening the university’s AI ecosystem and capabilities for its academic community.
⚖️ Australia’s Fair Work Commission introduced new minimum standards for food and grocery delivery gig workers, requiring earnings above the national minimum wage and injury insurance coverage for roughly 250,000 workers.
💪 Power Moves & Funding
🔒 Legio raised $5M in seed funding from Klass Capital to develop an AI-native safety and security platform designed for colleges and universities.
💡Duolingo acquired London-based animation studio Animade to boost its in-house design and animation capabilities.
🤝 The University of Kent and the University of Greenwich have merged to form Britain's first 'super-university,' aiming to boost financial resilience as many U.K. universities face insolvency.
