The power to lead what’s next in higher education and the workforce is in our hands, just as it always has been. This November, CCA is coordinating that power to set the agenda for change. Along with hundreds of education leaders, we are seizing our chance to share what we know, learn what we don’t, and reimagine higher education’s role as a force for transformation—not just resilience.
Since 2009, Complete College America has championed transformative approaches to higher education. We don’t just identify barriers—we dismantle them through bold action and evidence-based strategies. By trusting data over public opinion, we’ve built a movement of leaders committed to doing what it takes to increase college completion rates.
In 2025, we headed to Baltimore, Maryland, where we collectively reframed challenges as opportunities and set a decisive agenda for change.
THE FOCUS OF NEXT
Coalition of Changemakers. Connect with a broad community of educators, policymakers, and advocates who are unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom and hold themselves publicly accountable to create a new higher education system.
Data-Driven Strategies. Discover tested strategies that clarify degree paths, facilitate strong starts, align college experiences to student goals, and address co-curricular needs—all implemented with precision and confidence.
Scalable Solutions. Engage with approaches specifically designed to eliminate institutional performance gaps and increase completion rates for all students.
Coordinated Momentum. Experience how cross-sectional teams can synchronize efforts across institutions, systems, and states—creating higher education environments that help all learners graduate on time.
Content from NEXT
Sessions live from the stan jones stage
Session materials
Were you a registered attendee at NEXT: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening? You can still view the event app and website until February 17, 2026. You can browse the list of attendees, sessions, and speakers, and you can download materials from sessions where speakers have made them available.
NEXT: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening attendee website. (Login required.)
We are headed west in 2026! Save the date for the 2026 CCA Annual Convening, taking place in San Diego from December 1 to 3, 2026. Registration will open in the spring.
Sponsors and exhibitors
Support the creation and execution of ambitious change agendas designed to eliminate institutional performance gaps and increase college completion for students from underserved communities. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Andrew Morse at amorse@completecollege.org.
Download 2025 Sponsorship Prospectus
CCA is grateful to our sponsors and exhibitors for their support of NEXT: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening.
Impact Sponsors
Changemaker sponsors
Access Sponsors
Momentum Sponsors
Support Sponsors
CCA would also like to thank Gates Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York for their support for the organization’s general operations.
Exhibitors
- The College Board
- Coursedog
- Datakind
- FranklinCovey
- MyMajors
- National Student Clearinghouse
- Nuventive
- Teamer Strategy Group
Official travel partner
Host committee
CCA is grateful to our partners across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, for their time, ideas, and energy in bringing NEXT: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening to Baltimore. In particular, we are thankful for the 2025 Host Committee:
- Scott Anderson, Common App
- Alessandra Cipriani-Detres, National College Attainment Network
- Kristin Clarkson, Maryland Higher Education Commission
- Melisa Hypolite, CollegeBound Foundation
- Jennifer Lynch, University System of Maryland
- Ryan Maltese, Morgan State University
- Brad Phillips, Maryland Association of Community Colleges
- Elena Quiroz-Livanis, Maryland Higher Education Commission