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SAS Educator Connection delivers the latest ways you can learn and teach SAS, helping you build strong courses and prepare your students for successful careers in data science and analytics. Each month, you'll discover software insights, hear about upcoming free workshops, learn about new instructional resources, and find ways to connect with other learners and educators.
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Archive of SAS EMEA Educator Connection Newsletters
- 2026 -
July 2026
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For a limited time, students can earn an industry-recognized SAS certification free of charge. By completing the recommended SAS digital learning and passing a practice exam, they can receive a verified SAS credential that complements the knowledge gained in your courses. As the number of free certification vouchers is limited and expected to be claimed quickly, we encourage you to share this opportunity with your students and invite them to visit the dedicated webpage for full details.
We wish you a wonderful and relaxing break. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon and starting the new term together.
Video Series: Getting Started with SAS for Students
We recommend this brand new video series by Jos van der Velden, SAS GAP Manager and Data Scientist. The series provides a practical introduction to the SAS ecosystem and can significantly accelerate onboarding for both students and educators who are new to SAS.
The complete series consists of 8 short videos, covering topics such as creating a SAS profile, accessing SAS Skill Builder for Students and SAS Viya for Learners, browser setup, and other essential first steps.
It's an excellent resource for anyone looking to get up and running with SAS quickly and confidently.
Check out the newest Knowledge Badges
New SAS Knowledge Badges make it easier than ever to recognize in-demand data science and AI skills. Designed as a flexible, lower-commitment option, these credentials provide credible proof of proficiency without the time and effort of full certification. Explore the newest badges, including:
- Foundations of Cloud Analytics
- Foundations of Risk and Asset Liability Management
- Foundations of Clinical Trials Programming
- Foundations of Insurance and the IFRS Standard
- Each Knowledge Badge is aligned to specialized, career-relevant domains
Find them in the SAS Educator Portal and SAS Skill Builder for Students, ready to integrate into your courses or recommend to students building career-ready skills.
June 2026
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We're at the end of June, which means one thing - a break is here! While you're relaxing, why not take advantage of the slower pace to explore new information and ideas? This month's newsletter features two great opportunities for your professional development.
Additionally, if you work with SAS software, we encourage you to claim your SAS Educator Badge. Visit the page to learn about the requirements. If you've already claimed it, you're all set.
Have a wonderful, well-deserved break!
SAS Educate: Equipping educators with the latest in AI and analytics
Join us July 20-22 for SAS Educate, a virtual learning event for faculty passionate about AI and analytics education. Hear from industry experts about how SAS is reshaping the future of AI and the skills your students need to succeed in a rapidly changing tech landscape. You'll also learn about the latest in free SAS academic resources through expert speakers and hands-on workshops, including exciting new features like SAS Viya Copilot.
SAS Innovate Digital Pass: Catch Up Anytime
Couldn’t attend SAS Innovate 2026? You can still take part. With the free Digital Pass, you can access 85 hours of content covering data, AI, and real‑world innovation whenever it works for you.
May 2026
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last month we shared the news about the upcoming SAS Life Sciences Analytics School for Students, taking place on June 1–2, 2026. We are grateful that, over the past years, we’ve been able to support you and your students with increasingly practical, industry‑related content across different sectors.
Today, we are pleased to announce another opportunity designed specifically for students interested in finance, risk, and analytics.
On June 23–25, 2026 we will be hosting the online SAS Finance Analytics School, a three‑afternoon program packed with insights from leading experts in risk management and financial services.
We hope the agenda will be of interest to you, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could share this opportunity with your students.
New teaching kits in the SAS Educator Portal
Bring high-impact content directly into your course with SAS Educator Portal’s expanded library of teaching kits, complete with editable notes, data sets and slides. New topics include:
- Responsible innovation and trustworthy AI
- Generative AI using SAS
- Finance-focused content such as:
- Risk fundamentals overview
- Insurance fundamentals overview
- Mastering AML compliance
2026 Curiosity Cup Winners Announced
The results are in! Student teams from the United States, Slovakia and the Philippines took top honors in the 2026 Curiosity Cup, a global data competition.
This year, 452 students across 138 teams from 20 countries used free SAS academic software to turn their interests into quality research papers. Explore the winning teams and see how the Curiosity Cup fits into your curriculum.
April 2026
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the third annual Life Sciences school is back, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could share this opportunity with your students.
The SAS Life Sciences Analytics School for Students will take place on June 1 – 2, 2026. This free, two half-day online event offers students a unique chance to explore one of the fastest‑growing areas of analytics and see how AI is transforming the Life Sciences industry: from accelerating drug development to driving innovation in medical technologies.
Students will also discover real industry use cases and gain insights into the skills that matter for future careers in clinical research.
The agenda and registration are available here: www.sas.com/lifescienceschool
Now live: Career aligned learning for you and your students
Explore our new learning paths by career. You’ll find free, curated pathways that pair digital learning with aligned professional credentials available through the SAS Educator Portal and SAS Skill Builder for Students. The role based paths help you guide learners toward in demand careers such as data scientist, business analyst, clinical trials programmer and more, while complementing the topics you already teach. With structured course sequences and free software access, you can easily incorporate these paths into your curriculum or recommend them for independent skill building.
Latest guided activities
While you’re exploring the new Learning Paths by Career in the academic portals, be sure to check out the latest guided activities now available to support your teaching. These ready‑to‑use activities bring real‑world industries and SAS tools into the classroom and can be used for demonstrations or hands‑on practice. Students can access the same resources in SAS Skill Builder for Students to follow along or continue learning independently.
New guided activities include:
- Framingham Heart Study: Guided Analysis With Steps and Flows.
- Altitude Express: Flight Path to Smarter Data.
- Predictive Modeling in SAS® Viya® Workbench for Learners.
- Predicting Passenger No‑Shows in SAS® Visual Analytics.
- Predicting Graduate School Admissions at iLink University with SAS® Model Studio.
You’ll find these in the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal, with corresponding student versions in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students – all available at no cost. If you have any trouble finding it or accessing the Portal, please do not hesitate to contact us.
March 2026
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This March issue is full of inspiration for educators. When you work with SAS, we want you to feel supported, never on your own. We are grateful for our community of SAS educators, and we offer several platforms, including the well‑known SAS Communities, where you can share your experiences or explore new ideas for your teaching.
Whether you are curious about how SAS certification can fit into your curriculum, as it does at Purdue University in the USA whose on demand presentation is now available, or you are thinking about joining our upcoming meet up in Vienna (more below), there is plenty to discover.
SAS Inspiration Day – Academic Edition in Vienna
Join us on April 16, 2026, at the SAS office, just a short walk from Vienna’s iconic Prater.
We welcome everyone who already teaches with SAS, wants to start using it, or is simply curious about research opportunities. Colleagues from Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, and Hungary will have the shortest trip, but we hope the program will interest participants from farther away as well.
Expect fresh updates on what SAS offers academics, how AI is becoming part of it, and plenty of time to chat, connect, and share experiences.
The event is on‑site only because the whole idea is to meet in person and build real connections.
Celebrating educators advancing analytics and AI in the classroom
SAS is proud to recognise seven university faculty members who are shaping the future of analytics education. The 2026 SAS Educator Awards honour instructors whose innovative teaching, academic leadership and commitment to data‑driven learning help students develop real‑world skills with SAS, AI and modern analytics tools.
February 2026
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This year, SAS celebrates its 50th anniversary, a milestone that invites a bit of nostalgia and a lot of curiosity. We would love to know: who among you has been using SAS the longest?
If you’re willing to share, simply send us an email letting us know how many years you’ve been working with SAS. We hope as many educators as possible will join this small survey, and as a thank‑you, every response will receive a small SAS‑branded gift.
And of course, the upcoming global SAS conference, SAS Innovate (read more below), will be a special one. After all, turning 50 doesn’t happen every year. We warmly invite you to join us.
A Fresh Look at SAS Viya for Learners: Updates, Enhancements, and What’s Next
SAS has just released a major update to SAS Viya for Learners, bringing the academic platform fully in line with the 2025.09LTS version used in professional analytics environments. This means students and educators now work with the same modern tools, workflows, and security standards they’ll encounter in internships, research labs, and industry roles.
To help educators navigate what’s new and why it matters for teaching this article launches a three part series exploring the most impactful changes. From the retirement of SAS Studio Tasks, to the introduction of Intelligent Decisioning in the classroom, to strengthened GitHub integration, each piece offers practical guidance for updating course materials and preparing learners for real world analytics.
If you’re teaching with SAS Viya or supporting learners who use it, this series is an excellent starting point for understanding how the platform is evolving and how these updates can enrich your curriculum.
Three reasons to attend SAS Innovate 2026
Thinking about joining us in April 27-30? Here’s why you shouldn’t miss it:
- Free pre-conference workshops for educators on Monday, April 27. Get hands-on with SAS Viya and explore new and enhanced tools, including Viya Copilot and Studio Flows.
- SAS Hackathon Bootcamp for academics April 28. Join a fast-paced data challenge powered by HEC Montréal’s Cortex Analytics Simulation, using SAS AI tools to predict credit risk with ethics in mind.
- Inspiring sessions and networking opportunities - see all the Speakers, including Mel Robbins, who turns complex psychology into simple, actionable tools that help people overcome hesitation, build confidence, and make meaningful progress in their daily lives.
Join us in Grapevine, Texas!
January 2026
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Universities and higher education institutions play a vital role in shaping the next generation of data‑driven thinkers. For almost two years, this monthly newsletter has been our way of supporting your teaching and research goals with timely information, practical resources, and academic updates related to SAS.
Your feedback is invaluable in helping us guide future content.
Thank you for the collaboration, and if you have new colleagues or anyone who might be interested, please feel free to share the opportunity to subscribe.
We wish you all the best in 2026.
Have you ever tried SAS Viya Workbench for Learners?
Can you imagine having a powerful teaching tool that lets you switch seamlessly between Python, R, and SAS? In this 26-minute panel discussion, Monica Dragoicea from University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania, shares her experience teaching with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners and highlights several additional advantages she finds extremely useful, particularly for supporting collaboration and enabling easier yet more complex work on assignments. You’ll also hear Omoegbemwen Aigbe from Anglia Ruskin University, England, who worked with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners for the very first time during the Curiosity Cup competition. The moderator of this discussion was Jos van der Velden, SAS Global Academic Program Manager and Data Scientist, who is ready to answer any questions related to this topic, as he is also a SAS educator
Their perspectives offer practical ideas and inspiration you can bring straight into your classroom. Take a moment to watch the discussion.
New year – new dates for SAS Seasonal Analytics Schools
All dates for the 2026 SAS Seasonal Analytics Schools are now confirmed, with one event scheduled for every season of the year.
- Winter School: February 2-3
- Spring School: May 11–12
- Summer School: August 17-18
- Autumn School: November 9-10
These online, two half-day programs have supported educators and learners for over 5 years, offering thousands of participants practical experience and new inspiration in analytics and data science.
Each Seasonal School introduces the Analytics Life Cycle, a structured approach to working with data that spans everything from preparation and exploration to deployment. The sessions focus on SAS Visual Analytics, which participants access through the SAS Skill Builder for Students platform. The platform gives you complimentary access to SAS software, a wide range of learning resources, e learning modules, and documentation that remain available even after the event ends.
These online schools are designed primarily for students, so please encourage them to take part. Educators are warmly invited to join as well. Participation is free of charge.
- 2025 -
December 2025
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In 2025, we look forward to being again your partner in learning and research with SAS. In our monthly newsletter, you'll find valuable tips, resources, and the latest updates for the academic sector. If there's a specific topic you'd like to hear more about, please let us know, and we'll include it in our editorial plan.
We are excited about our collaboration and wish you all the best.
SAS Seasonal Schools in 2025 - all dates available
We have all the dates for the 2025 SAS Seasonal Schools, with one event for each season of the year! These virtual two-day sessions have been empowering educators and students for the past four years, with thousands of attendees benefiting from hands-on learning and inspiration in analytics and data science.
Each Seasonal School introduces you to the Analytics Life Cycle – a way to work with data, that covers the entire process from data preparation, data discovery, to deployment. Everything will be centered around the SAS® Visual Analytics software, accessed from our SAS® Skill Builder for Students platform. On the platform you’ll have free access to SAS software, extensive training materials, e-learning courses and documentation - even after the course.
Educators, this is an opportunity to book your place and also invite your students to join whether you're looking to enhance your teaching practices or help your students gain critical analytics skills. There is no registration fee.
Serving Up Insights: Analyzing Tennis Earnings With SAS Visual Analytics
Look no further than our academic learning portals for a ready-to-use sports analytics project for the classroom. Using SAS Visual Analytics, students will build interactive dashboards to analyze tennis players' earnings and uncover compensation patterns. This exercise enhances data visualization and analytical skills while also preparing students for real-world applications in sports analytics.
Access these materials through the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal (after sign-in, check the panel on the right-hand side). Students will find it in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students.
November 2025
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It’s that time of year again, registration for the global Curiosity Cup is just around the corner!
Many of you already know this competition well. After last year’s record number of teams and outstanding finalists, we are dedicating this November issue to the Curiosity Cup — to inspire and energize you for the upcoming 5th edition, starting on December 1.
- Which topics stood out in the 2025 Curiosity Cup?
- How many teams joined it?
- And what new categories are coming in 2026?
Find all the answers in the articles below.
Consider Curiosity Cup for an amazing applied learning experience
Bring data science to life in your classroom with the Curiosity Cup, a global competition where students tackle real-world challenges using SAS technology. Last year’s finalists explored 15 compelling questions across health, business, and culture. Click below to see their summaries which include their PDF submissions and get inspired.
Students can join the interest list now, and educators are encouraged to make the Curiosity Cup part of their teaching toolkit - a hands-on way to apply data skills in a meaningful, competitive experience.
The Curiosity Cup 2026 has fresh award categories
Check out what is new in this year’s Curiosity Cup. There aren’t many changes, but a few are worth noting.
What remains the same: judging still focuses on data preparation, analysis, and presentation, with the expert feedback.
Students continue to choose their own topics and datasets (publicly available). And as always, it helps when the topic reflects something they’re passionate about, it shows in the results!
October 2025
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This October, we’re highlighting one of the most practical tools in the SAS Educator Portal: Classroom Activities. These resources make it easy to bring data analytics to life in your lessons. Both articles below are about this.
Do you use them already? Which activities support your teaching the most? We’d love to hear! We’re curious how educators across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are using Classroom Activities to enrich learning. If you’d like to share your experience, we’re planning in Q1/2026 a knowledge-sharing webinar where you can present your ideas, examples, and best practices.
The session will be recorded, so no need to worry about presenting live. Interested?
Write to us
Fall for SAS Viya for Learners with these teaching assets
With SAS Viya for Learners, you can confidently teach the full analytics life cycle and our applied assets make it even easier. Available in both the SAS Educator Portal and SAS Skill Builder for Students, these short, focused resources (just one-to-three hours each) spotlight specific SAS tools and tasks, making them perfect for quick classroom integration. This SAS Communities article offers a searchable guide you’ll want to bookmark and revisit often.
New Academic Portal Additions to Power Your Teaching
New content just dropped in our academic learning portals, your go-to hub for resources designed to make teaching analytics easier and more engaging.
- LEAP Peanut Allergy: Guided Analysis – Explore real clinical trial data to learn how study design, data collection, and analysis come together in life sciences research. Using SAS Studio, you'll work with data from a published study on peanut allergy prevention in infants—an engaging way to build analytics skills with real-world relevance.
- Guided Demo: Introduction to SAS Viya Workbench for Learners – Get hands-on with our newest technology in this demo that combines SAS and Python programming in the Visual Studio Code editor. It’s a great way to explore the powerful capabilities of SAS Viya Workbench for Learners and help your students build confidence using modern, industry-relevant tools.
Access both through the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal (see the box on the right-hand side when you enter the Portal). Students will find it in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students.
September 2025
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We hope you had the chance to rest and recharge over the break. We’re excited to continue working with you: sharing resources, ideas, and inspiration to support both your teaching and your students’ learning journey.
We’re delighted to have you with us and are truly grateful for your ongoing feedback. Please keep writing us what you’ve found useful, what you feel is missing, and what you’d like to see more of. Your input helps us shape this newsletter to better serve you.
A Unique Opportunity: SAS industry-focused Summer Schools Now On-Demand
This July, students got a chance to participate in two summer schools focused on developing practical analytics skills in the high-demand fields of life sciences and finance.
For those who were unable to attend live, full recordings are now available. These sessions, led by industry professionals, offer valuable insights into real-world applications of data analytics.
We invite you to share the following links with your students and support them in exploring topics aligned with their academic and career interests:
New SAS Knowledge Badges available for academics
Looking for a free and flexible way to help students – and yourself – gain recognition for in-demand data and AI skills? The new SAS Knowledge Badges offer a faster, lower-investment alternative to full certification, showcasing proficiency in key areas that matter in today’s job market.
Two badges are available now, with more on the way:
- SAS SQL Essentials.
- AI Foundations.
Sign in with your SAS Profile to access both the SAS Educator Portal or SAS Skill Builder for Students. You’ll easily find the badges under “My Library” on the left-hand side, in the Certification and Badges section. Knowledge Badges are simple to integrate into your teaching or to recommend to students who are ready to show off their skills.
July 2025
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At SAS, we are committed to supporting you wherever you teach across the EMEA region. We have created a dedicated resource page to help you connect your students - talents with opportunities in various industries. It highlights universities and institutions working with us mainly through our SAS Academic Specialisation programs.
Find your country here: SAS Talent Connection web. Did you spot your institution?
If you'd like your school to be featured or get involved in our activities connecting students with companies across various industries, let us know, we’d be happy to include you.
Our newsletter will take a summer break in August and return in September.
Wishing you great days!
SAS Hackathon registration is open
It’s that time again! The 2025 SAS Hackathon is here, and your students can participate in two ways this year:
Individual students can register for the Student/Individuals track, where they’ll use Cortex, an analytics simulation game, to tackle a fundraising challenge. They’ll use SAS software and predictive modeling to identify which potential donors to call to maximize profit while minimizing costs.
Student teams with business use cases and data are welcome to apply for one of the industry tracks.
Registration is open now through Aug. 31, and the Hackathon runs Sept. 15-Oct. 10.
Let’s Inspire One Another
The University of Economics in Katowice, in partnership with SAS Poland, empowers students and faculty with access to cutting-edge software and courses. The university also offers three dedicated SAS Academic Specialisation Programs: 1. Data Engineering, 2. Data Science Systems and Methods and 3. Business Intelligence in big data sets (BIG DATA), helping learners build in-demand analytics skills. Curious to find out more?
June 2025
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As summer begins in the northern hemisphere, many of us finally find time to relax, recharge, or catch up on things we couldn’t fit into our busy schedules.
In this edition, we're excited to share three great opportunities, two of them happening in the same week of July: two designed especially for students (the unique opportunities to connect students with real-world analytics in high-impact industries: life-sciences and finance), and the other tailored for educators.
Whether you're guiding the next generation or looking to grow your own skills, there's something here for you.
SAS Finance
Analytics School for Students
The financial world is evolving fast—and AI and analytics are leading the way. The SAS Finance Analytics School is a unique 3-day online program (July 15–17) designed for university students in finance, data science, and analytics who want to explore how advanced technologies are transforming the fight against financial fraud.
What to Expect:
- Deep dive into fraud detection, risk analytics, and compliance, real-world use cases powered by SAS Viya, the platform trusted by 90% of top global banks.
- Hands-on experience with SAS tools used by professionals
- Career opportunities through talent connection and development sessions
Whether you're looking to boost your career or get hands-on with AI in finance, this school delivers high-impact learning in just three days and there is no registration fee.
SAS Life Sciences
Analytics School for Students
Mark the dates July 22–23, 2025 and meet the experts and learn exciting stuff including how Agentic AI will play a role in the future of Life Sciences, and the importance of synthetic data to improve outcomes.
This event is specifically designed to help equip the next generation of data scientists and analysts with critical skills needed for careers in clinical research and healthcare analytics.
Why should learning SAS matter to students?
- SAS is globally trusted, and underpins global life science and healthcare sectors
- 90% of the top life sciences companies rely on SAS to derive actionable insights, improve patient outcomes, and streamline clinical processes
- SAS Proficiency significantly increases opportunity for meaningful careers in this sector.
This year we will offer a hybrid attendance, with a face to face experience available at University of Cambridge and online to students from across our EMEA region. Attendance of the event is free of charge.
SAS Educate:
Level Up Your Summer Learning
Join us July 21–24, 2025 (each day from 5 p.m. CET), for SAS Educate – a free, virtual event created for college and university faculty passionate about AI and analytics education. Connect with fellow educators, industry professionals, and SAS experts as we explore emerging topics like generative AI, ethical innovation, and the evolving role of analytics in the classroom. Discover best practices in curriculum development, gain hands-on experience with SAS tools, and be among the first to try the new SAS Viya-powered version of Cortex, our interactive simulation game. A Pre-Conference Cortex workshop is one hour on Monday from 4 p.m CET. View the agenda and register now!
May 2025
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Earlier in May, SAS hosted its global conference - SAS Innovate, where some of you were recognized for your outstanding contributions. Thank you for inspiring us and the broader SAS community. You can find all eight awarded Educators here.
While we can’t give an award to everyone, we truly believe that this recognition belongs to all of you who support SAS Academic Programs and play a key role in preparing the next generation of data professionals.
Over the next few weeks, SAS Innovate on Tour will be visiting various locations across the EMEA region. Find the event closest to you and we hope to meet you there.
SAS Educate 2025 - Registration now open!
Educators, mark your calendars – SAS Educate is back. Join us virtually July 21-24 to hear from SAS experts, educator peers and industry partners about the latest in AI and analytics education.
Whether you're new to integrating SAS in your curriculum, interested in emerging topics like generative AI and ethical innovation, or curious about talent connections and partnerships, SAS Educate is a flexible and engaging week (approx. 3 hours per day) designed to help you get the most out of SAS.
The full agenda will be announced soon. Register today to be the first to know!
2025 Curiosity Cup Winners Announced
Teams of students and their faculty advisors from around the world took part in the 2025 Curiosity Cup – an annual competition that empowers the next generation of analytics experts to explore, analyze and draw insights from data on topics that sparked their curiosity.
With record-breaking participation, our industry judges had their work cut out for them. Winning teams hailed from the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Italy. Congratulations to those who took top honors and every student and educator who took part!
Check out the list of winners and watch their videos to see their creativity and skills in action.
April 2025
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We’re always inspired by the academic excellence you help shape and we’d love to hear from you.
If you’re aware of a standout final thesis, capstone project, or dissertation by your students from 2024, or one currently in progress that explores a topic of broader interest, we invite you to share it with us. If the work has received special recognition or an award at your institution, even better! We’d be excited to read it and potentially interview the student to help share their insights more widely.
Wishing you all the best in your ongoing work, we truly appreciate our collaboration.
We look forward to reconnecting with you through the SAS Educator Connection newsletter again in May.
New in the Academic Portals:
Guided Demos
Our academic learning portals continue to be your go-to resource for ready-to-use teaching and learning assets. Check out the latest additions: three guided demos that show you and your students how quickly you can go from data to insights, with data you’ve never seen before.
- Unpacking Customer Experience using Yelp Reviews
- Leveraging ChatGPT to get started with SAS Coding
- I Spy with My Little Eye: Open-Source Code in my SAS Model Studio Project!
Access these materials through the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal. Students will find it in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students.
On Demand: An introduction to SAS Global Academic Programs
Watch on-demand to learn how we in SAS support analytics teaching and learning in higher education. This 90-minute recording walks you through the many resources we provide and how we can help you meet your objectives. If there’s a part you’re not interested in, feel free to skip it — our goal is to give you a quick and up-to-date overview of what’s available.
March 2025
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March and April are the months when we celebrate books in majority of EMEA countries.
Books and reading are essential to higher education, serving as key tools for gaining in-depth knowledge and developing critical thinking skills.
Did you know that educators can receive free copies of SAS related books for review? You can request up to two free evaluation copies per semester. These e-books are available in PDF format. Learn more about how to request your copies here.
One of the featured authors, Gerhard Svolba, will be in Vienna, Austria on April 10th, where he will share his experience with SAS and teaching alongside educators mainly from Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. If you are interested in learning more about this event or would like to get some handouts from his presentations, feel free to reach out.
Getting Started with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
This step-by-step video tutorial makes it easy for you and your students to dive into our latest offering – SAS Viya Workbench for Learners – a free, on-demand, cloud computing environment. Follow along with Dominique as she walks through the platform’s key features, helping you and your students develop programming skills and build models with ease. Share this resource with your students to help them get comfortable using Viya Workbench for Learners and enhance their learning experience.
On-demand webinar: Transitioning From SAS® Enterprise Miner™ to SAS® Viya® for Learners
Not to worry if you missed our recent the webinar, Transitioning from SAS Enterprise Miner to SAS Viya for Learners. Catch it on-demand and learn about Viya for Learners, a full suite of cloud-based software that supports the entire analytics life cycle. Hear about the software’s benefits as well as available training and curriculum support resources. Access the recording anytime.
February 2025
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You have probably heard about SAS Viya Workbench for Learners and you might be curious about what it can do for you and your students, right?
In this February newsletter, we want to shed more light on this new tool that SAS introduced last year. We’re excited about its potential, but we’re even more interested in hearing what you think. Have you tried it? Do you find it useful? Would you like more training or support? We’d love to get your feedback and learn how we can make it even more helpful for you.
Watch this introductory webinar about SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
The webinar recording is now available to watch at your convenience. Discover how SAS Viya Workbench for Learners provides a free, flexible computing environment designed to help students and educators excel in data science, coding and AI model building. It supports both SAS and Python, giving you the flexibility to teach in a way that works best for your classroom.
Get Hands-on experience with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
If you're looking to dive deeper into SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, join our enablement sessions to expand your knowledge. Register for the webinar on March 6th or watch the January one as on-demand.
SAS® Viya® Workbench for Learners Contest
If you haven’t checked out SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, now is the perfect time. Not only will you discover our latest free technology, you and your students can win great prizes. Visit our contest webpage, complete a brief entry form and register for Viya Workbench for Learners. That’s it. One student and one educator will win their choice of three tech prizes. The winning educator will also receive free admission to SAS Innovate 2025! Enter through March 1.
January 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
In 2025, we look forward to being again your partner in learning and research with SAS. In our monthly newsletter, you'll find valuable tips, resources, and the latest updates for the academic sector. If there's a specific topic you'd like to hear more about, please let us know, and we'll include it in our editorial plan.
We are excited about our collaboration and wish you all the best.
SAS Seasonal Schools in 2025 - all dates available
We have all the dates for the 2025 SAS Seasonal Schools, with one event for each season of the year! These virtual two-day sessions have been empowering educators and students for the past four years, with thousands of attendees benefiting from hands-on learning and inspiration in analytics and data science.
Each Seasonal School introduces you to the Analytics Life Cycle – a way to work with data, that covers the entire process from data preparation, data discovery, to deployment. Everything will be centered around the SAS® Visual Analytics software, accessed from our SAS® Skill Builder for Students platform. On the platform you’ll have free access to SAS software, extensive training materials, e-learning courses and documentation - even after the course.
Educators, this is an opportunity to book your place and also invite your students to join whether you're looking to enhance your teaching practices or help your students gain critical analytics skills. There is no registration fee.
Serving Up Insights: Analyzing Tennis Earnings With SAS Visual Analytics
Look no further than our academic learning portals for a ready-to-use sports analytics project for the classroom. Using SAS Visual Analytics, students will build interactive dashboards to analyze tennis players' earnings and uncover compensation patterns. This exercise enhances data visualization and analytical skills while also preparing students for real-world applications in sports analytics.
Access these materials through the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal (after sign-in, check the panel on the right-hand side). Students will find it in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students.
- 2024 -
December 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
As we close out 2024, we want to express our gratitude for your support and cooperation throughout the year.
Looking ahead to 2025, we remain committed to bridging the gap in workforce development and creating opportunities for the next generation through talent connection activities.
We are excited to highlight also resources for your students interested in building their careers in analytics within SAS. In April 2025, we will be offering internships in various roles across different countries. Feel free to share the CareerStart@SAS webpage with your students so they can check out all the opportunities waiting for them.
We wish you joyful festive days and a wonderful start to the New Year!
Meet SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
Get ready to transform your teaching and empower your students with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners! This free, cloud-based modeling and development environment provides all the flexibility and power you need to teach data science and coding, offering seamless integration with popular tools like GitHub, VS Code, and Jupyter Notebook/Lab. Whether your students prefer SAS or Python code, they'll have the freedom to analyze data and build models in a dynamic environment – helping them learn faster and tackle real-world projects with ease.
Students are Invited to Explore Data, Find Answers, and Build Confidence
Encourage your students (and you as an Educator are also invited) to kick-start their data journey with the SAS Project-Based Learner Series, Jan. 13-17! The workshops are scheduled from 1:00 to 3:00 PM EST, which corresponds to 7:00 to 9:00 PM Central European Time (CET). This free, five-day series is designed to help students dive into data exploration with SAS, guiding them through essential topics like:
- Getting Started With Data and SAS.
- Exploring Data Through Visualizations.
- Data Wrangling and Descriptive Statistics.
- Basics of Machine Learning Models.
- Interactive Display of Insights.
This series is perfect for students who want to learn best practices for answering research questions while gaining hands-on experience. No data? No problem. SAS will provide datasets to work with. Share this opportunity to help your students build foundational skills in data analytics!
November 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
We’re nearing the end of the year, and it’s time for the second-to-last edition of our monthly newsletter, made just for you—Educators who use SAS in teaching and research.
We’ve added a fresh post to our dedicated website featuring highlights from the recent SAS Viya for Learners training. You might also be interested in our previous posts, where we’ve featured interviews with some of you, diving into the topics that matter and can inspire others in the community. We’re excited to keep sharing more with you in the new year! Explore SAS Powered Educators website.
If you missed last month’s update about the Curiosity Cup, a global SAS student competition, you can quickly catch up here.
Enjoy the read, and let’s continue to inspire curiosity together!
Building impactful reports in SAS Visual Analytics
Are your students ready to take their report-building skills to the next level with SAS Visual Analytics? Our six-part series of SAS Communities articles is packed with practical tips and tricks to help them create reports that truly stand out. From drafting a clear plan to selecting the right charts, focusing attention on key insights, and testing reports for functionality and design, these articles cover the essentials of report-building. The first post in the series dives into the importance of planning your report to ensure it delivers meaningful insights and visual impact.
SAS recognized as a top programming language for jobs
SAS was ranked #5 in IEEE Spectrum's 2024 Top Programming Languages Jobs ranking, which measures employer demand. This ranking reinforces the value of incorporating SAS into analytics curricula and emphasizes its relevance alongside other major languages like Python and SQL. IEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE, the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to engineering and applied sciences.
October 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
Welcome to the October issue! The semester is in full swing, and with it comes the exciting return of The Curiosity Cup—a competition we’re thrilled to spotlight this month. Building on the success of past years, we’ve seen how this event makes a meaningful impact on everyone involved: students, educators, judges, and us at SAS. Why is it worth your attention? How does it help shape the next generation of data science talent?
Take a moment to reflect on last year’s competition with this article, which beautifully captures its spirit: The Curiosity Cup: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Data Science Talents.
Enjoy the read, and let’s continue to inspire curiosity together!
Exploring data uploads in SAS® Viya® for Learners
Do you have data you want to upload into SAS Viya for Learners? Let us help. Check out the SAS Communities article for eight – yes, eight – different ways to go about it. You'll find steps and screenshots for each option, making the process a breeze no matter which option you choose.
Help students stand out with applied learning
Our customers tell us that when they review early-career candidates for employment opportunities, applied learning experiences often differentiate individuals. The Curiosity Cup, our global student data competition, offers your students the perfect hands-on learning experience. The experience fosters teamwork, develops skills and showcases analytical prowess. And the jury members are real-life data scientists and consultants.
Plan to make The Curiosity Cup part of your curriculum and give your students a competitive edge. Registration opens Dec. 1, and the competition runs through April 2025.
September 2024
Check out our new home for teaching and learning resources!
We've migrated the SAS Educator Portal to a new learning platform. Enjoy the same great features – free software, instructional resources and digital learning – with a modern, user-friendly experience. SAS Skill Builder for Students is also on the new platform.
If you have accessed the SAS Educator Portal in the last 12 months, you're already registered in the new platform. You can access your content and learning progress on the legacy learning environment until Jan. 31, 2025. If you're not registered, now's the perfect time to explore how SAS can help you and your students turn data into intelligence.
Please, note you do not have to register for SAS Skill Builder for Students as you can access it throough your SAS Educator Portal easily.
For all the details and to learn what this means for you and your students, visit our FAQ page.
Have questions about SAS certification?
Check out the new SAS certification FAQ for answers to the most commonly asked questions about earning an industry-recognized SAS certification.
From exam scheduling to accessing score reports and certificates to claiming badges, everything you need to know is in this SAS Communities resource. You'll also find contact information for the SAS certification support team and Pearson VUE, our third-party partner for exam scheduling, payment and delivery.
July 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
There's never been a better time to use SAS Viya for Learners
Whether you're a longtime SAS Viya for Learners user or the software is new to you, you're going to want to explore the latest just-released version. What makes it great?
For starters:
- Improved performance.
- Fresh look and intuitive interface.
- Expanded open source integration.
New users will go right to the newest version after signing up. Existing users have automatically been enrolled and will have the new version available to them upon sign-in. If you still need access to the previous version, you will find a link on the Viya for Learners launch page after you log in.
You and your students can use the previous version until Aug. 28.
Explore AI in the Life Sciences Industry
Join us for the SAS Life Sciences Analytics School from August 26-28, 2024 (3 mornings), open to all enthusiasts of AI, Data Science and Business Analytics.
Invite your students and dive into the Life Sciences industry, gaining hands-on experience with SAS on specific use cases.
Discover exciting career opportunities through expert-led sessions and interactive workshops. Enhance your skills and knowledge in this dynamic field.
The agenda and speaker information are now available on our website.
June 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
SAS Educate set to deliver inspiration and opportunity
The agenda for SAS Educate, a free virtual learning week July 22-25, is taking shape, and we know you'll find sessions that inspire and inform you no matter what you teach or where you are in your SAS journey.
Topics include:
- Responsible innovation and trustworthy AI.
- Applied learning opportunities and data competitions.
- Transitioning to SAS® Viya® for Learners 4.
- Panels featuring educator award recipients and the SAS HBCU+ Fellows.
- Skills disruption in analytics careers.
- Data storytelling in SAS Visual Analytics.
- Industry and talent connections.
- And much more!
Speakers will include SAS experts, educator peers and industry partners. Join us and discover all that SAS has to offer educators.
3-hour sessions start each day at 5 pm Central European Time (11 am EDT).
SAS makes it easy to find the right book for your class
Looking for texts to use in your classroom? Whether you're diving into the world of statistics, exploring the nuances of visual analytics or delving into advanced SQL techniques, we've got you covered with free copies for educators to review.
Instructors at accredited academic institutions get up to two free evaluation copies per semester. E-books are available in PDF format.
Read more and learn how to request your copies in the latest SAS Communities article.