Impact Sessions
Please note: All times are listed in U.S. Eastern Time Zone.
Tuesday Impact Sessions
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (included with AIR Forum registration)
The 2026 AIR Forum officially begins on Tuesday, May 26 with a series of curated Impact Sessions focused on a wide range of emerging and important topics and issues with impact for everyone in higher education. These sessions are open to all registered AIR Forum attendees and are included in your regular AIR Forum registration. Impact sessions include lectures, panel presentations, and interactive discussions. Impact sessions are 90-minute sessions scheduled in two consecutive time blocks from 1:00–2:30 p.m. and 3:00–4:30 p.m.
Join Us
Find community in joining your higher education colleagues for a unique opportunity to network, share best practices, and learn from practical workshops and sessions led by the field's leading experts.
Accreditation in Transition: Quality, Trust, and the Policy Landscape
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Accreditation is entering a period of significant change shaped by shifting federal policy, rising public scrutiny, and renewed attention to institutional outcomes and accountability. In this session, Dr. Nasser Paydar, President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), will explore the current higher education landscape and the vital role of quality assurance and accreditation in connecting institutional mission, performance, and public trust. He will also examine the evolving federal policy and accreditation environment, including what recent developments may mean for colleges and universities, accreditors, and institutional leaders. This session will provide timely perspective on the issues likely to shape accreditation expectations and institutional readiness in the years ahead.
Dr. Nasser Paydar (Council for Higher Education Accreditation—CHEA); Moderator: Adrea Hernandez (AIR Board Vice Chair; University of Notre Dame)
Building a Trusted Federal State Longitudinal Data Network
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Calls for stronger federal data capacity have accelerated with the College Transparency Act and ongoing challenges to NCES surveys and IPEDS. This session explores the vision for a federal Student Longitudinal Data Network (SLDN) that connects state systems, institutions, and workforce data to provide comprehensive insights into student pathways. Drawing on comparative lessons from 14 states, the session highlights best practices in governance, privacy-by-design, and tiered access. Presenters will show how aligning SLDN submissions with IPEDS definitions, templates, and edit checks can build trust and reduce burden for institutions. Discussion will emphasize practical steps—what institutions, associations, and researchers should know now, and how the SLDN could reshape data use for accountability, equity, and advocacy.
Carolyn Mata (CM Education Insights & Solutions), Aida Ali Akreyi (Penn State University), James Isaac (RTI International)
The Future of Work and the Changing Role of Postsecondary Education
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Postsecondary education is facing increasing scrutiny as the public asks, “Is college worth it?” This session begins with a clear “yes,” and then looks ahead to the future of work and the challenges on the horizon. It will explore how institutions can develop strategies that remain flexible in the face of change and how educational delivery can be more closely aligned with evolving workforce needs.
Jeff Strohl (Georgetown University); Moderator: Brent Drake (AIR Board Chair; Gardner Institute)
What to Watch: Federal Higher Education Policy and What’s Next
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Federal higher education policy continues to shift quickly, shaped by changing priorities, legal challenges, federal data requirements, and developments at the U.S. Department of Education. This session brings together leading policy experts to provide a timely overview of what is happening now and where federal policy may be headed next. Panelists will discuss emerging priorities, likely areas of federal focus, and the broader implications for institutions and the postsecondary sector. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the current policy environment and the issues most worth watching in the months ahead.
Panelists: Diane Cheng (Institute for Higher Education Policy—IHEP), Bryan Cook (Urban Institute), Jonathan Fansmith (American Council on Education); Moderator: Christine Keller (AIR)
Empowering Stakeholders with Gen-AI: Delivering Dynamic and Accessible Data
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
This session presents a practical, scalable workflow for transforming static assessment reports into a dynamic, self-service "Intelligent Archive" using Google’s NotebookLM. Participants will learn a three-layered prompting strategy that teaches AI models how to interpret and synthesize a range of data sources - from student surveys to focus group transcripts - into a trusted, interactive resource. Through live demonstrations and institutional use cases, the speaker will show how this workflow enables stakeholders to perform initial data exploration, compare trends, and generate grounded insights in real time. Attendees will leave with a clear, replicable blueprint for building their own intelligent archives and strategies for navigating challenges such as data accessibility, tool limitations, and stakeholder adoption.
Shannon Foster (Carnegie Mellon University), Madison Speck (Carnegie Mellon University), Kirby Livingston (Carnegie Mellon University)
Federal Earnings Data & Your Institution: What to Know
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
While the federal policy focus on program-level post-college outcomes in the form of earnings began more than a decade ago with gainful employment regulations for a select group of institutions, the concept has since expanded across all institution types through multiple channels. These include Gainful Employment, STATS, the College Scorecard, and voluntary federal efforts such as Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO).
Join us for a conversation about the various earnings outcomes measures that may be relevant to programs on your campus. Participants will gain an understanding of what each effort is, the unique characteristics each embodies, and how each earnings measure may be interpreted and used.
Panelists: Jennifer Engle (Georgetown University), Andrew Foote (Census Bureau), Clare McCann (American University), Amy O'Hara (Georgetown University), Alexandria Radford (Sova Solutions); Moderator: Christopher Mullin (Lumina Foundation)
The Missing Link: Integrating Finance Data for Strategic Institutional Resilience
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Higher Ed Data and Higher Ed Finance often operate as parallel lines that rarely intersect. However, institutional leaders can no longer make student-centered decisions without understanding the fiscal impact, nor a budget decision without understanding its impact on the student experience. This panel explores the critical "middle ground" through a facilitated conversation with institutional leaders who have successfully bridged the "data silo" between the Provost’s office and the CFO. Panelists will discuss how integrating financial data and metrics into broader institutional data structures has transformed their decision-making. Attendees will learn how to advocate for better finance data access, the technical challenges of reconciling often disparate ERP and SIS datasets, and strategies for translating complex financial realities into actionable insights for academic stakeholders. In an era of increasing fiscal scrutiny and "demographic cliffs," this session provides a roadmap for IR/IE professionals to position themselves as indispensable strategic partners.
Panelists: Mary Ann Coughlin (Springfield College), Jeremy Goodman (Jeremy Goodman Consulting), Braden J. Hosch (Stony Brook University); Moderator: Michael V. Daly (rpk GROUP, a Division of MGT Impact Solutions)
What to Watch: Federal Higher Education Policy and What’s Next (ENCORE)
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Federal higher education policy continues to shift quickly, shaped by changing priorities, legal challenges, federal data requirements, and developments at the U.S. Department of Education. This session brings together leading policy experts to provide a timely overview of what is happening now and where federal policy may be headed next. Panelists will discuss emerging priorities, likely areas of federal focus, and the broader implications for institutions and the postsecondary sector. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the current policy environment and the issues most worth watching in the months ahead.
Panelists: Diane Cheng (Institute for Higher Education Policy—IHEP), Bryan Cook (Urban Institute), Jonathan Fansmith (American Council on Education); Moderator: Christine Keller (AIR)