Building Pathways Initiative: State-Led Strategies for Student Success and Workforce Pathways
Yes
5/6/2026 12:00 PM
5/6/2026 1:00 PM

​The American Council on Education’s (ACE) Building Pathways Initiative, sponsored by Imaginable Futures, is a limited series of state-focused convenings and conversations designed to advance student success by elevating state-led priorities and connecting them with national insights and resources. This fourth event in the series brought together leaders in state policy, higher education system leadership, and research from multiple states to explore strategies that better support today’s learners.

The discussion highlighted the experiences of student-parents and military-affiliated students. Panelists examined policies and practices that could benefit a broad range of students navigating college today. Speakers from around the nation spotlighted innovations such as state-level strategies, stronger college-employer partnerships, and integrated supports like childcare—approaches that can help more students persist and succeed.

Insights from this discussion will help inform ACE’s broader efforts to connect state-level innovation to a national conversation about how higher education builds America by expanding opportunity and strengthening workforce pathways.


Speakers
Jim Purcell
Executive Director, Alabama Commission on Higher Education
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Jim Purcell -  Executive Director, Alabama Commission on Higher Education -
Jim Purcell
Executive Director, Alabama Commission on Higher Education
Bradley Wrenn
Program Manager for Military and Veterans Education, the University of North Carolina System
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Bradley Wrenn -  Program Manager for Military and Veterans Education, the University of North Carolina System -
Bradley Wrenn
Program Manager for Military and Veterans Education, the University of North Carolina System
Theresa Anderson
Senior Fellow; Workforce, Education, and Labor Division at the Urban Institute
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Theresa Anderson - Senior Fellow; Workforce, Education, and Labor Division at the Urban Institute -
Theresa Anderson
Senior Fellow; Workforce, Education, and Labor Division at the Urban Institute
Rebecca Lee
U.S. Army Legal Education Delay Recipient; 2L J.D. Candidate, Syracuse University College of Law
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Rebecca Lee - U.S. Army Legal Education Delay Recipient; 2L J.D. Candidate, Syracuse University College of Law -
Rebecca Lee
U.S. Army Legal Education Delay Recipient; 2L J.D. Candidate, Syracuse University College of Law

​​Recording Available

​​This webinar took place on ​May 6, 2026.​

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