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CIC and ACUE to Develop First-of-Its-Kind Online Course and Credential in Deliberative Discourse

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A grant from Arthur Vining Davis Foundations funds a new professional learning offering to engage campuses in respectful conversations that advance mutual understanding

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Amid deepening divisions within our nation and communities and an increasingly polarized civic landscape on and off campus, it is more important than ever to prepare students to engage in meaningful, trusting dialogue with one another. In response, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) today announced a new grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF) to support the creation of a first-of-its-kind online course and credential in deliberative discourse.

Designed for college and university faculty, the course will strengthen faculty, staff, and students’ ability to engage with each other in respectful ways that advance mutual understanding, particularly when encountering meaningful differences of belief, opinion, or thought. The offering will be developed and delivered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), the nation’s leader in quality teaching and faculty development.

“Our nation’s cultural politics and partisan divide are tearing campuses apart. Controversies over free speech, trigger warnings, outlawed topics, international affairs, and academic programs addressing gender, identity, and racial/ethnic studies have turned open discussions into shouting matches and worse,” said CIC President Marjorie Hass. “We can’t think of a more pressing issue for the future of higher education and the country than restoring a sense of common purpose through meaningful, trusting dialogue. We are grateful to AVDF for funding this new online course and credential in deliberative discourse to help our member institutions and other campuses around the country provide their faculty, staff, and students with the tools for having constructive conversations on difficult issues.”

Distributed through ACUE’s presence on hundreds of campuses, as well as CIC’s membership of more than 600 independent colleges and universities, the online course offering will:

• Allow college educators to develop the skills to facilitate more effective conversations among students in class, online, and on campus;

• Utilize ACUE’s experience as the creator and provider of the highest-quality courses, pathways, and certifications;

• Feature demonstration videos and scenarios so educators have opportunities to envision themselves and their students in situations where best practices for productive discussions are needed; and

• Share information from leading experts, practitioners, and peers.

“Students with diverse backgrounds and beliefs come together in class. It’s imperative that professors have the skills and confidence to engage these differences in productive ways,” said Jonathan Gyurko, ACUE president and cofounder. “This new credential, thanks to the generous support of AVDF and ACUE’s longstanding collaboration with CIC, will prepare college instructors to foster the tolerant and respectful conditions necessary for learning and mutual understanding.”

This collaboration is an extension of a partnership between CIC and ACUE, grounded in Belong: An Inclusive Learning Community, a network of CIC member colleges and universities dedicated to making their campuses more welcoming and inclusive. Once the new course in deliberative discourse is finalized in Spring 2025, this ACUE offering will be made available at no additional cost to all members of the Belong community, providing thousands of faculty members with access to this essential and timely resource.

About CIC

The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges, and other higher education affiliates, that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC offers conferences, seminars, reports, and other programs and services that help independent institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility. To learn more visit cic.org.

About the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations were organized in 1952 and are supported by two trusts established by Mr. Arthur Vining Davis. The Foundations aim to bear witness to Mr. Davis’ successful corporate leadership and his ambitious philanthropic vision. Since their inception, the Foundations have given over 4,600 grants totaling more than $385 million to colleges and universities, hospitals, medical schools, and divinity schools. To learn more visit avdf.org.

About ACUE

The Association of College and University Educators’ (ACUE) mission is to ensure student success through quality instruction. ACUE delivers the highest-quality courses, pathways, and certifications with quick-to-implement practices that make a huge impact on student success. ACUE Certified instructors are shown to boost persistence and completion for students, improve faculty confidence and engagement and help institutions meet their strategic goals. Endorsed by the American Council on Education, ACUE’s online, cohort-based, courses are delivered through institutional partnerships and open enrollment courses and are higher education’s only provider of nationally recognized teaching certifications. To learn more visit acue.org.

Media Contact

Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications fo CIC & ACUE, 1 3129538085, lwolfe@lwolfe.com, https://cic.edu/

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SOURCE L. Wolfe Communications fo CIC & ACUE

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IIFL Capital’s Maiden Late-Stage Private Equity Fund Announces First Close at ~ ₹500 Crore

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29 minutes ago

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October 22, 2026

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IIFL Capital’s Late-Stage Private Equity Fund targets a final close in excess of ₹1,000 crore within nine months from First CloseTwo transactions have already been committed with a pipeline of seven to eight deals under evaluation

MUMBAI, India, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IIFL Capital Asset Management Limited, the Asset Management arm of IIFL Capital, today announced that the IIFL Late-Stage Private Equity Fund, the maiden fund of its private equity platform, achieved its first close on 15 September 2026 with aggregate capital commitments of ~ ₹500 crore. The Fund invests in scaled-up, profitable Indian enterprises that are preparing to list on the public markets in the near term.

The Fund is targeting a total corpus of ₹1,000 crore, with a greenshoe option of additional ₹1,000 crore. It will remain open for subscription after the first close and aims to reach its final close within the next nine months. A larger corpus allows the Fund to back high-quality companies operating on a scale, in line with its late-stage, pre-IPO strategy.

The Fund is also evaluating a robust pipeline of opportunities, ranging from term sheet negotiations to transactions under diligence. The pipeline is diversified across integrated security-as-a-service, railway and wind energy components, specialty chemicals, defence equipment, IT-enabled services, pre-engineered buildings and consumer technology.

The Fund follows a clear mandate focused on scaled businesses nearing a public listing. The fund looks at sectors that envisage growth rate of 15%-18% per annum. The investee company should be amongst the top three-five players in its category, should have an EBITDA of at least ₹75-100 crore at investment with the intention to pursue IPO within three years. The average deal size is expected to be ₹50-100 crore per transaction.

Commenting on the milestone, Mr. Deepak Mittal, Chief Investment Officer and Head – Private Equity, IIFL Capital Asset Management Limited, said: “The first close marks the point at which this Fund moves from being a proposition to being a portfolio. We are grateful to our investors for their confidence in a volatile global environment. With two high-quality transactions already committed and a live pipeline of seven to eight opportunities, we believe IIFL’s capabilities give us a distinct advantage in backing scaled enterprises on their journey to the public markets.”

The first close comes in the backdrop of India’s primary market revival. After a subdued April-June quarter, July and August 2026 together saw 35 mainboard IPOs, and foreign portfolio investors returned as net buyers, including through IPOs. Real GDP grew 7.8% in Q1 FY27, with gross fixed capital formation up 11.9%, supporting the sectors the Fund is targeting.

About IIFL Capital Asset Management Limited

IIFL Capital Asset Management Limited (formerly IIFL Securities Alternate Asset Management Limited) is the Investment Manager for Alternative Investment Funds sponsored by IIFL Capital Services Limited. It is registered with SEBI as an Alternative Investment Fund manager (IN/AIF3/19-20/0770, IN/AIF2/21-22/088), Investment Adviser (INA000019956) and Portfolio Manager (INP000009445). Registered office: Ground Floor 01, Hubtown Solaris, Saiwadi, N S Phadke Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400069. Website: assetmanagement.iiflcapital.com

About IIFL Capital Services Ltd

IIFL Capital Services Ltd (formerly known as IIFL Securities Limited) (NSE: IIFLCAPS) (BSE: 542773) is one of the key capital market players in the Indian financial services space. IIFL Capital offers broking services, wealth management, financial products distribution, institutional broking, research and investment banking services.

Disclaimer: This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any units of the IIFL Late-Stage Private Equity Fund or any securities. Investments in alternative investment funds are subject to market and other risks, including loss of capital. Investors should read the Private Placement Memorandum, including the risk factors, before investing. Registration granted by SEBI, enlistment with BSE, and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors. Past performance of securities/instruments is not indicative of their future performance.

 

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Snapmaker Introduces New Filament Bundle, Expanding Its Full Spectrum Printing Ecosystem

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29 minutes ago

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October 22, 2026

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The Snapmaker PLA Full Spectrum Filament Bundle (White Edition) combines pure-white capability, more saturated cyan, magenta, and yellow filaments, and finely tuned light-transmission properties for vibrant, natural-looking color mixes. It expands Snapmaker’s integrated ecosystem of dedicated materials, Snapmaker Orca software, and U1 hardware.

SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Snapmaker has introduced the Snapmaker PLA Full Spectrum Filament Bundle (White Edition), expanding the creative possibilities of layered color mixing on Snapmaker U1. The four-spool set combines semi-translucent cyan, magenta, yellow, and white PLA filaments to produce a broader palette, from vivid color mixes and soft pastels to directly printed pure-white details.

“Together with the reformulated color filaments, the addition of white opens up a broader range of visual styles.” — Blayne Sapelli, Creative Marketing Manager at Snapmaker.

Four Filaments, Beyond Four Colors

Full Spectrum color mixing creates additional perceived colors by alternating thin layers of semi-translucent filaments along the Z-axis. As light interacts with these layers, their colors blend visually, allowing a single print to go beyond the four loaded filament colors.

Snapmaker Orca, Snapmaker’s official slicing software, supports this layered color mixing workflow. Together with U1’s multi-toolhead architecture, it provides a practical foundation for exploring more colors with a small set of materials.

Radu “Ratdoux,” creator of Full Spectrum and now part of the Snapmaker team, said: “Full Spectrum changes the way we think about color in consumer FDM printing. Instead of adding more and more individual filament colors, we can use a small set of calibrated materials together with software and multi-toolhead hardware to generate a much broader spectrum. Our goal is to make that process simple enough that users can focus on what they want to create rather than how to engineer the color.”

Filaments Engineered for Brighter Color

White filament brings two distinct benefits: it enables pure-white areas that layered color mixing alone cannot produce, and it brightens mixed colors while reducing saturation for lighter, softer tones. Reformulated cyan, magenta, and yellow filaments offer stronger saturation, helping deliver more vibrant mixes.

The filaments’ color and Transmission Distance properties are tuned to promote natural blending and help reduce visible horizontal stripes. On Snapmaker U1, RFID recognition automatically loads preset filament information, simplifying setup.

These properties give creators more flexibility to combine vivid accents, gentle shades, and white details in character models, collectibles, home décor, and sculptural artwork. The four-spool approach also reduces the need to store separate filament colors for occasional use.

“Adding white is a meaningful step for creators who want lighter palettes and pure-white details within the same four-spool setup,” said Blayne Sapelli, Creative Marketing Manager at Snapmaker, “Together with the reformulated color filaments, it opens up a different range of visual styles. It also reflects how we are building our ecosystem: developing dedicated materials around real creative needs and connecting them with the tools people use to print.”

An Integrated Ecosystem for Color Creation

The Snapmaker PLA Full Spectrum Filament Bundle (White Edition) joins the Snapmaker PLA Full Spectrum Filament Bundle (Gray Edition) and the SnapSpeed PLA CMYK Lithophane Filament Bundle, expanding Snapmaker’s official lineup to three purpose-designed bundles.

The two PLA Full Spectrum bundles are designed for three-dimensional color mixing. The new bundle enables brighter mixes, softer pastels, and pure-white details, while the Gray Edition offers darker, more muted tones. The CMYK Lithophane bundle is optimized for flat, layered-color printing, including colorful backlit lithophanes made from photographs and illustrations.

Built around U1 and Snapmaker Orca, the lineup connects specialized materials with hardware and software support.

Pricing and Product Information

The bundle is priced at US$89 and contains four 1 kg spools, totaling 4 kg. For product details and regional purchasing information, visit the official product page.

About Snapmaker

Snapmaker makes products that empower everyone to change the world — literally. From 3-in-1 desktop fabrication machines to the Snapmaker U1 multicolor, multimaterial, toolchanger 3D printer, to the software that powers it all, Snapmaker is building an ecosystem that democratizes creation. Snapmaker: Make Something Wonderful.

For more information, visit Snapmaker.com.

Media Contact

Hao Jiang, Snapmaker, 86 13588745216, jianghao@snapmaker.com, www.snapmaker.com

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SOURCE Snapmaker

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Today, Intelligent Legal Solutions (ILS) and Anduin announced a partnership to provide a more streamlined service for both fund managers and law firms

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30 minutes ago

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October 22, 2026

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PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Intelligent Legal Solutions (ILS) and Anduin have announced a partnership to create a more connected fundraising experience for private markets fund managers and law firms.

ILS is the legal technology company behind ProVision, a platform for private investment funds lawyers and their clients, while Anduin provides technology for private markets fundraising and investor operations. Through the partnership, the companies will build an integration connecting their platforms to support a more streamlined, end-to-end fundraising process.

Launched in 2024, ILS works with 89% of law firms ranked in the top three bands by Chambers USA for Private Equity: Fund Formation nationwide. Its technology has supported fundraises totaling more than $825 billion across North America, the UK, EMEA and APAC.

Anduin’s platform has supported more than 1,300 private investment funds, onboarded over 76,000 investors and powered more than $265 billion in capital raised. Its customers represent more than $7 trillion in aggregate assets under management.

Fergus Plant, Co-Founder of ILS, said: “We are hugely excited to announce our partnership with Anduin. They are a mainstay of the private markets tech space, and we are proud to collaborate to bring a more complete solution to our customers. Our recent launch of the Fund Manager Portal for ProVision more closely aligns our customers, deepening the benefits of this relationship.”

Eliot Hodges, CEO of Anduin, said: “Fundraising still involves too many handoffs between systems, teams and advisers. By connecting Anduin’s subscription and investor onboarding workflows with ProVision’s side letter, comment memo, MFN and obligation management capabilities, we can help firms carry data more seamlessly through the fundraising process and reduce the operational burden around close.”

Read more at https://anduintransact.com/blog/anduin-partners-with-ils 

Fund managers and law firms interested in learning more can contact:

About Anduin
Anduin is the leading digital platform for managing fund lifecycles and LP relationships. The company has facilitated $118 billion in global capital and supports 48,000+ investors across 890+ funds. Learn more at anduintransact.com.

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SOURCE Anduin Transactions

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