SIE Society will present The State of Social Impact Entertainment (SIE) in Academia—a year-long research effort examining how universities are currently teaching, funding, and institutionalizing social impact storytelling—and use the findings to inform what comes next. The session has three parts: first, a overview of the report’s key insights; second, a forward-looking preview of the SIE certification program in development; and third, an interactive feedback segment where attendees help shape what content, skills, and credentials would be most valuable to them and their organizations.

The report was led by filmmaker and SIE Society Co-Founder Robert Rippberger, with support from Amy Henderson Riley (Population Media Center), Caroline Jacoby, and Lanceperry Maniquis (SIE Society), drawing on interviews with 23 academic professionals across 14 U.S. institutions and 1 institution in the Netherlands.

Together, the panel will unpack what the research reveals about where SIE is gaining traction, what barriers remain (including resource gaps), and what models are working. These learnings will then be implemented into the structure of the certification program and we will invite the room to provide feedback.