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Apply Now: The Ellucian Foundation’s 2026 PATH Scholarship Program to Provide Funding for Student Success

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The 2026 PATH Scholarship Program is now accepting applications.The program will award funding through block grants of $10,000, $15,000, and $25,000 to dozens of eligible institutions.PATH enables institutions to provide direct financial support to students experiencing economic hardship, helping them continue with their education.

RESTON, Va., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Ellucian Foundation, established in 2020 by Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, announces that the 2026 Progress Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship Program is now accepting applications from eligible institutions. PATH provides block grants of $10,000, $15,000 and $25,000 to higher education institutions to support students in financial distress and prevent educational disruptions.

“Financial hardship remains one of the greatest barriers to student success, often forcing learners to pause or abandon their education — Ellucian’s 2025 Student Voice Report found that 23% of stop-outs cannot afford upfront costs to return, while 15% are already burdened by student debt,” said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian. “Through the PATH Scholarship, the Ellucian Foundation is partnering with institutions to remove those barriers and ensure more students can stay enrolled, complete their studies, and achieve their goals. This program reflects the Foundation’s commitment to expanding access and powering student success at scale.”

Eligibility and Program Scope

In 2026, the Foundation is accepting PATH applications from:

In the United States, public four-year institutions that are eligible to participate in the Federal Title IV Student Aid programs. Eligible four-year public Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are strongly encouraged to apply.Outside the United States, not-for-profit higher education institutions who are approved by the country’s ministry of higher education (or other national government ministry) to provide associate’s or bachelor’s degrees in the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom. 

The PATH Scholarship’s Impact

Since the program’s inception in 2020, PATH has provided grants totaling more than $3.7 million to 200+ higher education institutions around the world. Those grants have supported more than 3,700 students.

“Student success is at the heart of everything we do at Ivy Tech. While many of our students are highly motivated, unexpected financial barriers can threaten their ability to stay enrolled. We are grateful to the Ellucian Foundation for investing in our students through this scholarship support, allowing us to respond when help is needed most and keep students on track to complete their education and achieve their career goals.” – Mari Linn Wise, Vice Chancellor of Development & Community Relations, Ivy Tech Community College.”These students represent the determination, resilience, and ambition that define Brookdale. The PATH Scholarship allows us to remove immediate financial barriers so our students can continue their education with confidence and momentum.” – David M. Stout, Ph.D., President of Brookdale Community College.”Receiving [The Ellucian PATH Scholarship will] help me be able to focus more on school so I would not have to work as much. I support myself and the first in my family to go to college.” – 2025 PATH Scholarship student recipient.”At the moment I’m trying to hold down a full-time job and be a full-time student. With the current rise in cost of living this is becoming harder and harder because I have to miss work for classes. [The Ellucian PATH Scholarship will] reduce the finical burden of both missed work and education costs.” – 2025 PATH Scholarship student recipient.”I am a husband and father of two, returning to the healthcare field after a decade in sales. I’m currently pursuing a nursing degree to fulfill my long-standing desire to help others in a meaningful way. Balancing school with family responsibilities and financial pressures is challenging, especially as we adjust to living on a single income. A [The Ellucian PATH Scholarship will] ease the burden of tuition and related expenses, allowing me to focus more fully on my education and clinical training. [The Ellucian PATH Scholarship will] be a blessing to my household and help me build a career rooted in purpose and service.” – 2025 PATH Scholarship student recipient.

Program Overview and Application Details

“The PATH Scholarship is designed to meet students where they are, providing timely financial support that can make the difference between stopping out and staying on track,” said Jen Welding, Executive Director of the Ellucian Foundation. “By working directly with institutions, we ensure funding reaches students quickly and effectively, helping them persist in their studies and move forward with confidence.”

The application deadline for institutions in the United States is June 5, 2026. For eligible institutions in Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom, the deadline is July 3, 2026.

All applications will be reviewed and evaluated by an independent third party. Selected institutions in the U.S. will be notified in July and those outside the U.S. in September.

For more details and application access, visit: https://stayonpath.org/.

WHAT IS THE ELLUCIAN FOUNDATION PATH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship is provided by the Ellucian Foundation, established in 2020 by Ellucian, the leading technology solutions provider for higher education. The PATH Scholarship program has provided more than $3.7 million in grants. Thousands of students have received PATH Scholarships through their higher education institutions. For more information or to get apply, visit: https://stayonpath.org/.

Media Contacts
Greg Giangrande, Chief Marketing Officer
Greg.Giangrande@Ellucian.com

Jess Weston, Manager, Communications
Jess.Weston@Ellucian.com

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SMiT unveils UWB-enabled CI+ 2.0 dongle and Presence-Aware TV platform at IBC2026

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Joint solution combines SMiT secure TV-access hardware, TrueSense UWB technology, The Hashgraph Group’s BrandBoost product and Sofia Digital’s TV application expertise.

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SMiT, a global provider of secure TV-access hardware and solutions, will unveil its Presence-Aware TV platform anchored by a CI+ 2.0 USB dongle integrating Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology at IBC2026, which will be held from September 11 for September 14. The solution is designed for Free-TV and Pay-TV operators and broadcasters seeking privacy-conscious audience awareness, richer viewer engagement and measurable advertising opportunities on the main screen.

The platform brings together SMiT’s secure and deployable TV-access hardware, the TrueSense UWB integration layer for precise identity association and precise relative positioning, The Hashgraph Group’s BrandBoost TV Awareness product, and Sofia Digital’s TV application and user-interface capabilities.

As viewing and advertising budgets increasingly move toward digital platforms, Pay-TV operators need a reliable and consent-based way to understand engagement at the shared television screen. SMiT’s proposition turns the television from a reach-only device into an interactive and measurable surface while keeping the operator at the center of the customer relationship.

How it works

The UWB-enabled CI+ 2.0 dongle connects directly to a compatible iDTV without requiring a separate set-top box. Using TrueSense UWB technology, the system can securely associate an opted-in registered viewer’s smartphone or tag with the television and determine the device’s proximity and relative position with high precision. This enables the TV, the operator application and cloud services to coordinate personalized and interactive experiences.

SMiT pairs its hardware with BrandBoost, The Hashgraph Group’s TV Awareness product. BrandBoost combines privacy-conscious viewer awareness, gamification, targeted engagement and reward workflows. Developed around the UWB layer, allowing the platform to link an authorized digital identity to the viewer’s precise proximity and position relative to the television.

Sofia Digital provides the TV application, operator user experience and integration capabilities required to bring these services to screen.

Demonstrated use cases include:

Live sports ‘Guess & Glory’: prediction and polling experiences with rewards for correct answers.Ad Trivia: interactive overlays during commercial breaks, with credits, vouchers or other operator-defined rewards.Presence-aware personalization: content, menus and offers adapted to an opted-in registered viewer.Location-based authentication: an additional proximity signal supporting account security and password-sharing controls.

Where required by the operator, engagement and reward events can be recorded using Hedera DLT, supporting transparent campaign measurement and tokenized reward models. The combined platform is designed to help operators progress from broad audience estimates toward permission-based, outcome-oriented engagement and advertising metrics.

Live at IBC2026

Visitors to SMiT Stand 2.C36 will be able to experience a live demonstration in which an enabled smartphone approaching the television is associated with the TV session through UWB. The demonstration will show the combined hardware, viewer onboarding, TV interaction, gamification and operator cloud-management experience.

The architecture is extensible to personalized operator interfaces, live sports interaction, targeted advertising, loyalty programs and other presence-aware services. SMiT positions the dongle as a practical add-on for existing Pay-TV operators and conditional-access providers, supporting new services without requiring a complete replacement of the installed TV platform.

More information: www.smit.com.cn/engr/

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/smit-unveils-uwb-enabled-ci-2-0-dongle-and-presence-aware-tv-platform-at-ibc2026–302874587.html

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Reinvented & Upgraded: Kuailu AI CRM into the 2.0 Era

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HONG KONG, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Industry research reveals that 68% of sales data remains untracked outside of CRM systems, with sales representatives spending an average of 2 hours daily on manual data entry and report preparation. The limitations of traditional CRM workflows have become increasingly glaring.

As Generative AI steps into autonomous execution, AI Agents are completely rewriting software architecture. As a pioneer in smart workplace solutions, Kuailu Smart Office introduces the newly upgraded Kuailu AI CRM—built natively on an AI-first architecture.

By deeply embedding AI across the complete end-to-end business lifecycle—from lead acquisition and nurturing, opportunity follow-ups, and deal closing, to revenue collection and post-deal reviews—Kuailu AI CRM proactively derives insights, evaluates risks, and executes tasks. It elevates the CRM from a mere add-on utility into an enterprise-wide intelligent operating hub, restoring CRM to its ultimate core purpose: driving closed deals and revenue growth!

Not Just a Software Tool, But a Strategic Growth Partner

Most legacy CRMs rely on plugged-in AI overlays that only deliver isolated optimizations—such as basic chat interfaces or knowledge base search—failing to fundamentally address core enterprise growth goals. In contrast, an AI-Native CRM leverages holistic, end-to-end pipeline data combined with LLM-powered analytical reasoning, fundamentally shifting CRM management from “process-driven” to “insight-driven.”

As an AI-native platform, Kuailu AI CRM constructs an enterprise-wide intelligent data computing hub powered by a proprietary three-tier architecture:

AI Data CenterAI Intelligence HubAI Core Business Engine

Looking through a holistic operational lens, the platform delivers real-time sales dynamics, proactively evaluates business risks, and automatically formulates tactical strategies—achieving a complete closed loop of Intelligent Insight — Intelligent Decision-Making — Intelligent Execution — Intelligent Review.

For Decision-Makers: Comprehensive Business Control at a Glance

Data is an enterprise’s most critical moat. However, data in conventional CRMs is often fragmented and poorly correlated, failing to record true operational reality—let alone guide executive decision-making. For leadership, this creates a scenario of “data overload with zero actionable clarity.”

Kuailu AI CRM solves this with a Management Command Cockpit equipped with an AI Diagnostic Engine, Real-Time Revenue Board, and Multi-Dimensional Operational Dashboards. Core metrics—including revenue performance, client distribution, deal conversion rates, activity levels, and customer churn pre-warnings—are visible at a single glance. By combining full-process visual monitoring, proactive risk alerts, and intelligent revenue forecasting, executives can officially say goodbye to blind management and reactive post-mortems.

For Sales Reps: AI Models Delivering Direction and Actionable Plans

Traditional sales planning relies heavily on reps’ subjective “gut feelings” and personal judgment tracked in manual Excel sheets—a process that is time-consuming, labor-intensive, prone to inaccuracy, and incapable of offering clear execution guidance.

Kuailu AI CRM leverages authentic enterprise master data, buyer intent stages, historical engagement logs, and win probabilities. Powered by advanced AI models, it automatically generates a personalized, high-priority daily follow-up task list.

These plans align perfectly with live business scenarios, dynamically adapting to each rep’s workflow rhythm and the client’s current status. By clearly outlining daily target accounts, key actions, and milestone goals, the system completely eliminates blind follow-ups and unproductive busywork—allowing sales teams to focus 100% of their energy on high-value, deal-closing activities.

An Out-of-the-Box AI Toolkit Unlocking End-to-End Productivity

Beyond solidifying the four foundational CRM modules—Leads, Accounts, Opportunities, and Orders—Kuailu AI CRM seamlessly embeds intelligence across every operational node. It introduces 9 out-of-the-box AI Smart Tools covering acquisition, engagement, quoting, team collaboration, and pipeline management.

Case Study 1: AI Generated Quotes

Value: Deliver precise quotes in 1 minute with real-time profit visibility, preventing loss-making deals.Step 1: Upload custom quotation templates. Input applicable discounts, and the AI automatically calculates final totals, eliminating human calculation errors with template-level precision.Step 2: Deeply connected with CRM opportunity data, the system auto-populates required details from the deal pipeline with a single click—no manual typing required—generating standardized, professional quotation documents.Step 3: Export quotes directly for download or printing, unifying client-facing formats and establishing a standardized, high-efficiency quoting workflow.

Case Study 2: AI Customer Insights

Value: Generate 360-degree client intelligence reports in 10 seconds, doubling ice-breaking efficiency and turning junior reps into domain experts overnight.Step 1: Simply enter an account name to scrape comprehensive web intelligence and generate pre-visit briefing decks.Step 2: Automatically consolidate public corporate records, AI-analyzed target buyer demographics, product lines, sales channels, commercial models, and competitive landscapes.Step 3: Synthesize current industry pain points and generate 3 tailored ice-breaking conversation topics to maximize discovery call impact.

Powered by AI, Winning Digital Value Together

Evolving from a passive data repository into a self-deciding, self-executing AI Growth Engine, Kuailu AI CRM transforms software from a tedious operational burden into an indispensable business growth partner. By redefining the value of commercial platforms, Kuailu Smart Office converts raw, flowing data into actionable revenue opportunities—driving sustainable enterprise growth in the AI era.

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SOURCE Kuailu Technology

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Aulumu Introduces the A18 Series for iPhone 18: Lightweight Protection Meets Next-Gen Design

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SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aulumu introduces the new A18 Series, a collection of smartphone cases that brings together advanced materials, everyday protection, and distinctive design. At the heart of the lineup is the A18 Armor Shockproof Aramid Fiber Case, Aulumu’s latest take on lightweight protection.

Built with 1500D aramid fiber and TPU in a one-piece construction, the A18 Armor combines the refined texture and lightweight feel of aramid fiber with TPU’s flexibility and cushioning properties. Unlike conventional ultra-thin aramid cases, it is engineered to provide enhanced everyday drop protection while maintaining a slim profile.

Its full-wrap structure protects the phone’s edges, while reinforced corners help distribute impact from drops and bumps. The case is designed for up to 2m drop protection, with a 1.36mm raised edge around the screen and a 1.3mm raised camera frame providing additional protection for key areas.

The A18 Series also expands into a more expressive approach to aramid fiber. The A18 Ultra-Slim Gradient Aramid Fiber Case uses 800D aramid fiber with a grayscale gradient woven directly into the material, creating depth without relying on printed patterns. At just 1.2mm thick and from 26g, it maintains a minimal presence while adding a distinctive visual character.

For a more futuristic aesthetic, the A18 Ultra-Slim Pixel Aramid Fiber Case combines 1500D plain-weave aramid fiber with a UV-treated gradient particle pattern inspired by digital structures and tactical technology. It is 1.2mm thick and starts at 27g.

The collection is further complemented by the A18 Ghost Lumen Transparent Case, featuring high-transmittance PC, an IML-laminated luminous array, and a one-piece full-cover design, as well as the A18 Particle Vegan Leather in five colors.

Beyond phone cases, Aulumu also introduces the C05 FKM Sport Watch Band, combining sweat- and water-resistant FKM rubber with a lightweight titanium alloy buckle, and adds a new color to the A39 Geometric Case for AirPods Pro 3, designed to complement the latest iPhone color palette.

With the A18 Series, Aulumu continues to explore how materials, protection, and visual identity can work together in everyday carry.

About aulumu

Founded in 2022, aulumu is a design brand focused on high-performance gear, drawing inspiration from the functional aesthetics of cyberpunk and the philosophical roots of ancient Greek thought. Since its inception, the brand has launched dozens of digital accessory products, secured multiple utility and invention patents, and received the 2025 Red Dot Design Award. Today, aulumu products serve hundreds of thousands of users across more than 20 countries and regions, positioning the brand as a growing presence in the global high-performance accessories market.

For more information, visit: https://aulumu.com/, or follow aulumu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aulumu_official/

 

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