Partnerships That Expand Opportunity
As the Presidents Forum moves through August, one theme continues to emerge across our work: partnerships. Through our Innovation Listening Sessions with college and university presidents, we're gathering ideas and insights to help shape our November meeting in...
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The Perceived Quality Gap Is Closing: What Employers Really Think About Online Degrees
For years, online education has had to overcome a perception challenge. Many assumed that if students had the option, they would always choose a traditional campus experience, and employers often viewed online credentials as somehow less rigorous or less valuable. But...
AI Agents Are Becoming Every Student’s Digital Guide
Artificial intelligence is changing higher education, but the biggest opportunity isn't replacing people—it's helping institutions deliver more personalized support to every student. In a conversation with the Presidents Forum, Outrival Founder and CEO Ruben Harris...
Rethinking How Students Finance Higher Education
For many students, the biggest barrier to earning a degree isn't getting admitted—it's figuring out how to pay for it. As recent federal policy changes reshape financial aid and today's learners balance work, family, military service, and education, institutions are...
How AI Can Remove Friction From the College Admissions Process
The college admissions process should help students move toward opportunity—not create barriers that slow them down. Ashish Fernando, Founder and CEO of Presidents Forum partner EDMO, believes artificial intelligence can help colleges and universities create a more...
How UMGC’s First Year Experience Program Unlocks Learner Potential
By Nancy Trojanowski, EdD, Chair, First Year Experience, UMGC At University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), student success begins with designing every touchpoint around the realities of adult learners balancing careers, families, military service, and education....
How Technology Could Modernize Accreditation in Higher Education
Higher education has embraced technology to improve teaching, learning, and student support. According to Alison Griffin, it's time to apply that same thinking to accreditation. In a policy paper for the American Enterprise Institute, Griffin examined how industries...
Why Online Education Is Still a State-by-State Market
Online education is often described as a national marketplace. According to higher education analyst Phil Hill, the data tells a more nuanced story. In his analysis of 2024 NC-SARA enrollment data, Hill found that online education is shaped less by a single national...
Beyond the Hype: Measuring the Real Effectiveness of AI Learning Tools
By Jessica Smagler, Head of Research and Outcomes, Kyron Learning Proving that students are learning - especially in new and innovative programs - is harder than it sounds. And the rapid proliferation of AI tools has made this more urgent, not less. Most AI tools...
Student-Centric Higher Education Means Designing Around Today’s Learners
Student success begins with understanding who today's students are. For many colleges and universities, the traditional image of a full-time student attending classes on a residential campus no longer reflects reality. Today's learners are working adults, parents,...
Supporting Military Learners—and the Families Who Serve Alongside Them
By Meg O’Grady, National University Today, more than 800,000 active-duty service members, reservists, and veterans are enrolled in higher education. Colleges and universities are increasingly paying attention to both the opportunity and the responsibility that come...
How Southern New Hampshire University Is Using AI to Expand Student Support at Scale
When prospective students visit a college website, they often need answers immediately. Questions about programs, admissions requirements, transfer credits, tuition, and enrollment timelines can determine whether a student moves forward or moves on. Southern New...
How AI Is Creating Faster Pathways Into High-Demand Careers
For many students, entering a technology career has traditionally required a long educational journey. Artificial intelligence is beginning to change that. Across the Alamo Colleges District, AI is helping students gain workforce-relevant skills earlier, shorten the...
How AI Is Helping More Students Persist and Complete Their Degrees
One of the biggest challenges in higher education is not getting students enrolled. It is helping them stay enrolled long enough to complete a credential. According to John Baker, founder and CEO of D2L, artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities to improve...
From Prediction to Intervention: How AI Is Reshaping Student Success at Excelsior University
Priyo Chatterjee, Chief Analytics Officer, Excelsior University The Big Picture During recent Hill meetings, one question came through consistently from policymakers on both sides of the aisle: How is AI actually improving student outcomes today? At Excelsior...
Charter Oak State College Awarded $300,000 Grant to Embed AI Competencies Across Undergraduate Programs
New Britain, CT , April 6, 2026, Charter Oak State College has been awarded a $300,000 grant over three years from the Davis Educational Foundation to support a college-wide initiative titled Embedding AI Professional Core Competencies into Undergraduate Programs. The...
How AI Can Strengthen Learning Instead of Simply Delivering Answers
The wrong question about AI in education Many conversations about artificial intelligence focus on speed. How quickly can AI generate content? How fast can it provide answers? How much time can it save? According to Cengage Group Chief Digital Officer Darren Person,...
AI Outcomes and Accreditation Reform
Why AI moved to the center of the policy conversation During recent meetings in Washington, one question surfaced repeatedly from congressional staff: How is AI benefiting students today? The question reflects a broader shift in how policymakers are evaluating...
How Learning-Focused AI Looks Different From General AI
The challenge with using general AI for learning When Rajen Sheth published 10 Lessons on How to Drive Learning with AI, one theme stood out: educational AI should not be evaluated like general-purpose AI. Large language models excel at retrieving information: ask a...
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