Ithaka S+R is delighted to welcome four summer interns who will contribute to projects across our higher education research and advisory portfolios: Jennifer Butler, Beza Taddess, William Redding, and Brianna Zichettella.

Jennifer Butler, a PhD student in sociology and social policy at Princeton University, will join the American Talent Initiative (ATI) team, contributing research and content development on topics related to bachelor’s degree attainment, access, persistence, and student success. Beza Taddess, a PhD student in sociology at Princeton University with expertise in social demography and inequality, will also support ATI’s work to expand the knowledge base for member institutions serving low- and moderate-income students.

William Redding, a PhD student at the University of Georgia’s McBee Institute of Higher Education, will work with Ithaka S+R’s Rural Student Success Network, supporting case studies and the development of institutional resources focused on rural student success, adult learners, transfer, and workforce alignment. Brianna Zichettella, a PhD candidate in communication and media at the University of Michigan, will contribute to our work on the international character of the US research enterprise, focusing in particular on building out and maintaining our US–Sino Policy Tracker, a web resource that maps policies affecting international scholarly collaboration between the US and China in real time.

Their work this summer will tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the higher education sector: expanding opportunity for lower-income and rural students, strengthening pathways to degree completion, and helping colleges and universities navigate a rapidly evolving policy environment for international research collaboration.

We are thrilled to have Jennifer, Beza, William, and Brianna join us, and we look forward to the contributions they will make to Ithaka S+R’s projects and to the communities and stakeholders we serve.