EdTech news, week of October 19, 2026

Monday, October 19, 2026

1. 0113:09 UTC

   Villanova opens $130M Vic Maggitti Hall as the new home of Falvey Library

   2 outlets · first: Villanova University Higher ed tech

   Machine summary The $130 million project, which broke ground in summer 2024, is named for alumnus Victor J. Maggitti Jr., whose $20 million donation sponsored construction. The building contains 59 group study rooms, compared with four in the previous library, plus a Holy Grounds café, a dining area and an outdoor terrace.

   1. The project cost $130 million and broke ground in summer 2024, according to the Villanovan
   2. Victor J. Maggitti Jr., '56 VSB, sponsored the construction with a $20 million donation, and the building is named in his honor
   3. The new library has 59 group study rooms, compared with four in the previous library
   4. The main floor includes a Holy Grounds location and a dining area; the top floor offers an outdoor terrace, and all three above-ground floors have floor-to-ceiling windows
   5. University Librarian Millicent Gaskell joined Villanova in 2015 after 10 years in leadership roles at MIT

   Reported by Villanova University and villanovan.com.

   • MIT
   • Villanova University
   • Vic Maggitti Hall
   • Holy Grounds

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

4 events. The full rundown for October 20, 2026. The most covered:

1. 07:00 UTC 48% of employers expect AI to raise value of degrees 2
2. 09:00 UTC Liberal arts colleges roll out free tuition pledges and price resets 2
3. 20:17 UTC Stride revenue rises 3% as enrollment falls 2.5% in fiscal Q1 2

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

1. 0214:43 UTC

   FSU professor wins $100,000 for AI privacy startup at Discovery Days

   2 outlets · first: Florida State University News Higher ed tech

   Machine summary Florida State University computer science assistant professor Xian Mallory won a $100,000 grand prize from cybersecurity company ReliaQuest at the school's Discovery Days pitch competition for Sage, a startup that uses AI to detect privacy risks in combined data files. Two other faculty teams each received $50,000, one for the startup Ariadne and one for statistical research on sensitive-data classification. Mallory said the funds will let Sage work with larger datasets and improve its attack-identification capabilities.

   1. Florida State University Assistant Professor Xian Mallory won a $100,000 grand prize from cybersecurity company ReliaQuest at the FSU Discovery Days pitch competition held Monday, according to the reports
   2. Sage, Mallory's startup, uses artificial intelligence to find hidden links between seemingly harmless files, illustrated with shopping receipts, that can reveal a person's identity, location and behavior
   3. Mallory's pitch beat five other teams; two further teams each received $50,000 from ReliaQuest, for the three awards described in the coverage
   4. Scientific Computing Assistant Professor Olmo Zavala Romero received funding for his startup Ariadne, and Statistics Professor Xin Zhang was funded for work titled "Protecting the Rare Label: Error-Controlled Classification for Data Sensitivity"
   5. Mallory is building Sage with three graduate students and one undergraduate student

   Reported by Florida State University News and Mirage News.

   • Florida State University
   • ReliaQuest
   • Sage
   • Ariadne
   • Discovery Days

2. 0318:44 UTC

   Richmond County SAT scores reach five-year highs as participation rises

   2 outlets · first: WRDW Assessment

   Machine summary The number of participants rose by over 8 percent: in 2025 there were 643 test‑takers, and by 2026 the count had risen to 697. T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School increased its score by 48 points, reaching 853, while Glenn Hills High School added 43 points, ending at 881. District officials attributed the movement to SAT preparation courses at every high school, school-level action plans and an in-class practice routine called "Test Tip Tuesday" for grades 6-12.

   1. Richmond County School System saw SAT participation climb by more than 8%, with 643 test-takers in 2025 versus 697 in 2026, according to College Board results that WRDW reported.
   2. T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School posted the district's largest gain, rising 48 points to 853, a five-year high for the school
   3. Glenn Hills High School climbed 43 points to 881, its best result in five years, and The Academy of Richmond County rose 24 points to 1,016, above the national average of 1,011 cited by WRDW
   4. Magnet schools remained higher than both state and national averages: John S. Davidson's Fine Arts Magnet School earned a score of 1,164, while A.R. Johnson's Health Science and Engineering Magnet School came in at 1,075.
   5. All high schools in the district currently provide a minimum of one course preparing students for the SAT, while individual schools each have an action plan aimed at the particular academic needs they face.

   Reported by WRDW.

   • WRDW
   • Richmond County School System
   • Glenn Hills High School
   • College Board
   • The Academy of Richmond County
   • T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School

What kind of news was it?

1. Higher ed tech 5
2. K12 technology 1
3. Assessment 1