Watermark Launches AI-Powered Instructor Insights, Honors Institutions Driving Student Success Fueled by Innovation
WASHINGTON — Watermark Insights' annual Engage conference brought together higher education and accreditation leaders in Washington, D.C. This year's theme, 'Tell Your Story,' recognized colleges and universities facing increasing pressure to demonstrate clear impact in a complex environment. The conference reinforced Watermark's commitment to helping institutions showcase their achievements, driving student and institutional success.
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Representatives from national accreditors explored the evolving role of accreditation and the importance of continuous improvement. Panelists emphasized that institutions that combine strong data practices with compelling framing are well positioned to demonstrate their achievements, contributions and drive ongoing improvement.
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Watermark unveiled several new enhancements designed to drive faculty professional growth, simplify cumbersome tasks through system integration, and make institutional outcomes easier to see and share. Some of these enhancements include:
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The first of its kind in course evaluation and survey solutions, this capability, powered by AI, transforms student feedback into clear, actionable insights helping instructors quickly identify strengths and areas for growth.
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New connections with D2L and Council for Advancement of Standards (CAS) streamline assessment workflows, making it easier to measure outcomes and demonstrate institutional effectiveness in one place.
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A refreshed and modern interface and interactive CV view improve the way faculty track achievements and navigate reviews, spending more time on student initiatives and less on administrative burden.
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Engage award winners announced
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At this year's Engage Conference, Watermark honored three institutions that are driving innovation and delivering meaningful results on campus.
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Texas State University was honored for its exceptional use of data to inform strategic decisions and improve outcomes. By making assessment and student feedback data more accessible and actionable, the university has empowered faculty and staff to better support student success. This work is supported by Watermark solutions including Faculty Success, Student Learning & Licensure, the SL&L Data Export Service, and Course Evaluations & Surveys.
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Mohawk Valley Community College received the Innovation Award for achieving full campus adoption of a centralized planning and assessment process in just six months. Its bold leadership and collaborative approach were supported by the creative use of Watermark's Planning & Self-Study solution.
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Harris-Stowe State University was recognized for achieving measurable improvements in student outcomes, faculty support, and operational efficiency. The university moved from fragmented processes to a unified and data-informed approach using Watermark's suite of solutions.
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'Every year at Engage, I'm reminded of the heart and purpose behind the work happening on campuses,' said Erin Shy, CEO of Watermark. 'Our customers are meeting complex challenges with creativity and care, and we're here to make sure our technology helps them do it better.'
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Watermark gives higher education institutions the tools they need to easily track, manage, and examine their data. For over twenty years, colleges and universities have used Watermark solutions to complete assessment and accreditation requirements, capture and analyze student feedback, showcase faculty accomplishments, and improve student engagement. Watermark's Educational Impact Suite (EIS) puts data into context so faculty and staff can focus on what really matters: institutional and student success. Learn why Watermark is trusted by over 1,700 colleges and universities to support continuous improvement at www.watermarkinsights.com.
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Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Got $300 to Invest This August? Buy These Dividend Stocks and Never Look Back.
Key Points Brookfield Infrastructure owns a large, global collection of vital, cash-generating assets. Enterprise Products offers a high yield and steady dividend growth. Clearway Energy has visible growth through 2027 (and plenty of power to continue growing beyond that year). 10 stocks we like better than Enterprise Products Partners › Some dividend stocks are so reliable that you don't need to give them much thought. You can just buy shares and sit back and watch the dividend income consistently flow into your account. Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIPC)(NYSE: BIP), Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD), and Clearway Energy (NYSE: CWEN.A)(NYSE: CWEN) stand out to a few contributing analysts for their resilient dividend payments. Here's why they think you can park a few hundred dollars into these excellent dividend stocks this August and never look back. Brookfield Infrastructure is focused on cash cows Reuben Gregg Brewer (Brookfield Infrastructure): A $300 investment will get you roughly seven shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Corp. and a roughly 4.4% dividend yield. Or it will get you around nine shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and a 5.4% yield. They represent the same entity, with the only difference being the structure. The corporate share class is more popular, which is why it trades at a higher price and, thus, has a lower yield. That said, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, the older of the two classes, has increased its distribution annually for 18 years. Brookfield Infrastructure owns a globally diversified collection of infrastructure assets. There is a lot going on here, with the portfolio containing transportation and distribution utility assets, railroads, toll roads, transportation terminals, midstream assets (such as pipelines), and data transmission and storage assets. That's a lot of ground, and it positions Brookfield Infrastructure to produce reliable, recurring revenue backed by necessity businesses. The goal is to grow funds from operations by around 10% a year, with distributions pegged to grow between 5% and 9% a year. Brookfield Infrastructure is an active portfolio manager, however, constantly buying and selling assets. The big-picture plan is to acquire infrastructure assets while they are cheap, improve the value of assets via capital investment and astute operations, and then, if a good price can be had, sell the assets and repeat the process. Given the distribution record, this has been a solid playbook. If you are looking for a high yield backed by hard assets, this could be the pick for you in August. This 7% yield looks safe Neha Chamaria (Enterprise Products Partners): Enterprise Products Partners yields a solid 7%. However, that's not the reason to buy this dividend stock. It is the dividend track record, growth, and stability that make it one of the top 10 dividend stocks to buy now. Enterprise Products has increased its dividend for 27 consecutive years now. It's an oil and gas company, so one would expect Enterprise Products' cash flows to be volatile. That's not the case, though. As a pipeline company, Enterprise Products enjoys relatively inelastic demand, as it provides services under long-term contracts. While that ensures steady cash flows, the company prioritizes reinvesting into growth to grow its cash flows while returning capital to its shareholders. The judicious mix has made Enterprise Products' dividends very reliable over the years. Better yet, its dividends have grown consistently over the years, backed by growing cash flows. For instance, Enterprise Products' distributable cash flow (DCF) grew by 7% year over year in the second quarter. The company increased its dividend by 3.8%, and its DCF comfortably covered its dividend by 1.6 times. Management is excited about 2025 and beyond, as major projects worth $6 billion are expected to come online in the coming months, including a significant expansion of Enterprise Products' gas infrastructure in the Permian Basin. Meanwhile, Enterprise Products just struck a deal to acquire some of Occidental Petroleum 's natural gas-gathering systems in the Midland Basin. With $300 now, you can buy roughly nine shares of Enterprise Products Partners and enjoy its dividend growth and high yield, likely for years to come. Clear growth visibility through 2027 and beyond Matt DiLallo (Clearway Energy): Clearway Energy is a leading clean energy producer. The company operates a vast portfolio of wind, solar, energy storage, and natural gas assets. It sells the power generated by these clean energy assets under long-term contracts to utilities and large corporate customers. 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Clearway's secured investments power its view that it can generate at least $2.50 per share of cash available for dividends (CAFD) in 2027 (up from $2.08 per share this year). That supports its plan to increase its dividend by 5% to 8% annually in the coming years. It recently raised its payment by another 1.6% to an annualized rate of $1.7824 per share. The company has an abundance of future growth opportunities, partly due to its strategic relationship with a leading renewable energy development company. It also has the financial capacity to continue making new investments. These factors drive its confidence that it can continue growing its CAFD and dividends per share at a rate of 5% to 8% annually, well beyond 2027. With visible growth through 2027 and more growth likely beyond that timeframe, you can confidently buy and hold Clearway for dividend income. Should you invest $1,000 in Enterprise Products Partners right now? Before you buy stock in Enterprise Products Partners, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Enterprise Products Partners wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,119,863!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025
Globe and Mail
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Key Points Investors see quantum computing as a potential game changer, similar to artificial intelligence. Many companies are still working to perfect the technology. Government programs and bills in Congress could unlock funding and lift the sector. 10 stocks we like better than Rigetti Computing › Other than artificial intelligence (AI), few sectors have seen a more meteoric rise over the past year than quantum computing. Quantum computers are expected to be a significant advancement from the traditional computer, with much more complex technology. Instead of using bits, the smallest form of digital data, quantum computers rely on qubits, which can house much more data than bits and have much higher computing power. Researchers believe quantum computers have the potential to solve some of the world's biggest issues. 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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,119,863!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025
Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Amazon Stock Slips 10%: Here's Why It Can Still Finish 2025 With a Market Cap of $3 Trillion
Key Points Amazon stock is dipping because of slowing growth in AI. The company can greatly expand its margins in retail and e-commerce. The stock has a chance to grow to a $3 trillion market cap if 2026 earnings hit a level well within reach. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › Last week, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) reported its second-quarter earnings. Investors were not enthused. The stock dipped 10% and is now trailing the valuation of its big technology peers, with Nvidia and Microsoft having market caps of around twice the size of Amazon today. Wall Street is concerned about slower growth in cloud computing and Amazon falling behind in artificial intelligence (AI). This pins the stock down on one topic when in reality Amazon has all the ingredients to keep growing its profits over the long term, which is what will drive the share price higher. Here's why Amazon -- with a market cap of $2.3 trillion right now -- can finish 2025 valued at over $3 trillion. More profits arriving in e-commerce The biggest reason for Amazon's profit expansion in its e-commerce division the last few years is advertising. High-margin advertising revenue has grown from $7.4 billion in the second quarter of 2021 to $15.7 billion last quarter, and is still growing 22% year over year. This division has now generated $61 billion in revenue over the last 12 months and has incredibly strong profit margins. Advertising, along with growth in third-party seller services, subscription revenue, and operating leverage over its fixed cost base, has enabled Amazon's North American retail division to expand its profit margin to 7% over the last 12 months. Through the rest of 2025, there is plenty of room for this expansion to keep occurring, which will have a large impact on profitability given how much revenue the division generates ($400 billion over the last 12 months). Even slight profit margin enhancements mean billions of dollars in extra earnings for Amazon. 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Even though AWS is growing slower than its peers, it will still benefit greatly from the AI revolution, especially because of its relationship with Anthropic. The fast-growing AI start-up is seeing booming revenue and is planning to spend a boatload of money at AWS, its key partner. This can drive an acceleration of revenue growth for AWS through the rest of 2025. With over $130 billion in annualized sales, AWS is on a path to hitting close to $150 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2025. Its profit margin is also strong, at 37% over the last 12 months. A strong profit margin and fast revenue growth mean huge earnings gains for AWS, which will lead to consolidated earnings gains for Amazon. AMZN Operating Income (TTM) data by YCharts The math to a $3 trillion valuation Over the last 12 months, Amazon has generated $76 billion in operating income and $70 billion in net income. Through continued margin expansion in retail and fast growth at AWS, both of these figures can keep chugging higher through the end of 2025. In 2026, it is likely that Amazon's annual earnings will be close to or exceed $100 billion. Today, Amazon trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 33. The S&P 500 index trades at a P/E ratio of close to 30. A forward P/E ratio of 30 and $100 billion in 2026 earnings means that Amazon would trade at a market cap of $3 trillion by the end of this year. That is the math behind Amazon's potential in 2025, and why the stock is set to surge in the next few quarters. Buy Amazon stock and hold on tight for the long term. Should you invest $1,000 in Amazon right now? Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Amazon wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,119,863!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025 Brett Schafer has positions in Alphabet and Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
