About this event

Since 2020, Lumina Foundation and Gallup have partnered to produce the State of Higher Education study, an annual survey of thousands of U.S. adults without a college degree or credential. The 2025 State of Higher Education report provides new insight into the value Americans place on post-high school education and what still stands in their way. Despite continued concern over cost, demand for education remains strong: 57% of unenrolled adults have considered enrolling in the past two years. Mental health, emotional stress and finances remain top reasons adults drop out of college or delay enrollment.

Through this report and more, including a recent report on how students feel about Free Speech on Campus, Gallup is providing important insights into student motivation, feelings of belonging, and barriers to learning. Stephanie Marken will engage with us in conversation about their library of research and how community and civic engagement professionals might use this data to support their work.

This webinar is presented as part of the Informing Practice & Storytelling webinar series, which examines  the latest data and research in civic and community engagement. Webinars in the series highlight research and data that inform and illustrate the ways rich civic and community engagement contributes to student success and community flourishing. Sessions will highlight cutting-edge research-based practice and evidence that connects to the value of civic and community engagement work. Join to find powerful data that will inform your work and strategies, help you tell the story, and demonstrate the impact of active and effective civic and community engagement.

Who should attend?

All Faculty, Staff, Administrators, and Community Partners focused on student access and success, civic and community engagement, community partnerships, and workforce development pipelines. This is a members-only event.

What does this mean? This virtual event will be more interactive in nature, and participation is encouraged!

  • You are invited to have your camera on in order to engage with the speakers and other participants
  • You can openly ask questions by unmuting yourself or typing them in the chat
  • There may be interactive components to this event, such as taking a poll, Q&A, or small group discussion

Meet The Speaker:

Stephanie Marken
Senior Partner
Gallup

Stephanie Marken is a senior partner at Gallup leading its U.S. custom research division, which includes research programs Gallup performs on behalf of foundations, agencies, corporations and higher education institutions. She is responsible for the strategic direction of Gallup’s research in education, workforce development, climate, technology and the social sciences which includes complex, multi-mode qualitative and quantitative research projects. 

Before her current role, Stephanie served as chief methodologist for Gallup. She was responsible for the sample design, data collection approach and methodology for Gallup's public release studies in education and workforce development areas.
 
Prior to joining Gallup, Stephanie was a researcher in the education division at Westat, a research firm specializing in complex social science studies for the federal government, state agencies and foundations. While at Westat, Stephanie worked on large-scale, complex, multimode education studies for the U.S. Department of Education, including the National Household Education Survey, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, Fast Response Survey System, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, and other quantitative and qualitative research projects for education foundations and organizations.

Stephanie received her bachelor's degree in political science from Elon University and her master's degree in survey research from the University of Connecticut.
 

The State of Higher Education 2025

Explore new data on student sentiment, enrollment decisions and institutional trust to better understand how to support today's learners and the future of higher education.

Questions? Get in touch with us at events@compact.org