State of Higher Education: What Learners Say and Employers Want
Webinar Details
Date & Time
May 13, 2026 | 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Duration
1 hour
Cost
Free
About the Webinar
Ninety-three percent of college students in the U.S. say their school is teaching them the job-relevant skills they need. Only half of employers agree. So, what’s really going on?
Get an inside look at new national data from Lumina Foundation and Gallup revealing how learners, graduates and employers are redefining the value of a college education in an AI-shaped economy.
The conversation might challenge what you think.
Study insights include:
- to what extent U.S. adults and employers continue to value college degrees
- how cost, financial aid and structural barriers continue to drive stop-out and non-enrollment decisions
- how AI is prompting students to rethink their coursework choices
- what skills or opportunities college graduates say they needed from earning their degree but didn't get
Additional speakers to be announced.
The Speakers
Stephanie Marken
Senior Partner, Higher Education Research
Gallup
Stephanie Marken
Senior Partner, Higher Education Research
Gallup
Stephanie Marken is a senior partner at Gallup, where she leads research on higher education access, value and student experience. She has spent more than a decade studying the attitudes and outcomes of adult learners and currently enrolled students, with a focus on enrollment decision-making, persistence and completion. Marken frequently advises higher education leaders on how to use data to design programs and policies that better meet the needs of today’s learners.
Courtney Brown
Vice President, Impact and Planning
Lumina Foundation
Courtney Brown
Vice President, Impact and Planning
Lumina Foundation
Courtney Brown is vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation, where she leads strategy to advance the foundation’s goal of increasing postsecondary attainment in the United States. She has extensive experience in higher education policy, data-driven planning and systems-level reform, and works closely with institutions, states and national partners to improve affordability, access and student success.
Laura Ullrich
Director of Economic Research in North America
Indeed
Laura Ullrich
Director of Economic Research in North America
Indeed
Laura Ullrich is Director of Economic Research in North America at the Indeed Hiring Lab. Prior to joining Indeed, Laura served as a Senior Regional Economist and Senior Manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, primarily focused on research related to higher education and workforce dynamics. For over a decade, Laura was an economics professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Winthrop University. Her research interests include higher education, community college policy, labor participation, and the economic impact of local development. She holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Georgia and a master's and doctorate in Economics from the University of Tennessee.
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