Education, Research & Public Sector

Mexico City – September 20, 2026 -- The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) has awarded full accreditation to Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), making it the first of Mexico's 13 National Institutes of Health under the Mexican Ministry of Health to reach this status.

INCMNSZ becomes only the second organization in Mexico to earn AAHRPP accreditation, joining a global roster that now exceeds 600 accredited entities. AAHRPP separately confirmed reaccreditation for five additional organizations, underscoring continued renewal activity within its existing accredited network.

Knoxville, Tenn. – September 20, 2026 -- The University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Haslam College of Business rose four places to No. 15 among U.S. public business schools in the Bloomberg Businessweek Best Business Schools Rankings 2026-27. Nationally, Haslam climbed to No. 39, also up four spots from 2025.

Haslam's learning experience score jumps 38 places nationally

Among public institutions, Haslam ranked No. 4 for learning and networking, No. 6 for entrepreneurship and No. 17 for compensation. Nationally, the school placed No. 5 for learning experience, a 38-spot leap from 2025, and No. 10 for networking, up 11 places. Entrepreneurship rose to No. 17 nationally, a 15-spot gain, while compensation improved three spots to No. 43.

Tallahassee – September 19, 2026 -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has released the state's initial list of short-term workforce training programs eligible for the new federal Workforce Pell Grant, a Trump Administration initiative extending federal financial aid to non-degree credentials tied directly to employment.

Federal aid now covers short-term credentials tied to labor demand

The Workforce Pell Grant funds programs that prepare students for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations, with some credentials completable in as little as 8 weeks. Eligibility is determined using two existing state tools: the Targeted Occupations List managed by FloridaCommerce and the CareerSource Florida Master Credential List.

Pittsburgh -- September 17, 2026 -- Duquesne University formally inaugurated Dr. David J. Dausey as its 14th president on Sept. 17, drawing nearly 1,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse as the institution approaches its 150th anniversary in 2028.

Board chair invests Dausey with historic 1931 presidential medallion

Duquesne Board of Directors Chair Diane Hupp presented Dausey with the University's presidential medallion, first commissioned in 1931, mounting it on a newly designed chain of office intended to carry the names of future presidents. Dausey is the first president to wear the medallion in this new format. The ceremony, themed 'Enduring Mission. Emerging Pathways,' included a nearly 300-person academic procession featuring more than 30 delegates from other colleges and universities.

St. Paul – September 19, 2026 -- Rasmussen University, part of American Public University System, will confer credentials on nearly 6,200 graduates during its 2026 Minnesota Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, marking the institution's third and final commencement of the year.

Graduates span 32 states and eight academic disciplines

Attendees registered for the in-person ceremony represent 32 states and Washington, D.C., underscoring the university's national student base despite operating 20 physical campuses. The Class of 2025-2026 completed programs across nursing, health sciences, business, education, human services, justice studies, design and technology. Nearly 20% of graduates are earning a second or additional degree from Rasmussen, pointing to sustained demand for repeat credentialing among working adults.

San Diego – September 19, 2026 -- Regpack, an online registration and payment platform used by thousands of organizations, has rolled out a QR code and PIN-based attendance tracking system designed to secure child pick-up at camps, schools and after-school programs.

Each family receives a unique QR code and PIN per child at registration

The code works for every pick-up and is checked against the authorized contacts listed on that child's record. Every release is logged with the name of the person collecting the child and the exact time of pick-up.

Staff verify unfamiliar adults through photo confirmation and parent messaging

Adults without a QR code can message parents directly through the platform, or parents can leave a note on the child's profile authorizing the pick-up. Students must recognize any additional person collecting them, and staff are required to send a photo of the child with the adult to parents before release.

Denver – September 19, 2026 -- The third annual Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day campaign raised $7.2 million during its Sept. 1-15 run, surpassing last year's total by 38 percent and pushing the initiative's three-year cumulative fundraising to $16.1 million.

Campaign draws 4,400 donations across 349 nonprofits

Led by the Daniels Fund and Aspen Institute's Project Play Colorado, the 2026 drive engaged 349 youth sports nonprofit organizations statewide, funding equipment, uniforms, programming expansion, financial assistance and new facilities for children and families.

Phoenix – September 19, 2026 -- A peer-reviewed study of 380 U.S. college graduates has identified curriculum-career alignment as the highest-rated strategy for building employability, ahead of critical thinking training and real-world application opportunities.

Researchers surveyed 380 graduates across 11 employability strategies

The mixed-methods study, published in the International Journal of Innovative Business Strategies under the title "Graduate Employability in a Changing World," was conducted by scholars affiliated with the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR) at University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies. Respondents ranked connecting curriculum to careers as the top employability factor, followed by teaching critical thinking and adaptability, incorporating real-world applications, and encouraging internships or employment.

Baton Rouge – September 19, 2026 -- The Inner Circle has named Asia Alexus Alexander, M.S.M., a Pinnacle Professional of The Year for her work in marketing education. Alexander teaches marketing at Southern University and A&M College, where she structures coursework around live case studies, industry guest speakers, and analytics-driven projects to replicate the pace of modern marketing agencies.

Curriculum design mirrors agency workflows to prepare graduates for immediate industry contribution.

San Francisco – September 18, 2026 -- Aristotle, a voice-first AI tutoring platform, has closed $5 million in seed funding led by True Ventures, with participation from Wicklow Capital and angel investors from Anthropic, OpenAI, Sierra, Ramp, and Cognition.

Closed beta logs 1,500 tutoring hours before nationwide launch

The startup is launching nationwide after a closed beta in which more than 1,000 students completed over 1,500 hours of one-on-one tutoring sessions. The platform targets students ages 13-18 across STEM subjects, standardized testing, and language learning.