We have great news to share! Apereo has been invited to the new Open Source Congress, a global forum that brings together open source leaders to address shared challenges and solutions. We’re also welcoming two new corporate members, and October promises to be a busy month with Apereo engaging at both All Things Open and EDUCAUSE, where we’ll showcase project updates and highlight the impact of open source in higher education.

This summer, we served as track leaders at OW2Con and FOSSY, guiding conversations on innovation, sustainability, and digital public infrastructure. Apereo also co-led the "Open Source in the Research Enterprise" workshop with Ithaka S+R, funded by the NSF and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The workshop was a resounding success, drawing diverse stakeholders together to advance understanding of open source as essential research infrastructure.

In addition, Apereo announced a new partnership with Doenet, an open source mathematics platform led by the University of Minnesota in collaboration with The Ohio State University and Cornell University. Supported by the NSF POSE Phase I program, the project aims to grow the Doenet platform and community into a sustainable ecosystem for richly interactive math curricula—an exciting step forward in utilizing open technologies to support teaching and learning.

Apereo also partnered with the Open Source Initiative to provide joint policy recommendations to the U.S. government on AI in education, ensuring open values remain central as new technologies shape the future of learning.

In this issue, you’ll find updates from our projects, highlights from the community, and ways to get involved. Thank you for being part of the Apereo community—together we’re building a sustainable, inclusive future for open source in education.

— The Apereo Foundation

We are excited to share our All Things Open nonprofit partner discount with the whole Apereo community. The All Things Open conference is taking place in Raleigh, NC, US, this October 12-14. Apereo community members get 20% off registration because Apereo is a nonprofit partner of ATO. We have our own special registration page that automatically applies the Apereo discount during the registration process. 

Register now to attend and check out Apereo's highlighted sessions below.

Apereo has been invited to participate in, and Patrick will attend, the Open Source Congress 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, taking place on September 16th and 17th. Participation is invite-only and limited to the leadership of non-profit, open source foundations.

From the OSC website, "Now in its third year, Open Source Congress is dedicated to fostering global dialogue, collaboration, and strategic development of the open source ecosystem by gathering code-producing open source software foundations’ leadership in an intimate, facilitated forum."

Have anything you’d like Patrick to share on Apereo’s behalf? Email ed@apereo.org

The Apereo Foundation is thrilled to welcome OpenCampus GmbH as its newest Commercial Member! Based in Munich and already serving over one million users across Europe, OpenCampus empowers institutions to design, manage, and share their own campus solutions on a no-code, open-source platform. Their commitment to open standards and collaborative innovation strengthens Apereo’s mission to advance open source in higher education worldwide.

When the Linux Foundation examined open source across European governments and industries, and the Apereo Foundation surveyed U.S. higher education, the findings could have come from the same report. Despite serving vastly different sectors, both studies uncovered the same reality: open source is mission-critical, yet it is often deployed without the necessary strategies, investment, and leadership alignment to sustain it. Together, these reports highlight a striking global pattern — OSS is everywhere, but its long-term potential remains underleveraged. See the stats on Apereo.org

Share your thoughts on how Apereo can bridge the gap between tactical OSS use and long-term strategy in the LinkedIn discussion.

The Apereo Foundation is pleased to share an Apereo Foundation Fast spotlight series featuring conversations with the officers of the Apereo Board of Directors. As stewards of Apereo’s mission, these leaders play a vital role in shaping the Foundation’s direction and supporting its global community. In each interview, we ask them about their motivations for serving, their priorities for the year ahead, and their perspectives on how Apereo’s role in higher education and the open source ecosystem is evolving. We begin with Josh Wilson, now serving his second term as Board Chair, who offers insight into his leadership journey and vision for Apereo’s future.

What are your top priorities or goals for your time in office?

My top priority is to see the Foundation achieve sustainability as we proceed down this road of transformation. So many of us have been contributing to the growth of Apereo’s reputation in higher education and in the open source world. I’m glad to do my part in creating an environment that supports, inspires, and strengthens our community of contributors.

How do you see Apereo’s role evolving in the higher education and open source ecosystem over the next few years?

Over the coming years, I envision Apereo becoming widely known as a hub of expertise, in both higher ed and the OSS world, that facilitates the many ways in which open source software can enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship in higher education.

How do you plan to support and guide the Foundation’s strategic direction during your next term as Chair?

For Apereo to achieve its vision, the Board needs its members to take meaningful risks, offer wild new ideas, and feel empowered to champion the Foundation wherever they go. It’s my hope that the Board will be a safe, thoughtful, innovative space in which Board members feel supported as they contribute toward realizing the Foundation’s strategic vision. 

Have ideas to share with the Apereo Board? Contact Josh at josh.wilson@apereo.org

Ithaka S+R and the Apereo Foundation invited ~40 stakeholders to an in-person workshop to identify actionable pathways that researchers and universities can take to build a robust OSS infrastructure (i.e., people, principles, processes, services, and technology) capable of supporting and sustaining universities’ strategic goals related to research OSS. Read more about our outstanding plenary panel, breakout sessions, and key takeaways.

We’re excited to share that Apereo has launched a new newsletter, OSS in HigherEd, published exclusively on LinkedIn. This newsletter highlights stories, insights, and developments at the intersection of open source and higher education.

We’d love your input! If you come across an interesting article, project update, or story worth sharing, please send it to newsletter@apereo.org.

UN Open Source Week - spotlighting global collaboration

• Josh Baron represented the Apereo Foundation on the Open Source in Academia panel at UN Open Source Week in New York, New York

OW2Con - strengthening ties with European open source ecosystems

• https://www.apereo.org/news/2025/collaboration-action-apereos-voice-ow2con-2025

FOSSY - building grassroots community connections

• Check out the Wacky Apereo Group at FOSSY
• Brian Ollendyke’s HAX Lab talk at FOSSY gives Apereo projects a new framework for mentoring the next generation of FOSS folks from within the university.
• See the full FOSS Education Track presentations HERE

AI Policy Response - contributing joint comments with OSI to the U.S. government

• Apereo and the Open Source Initiative Partner to Respond to the U.S. Department of Education’s Proposed Priority on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education
• New Project Highlights Open Source Initiative and Apereo Foundation’s Response to the White House on AI

Thank you for your time and commitment to the Apereo Foundation!

CAS 7.2.4

CAS 7.2.5

CAS 7.2.6

CAS 7.1.6.1

CAS Security Vulnerability Disclosure

Datecosystem joined Apereo in May!

HAX project releases Journey -  HAX 11 Theme

2025 DACH meeting September 15-18 in Jena

Opencast Explore - The new central video hub for all video content related directly to Opencast! This includes conference recordings, webinars, promotional videos, etc.

Opencast 16 Releases

16.12

Opencast 17 Releases

17.7

17.6

17.5

Opencast 18 Releases

18.0

18.1

Blog Post: Beyond the Course: Unlocking Institutional Knowledge for Greater Impact and Efficiency

White Paper: Why Data Silos Need Bridges – Closing the Content Access Gap
As with many Apereo projects, openEQUELLA thrives through a strong partnership between its global community and dedicated commercial affiliates. Edalex, the project’s primary commercial partner, leads much of the ongoing development and contributes deep expertise in implementing openEQUELLA across diverse educational contexts.

In this white paper, Edalex explores one of the persistent challenges facing institutions today: data silos. Calls to “break down” silos are common; this paper takes a more pragmatic approach—arguing that the real opportunity lies in building bridges between silos to promote collaboration, reduce duplication, and enhance the learner and staff experience. The paper examines the reasons why silos exist, the problems they create, and practical strategies for bridging these gaps. It also highlights how openEQUELLA, as a flexible and integrative platform, can serve as part of the solution.

OpenEQUELLA 2025.1 Release

Sakai 25.0 Release

Sakai 23.4 Release

Sakai Virtual Conference Videos can be viewed on YouTube. Many, many thanks to Wilma Hodges for ensuring that the SVC was a wonderful experience for all who attended!

Pictured: Inge Donkervoort (Xerte), Tom Reijnders (Xerte), Patrick Masson (Apereo), Kirsten Heiss (OpenCampus), Zuzana Müllerová (Unitime) and Tomáš Müller (Unitime)

3.14 Release

Contact our newsletter editorial team at newsletter@apereo.org or contact Michelle Hall, Apereo Communications Manager, at michelle.hall@apereo.org.

Follow Apereo on LinkedIn for the latest news and updates!