27 industry thought leaders share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Thomas Haigh created the Retrocomputing Lab to give students hands-on, evolutionary experience with technology from the 1980s to the 2000s -- loading spreadsheets from floppy disks, booting up legacy operating systems and playing classic games on old consoles. The lab, which features equipment such as Apple IIe computers and Nintendo 64 consoles, is free from modern internet connectivity and surveillance, and it allows students to understand, explore and appreciate the tactile and transparent nature of earlier computing devices.

Indiana State University has introduced Sycamore Grove, a digital community for online students designed to enhance engagement and academic support. Partnering with InScribe, the platform allows students to connect with peers and faculty, ask questions and access resources. This initiative reflects a broader trend in higher education to better support remote learners, inspired by similar efforts at institutions such as Champlain College Online and the University of Maryland Global Campus.

State funding for higher education rose 1% in fiscal 2026, the smallest increase since fiscal 2021, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. However, the increase does not account for inflation, effectively leaving funding flat for many institutions. "Pre-pandemic, it might have been harder to absorb this kind of slower growth, but because we have so many good years, we feel less panicked about what this could mean," says SHEEO's Rachel Burns. The report also notes that funding changes vary significantly by state, with Montana seeing a 12.1% increase and Arizona a 13.6% decrease.