Education, Research & Public Sector

Bethesda, Md. – September 11, 2026 -- EPS Learning has secured SOC 2 Type II attestation for its EPS Connect platform following an independent audit by SC&H Attest Services, P.C., providing school and district partners formal assurance over student data protections.

Independent auditor validates security controls over a sustained period

The SOC 2 Type II review, based on the AICPA's Trust Services Criteria for security, examined the design and operating effectiveness of EPS Learning's controls over time rather than at a single point. Auditors assessed policies, procedures, risk management, incident response, disaster recovery processes, and information and communication systems tied to EPS Connect.

Englewood, Colo. – September 11, 2026 -- Stefano S. McGhee, a Massachusetts technology executive who most recently served as Senior Director of Technology Operations for Harvard Business Publishing, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Toastmasters International, taking on a one-year term following the organization's 2026 International Convention in Vancouver, held Aug. 19-22.

McGhee brings enterprise IT leadership experience to a 245,000-member global network

At Harvard Business Publishing, McGhee led a team of cloud engineers, architects, integration engineers and help desk technicians responsible for the availability and stability of critical applications, including Harvard Business Review. Toastmasters International, headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, operates more than 14,000 clubs in nearly 150 countries.

Frankfurt – September 11, 2026 -- German students perform worse today than they did a quarter-century ago, despite the country spending above-average sums per pupil compared with international peers, according to the latest PISA assessment results.

Education inequality widens despite two decades of reform

The gap in educational outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged students has grown larger since the first PISA shock in 2001, reversing gains made in the years that followed. Performance had improved steadily through 2015 after policymakers overhauled curricula and teaching standards in response to that initial wake-up call.

High spending fails to translate into learning outcomes

Germany allocates more funding per student than the international average, yet results now trail behind comparable economies, raising questions about the efficiency of current educational spending and resource allocation within the school system.

Hong Kong – September 11, 2026 -- The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust approved an average of US$774 million in donations annually between 2020 and 2024, ranking it as Asia's largest corporate donor and eighth largest globally, according to a Bridgespan Group study released at the close of the Club's PBC forum on September 8, 2026.

Bridgespan data confirms Jockey Club's position as Asia's top corporate donor

The corporate giving research, unveiled during PBC 2026, benchmarked the Trust's donation volume against global peers and placed it at the top of the regional ranking. A separate Bridgespan report, backed by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation, examined how Asia's wealthiest families structure philanthropic giving alongside business interests.

Greenville, S.C. – September 11, 2026 -- Greenville Technical College reports a 94% graduate placement rate as Upstate, South Carolina employers in health care, advanced manufacturing, aviation and technology compete for skilled workers during national Workforce Development Month.

Graduates feed talent pipelines at BMW, Michelin and Lockheed Martin

Greenville Tech graduates are employed across the region's largest employers, including BMW, Michelin, Lockheed Martin, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Prisma Health. Dr. Candice Lewis, chief academic officer, said the college's academic programs, workforce certificates and customized training are designed to align directly with employer needs, producing students who are either employed in-field or continuing their education upon graduation.

Auburn, Ala. – September 11, 2026 -- Auburn University's Sports Medicine and Movement Laboratory is capturing markerless motion-capture data on every pitch and every swing at Plainsman Park, converting real-time biomechanical footage into injury-prevention and performance analytics for collegiate and professional baseball.

Lab expands to three integrated sites tracking live game data

Director Gretchen Oliver's team operates an in-house facility inside the Kinesiology Building plus dedicated in-game and in-bullpen labs at Plainsman Park. Hidden cameras record markerless motion-capture data on pitchers and hitters during every home game and bullpen session, generating datasets on shoulder and elbow force loads that feed directly back to coaching staff.

Berlin – September 11, 2026 -- The Federal Association of Non-Statutory Welfare Care (BAGFW) has opened submissions for the Deutscher Sozialpreis 2027, a journalism award worth €25,000 in total prize money, with entries due by October 15, 2026.

BAGFW seeks reporting that moves beyond routine social-policy coverage

The prize rewards journalistic work that examines social issues with depth, context and public relevance, according to BAGFW, the umbrella body representing Germany's top welfare associations. Submissions must go beyond standard news coverage to make social challenges visible and contribute to informed public debate.

Los Angeles – September 11, 2026 -- PlayVS, North America's scholastic esports competition platform, will operate alongside 25 state and regional partners for the 2026–27 school year, marking eight years of collaboration in school-based esports.

PlayVS renews agreements with nine state athletic associations ahead of new season

The company confirmed renewed agreements with the Arkansas Activities Association, Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, Hawaii High School Athletic Association, Kentucky High School Athletic Association, Maine Principals' Association, Massachusetts School Administrators' Association, Oregon School Activities Association, South Carolina Scholastic Esports, and Virginia High School League. Several of these relationships date back to PlayVS's earliest seasons, according to the company.

Washington – September 11, 2026 -- Seventy-one percent of surveyed academics say American higher education is worse equipped today than it was 25 years ago to pursue truth-seeking as its central mission, according to a new survey released by the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Two-thirds of professors doubt students can identify who perpetrated 9/11

The survey found that 66% of Middle East studies professors do not believe their students can correctly identify the causes or perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The same share, 66%, said scholarly academic work has generated cover for ideologies, groups, or regimes directly hostile to the United States.

Grand Rapids – – September 11, 2026 -- Grand Rapids Community College will formally invest Dr. Kathryn A. Rogalski as its 12th president on Sept. 18, making her the first permanent female president in the institution's history since its 1914 founding.

Investiture ceremony to draw national and regional leaders on Sept. 18

The 3 p.m. ceremony at Fountain Street Church will feature Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, which represents more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide. Guillermo Cisneros, president and CEO of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will emcee the event.