Public Sector, Education & Research

Winter Park, Fla. -- September 18, 2026 -- Full Sail University reported that 124 of its graduates were credited on 52 winning projects across 85 categories at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, with three alumni also winning individual Emmys for their own work.

Judah Getz claims three Emmys for ADR mixing across three different series

Judah Getz won Outstanding Sound Mixing awards in three separate categories for his work as ADR Mixer on "Pluribus" (comedy or drama series, one hour), "Beef" (limited or anthology series or movie), and "Widow's Bay" (comedy or drama series half-hour and animation).

Sound editing honors go to Jerry Lafuente and Andy Sisul

Jerry Lafuente won Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special as Sound Effects Editor on "Beef." Andy Sisul won Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) as Co-Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer on "Spider-Noir."

Phoenix – September 18, 2026 -- Ninety-eight percent of managers who directly supervise University of Phoenix graduates report overall satisfaction with those employees, and 97% say they would likely hire another University of Phoenix graduate in the future, according to new research from The Harris Poll commissioned by the university.

Harris Poll surveys 408 U.S. managers to benchmark employer experience

The Harris Poll conducted an online survey from June 4-25, 2026, among 204 U.S. managers supervising at least one University of Phoenix graduate and 204 managers supervising graduates from other colleges and universities. Of 1,796 individuals contacted, 96% met screening requirements (n=1,728), and 24% of the qualified sample completed the survey. Results carry a Bayesian credible interval of ±8.6 percentage points for the University of Phoenix group and ±8.0 percentage points for the benchmark group at a 95% confidence level.

Salt Lake City – – September 18, 2026 -- Instructure, maker of Canvas LMS, has appointed Stephan Geering as chief privacy officer to lead its global data privacy programs and AI regulatory compliance efforts. Geering brings more than 20 years of experience in data privacy, risk management and public policy across technology, financial services and government sectors.

Geering will vet AI features for privacy and safety risks before customer release

In his new role, Geering will work across Instructure's legal, security and product teams to set requirements for how new products handle learner and educator data. He will oversee the evaluation of AI features for data privacy and safety risks prior to deployment and lead the company's response to emerging AI regulation worldwide.

Denver – September 18, 2026 -- Procare Solutions has acquired Playground, an all-in-one child care management platform serving more than 5,000 programs nationwide, expanding its footprint among the 40,000-plus centers it already serves.

Procare adds Playground's AI assistant Camber to its product suite

Playground's flagship tool, Camber, is described as the first AI assistant built specifically for child care operations. The platform also integrates marketing, enrollment, billing, subsidy management and payroll functions into a single system.

Roper Technologies-owned Procare extends 30-year presence with deal

Procare Solutions, a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), has operated in child care management software for more than three decades. CEO Joe Gomes said the acquisition reflects continued investment in tools supporting center growth and reducing administrative workload for operators.

Allentown, Pennsylvania – September 18, 2026 -- Women in Science Demonstrating Outstanding Merits (WISDOM) will convene its third annual Connecting Our Talents: Women in STEM event on Oct. 8, 2026, at Lehigh University's Iacocca Conference Center, running from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Event pairs Lehigh Valley students with industry professionals to address AI's growing role in STEM careers

The gathering will bring together college students from across the Lehigh Valley with STEM industry professionals for networking and project showcases. A new format element this year requires each student presenter to spend one minute explaining how they incorporated artificial intelligence into their work, or explaining why they did not.

Sukhothai – – September 17, 2026 -- A sports court renovated by STARCARES at Ban Nam Lat School in Sukhothai, Thailand, now functions as a dual-use facility, serving 62 students on weekdays and roughly 600 residents from 180 households on weekends.

Renovated court shifts from single-use to community asset

The facility supports physical education for Ban Nam Lat School's 62 students during the week, then opens to neighbouring villagers once classes end and on weekends. STARCARES designed the transition intentionally, given that rural schools in Sukhothai often double as the only nearby recreational infrastructure available to local households.

Phoenix – September 17, 2026 -- University of Phoenix's College of Doctoral Studies will convene its 13th annual Knowledge Without Boundaries Summit on October 22-23, 2026, a fully online research conference featuring more than 90 research and scholarship presentations across disciplines.

Summit centers on research amid uncertainty and disruption

Co-sponsored by the Research and Scholarship Enterprise (RSE) and the College of Doctoral Studies, the event is themed "Research as Sense-Making in Times of Uncertainty" and titled "Exploring Scholarship, Society and Change." The interdisciplinary program addresses research practices during crisis and transition, methodological innovation amid data ambiguity, research ethics in high-stakes environments, and digital methods including artificial intelligence and algorithmic sense-making.

St. Johns County, Fla. – September 17, 2026 -- St. Johns County has built a fiscal contingency plan around estimates showing property-tax revenue could fall by $68.3 million in Fiscal Year 2028, $136.1 million in FY 2029, and $191.6 million in FY 2032 if voters approve Property Tax Amendment 3 on Nov. 3, 2026. The projections, sourced from the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, have driven a countywide budget review underway since May.

County identifies $108.6 million in spending for post-election reassessment

Staff flagged approximately $100 million in capital improvement projects for hold status, alongside $4 million tied to vacant positions, $2 million in unfunded FY 2027 roles, and $2.6 million in paused-but-recommended positions. County Administrator Joy Andrews said the approach lets officials avoid committing resources that may not be available later while protecting long-term financial stability.

Washington – September 17, 2026 -- Seventeen Volunteer Advocates from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will meet with members of Congress from September 16-18 to push for sustained federal funding and pending legislation on suicide prevention, arriving weeks after Congress passed the Youth Poisoning Protection Act (H.R. 1442/S. 289), which now awaits presidential signature.

Advocates from 14 states demand $549.6 million for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The delegation, sponsored for a second year by AFSP's Illinois chapter during National Suicide Prevention Month, is lobbying for robust funding of the 988 Lifeline at $549.6 million, a $38 million allocation for the CDC's Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP), and $2.548 billion for the National Institute of Mental Health.

New York – September 17, 2026 -- Scholarship America has distributed $193 million to 3,877 students through the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund over the 25 years since the fund's creation in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

Fund draws support from more than 20,000 donors including Citi and Strada Education Foundation

Scholarship America helped establish the fund in the direct aftermath of the 2001 attacks and has administered it continuously since, targeting children who lost a parent or whose parent became permanently disabled as a result of the attacks and subsequent recovery efforts. More than 20,000 individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations have contributed to the fund, with Citi and Strada Education Foundation named as longtime supporters.