“I tell my students that every email they send is a pitch.”
So says Jessica Thurston, Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS) professor of practice and vice president of ESG and sustainability at Paramount Skydance, who will be speaking at Unlocking the Return on Education, a conversation in the Columbia SPS Frame Your Future 2026 event series.
Thurston will join Basil A. Smikle Jr., political adviser, national commentator, and director of the Columbia SPS M.S. in Nonprofit Management program, and Len Elmore, former NBA player, attorney, sports analyst, and professor of practice in the M.S. in Sports Management program, among others, for a discussion about what it takes to remain professionally relevant in an era of constant change.
In today’s professional landscape—defined by technological disruption, economic volatility, and rapidly evolving expectations—the question facing professionals is no longer whether to keep learning, but how. Technology is reshaping industries faster than many professionals can keep pace with. Sustainability is transforming how companies measure value. Artificial intelligence is rewriting job descriptions in real time. In this environment, standing still is no longer neutral—it is a strategic risk.
Held at Pulitzer Hall on Columbia’s Morningside campus, Unlocking the Return on Education reframes professional education not as a one-time credential but as a dynamic, cumulative investment in professional relevance. Together, the panel will examine career paths through the lens of return on education—the idea that lifelong learning can act as a force multiplier, sharpening judgment, expanding influence, and accelerating careers across sectors.
For professionals navigating uncertainty, the question is no longer simply what did you study? It’s how you continue to evolve.
Join the conversation and explore what the return on education looks like in a world that refuses to stand still.
