Learn about the breakout sessions, Innovation Exhibition presentations, and presenters at Next: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening.

Breakout Sessions

We’re still finalizing the specific scheduling for these sessions, but here’s a preview of the topics we’ll explore together to drive change and college completion.

• Sessions on Changemaking Coalitions
• Sessions on Coordinated Momentum
• Sessions on Data-Driven Strategies
• Sessions on Scalable Solutions

Innovation Exhibition

These presentations will take place on Tuesday, November 18, at 11:30 a.m., and this will be an opportunity for participants to engage with presenters in a more intimate setting after brief presentations about their innovative work. The Innovation Exhibition is all about making ideas and strategies collide with like-minded colleagues who are scaling college completion.

• Presentations on Changemaking Coalitions
• Presentations on Coordinated Momentum
• Presentations on Data-Driven Strategies
• Presentations on Scalable Solutions

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Next: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening Breakout Sessions

• Sessions on Changemaking Coalitions
• Sessions on Coordinated Momentum
• Sessions on Data-Driven Strategies
• Sessions on Scalable Solutions

Changemaking Coalitions

Building Cross-Sector Coalitions: How Community-Based Organizations Drive College Completion

• Felida Villarreal, CPA, President & CEO (Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA))

Session Description:

This session showcases VIDA’s 30-year model of building strategic coalitions between community colleges, universities, workforce boards, and employers to drive college completion for underserved populations. Participants will explore our comprehensive support system that has achieved 83% graduation rates, 92% training persistence rates, and 80% job placement in high-demand fields. We’ll share our data-driven approach to case management, financial support, and career navigation that eliminates barriers for first-generation students. Ideal for college administrators, workforce development professionals, foundation officers, and policymakers seeking replicable partnership models. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building cross-sector coalitions, metrics for measuring partnership effectiveness, and frameworks for sustainable funding models. We’ll provide current outcome data and lessons from serving rural communities.

Building Effective Partnerships: A Collaborative Partnership of Research that Supports Student Success

• Vanessa Power Anderson, Sallie Mae Research Fellow (Delaware State University)
• Antoine Oakley, Director of Government and Community Relations (Sallie Mae)
• Terry Jeffries, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director (Delaware State University)

Session Description:

Student success thrives at the intersection of research, policy, and practice. In this session, discover how Delaware State University in partnership supported the model used to support, retain and graduate returning and transfer students—leveraging policies, processes, academic and financial partnership. The attendees will have an interactive session diagnosing partnership performance opportunities in their own context, identification of internal barriers as well as development of a roadmap for engaging internal and external sectors. Attendees will unpack:

• Key findings from How America Completes/How America Pays for College/How America Succeeds After College
• The Near Completers co-branded white paper in progress
• A replicable cross-sector partnership roadmap

Through interactive diagnostics and real-world examples, you’ll gain practical tools to forge partnerships that extend beyond campus walls and into statehouses. Appropriate Audience: Provost, Dean, Dean of Students, Financial Aid, Registrar, Admission, Government Relations

From Barriers to Bridges: Equity, Partnership, and Purpose in Postsecondary Pathways

• Dan Belyea, Chief Workforce Development Officer (Maine Community College System)
• Heather Douglass, Director of Workforce (Maine Community College System)
• Elizabeth Love, Director of Sector Partnerships (Maine Community College System)
• Colleen Coffey, Education Equity and Advancement Coordinator (Maine Community College System)

Session Description:

How do we redefine access to college and careers for students who have been left behind? This session will highlight Maine’s efforts to bridge opportunity gaps through innovative workforce models. Speakers will explore sector partnership strategies, Summer Academies for high school graduates with barriers, and training programs for incarcerated individuals preparing for reentry. Designed for state agency staff, institutional leaders, and workforce professionals, this session will share early outcomes and lessons learned from programs that bring college to unlikely places and people. Participants will leave with tangible strategies to build inclusive, workforce-driven pathways at scale.

Collective Impact in Higher Ed: Creating Student-Ready Systems Through Coalition-Building

• Afi Wiggins, Managing Director (Charles A. Dana Center, Strong Start to Finish Partner)
• Chris Hulleman, Director (Motivate Lab, Strong Start to Finish Partner)
• Dan Cullinan, Senior Research Associate (MDRC, Strong Start to Finish Partner)
• Victoria Ballerini, Director (Strong Start to Finish)

Session Description:

Redesigning postsecondary systems to create student-ready institutions requires collaboration across constituents. How can we achieve this goal not only at the institutional and community levels, but also at the state and national levels? This session explores the Strong Start to Finish Network, a coalition of thirteen national organizations focused on maximizing their collective impact to improve first-year student success. Panelists will share their experiences navigating key stages of coalition-building, including: mobilization, goal alignment, and collective action. This session invites postsecondary leaders to reflect on and share their examples of collaborative efforts to drive systems-level change in postsecondary education.

Promoting Opportunity: Building Capacity for Messaging the Educational and Economic Promise of College

• Jennifer Hahn, Chief Client Officer (Fenton)
• Daria Hall, Executive Vice President, Racial Justice & DEI (Fenton)

Session Description:

In today’s climate, higher education’s value is challenged. This interactive session equips stakeholders to defend and promote college access and success. We’ll explore research-tested messaging to counter criticisms of elitism and affordability, while addressing the needs of first-generation students, caregivers, and learners with disabilities or language differences. Through role-play, participants will build confidence in communicating the economic and educational promise of college. We’ll focus on elevating ‘non-traditional’ student voices and empowering advocates to make a compelling case in a challenging environment.

Recognizing Disability Rights as Civil Rights Can Make A Positive Retention Impact for ALL Students

• Mary Lee Vance, Director, Disability Access Center (CSU Sacramento)

Session Description:

Presenter will touch into the history that most Americans do not know or have ignored, that legalized forced sterilization and genocide of disabled individuals, ultimately led to the disability rights movement. Participants will engage in discussions about ugly laws and other forms of discrimination that prevented disabled individuals from being full members of society and how their fight for independence intersects with the Civil Rights movement, and the right for equal access in society, and more specifically higher education. Discussions will include how federal laws, disability identity and a more inclusive curriculum can and do make a difference in graduation rates for disabled students, as well as non-disabled students.

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Coordinated Momentum

Scaling What Works: Breaking Barriers to College Completion and Career Readiness

• Josh Hoen, Interim CEO (One Million Degrees)
• Nia Haydel, Vice President for Institutional Transformation & Scaling (Complete College America)
• Tamika Duplessis, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (Delgado Community College)

Session Description:

From financial insecurity and work obligations to caregiving and mental health, today’s students are navigating challenges that demand more than traditional academic support. This session highlights a game-changing partnership between Complete College America and One Million Degrees, focused on expanding holistic, wraparound support programs that address the full spectrum of barriers students face outside the classroom.

The CCA-OMD partnership is scaling a research-backed approach that integrates academic coaching, career development, advising, and financial assistance into the fabric of the student experience. This comprehensive model creates a supportive ecosystem where students develop trusting relationships with dedicated coaches who connect them to resources, build their confidence, and help them navigate institutional complexities. By addressing both personal and academic challenges simultaneously, the program removes obstacles that frequently derail student progress.

The model has already delivered measurable gains in persistence and completion—experts from Delgado Community College will share the early results and promise of the program at their pilot campus, and share how this scaled partnership is a powerful tool in leveling the playing field for all students.

Join this conversation to learn how local student support innovations can become state and system-wide solutions, how colleges can implement structured support with fidelity, and what policy levers and funding strategies are enabling real progress in helping students enroll, complete, and thrive.

Beyond Silos: How VTSU Aligns Faculty, Staff, and Leadership for Student-Centered Change

• Jennifer-Kristina Jones, AVP of Academic Support & Educational Opportunity Programs (Vermont State University)
• Julie Theoret, Faculty Member (Vermont State University)
• Irene Irudayam, AVP of Institutional Research & Planning (Vermont State University)

Session Description:

This session will explore Vermont State University’s three-tiered, cross-functional model for advancing student success through coordinated support, data-informed decision-making, and institutional action. Vermont State University is currently in the second year of implementation and refinement of its three-tiered retention and student success model, following the merger of Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College in July 2023. The session will highlight initiatives that have emerged directly from the model, such as policy changes, new communication workflows, and targeted support interventions.

Building an AI Task Force: Led by Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, Powered by Collaboration

• Michael Butcher, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; Co-Chair AI Task Force (College of Coastal Georgia)
• Dr. German Vargas, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Co-Chair of the AI Task Force (College of Coastal Georgia)

Session Description:

As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes higher education, institutions are seeking ways to ensure that implementation efforts are ethical, equitable, and student-centered. This session shares a proven model for building a cross-functional AI Task Force co-led by Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, with strong collaboration from Technology Services. Attendees will learn how one institution moved from exploratory discussions to a sustainable, action-oriented structure that aligns AI strategy with institutional mission, student success goals, and responsible innovation.

Centering Student Success with the 2025 Carnegie Classifications

• Sara Gast, Deputy Executive Director, Carnegie Classifications (American Council on Education)
• Kyle Whitman, Chief Data Scientist for the Carnegie Classifications and Senior Advisor to the President (American Council on Education)

Session Description:

The reimagined 2025 Carnegie Classifications include a Student Access and Earnings Classification aimed at spurring conversation, learning, and action focused on increasing opportunity and student success.

The classification measures the extent to which peer institutions serve students by examining two questions: Are institutions providing access to a student population that is representative of and reflects the locations they serve? And after students leave an institution, how much are they making compared to peers in their job market?

The session is for administrators, researchers, policymakers, and others who are interested in learning about how these updates could impact systems and policies, as well as institutional behavior.

Connecting the Dots: Motivation and Values in the First Year Experience

• Yoi Tibbetts, Research Director and Assistant Professor (Motivate Lab at University of Virginia)
• Jessica Rabb, Professor of Biology (Nashville State Community College)
• Monique Calderon Dotson, Postsecondary Pathways Director (Motivate Lab at University of Virginia)

Session Description:

Learning mindsets are our beliefs and perceptions about learning. They shape how we interpret difficulty, and research indicates they are critical predictors of academic performance, persistence, and motivation which is essential for college persistence. This session highlights the value of integrating motivational supports into the first year experience as a high-impact practice across an institution. By the end of the session, attendees will:

1. Understand what learning mindsets are and why they are essential to first-year experience programming
2. Leave with access to the materials for the Values Connection activity
3. Receive tips on best practices for implementation and student engagement
4. Consider ways to bring the activity into their institution

Coordinated Onboarding: Data-Driven Partnership to Support New Student Transitions

• Maggie Tolan, Executive Associate Vice President for Student Success and Innovation (Virginia Commonwealth University)
• Krista Scott, Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success Special Programs (Virginia Commonwealth University)
• Jonathan Fuller, Director, First and Second Year Experiences (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Session Description:

Join us to learn how a large, urban, high-access institution like Virginia Commonwealth University brings together enrollment and student success teams to better support first-year students through coordinated onboarding efforts. We’ll share several years of outcome data on our intake survey and expanding success course program, along with updates on new enhancements underway. Designed for enrollment managers, faculty, advisors, and student success leaders, this session will offer hands-on activities to help participants interpret early student data, design interventions, and build cross-campus partnerships that drive stronger outcomes.

Credit Mobility Pathways at Eastern Washington University

• Jackie Coomes, Vice Provost (Eastern Washington University)
• Christi Harter, Assistant Vice President, Professional & Continuing Education (Eastern Washington University)
• Sue Magyar, Director & Lecturer for Interdisciplinary Studies, College of Professional Programs (Eastern Washington University)

Session Description:

During this session, the audience of educators, policymakers, and advocates will be informed of and asked to advise on Eastern Washington University’s (EWU) credit mobility pathway development efforts. EWU is focusing on the adult learner, including those with some-college-no-credential, immigrants/newcomers, and working professionals, by creating various, flexible learning pathways that modernize how student learning is recognized and align to workforce demands.

The EWU credit mobility team is establishing cross-campus as well as local, state, and national level partnerships to meet these goals:

Goal 1: Enhance Credit Mobility Infrastructure and Streamline Processes

Goal 2: Strengthen Faculty and Staff Engagement in Credit Mobility Efforts

Goal 3: Expand and Align Articulation Agreements and Workforce Partnerships

Goal 4: Pilot and Evaluate a Digital Learning & Employment Record (LER) System

Goal 5. Develop a Comprehensive Data Tracking System for Credit Mobility

Through the combined outcomes of five credit mobility grants EWU is learning from and implementing related strategies with multiple EWU units, local K-12 and industry partners, state-level K-12, community college, and post-secondary attainment organizations, and national-level leaders. The external partnerships include school districts, healthcare organizations, OSPI, SBCTC, WSAC, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training Fund, ITHAKA S+R, and SkillsFWD.

These partnerships and the related technologies (i.e., CAEL Credit Predictor Pro and learning and employment record technologies (digital credentials and digital wallets)) needed to increase credit mobility will be discussed. Your input will be valuable in questioning and advising these newly established credit mobility efforts.

Dual Enrollment and Open Educational Resources: How Can Intentional Pairing Support Program Access and Success?

• Jennifer Zinth, Founder and Principal (Zinth Consulting, LLC)
• Carrie Wandler, Director of Policy Initiatives (Midwestern Higher Education Compact)

Session Description:

Most states have adopted dual enrollment policies in part to support broader postsecondary participation and success, including among underrepresented student populations. Meanwhile, state and institutional initiatives support the use of open educational resources (OER), to reduce or eliminate textbook costs as a barrier to college access. Yet few states have explicit policies and structures to encourage the use of OER in college courses delivered to high school students.

This session explores strategies for integrating dual enrollment into OER initiatives and integrating OER into dual enrollment policies and programs to significantly broaden dual enrollment access, participation, and success, particularly in underresourced high schools and among underserved students. Attendees will gain an understanding of OER and dual enrollment policy and programmatic levers that may be coordinated to facilitate broader use of OER in dual enrollment environments, and questions they should ask state and institutional leaders to promote greater adoption of OER in dual enrollment coursework. This session is ideal for various audiences engaged in dual enrollment or OER: state leaders and agency staff, institutional leaders, institutional staff engaged in dual enrollment programming or OER efforts, as well as dual enrollment and OER advocacy professionals and nonprofit leaders.

Expanding Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) with voluntary state-wide partnerships

• Alisha Cederberg, Program Administrator (State of Michigan / MiLEAP / 60×30)
• Michelle Burke, Director of Postsecondary Programs and Partnerships (Michigan Center for Adult College Success)

Session Description:

This session will focus on efforts by the Michigan Center for Adult College Success (The Center) and the State of Michigan to support expansion of Credit for Prior Learning at Michigan community colleges. Through workshops, reimbursement incentives, and collaboration with colleges, The Center and State of Michigan are providing tools and resources to increase CPL.

Beginning in the 2023-2024, the State of Michigan, through the newly created Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) began offering an incentive payment of $80 per credit hour to colleges when they issued credit for prior learning to Reconnect students. MiLEAP worked with three partner colleges through a grant funded by Jobs for the Future and Achieving the Dream to develop an invoice process, streamline CPL nomenclature, and review internal CPL processes.

Building on these wins, The Center began offering Mi-Learn Design labs, with a focus on assisting institutions in creating implementation plans for CPL among other initiatives.

This session will provide an overview of actual changes made by college working with State and The Center in response to funding and workshop collaboration. We will review the data collected as part of invoice process for CPL.

Learn what we are doing, what types of CPL colleges are providing students, and what changes we can make when partners across the state focus on accelerating adult learner momentum.

From Collaboration to Change: Using National Partnerships to Build a Data-Informed, Equity-Focused QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan)

• Helen Wise, Associate Provost (LSU Shreveport)

Session Description:

This session explores how LSUS’s collaboration with Complete College America (CCA), supported by the Gardner Institute, guided the development of its Quality Enhancement Plan, “Navigating Student Success: Charting a Course for Teaching Excellence.” CCA’s structured support in curricular analytics, academic mapping, and advising redesign allowed LSUS to build an infrastructure rooted in student momentum. Simultaneously, Gardner Institute’s equity-centered diagnostics and engagement strategies provided faculty and staff with data to drive instructional change. Presenters will share the progression from institutional analysis through campuswide conversations to policy and instructional shifts embedded in the QEP. The initiative focuses on strengthening gateway course outcomes, supporting faculty through a new Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and ensuring equitable student success using HIPs and curricular analytics.

The Commission on Purposeful Pathways: Nationwide Lessons on Building Pathways to College That Foster Belonging, Purpose, and Social Capital

• Spencer Sherman, Principal Consultant (Education First)

Session Description:

The Commission on Purposeful Pathways, supported by the Gates Foundation and facilitated by Education First, brings together national and youth leaders to better define the essential high school experiences that help students find purpose and succeed in college and careers. This session will share emerging insights from the Commission’s work—including key components of advising, career-connected learning, and accelerated coursework—and invite attendees to co-create strategies for state and institutional adoption.

Designed as a “call for engagement,” this session is part of a broader effort to ensure the Commission’s forthcoming agenda-setting report and related playbooks reflect the perspectives and needs of education leaders and practitioners. Presenters will share promising practices from multiple states and discuss the policy levers that can drive systems change.

Attendees will leave with:

• A framework for the core student experiences that support transitions to and through postsecondary pathways.
• Examples of how states are applying these strategies in scalable ways.
• Opportunities to shape the Commission’s evolving recommendations and connect to the forthcoming Pathways Impact Fund.

How Lessons from Healthcare and K-12 Can Help Us Build a New Paradigm for Funding-Based Accountability

• Mike Abrahamson, Associate Director of Research and Policy (Partnership for College Completion)
• Alejandra Villa-Moges, Policy Manager (Partnership for College Completion)

Session Description:

Though legislators, agencies, advocates, and researchers have worked hard over decades to hone funding models that hold institutions accountable, flaws underlying these systems have limited their efficacy. The unintended consequences of funding formula accountability, like how it drives institutions to inequitably serve students who have more resources to graduate, are well documented. States can’t continue to implement variations on the same base and expect different results; a new approach is needed.

Far less is known about how state legislatures can effectively and equitably hold institutions accountable for the funding they receive. Over the last four years Illinois stakeholders have spent innumerable hours forming an innovative proposal for adequacy- and equity-based funding, and the resulting legislation includes a new model of accountability. Because there is no direct precedent, both the conceptual underpinnings for the accountability model and the details of its implementation could benefit from learning from fields that have already grappled with funding accountability. To this end, PCC is publishing a report diving into funding accountability in two fields: K-12 education, the most direct parallel to higher education, and healthcare, which often draws comparisons to college finance structures.

Developing a conceptually and operationally sound accountability paradigm is critical for any new funding model to scale across the country, as legislatures (and surveyed voters) demand that institutions are accountable for the taxpayer funds they receive. Designing policy that can satisfy these demands while improving student access and success, without unintended consequences, will require in-depth conversations with experts and stakeholders. This session will be an opportunity for us to work in community to refine strategies for ensuring that accountability mechanisms drive meaningful improvements in student success and institutional equity.

Impact of academic policies on the retention and academic standing of first and second-year students

• Daphne Holland, Associate Provost for Student Success (Coastal Carolina University)
• Debbie Conner, Clinical Professor & Coordinator, Higher Education and Community Engagement (Coastal Carolina University)

Session Description:

The educational leadership faculty member and former chief student affairs officer will share the timeline of implementation of new academic policies introduced and administered that positively impacted the retention and academic standing of first- and second-year students at their institution. The associate provost for student success will share the outcomes of the policy implementation on the retention and academic standing of first- and second- year students, academic trends through data that reflect the positive impact of the academic policies, and how professional academic advisers have leveraged policy implementation with key procedural strategies to positively impact student retention and academic success. This presentation is geared towards Academic Affairs leadership, Student Success directors and coordinators, and institution administrators and stake holders focused on retention and academic success. Audience members attending will leave the session with a better understanding of how to assess their institutional policies and procedures in relation to retention and academic standing, campus partners and stake holders to consider when developing policies and procedures, and how to measure outcomes based on the implementation of policies and procedures focused on student retention and academic standing.

Increasing Community College Transfers: The Central Valley Way

• Ben Duran, CEO (California Central Valley Higher Education Consortium)
• Tom Burke, Transfer Project Coordinator (California Central Valley Higher Education Consortium)
• Jennifer Johnson, Program Pathways Mapper (California Community College Foundation)

Session Description:

This the first time in our state that intersegmental collaboration between the UC system, CSU system and community colleges has occurred with the specific goal to simplify and increase successful transfers from Central Valley Community Colleges to our upper division higher education institutions.

The project includes streamlined protocols for faculty and staff convening intended to review and approve lower-division course pathways for transfer and align them directly with upper division courses to degree completion. A unique software platform called Program Pathways Mapper has been created to synchronize lower and upper division courses into a single pathway to degree.

Seven out of 10 new enrollees to community college in the Central Valley are first-generation college students who struggle to navigate traditional protocols for transfer. In a pilot group of 5000 incoming freshmen to Kern Community College District in 2022 baseline data shows that students in the Transfer Project showed a significant increase in completion of percentage of on-path courses to degree. This resulted in lowering the total number of units to degree and preventing accumulation of unnecessary courses. Finally, the students in the Transfer Project closed the equity gap for underrepresented students in their percentage of on path course completion as compared to their student counterparts.

Investing in Career Services: The Missing Link in Student ROI

• Christine Cruzvergara, Chief Education Strategy Officer (Handshake)
• David Troutman, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board)
• Ashley Finley, Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President at AAC&U (American Association of Colleges and Universities)
• Noah Sudow (Moderator), SVP (Whiteboard Advisors)

Session Description:

Higher ed invests millions in recruiting students—but what about launching them into careers? This panel will explore why career services must be seen as an ROI imperative, not an afterthought. Leaders will discuss how underfunding career preparation undermines outcomes, and how institutions, along with state policymakers, can rethink investment strategies to better serve students and families. Attendees will leave with tangible ideas for aligning career services funding with enrollment priorities to meet the growing demand for a true return on education.

Making Student Success Effective, Inclusive, and Affordable: How it’s Being Done and How to Get There

• Stephen C. Ehrmann, Independent Scholar (Retired from University System of Maryland)
• Robert Kolvoord, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (James Madison University)

Session Description:

This session is designed for leaders seeking to improve three dimensions of student success: the value of long-term learning outcomes, fairness of access, and affordability.

First we’ll sketch how six institutions, over many years, developed the capability to improve all three dimensions of student success (to make “3fold gains”). Then participants will use a worksheet to see which of their institution’s current strengths could be applied to this kind of coordinated area; finally, they’ll consider what to add next to their “constellation” of well-aligned strengths.

Navigate U: An Innovative Institutional Strategy to Propel Student Success at the University of Utah

• Lindsay Coco, University Innovation Alliance Fellow and Special Assistant to the Vice Provost for Student Success (University of Utah)
• Chase Hagood, Vice Provost of Student Success (University of Utah)
• Jim Agutter, Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Success and Academic Innovation (University of Utah)

Session Description:

This interactive session will explore the University of Utah’s institutional strategy, called Navigate U, which was launched two years ago and takes a holistic approach to achieving measurable improvements in student success. Participants will learn how this shared responsibility strategy was developed, socialized, enacted, and assessed thus far. Through guided small group discussion, mapping, and reflection, participants will create an initial framework of how this strategy could be formulated on their respective campus. This session is ideal for higher education administrators and leaders seeking innovative approaches to implementing a campus wide student success strategy.

Ohio Strong Start in Science: Extending a Developmental Reform’s Movement for Student Success

• Christopher Kacir, Associate Vice-Chancellor of Student Success (Ohio Department of Higher Education)
• Kathleen Almy, CEO (Almy Education)
• Amanda Kuck, Assistant Professor of Biology (Rhodes State College)
• Thomas Dickson, Director, Ohio Strong Start in Science (Ohio Department of Higher Education)

Session Description:

This session will explore Ohio’s Strong Start in Science initiative from multiple perspectives including a state leader, a technical assistance provider, and a faculty member. Currently in its second year, the initiative’s implementation has moved to campus level work on curriculum as well as pilots of corequisite support in majors biology and chemistry courses. Participants will learn about the initiative’s goals, timeline, approaches for institutional teams, and collaborations between institutions. Broad support strategies and individualized, campus strategies will be shared based on work at 20 universities, community colleges, and technical colleges in the state. Attendees will leave with specific techniques they can incorporate in their state to increase momentum and progress for large scale reform projects. State level and institutional leaders along with staff and faculty will benefit from the session.

Reducing Disparities in Developmental Education Reform Outcomes at Institutional and System Levels

• Julia Raufman, Research Associate (Community College Research Center)
• Elena Quiroz-Livanis, Deputy Secretary (Maryland Higher Education Commission)
• Liz Hart, Associate Professor of English (Community College of Baltimore County)

Session Description:

Developmental education reformers and researchers alike have struggled to fully understand and address disparities in academic outcomes by student characteristics that persist despite significant improvements in overall short-term outcomes. The research literature sheds light on the causes of disparities and potential solutions that can be applied to developmental education reform. To build on this knowledge and the work of practitioners, the Community College Research Center (CCRC) has brought together practitioners from four community colleges, each with distinct approaches to address outcomes disparities, to work with one another and with CCRC researchers in a year-long community of practice (CoP) to strengthen implementation of their approaches and share what they are learning from that process with one another. This applied research project was created by CCRC and funded by the Gates Foundation to “incubate” strategies and practices that reduce disparities in academic outcomes by student characteristics in colleges implementing proven developmental education reforms, such as corequisite remediation, math pathways, and multiple measures assessment.

Rethinking Higher Ed – The Learner Perspective

• Ben Sienko, Events Manager (Roadtrip Nation)
• Jamey Rorison, Senior Program Officer (Gates Foundation)
• Christiana Jemiri, Student and Former Roadtrip Nation Roadtripper (Roadtrip Nation)
• Aislynn Fait, Student and Former Roadtrip Nation Roadtripper (Roadtrip Nation)

Session Description:

For decades, college has been seen as the golden ticket to success. But for today’s young people, the question isn’t just where to go—it’s whether college is even the right move at all.

That’s exactly what Roadtrip Nation is tackling in its latest documentary, “Rethinking Higher Ed,” fueled by the Gates Foundation and the Strada Education Foundation. We’re following three young people as they hit the road, meet near-peer alumni, and ask the big questions: Is college worth it? Are there other ways to build a meaningful career? And what does higher education really look like in today’s world?

Along the way, they’re uncovering eye-opening stories of people who’ve forged their own paths—success stories that highlight the real impact of postsecondary value (as outlined in the Equitable Value report). These are the conversations that young people everywhere are having right now, and this documentary puts them in the driver’s seat.

Take an exclusive look at Rethinking Higher Ed and meet two of the roadtrippers who lived this journey firsthand. Get ready for a fresh perspective on what higher education can be—and why it’s time to rethink the way we talk about success after high school.

Rewriting Postsecondary Purpose: How Kentucky Aligns Education to Workforce and Economic Need

• Leslie M. Sizemore, Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development (Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE))
• Carl D. Wilson, Fellow, Workforce and Economic Initiatives (Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE))
• Michaela Steverson, Program Manager, Healthcare Workforce (Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE))

Session Description:

In the face of unprecedented workforce shortages, rising equity gaps, and evolving labor market demands, Kentucky is reshaping its postsecondary education system to meet the moment—and the future. This session offers participants a firsthand look at how the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) is driving statewide transformation by aligning academic institutions, state agencies, industry partners, and communities to deliver outcomes that matter: credential attainment, job placement, and economic mobility.

Designed for state higher education leaders, system and institutional administrators, workforce policymakers, faculty leaders, and student success professionals, this session will share how Kentucky’s Workforce and Economic Initiatives Unit has built a coordinated infrastructure to advance multiple high-impact efforts simultaneously.

Strengthening Institutional Infrastructure For Student Success

• Chrissy Davis Jones, VP, Student Success & Enrollment Management (Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC))
• Alfred “Al” Griswold, VP, Academic Affairs and Workforce Development (Harrisburg Area Community College)

Session Description:

Join us, Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), as we share our journey to strengthen the institutional infrastructure supporting student success through an integrated, cross-functional approach. In this session, we will explore how strategic reorganization, intentional academic and workforce alignment, and a definition of student success have been leveraged to remove institutional barriers and create clear pathways for student success.

Participants will gain insights into how HACC aligned credit and non-credit programs, implemented a School-based academic model, revamped academic advising, leveraged technology to provide “just in time- just enough- and just for me” support for students. The session will also highlight tools such as the Enrollment Progression Dashboard using data to inform Intake and Onboarding redesigns that bring visibility to key transition points in the student academic journey.

Sustaining Cross-Functional Teams: A Listening-Based, Open-Invitation Community of Practice

• Alejandra Villalobos Melendez, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Research (The University of New Mexico-Taos)
• Bayley Byers, Academic Advising Supervisor (The University of New Mexico-Taos)
• Cami Hartman, Student Resource Navigator (The University of New Mexico-Taos)

Session Description:

Transforming student success requires sustained cross-departmental collaboration grounded in trust and shared purpose. This session showcases Caminos a la Cumbre, a community of practice (CoP) at the University of New Mexico-Taos that grew from Guided Pathways implementation into a dynamic, cross-functional team with an open structure. In year three, the CoP has evolved to include shared leadership, embedded student voice, and actionable data use. Participants will learn key design features for sustaining engagement and take part in a hands-on activity—collective drawing and storytelling—to explore collaborative meaning-making in their own contexts. Ideal for student success teams, institutional researchers, and campus leaders seeking replicable models.

Synchronizing for Success: Innovative Collaborations to Boost Adult Learner Attainment in Michigan

• Jeremy Hendges, Executive Director (Michigan Center for Adult College Success)
• Andrew Carlson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships (CollegeAPP)
• Christine Barrow, Director of Postsecondary Attainment (Education Strategy Group)

Session Description:

Strategic collaboration in Michigan is driving adult learner attainment efforts. The Michigan Center for Adult College Success serves as a connector for colleges and universities to maximize resources and meet the state’s Sixty by 30 attainment goal. Presenters will feature the Design Lab approach to leading and supporting institutional innovation at Michigan colleges and universities, data-driven strategies for workforce alignment and enrollment growth, and a ground-breaking statewide digital marketing campaign directed at adult learners. Educators, policymakers, and advocates will learn how to build effective collaborative relationships, leverage data, and implement innovative approaches to scale adult learner enrollment and degree completion.

Systems that Work: Building Workforce Pathways through Statewide Policy and Local Practice in Texas

• Paula Talley, Executive Director, Holistic Student Supports and Workforce Alignment (Achieving the Dream)
• David Troutman, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board)
• Roy Bond, Associate Vice Provost of Workforce Education (Dallas College)

Session Description:

This session explores how statewide policy can drive and strengthen local innovation, highlighting Texas as a national leader through its implementation of House Bill 8. By shifting funding from enrollment to student outcomes, Texas has established a powerful framework that incentivizes colleges to deliver credentials of value and align programs with regional labor market needs. At Dallas College, this shift has accelerated efforts to embed industry-recognized credentials into associate degree programs and build stackable pathways that bridge noncredit and credit learning. The session will explore how statewide policy can create the conditions for scalable, student-centered innovation and help colleges enhance labor market alignment and improve post-completion outcomes. Participants will leave with actionable insights into how to design programs that foster economic mobility, better reflect workforce demand, and ensure more seamless transitions for students.

The Power of Five: Unlocking Student Success Through Campus Collaboration

• Candice Lewis, Vice-President of Learning and Workforce Development (Greenville Technical College)
• Rene Sawyer, Dean of Arts & Sciences (Greenville Technical College)
• Chuck Baker, Assistant Dean of Arts & Sciences (Greenville Technical College)

Session Description:

Student success doesn’t belong to just one department—it’s a shared responsibility. This session explores how five distinct campus teams came together to align their efforts, break down silos, and create a coordinated strategy to support student achievement. Through intentional collaboration, shared goals, and continuous communication, these teams developed a unified approach that improved student outcomes and enhanced the campus experience. Attendees will gain practical insights into reforming developmental education, course scheduling, and academic advising with an overview of strategic finance and guided pathways. Whether you’re starting a new initiative or looking to strengthen existing connections, this session will offer strategies, tools, and inspiration to harness the power of collective impact.

The Problem with Prerequisites: How Prerequisite Courses May Hinder College Calculus and STEM Access

• Andrea McChristian, National Policy Director (Just Equations)
• Dave Kung, Executive Director (TPSE Math)

Session Description:

Calculus has long been the gatekeeper course to STEM degrees and future careers. However, high college calculus attrition rates – particularly for Black and Latinx students – show that many students are effectively shut out of STEM occupations. Access to calculus therefore has an impact on the diversity of the STEM workforce, a pressing equity issue.

Historically, most colleges’ approach to this problem has been to funnel students interested in STEM but not yet prepared for calculus into calculus prerequisite courses to bring them up to speed for successful course completion. This deficit-based approach, however, can entrap students in long, costly, and confusing calculus prerequisite sequences with limited structural support, unintentionally leading yet again to high attrition.

During this dynamic session, participants will learn how college calculus prerequisite sequences can serve as a barrier to prospective STEM majors’ access to calculus. Using case studies and incorporating reflections from math policy professionals and students, this session will illuminate potential areas for reform to ensure that calculus prerequisites do not impede students’ STEM success – building upon the previous Just Equations report Staying the Course: Examining College Students’ Paths to Calculus and in support of CCA’s recent report, Formula for Success: How to Support Every Student Through Math Pathways. Participants will also have an opportunity to break into small groups to discuss the role of calculus prerequisite courses in their own colleges and generate potential new ideas and strategies for supporting calculus completion and an increase in STEM graduates. This session is ideal for college administrators, instructional and counseling faculty, and other college professionals who are curious about how calculus prerequisite sequences may be hindering students’ STEM dreams and potential reforms and areas of exploration to better support these students.

The Retention and Enrollment Forum: Bridging the Academic/Student Services Divide to Ensure Student Success

• James Bell, Vice President for Academic Affairs (Northwestern Oklahoma State University)
• Calleb Mosburg, Dean of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management (Northwestern Oklahoma State University)
• Steve Maier, Dean of Faculty (Northwestern Oklahoma State University)

Session Description:

At the direction of Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s president, a task force chaired by the Dean of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and comprised of individuals from relevant offices was established in fall 2020 to address enrollment and retention challenges. This Enrollment Management Task Force replaced an Enrollment Management Committee that met annually through 2019 to discuss the university’s Enrollment Management Plan. The Task Force established data-driven short- and long-range enrollment, retention, persistence, and completion goals appropriate for a regional comprehensive institution that serves a diverse concurrent, transfer, undergraduate, and graduate student body, as well as plans to accomplish those goals.

A Retention and Enrollment Forum comprising faculty from each division and department was simultaneously established by the Dean of Faculty to facilitate intradepartmental and interdepartmental communication on matters related to retention and enrollment efforts. The Forum brings into dialogue with one another representatives from each division and department, staff from the Office of Student Services and Enrollment Management, and other campus entities involved in recruitment, enrollment, retention, and completion in an effort to improve their effectiveness.

This presentation will trace the development of the Retention/Enrollment Forum over its five-year history, offering one model for bringing together stakeholders from across campus to collaborate on retention, enrollment, and completion efforts.

The Whole First Year: Reimagining the Journey to a College Degree by Redesigning the First-Year Experience

• Ryan Z Maltese, Associate VP for Student Success and Retention (Morgan State University)

Session Description:

Morgan State has experienced unprecedented growth and success over the last decade. Recent data show, however, that freshmen are grossly underperforming, resulting in twice as many students in danger of academic probation after their first year. In an effort to interrupt this trend, Morgan redesigned programs across the first-year lifecycle: onboarding, orientation, registration and enrollment. Participants will hear how we are reframing the first year to include intrusive advising and success-driven programs that better support our new students. Concluding with participants’ shared stories of success, we will identify best practices in transitioning this new generation into the undergraduate experience.

Understanding & Leveraging the State Role in Postsecondary Completion Strategies

• Christina Sedney, Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education)
• Colleen Falkenstern, Director of Evidence and Strategic Initiatives (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education)
• Crystine Miller, Director of Student Affairs and Student Engagement (Montana University System)

Session Description:

States, systems, and institutions are facing a growing imperative to increase completion rates to offset declining student enrollments. This session will combine new demographic projection data, a multistate analysis of state- and system-level completion strategies, and a promising practice spotlight to provide institutional, system, and state level postsecondary stakeholders with actionable policy approaches to support student completion.

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Data-Driven Strategies

A Cost-Effective Approach to Annual Program Reviews

• Bob Haas, Provost and Chief Strategy Officer (Marion Technical College)

Session Description:

MTC determined the traditional 3 or 5 year program review cycle was too long and developed a fairly simple method to enable program directors to conduct annual program reviews. MTC’s Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) provides longitudinal data for each program, and department directors analyze the trends, answer a series of questions related to program health, student success, graduate outcomes, and labor market alignment. Program directors interpret the data, and describe any changes needed for the next year. The workbook shows the progression from one year to the next in a single document that reinforces continuous improvement. Colleges seeking a cost-effective way to implement annual program reviews will benefit from this session.

Beyond Compliance: Using State-Level Data to Drive Real Results

• Dina Advani , Director, Planning and Research (NM )
• Brittany Shaughnessy, Data Analyst (NM Higher Ed)

Session Description:

In a time when public accountability and student outcomes are under increasing scrutiny, data should be more than a compliance tool—it should be a catalyst for change. This interactive session explores how the New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) is moving beyond reporting requirements to use state-level data to inform real, student-centered policy and institutional transformation.

Through a combination of case studies, breakout activities, and collaborative discussion, attendees will learn how NMHED integrates data from sources such as DEAR, IPEDS, and internal surveys to support initiatives around co-requisite course design, degree mapping, and advising practices. The session highlights how statewide coordination, shared metrics, and strong legislative partnerships can lead to more equitable outcomes and accelerated degree completion.

Collaborating with K12 & Intermediary Partners to Create Navigation and Advising Tools at CUNY

• Andrea Soonachan, University Dean for K16 Initiatives (City University of New York)
• Adam Lowe, Director (Education Strategy Group)

Session Description:

This session will share how the City University of New York is working with faculty at its 25 colleges and universities to build career-aligned dual enrollment experiences and close equity gaps in postsecondary transitions and success. Through a data sharing partnership, CUNY  is also building tools to improve high school student advising and access to dual enrollment. Now in the third year of implementation, presenters will share example pathway maps and data dashboards. This session will provide interactive discussion and learning for university administrators managing high school programs or faculty leading dual enrollment programming.

Course Scheduling Effectiveness: Removing Barriers to Degree Completion

• Lisa Hunter, Associate Vice President of Academic Innovation & Transformation (American Association of State Colleges and Universities)
• Samantha Raynor, Program Manager (American Association of State Colleges and Universities)

Session Description:

This session will introduce attendees to AASCU’s “Decreasing Time to Degree Through Student-Centered Course Scheduling” project funded by The Ascendium Education Group. Participants will learn how AASCU cohort institutions are centering data agency (a concept employed from the University of Texas System’s Exemplary Student Pathways work) in service to efficient course scheduling in service to removing barriers to degree progression. Learn about key performance indicators that demonstrate a schedule’s efficiency, effectiveness, and areas of opportunity, and steps for beginning scheduling reform at your institution to include effective change management strategies. Hear case studies of institutions that have turned their data insights into actionable strategies and experience the course schedule “pressure test.” An approach for illuminating scheduling challenges students face, even if they make all the “right” decisions during registration.

Data-Driven Onboarding: Advancing Equity for First-Time, First-Year Students through Pre-Enrollment Programming

• Ashton Hinkle, Student Onboarding Specialist (CSU Sacramento)
• Mario Gutierrez, Student Onboarding Specialist (CSU Sacramento)
• Michelle Loew, Student Onboarding Specialist (CSU Sacramento)

Session Description:

How can we better use data to support students before their first semester begins? Sacramento State’s Hornet Launch answers this question with a transformative, data-informed onboarding program that’s reshaped the university’s approach to first-year success.

Designed for institutional leaders, student affairs professionals, data analysts, and equity-minded practitioners, this session will show how Hornet Launch uses course placement data, degree planning tools, and pre-enrollment surveys to create personalized first-year pathways. The program’s data-centered design has helped close performance gaps by increasing retention, reducing misaligned schedules, and ensuring students begin their academic journey with clarity and confidence.

Decoding the path to a college degree with transparent and actionable credit mobility data

• Chris Buonocore, Transfer Explorer Manager (ITHAKA)
• Abby Chien, Associate Director, Strategy and Partnerships  (Washington Student Achievement Council)
• Alex Tadio, Director of Admissions (Washington State University Everett)

Session Description:

Transfer of college credits is an essential part of the academic success of a majority of college students in the United States, particularly for students who are first-generation, from low socioeconomic backgrounds, or are adults.  But despite the ubiquitousness of student mobility, far too often students returning to higher education or moving between higher education institutions encounter barriers in transferring course credits and receiving recognition for prior learning. Higher education institutions have struggled to keep up with the vast amounts of data related to credit transfer that require significant and ongoing labor and intentionality. The result of this struggle is siloed and opaque information about how prior learning will be accepted and applied upon transfer. Without transparent and accessible transfer information students cannot accurately plan their path to degree completion and institutions continue to struggle to improve transfer equivalency rules and processes.

Launched by nonprofit ITHAKA in early 2025, Transfer Explorer is a national credit mobility website with a goal of making information about transfer open, accurate, and easily accessible. Transfer Explorer contains catalog, course equivalency, credit for prior learning, and program requirement data from a growing network of schools in Washington, South Carolina, Connecticut, and New York. Unique among similar services, the site shows how credits earned elsewhere transfer and apply toward degree programs at the multiple destination colleges and universities featured on the site. Automated data feeds from institution source systems provide up-to-date information on transfer and allow institutions to enhance transfer equivalencies rules using their existing systems, and not a secondary data load process.

Driving Student-Parent Success Through Data-Driven Innovation

• Eric Bing, Chancellor & CEO (The College of Health Care Professions)
• Jinann Bitar, Higher Education Research & Data Analytics Director (EdTrust)
• Bryan Ashton, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer (Trellis)
• Nia Haydel, VP for Institutional Transformation and Scaling (CCA)

Session Description:

Student-parents face unique barriers to college success—but few institutions systematically track their needs. This panel will explore how CHCP, CCA, and Trellis Strategies are using data to identify student-parents, design targeted supports, and drive measurable improvements in persistence and completion. Designed for college leaders, policymakers, and researchers, the session will offer actionable insights and emerging practices to create student-ready institutions. Panelists will share lessons learned from implementation and discuss opportunities for broader data reforms to support success for student-parents.

From Insight to Impact: Transforming Schedules Through Collaboration and Data Insights

• Candice B Lewis, Dean of Health Sciences (Greenville Technical College)
• SaraBecca Martin, M.A., Associate Vice President of Accreditation, Compliance, & Institutional Effectiveness (Heritage University)
• Chrissy Davis Jones, Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management (Harrisburg Area Community College)

Session Description:

Join Greenville Technical College, Harrisburg Area Community College and Heritage University as they share insights and outcomes from their participation in the CCA–Ad Astra Smart Scheduling Technical Assistance Program. Discover how institutional data informed strategic action steps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of academic scheduling. The session will also highlight change management strategies that fostered cross-unit collaboration and innovation, all in pursuit of delivering a more student-centered, high-quality academic schedule.

Hope Chicago: A Bold Movement for College Attainment, Economic Mobility, and Systemic Change

• Brandis Haugabrook, Outreach and Engagement Manager (Hope Chicago)
• Michele Howard, Chief Program Officer (Hope Chicago)

Session Description:

Historic systemic inequities have widened educational attainment gaps for Black and Latinx communities across Chicago’s South and West sides. In response, Hope Chicago was founded as an innovative nonprofit organization committed to dismantling these barriers and reimagining a future where debt-free college education is accessible for entire families. This session will explore the design and implementation of Hope Chicago’s groundbreaking two-generation postsecondary model, which funds debt-free postsecondary opportunities for both high school graduates (Hope Scholars) and their adult family members (Hope Parent Scholars). Attendees will gain insight into how Hope Chicago combines scholarship funding, non-tuition financial support, and wraparound services to improve student success outcomes, especially for first-generation and under-resourced students.

Innovating for Impact: How Course Sharing Advances Student Success at HBCUs

• Jamila Lyn, Chief Student Success Strategist (Bottom Up Thinking Consulting)
• Melvin Foster, Associate Provost for Academic Success (Morehouse College)
• Lisa Long, Chief Operations and Transformation Officer (Stillman College)

Session Description:

How can innovation drive real impact for students? This session explores how course sharing is helping HBCUs, from a supply and usage perspective, to remove academic barriers, prevent stop-outs, and accelerate degree completion. Leaders from Morehouse College and Stillman College will share how they are using course access strategies and real-time data to strengthen student success. Designed for institutional leaders, academic advisors, and policymakers, the session will offer practical strategies for using course sharing to build flexible and high-impact pathways to graduation for all learners.

Leveraging Real-Time Student Feedback for Scalable Holistic Support: A Case Study and Replication Framework

• Michael Goemans, Director of Student Success Technology (Connecticut State Community College)
• Brian Kapinos, Interim Executive Director of Advising Strategy and Outcomes (Connecticut State Community College)
• Megan Vo, Associate Dean of Student Development (Connecticut State Community College)

Session Description:

Learn how Connecticut State Community College uses real-time student feedback to drive equity-focused interventions and improve persistence. This session highlights the development and implementation of a Holistic Student Support (HSS) Survey that captures challenges such as food insecurity, childcare, and technology access. Ideal for student affairs leaders, advisors, institutional researchers, and enrollment managers, this interactive session offers a replicable framework and strategies for scaling. Presenters will share lessons learned and actionable data from CT State’s ongoing implementation across 12 campuses, now in its second year of refinement. Participants will leave with tools to launch or enhance similar efforts on their own campuses.

Spotlighting Shadow Systems: Building a Comprehensive Data Strategy (and Practical Solutions) for a Large University’s Special Student Programs

• Colin Chellman, Senior University Dean (City University of New York)
• Charles Madsen, Senior Director of Evaluation (City University of New York)
• Jeanette Kim, Associate Dean for Pre-matriculation Programs and Program Assessment (City University of New York)

Session Description:

This session introduces a novel approach to supporting specialized student programs with strategies and data solutions that may be used to connect program data to broader student information systems and other institutional data resources. Participants will be presented with several case studies describing how these efforts are underway at the City University of New York (CUNY) to build and bring to scale a Central Program Database. They will then engage in a facilitated small-group exercise to consider the practical challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring that special programs and initiatives are evidence-based, use data effectively, and incorporate meaningful evaluation. With themes of data literacy, utilization, and evaluation referenced repeatedly throughout, the session focuses on the intersections of these considerations with the realities of the data management and infrastructure choices that can either enable or constrain an institution’s ability to identify and meet student needs. The session will close with a reflection on how to make the case for institutional investment in a centralized program data strategy and the importance of intentional collaboration from the outset. Participants will become familiar with CUNY’s approach to systematic collection of special program data and will begin to develop strategies for implementing similar solutions in their own institutional contexts and communities of practice. This session will be of greatest interest to college and university administrators, institutional research and IT professionals, and practitioners overseeing specialized student programming. The session is also relevant to state and local officials, nonprofit and NGO organizations, and philanthropic partners working to improve the capacity of higher education institutions to be truly data-driven.

The Untapped Power of Academic Scheduling: Unlocking Student and Institutional Success

• Tom Shaver, CEO (Ad Astra)
• Cassie Wailzer, Strategy Director (Complete College America)
• John Hammon, Chief Analytics and Insights Officer (Montgomery College)

Session Description:

Improved academic scheduling is a powerful but often overlooked lever for advancing student success and institutional sustainability. This session will explore how course availability, timing, and modality directly impact student retention, credit accumulation, and institutional revenue. Drawing on new data from Ad Astra’s 550+ higher education partners, panelists will analyze how misaligned schedules are creating barriers to student progress and share real-world examples of institutions using pathway-aligned scheduling to improve results. Designed for provosts, registrars, academic affairs leaders, and CFOs, this session will offer practical strategies for aligning scheduling practices with institutional goals, early implementation takeaways, and actionable, data-driven tactics to better support student momentum and completion.

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Scalable Solutions

Closing Gaps Through Data Agency and Curricular Redesign: The UT System’s Exemplary Student Pathways Change Model

• Rebecca Karoff, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (The University of Texas System)
• Kasey Klepfer, Senior Research & Policy Analyst (The University of Texas System)

Session Description:

This session will introduce participants to the Exemplary Student Pathways (ESP) Change Model, which centers data agency and curricular redesign as levers of change to remove barriers to student success and gaps in student outcomes.

The model was collaboratively developed with the University of Texas System’s nine academic universities over three years of the Exemplary Student Pathways Project, with grant funding from the Lumina and Trellis Foundations. Between 2022-24, the UT System funded 22 projects and led institutional cohorts through an iterative process of identification and refinement of a curricular problem or challenge, facilitated data discovery, and the development of an action plan including stakeholder engagement, assessment, continuous improvement and sustainability.

The ESP change model presents an expansive vision for holistic curricular redesign—including pathways into and through majors, an entire major, one or more courses in a major, and/or gateway courses—rooted in the expanded use of data across a cross-unit team of faculty, institutional leadership, student success leaders, and researchers. The vision results in a curriculum with coherence and transparency for students, faculty, advisors, administrators and others to understand the value of the degrees offered, pursued, and completed.

Community-Aligned and Labor-Market Ready: Strategy and Action at a Rural HSI

• Matt Gianneschi, President (Colorado Mountain College)

Session Description:

What does it look like when an institution designs with its communities, not just for them? In this session, leaders from Colorado Mountain College (CMC)—a Hispanic-Serving, open-access, rural institution— will share how they have implemented labor market–aware, equity-focused strategies at scale, always with a deep understanding of who lives in their communities and who stands to benefit most across an 11-campus system serving mountain and resort regions.

CMC’s efforts span multiple fronts:

• Redesigned and expanded concurrent enrollment partnerships rooted in equity
• Disaggregated data analyses of DFW rates to address gaps for Latino male students, integrated into institutional performance metrics
• Growth and diversification of the teacher education pipeline, one of the most diverse programs at the college and in the state
• Strategic integration of labor market data into academic program design and resource allocation

Central to this work is the adoption of clear institutional philosophies that guide program development and resource allocation. CMC’s academic programs are designed with the explicit goal of supporting economic mobility and living-wage outcomes. All programs are assessed annually against three benchmarks: (1) graduate career outcomes tied to livable wages, (2) workforce demand within our service district, and (3) sustained student demand. Programs that do not meet these benchmarks are restructured or phased out in favor of those that do, ensuring that limited resources are aligned with student and community success.

CMC’s journey isn’t about one initiative. It’s about how strategy, accountability, and reflection of community are making long-term impact possible.

Credit Where It’s Due: Advancing Completion Through Competency

• Amber Garrison Duncan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (Competency-Based Education Network)
• Jesse Boeding, Co-Founder (Education Assessment System)
• Kristin Brooks, Strategy Director (Complete College America)

Session Description:

Students are learning everywhere — so why make them start from scratch? Today’s learners bring skills from work, life, and prior education, and higher education must evolve to meet them where they are. This session explores how cutting-edge AI and competency-based approach to awarding credit is reshaping college completion and driving more equitable outcomes. Designed for campus leaders, faculty, and policymakers, this session highlights early insights and lessons from a live pilot project, with initial data on implementation impact. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies, tools, and fresh ideas to recognize skills, speed up degrees, and build smarter, more responsive pathways to success.

Do you know your data? Opportunities for a common data model to drive data-driven action

• Caitlin Augustin, Vice President, Product and Programs (DataKind)

Session Description:

On any given day, higher education staff might interact with dozens of data systems to compile a patchwork of information regarding student success, hoping that the information is comprehensive enough to drive meaningful action. However, getting data systems to talk to each other is challenging, and if executed successfully, it still often only supports data use at the individual institution.  Yet the proliferation of digital tools and ed tech applications means that the landscape of potential data continues to grow – and to be made useful, it must be well managed, integrated, and understood. Standardized data models in education have proliferated over the past two decades, attempting to support the interoperability of datasets across source systems, learning institutions, and credentialing bodies. Yet, many source system-to-target schema transformation tools rely on rigid, pre-defined mapping, which limits the extensibility of each of these tools. Despite these limitations, enabling this interoperability increases the likelihood that institutions can use comprehensive data records to support learners in achieving their target outcomes. This session will convene actors across the data model, standards, and data use spectrum to discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing standard data models in an enterprise platform.  The discussion will explore the potential for GenAI to accelerate the adoption of standard data models and what that might unlock for learners across the P-20 continuum.

Every Student, Every Course: High-Impact Academic Support at LSU Shreveport

• Angie Pellerin, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success (Louisiana State University Shreveport)
• Tom DiRoma, Senior Partner Success Executive (Knack)

Session Description:

This session will explore how LSU Shreveport and Knack partnered to expand student access to academic support by creating a more efficient and cost-effective peer tutoring model. By leveraging Knack’s platform, LSUS was able to significantly increase the number of active peer tutors—without incurring additional institutional costs—while ensuring 24/7 access to support for students. The session will highlight how this scalable solution addresses the challenges of traditional tutoring models, particularly for LSUS’s diverse and nontraditional student populations. Attendees will gain insight into how this partnership aligns with institutional priorities to improve student engagement, retention, and success. Designed for academic leaders, student support professionals, and policy advocates, this session will offer replicable strategies and tools to sustain high-impact practices across campuses.

Flourishing as a Foundation: Mental Health Promising Practices for Student Belonging and Success

• Victoria Smith, Strategy Analyst (UNCF)
• Julian Thompson, Senior Director of Strategy (UNCF)

Session Description:

Creating environments where students can truly flourish is essential for their academic persistence, degree completion, and lifelong success—but how can institutions create environments where this becomes the norm? This session, presented by leaders from UNCF and the Healthy Minds Study, explores findings from “Flourishing: Bolstering the Mental Health of Students at HBCUs and PBIs”, the largest mental health study of Black college students to date.

Surveying over 2,500 students across 18 institutions, the study reveals that 45% of HBCU students report flourishing mental health—compared to 36% of students nationally and 38% of Black students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). These impressive outcomes stem from culturally grounded practices at HBCUs that foster a stronger sense of belonging (83% vs. 72% at PWIs), lower levels of anxiety, and greater overall resilience—all factors closely tied to persistence and degree attainment.

Building on these findings, participants will gain insight into innovative approaches for supporting student wellbeing that can be adapted across institutional contexts, such as peer support programs, community-rooted approaches to mental health messaging and stigma reduction, and faculty mentorship models where students feel truly seen and supported.

This session is ideal for institutional leaders, student affairs professionals, mental health practitioners, and anyone committed to addressing performance gaps through a student-centered lens. Attendees will walk away with research-backed, actionable strategies to promote belonging, reduce stigma, and improve completion outcomes for students.

From From Stars to Constellations: How Campus Members Learned What Matters for Student Success by Connecting the Dots

• Heidi G. Loshbaugh, Senior Research Associate (University of Colorado Boulder)

Session Description:

Join us for a lively, interactive session appropriate for all conference attendees. The presenters will share discoveries they made as coaches during a CCA transformation initiative. Across multiple campuses and three states, coaches found that staff often struggled to connect changes to ongoing work, and people felt overwhelmed. Many campuses fell back on old local stories such as, “This is just who we are, and how things have to be.” Campus stories inhibited change. With coaching, campuses re-framed limiting stories and aligned the new change to campus purpose using a few replicable steps. Those coaches will share ways to reveal your campus story, what you need to know about its role in student achievement, and tips and tricks for how to revise the narrative into a success story. By learning how to connect individual stars into a campus constellation, you can walk away with scalable strategies to support your students’ success.

HIPs, Mindsets, and the Comprehensive Learner Record: Scaling Across a Statewide System

• Heidi Leming (Tennessee Board of Regents)
• Chris Tingle, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Data Strategy (Tennessee Board of Regents)
• Kenn Barron, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Motivation Research Institute at James Madison University; Research Fellow with Motivate Lab (Motivate Lab)

Session Description:

The College System of Tennessee (TBR) began scaling High Impact Practices (HIPs) across Tennessee’s community colleges in 2014 and has received national recognition for this work. This session will provide an overview of (1) Tennessee’s HIP scaling process across a state system, (2) scaling Learning Mindset resources that support faculty in better engaging students through HIPs, and (3) the launch of a Comprehensive Learner Record, which leverages HIP data to showcase the value and quality of learning to employers. Attendees will gain strategies for embedding HIPs along academic pathways, streamlining resources for effective HIP and Mindset implementation, and leveraging HIP data to support students with their college and career goals. This session is ideal for institutional leaders, campus advocates, and policymakers seeking to promote student success and workforce development through scaling HIPs.

Implementing a Holistic Framework to Coordinate and Scale Efforts to Promote Mobile Student Success

• Emily Tichenor, Senior Program Manager (Ithaka S+R)
• Triyanna Davoren, Senior Program Specialist for Student Success & Engagement (Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development)
• Natalie Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Community Colleges (Nevada System of Higher Education)

Session Description:

Today’s postsecondary education students often carry a vast array of previous learning experiences. They may have earned college credit in high school, attended multiple colleges or universities, taken exams such as AP or IB, obtained industry certifications, or be service members with military transcripts. In fact, 45 percent of associate’s degree holders and 67 percent of bachelor’s degree holders have transcripts from multiple institutions. Multisource opportunities to earn college credit can be a major accelerator for students, especially adult students, on the path to a credential of value. Yet, all too often, validating these learning experiences and obtaining credit from higher education institutions presents additional hurdles that students must surmount to maximize their potential as learners. These hurdles are often the result of fractured and complex policies and processes that govern how validated learning from outside sources is evaluated and applied to credentials at colleges and universities. Losing or not receiving credit for validated learning can result in a loss of momentum toward a degree, higher costs, and has been shown to decrease chances of graduation.

This moderated panel discussion will use a framework for holistic credit mobility to guide a conversation with speakers from Nevada and Missouri, both of which are part of a new credit mobility community of practice, launched by Ithaka S+R and Complete College America. The community of practice is focused on accelerating promising policy, responsive practices, and technology approaches to help today’s mobile students navigate the complex postsecondary landscape to gain credentials that will help them be successful in the workforce. Speakers will share their progress thus far and their plans and goals for progressing their work in this area in the coming year.

Transforming Student Outcomes at Scale: Results from the Work of the National Institute for Student Success

• Timothy Renick, Executive Director (National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University)

Session Description:

Three years after launching, the National Institute for Student Success is working with more than 130 institutions and 8 state systems to implement systematic changes to student support systems through data-informed approaches. The average improvement in retention rates for NISS partners is more than four times the national average. At the session, university and system leaders and student success practitioners will learn about NISS findings from partner institutions, results from the NISS survey of more than 3,500 student success practitioners about the challenges on their campuses, and the practical steps that have proven most impactful in bringing about transformative improvements in student outcomes.

Transformation by Design: Reimagining Career Pathways at HBCUs

• Kendra Sharp Deas, Director of Strategy Development (United Negro College Fund – Institute for Capacity Building)
• Glenell Lee Pruitt, President (Jarvis Christian University)
• Keeley Webb Copridge, Senior Research Associate (Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute – United Negro College Fund)

Session Description:

UNCF’s Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) was a bold, multi-year investment designed to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) in transforming the way they prepare students for life after college. Through a focus on strengthening institutional capacity, aligning academic programs with workforce demands, and reimagining the student experience, CPI helped campuses build the infrastructure necessary for sustainable and scalable student success.

This session will examine how CPI’s three-pronged framework—curricular innovation, co-curricular engagement, and guided pathways—continues to guide strategic efforts across the HBCU landscape today. Presenters from UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, and Jarvis Christian University (a CPI partner institution) will share lessons from implementation, insights from ongoing refinement, and practical examples of how the framework is still driving impact.

Designed for provosts, deans, faculty leaders, student success professionals, and career services practitioners, the session will provide adaptable strategies to support long-term institutional transformation. Participants will gain concrete examples of how HBCUs are sustaining cross-functional collaboration, improving student outcomes, and leveraging networked learning to amplify institutional change.

Presenters will also share qualitative and quantitative data from CPI campuses that demonstrate measurable gains in retention, persistence, and graduation—reinforcing the initiative’s value as a scalable blueprint for advancing student success.

Scaling AI Readiness: Building Infrastructure for Universal Access to the Future of Work

• Mara Woody, Strategist (Riipen)
• Mark Potter, Provost and Chief Academic Officer (City Colleges of Chicago)
• Dudney Sylla , Partnership Director (Axim Collaborator)

Session Description:

AI is already reshaping the workforce and demanding new skills from graduates. For colleges, the challenge isn’t if but how to build scalable infrastructure that ensures all students are ready.

This session will introduce the AI Readiness Consortium, an initiative led by Complete College America and Riipen, aimed at implementing scalable, employer-embedded work-based learning experiences focused on AI and emerging technologies. It unites institutions and industry to build scalable models that prepare underserved learners for the future of work.

Panelists will discuss building scalable operations, leveraging technology for AI-aligned learning, early success indicators, and turning setbacks into strategic progress.

Scaling Institutional Transformation with AI: Insights from a National Research Study

• Katie O’Brien, Higher Education Research Analyst (T3 Advisory)
• Audrey Ellis, Founder (T3 Advisory)
• Kate Krieg, Founder (Learn Consulting)

Session Description:

What does it take to move from curiosity to capacity when it comes to artificial intelligence in higher education? This session shares emerging insights from a national research study led collaboratively by T3 Advisory and Complete College America (CCA), examining how a diverse range of colleges and universities are integrating AI to support institutional transformation—with a focus on student success, operations, and long-term strategy.

Designed for institutional leaders, CIOs, provosts, student success executives, and cross-functional teams exploring AI adoption, this session presents findings from a two-stage research initiative that aims to bridge AI innovation with practical, equity-centered implementation.

Scaling Student Success Systemwide: The SUCCESS Initiative in Massachusetts

• Lutful Khan, SUCCESS Senior Project Director (Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges)
• Nate Mackinnon, Executive Director (Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges)
• Marlene Clapp, SUCCESS Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation (Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges)

Session Description:

This interactive session spotlights Massachusetts’ SUCCESS Initiative—a statewide student success strategy currently implemented across all 15 public community colleges. Now in its fourth year, SUCCESS offers a scalable model for embedding effective educational practices within a coordinated, system-level infrastructure.

Developed through a partnership between the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC), the Department of Higher Education (DHE), and the state’s community college presidents, the initiative operates through a shared governance framework that enables consistent planning and implementation across institutions while allowing for local adaptation.

The session will offer both strategic and practical takeaways. Participants will explore the design elements that have enabled SUCCESS to scale effectively—such as common staffing roles, budget benchmarks, shared implementation principles, and a planning and evaluation framework that informs continuous refinement. Real-world examples will highlight how campuses have adapted core practices, including peer mentoring and affinity-based advising, to meet the needs of students historically underserved by traditional support structures.

Facilitated discussions and live polling will prompt attendees to reflect on their own institutions’ readiness to scale student success strategies, identify common challenges, and share promising practices. Participants will leave with actionable insights for building or expanding coordinated, evidence-informed supports that promote momentum, belonging, and long-term student progress.

Scaling What Works: Institutional Strategies for Student Success

• Fedearia Nicholson-Sweval, Vice Provost for Student Pathways/Dean of the Williams Honors College (The University of Akron)
• Linda Saliga, Department Chair, Mathematics (The University of Akron)
• Bill Torgler, The University of Akron (The University of Akron)

Session Description:

This dynamic 60-minute session offers anyone involved with developing and implementing student success strategies a comprehensive, data-informed approach at how one institution transformed first-year student success through intentional academic structures and systemic support. Presenters will share their journey—including the pivotal role of senior administrative leadership—and highlight how the partnership with Complete College America (CCA) and the Accelerator initiative served as a launchpad for scaling high-impact strategies across campus.

The session will begin with how leadership buy-in functioned as a catalyst for institutional transformation. From there, we’ll dive into three interrelated strategies:

• First Year Experience (FYE) Taskforce: Discover how a universal first-year seminar, expanded learning communities, classroom-embedded learning assistants, and targeted support for first-generation students have improved engagement and outcomes.
• Corequisite Remediation: Learn how the redesign of traditional math pathways into corequisite models—including quantitative reasoning, finite math, and statistics—will transition over 600 students into credit-bearing courses while maintaining academic integrity.
• Advising Reform and Finish in Time: Explore how a campus-wide advising taskforce restructured advising under a centralized model and how the Finish in Time initiative encourages students to complete 15–16 credit hours per semester—or 30 per year—to promote timely graduation.

Staying the Course: Scalable Student Success Strategies in a Shifting Political Landscape

• Carrie Hodge, SUCCESS Senior Project Director (Complete College America)
• Julia Raufman, Research Associate II (Community College Research Center)

Session Description:

Student success work doesn’t stop when political conditions change—it adapts. This session shares findings from a research project that set out to identify how community colleges are improving completion rates and closing gaps in student outcomes, particularly for adult learners, students of color, and low-income populations.

The research team from Complete College America (CCA) and the Community College Research Center (CCRC) used a two-phase approach. In phase one, we analyzed publicly available data (IPEDS, College Scorecard) to identify community colleges that have shown consistent gains in student outcomes. From over 600 institutions, we selected the top 30 for further consideration. In phase two, we conducted interviews and focus groups with leaders, faculty, staff, and students at five colleges.

This session will present both the promising practices uncovered and the very real challenges colleges and our research team faced in doing this work. Several institutions declined to participate or withdrew due to concerns over the project’s original focus on equity. Others asked us to adjust the language used to describe the goals of the study, even though their efforts remained squarely focused on helping underserved students succeed.

What’s Moving the Needle? Examining the Impact of Direct Admissions, Dual Enrollment & Universal FAFSA Across the Nation

• Alessandra Cipriani-Detres, Program Associate (National College Attainment Network (NCAN))

Session Description:

Across the country, states are implementing policies like direct admissions, dual enrollment, and universal FAFSA to expand college access—but do they actually lead to higher postsecondary enrollment and completion rates? This session will explore the latest research on these policies, highlighting what’s working, the challenges states have faced, and how education professionals and advocates can use these insights to drive meaningful change. Even in states where passing such legislation is an uphill battle, understanding their successes and limitations can spark new ideas for expanding college access and completion. Bring your thoughts, questions, and curiosity as we take a deep dive into the evidence behind these policies and what it takes to turn them into real impact.

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Next: The 2025 CCA Annual Convening Innovation Exhibition Presenters

• Presentations on Changemaking Coalitions
• Presentations on Coordinated Momentum
• Presentations on Data-Driven Strategies
• Presentations on Scalable Solutions

Changemaking Coalitions

Beyond Mandates: Cultivating Faculty Ownership in Systemwide Math Reform

• Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, Director, Academic Affairs (Kansas Board of Regents)
• Rusty Monhollon, Vice-President, Academic Affairs (Kansas Board of Regents)
• Kathleen Almy, CEO (Almy Education)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session highlights Kansas’ statewide Math Pathways implementation across 32 public colleges, now at its mid-point. Faculty, academic leaders, advisors, and policy staff will explore how cross-functional teams, professional development, and executive support drive reform. Presenters will share early outcomes, strategies for equity, and lessons from corequisite scaling, placement reform, and curricular alignment. Participants will gain tools to build coalitions, foster faculty leadership, and navigate institutional change, with takeaways grounded in Kansas’ ongoing data-informed work.

Central Valley Math Bridge: Creating Seamless Pathways for Student Success

• Owynn Lancaster, Vice President of Academic Strategy (College Bridge)
• Benjamin Duran, Executive Director (CVHEC (Central Valley Higher Education Consortium))

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session will introduce participants to the Central Valley Math Bridge (CV Math Bridge) initiative—an innovative, equity-centered program that is transforming mathematics education across California’s Central Valley. Developed by College Bridge, CV Math Bridge tackles longstanding systemic barriers in math by enabling high school students to complete transfer-level college math courses on their high school campuses. These courses are delivered with extensive instructional support, including co-requisite models and team-teaching strategies, which ensure students are equipped to succeed regardless of their prior math experience.

The CV Math Bridge model is built on a robust intersegmental partnership framework that aligns the goals of high schools and community colleges, while also enhancing curricular coherence and promoting faculty collaboration. High school and college instructors work side-by-side in team-teaching environments, receiving bi-directional professional development and engaging in shared course planning and grading. This alignment not only improves instructional quality but also transforms how students experience and perceive mathematics, reducing fear and increasing confidence.

Designed with equity at its core, the initiative targets students who are underrepresented in higher education or may not have previously seen themselves as “college material.” By delivering college math in the high school setting—supported by carefully aligned curriculum, intentional recruitment, and comprehensive student and family outreach—CV Math Bridge is opening access to higher education and removing one of the most common barriers to college success: math.

Collaborate with Purpose: Protocols for Driving Alignment and Action

• Katherine Stewart, Director of Program Operations (The Attainment Network)
• Michelle Camacho Liu, Director of Programs and Policy (The Attainment Network)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Recognizing the power of partnership, The Attainment Network is aligning K-12 education, higher education, and industry to better serve learners and communities. In this interactive session, participants will gain the collaboration skills needed to drive more effective cross-sector collaboration and ultimately expand economic opportunity for learners.

Large place-based strategies don’t succeed on passion alone – they require intentional design, structured protocols, and a shared understanding of how to collaborate effectively. Participants will take part in a hands-on simulation using a prioritization and alignment protocol designed to bring stakeholders together and develop consensus on cross-organization priority actions.  Drawing from The Attainment Network’s experience designing and implementing education-to-career pathways, the simulation offers a real-world scenario for practicing the skills that make collaboration stick.

This session is designed for leaders in higher education, industry, and workforce development who are responsible for facilitating meetings, leading pathways development projects, and working collaboratively with diverse stakeholder groups. Participants will leave with tools and protocols they can apply immediately to strengthen collaboration and accelerate progress in their own contexts.

Cross-Sector Catalysts: Building the Future Engineering Workforce through Lifelong Learning, Human-Centered Thinking, and Technical Mastery

• Hossein Besharatian, Engineering Program Coordinator (Prince George’s Community College (PGCC))
• Godson Chukwuma, Faculty (Prince George’s Community College (PGCC))

Innovation Exhibition Description:

The new Engineering Workforce Development Center (EWDC) to support PGCC students, serve as an incubator for start-up companies, and participate in local community projects. The engineering center plans to partner with other colleges and organizations to offer apprenticeships, virtual labs, and scholarships

Risk, Resilience and Reform: Navigating Post-Secondary Leadership as Women of Color

• Toya Barnes-Teamer, CEO (Teamer Strategy Group)
• Nia Haydel, Vice President for Institutional Transformation and Scaling (Complete College America)
• Darryl Ann Lai Fang, Assistant Vice President, Transformation Support, Institute for Capacity Building (UNCF)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Postsecondary leaders who are women of color face a double bind of gender and racial biases, both systemically and institutionally. The ways in which women of color navigate these leadership pathways, the hurdles we overcome, and micro aggressive behaviors we traverse are not extensively articulated. This presentation aims to articulate a pathway for women of color in postsecondary education leadership. We are specifically articulating risk, resilience, and reform as guideposts to support navigating this pathway. The presentation validates the experiences of women of color in these spaces and empowers them to use these aforementioned guideposts by offering best practices and opportunities for reflection and application.

The Launch Years Initiative: systemic change through cross-sector partnerships and strategic engagement

• Joan Zoellner, Launch Years Initiative Lead (Charles A. Dana Center)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

The Launch Years Initiative supports states in forming cross-sector partnerships so that all students have access to and success in math pathways in high school and higher ed aligned to their aspirations with appropriate supports to remove the need for remediation. We will provide data on the work in the 23 member states and will share emerging data related to recently established national math pathways implementation metrics. Strategies for convening a cross-sector task force, setting a charge, identifying data-informed challenges, and developing a strategic work plan will be discussed. This session is for system leads, boards of regents, higher education coordinating boards, and those involved in state-wide collaboration. Participants will consider structures that helped or hindered the success of prior work and identify ways to strengthen future task forces.

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Coordinated Momentum

Bridging Academia and Careers: A Human-Centered Redesign of Social Science Pathways at Shasta College

• Rachel Wimberly, Rural College Data Lead (Education Design Lab)
• Kate Mahar, Associate Vice President and Strategic Initiatives (Shasta College)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Join us for an engaging and interactive session exploring Shasta College’s innovative journey to redesign its Social Science pathways using the Education Design Lab’s human-centered design process. Inspired by the clear career connections found within its successful Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, Shasta College strategically sought to adapt and scale these effective strategies to its Social Science offerings. This initiative aimed to illuminate the tangible career opportunities available to students in fields like Sociology, fostering stronger links between classroom learning and future professional paths for all students. Furthermore, this effort focused on uniting faculty and students across disciplines as they collaboratively sought new ways to enhance access and completion rates for all learners within their community.

This session will move beyond a traditional presentation. We will actively engage participants in understanding the human-centered design process that Shasta College employed. We will delve into how they applied the Lab’s design process to investigate the perception of social science degrees and pathways and how inclusive collaboration fostered trust among faculty, staff, and students in their pursuit of redesigning pathways with clearer career trajectories.

Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Collaboration to Redesign New Student Orientation

• Carrie Heller, Dean, Student Life and Title IX Coordinator (Owens Community College)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Owens Community College worked collaboratively across various departments within the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs division to redesign New Student Orientation. Staff from Student Life, Admissions, Student Financial Services, and Academic Advising created a new in-person program as well as an online version, with an emphasis on increasing students’ help-seeking behaviors. This coordinated effort built on the momentum of a recent organizational change that has yielded significant enrollment results and better prepared students to start their educational journey at Owens.

Envisioning & Enacting Culture Change through Cross-functional Professional Learning Communities

• Zoe Corwin, Research Professor (University of Southern California Pullias Center for Higher Education)
• Amy Goodburn, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor & Dean, Undergraduate Education (University of Nebraska–Lincoln)
• Toni Hill, Department Chair, Professor (University of Nebraska at Kearney)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Cross-functional professional learning communities (PLCs) bring together a group of educators (i.e., faculty, student and academic affairs practitioners, central university administrators), to learn in community, imagine ways to improve practice, and implement change efforts. This session will offer concrete examples for how to launch and run a PLC in a postsecondary setting with a focus on shifting institutional culture in support of at-promise student success.

Drawing from three years of research-practice collaboration–as a part of the decade-long Promoting At-promise Student Success project–presenters will discuss the logistics of running a PLC as well as lessons learned to guide future practice. The session will highlight a particular culture change approach–ecological validation–that aims to create postsecondary environments that provide proactive, holistic, developmental, strengths-oriented support to students in ways that are validating and coordinated. The ecological validation approach requires educators (i.e., administrators, faculty, etc.) to collaborate effectively and engage in reflective practice–PLCs provide a vehicle for doing so.

From Fragmented to Focused: Harnessing the Power To Do More Through Collaboration

• Angela Paprocki, Vice Provost Academic Success and Institutional Effectiveness and Chief of Staff (The University of Toledo)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

At The University of Toledo (UToledo), coordinated momentum is more than a theme—it is a strategic priority. This session will explore how the University’s Academic Success and Engagement Plan (ASEP) serves as a catalyst for student success by aligning cross-functional teams with institutional goals rooted in UToledo’s Reimagined 2023–2028 Strategic Plan. Anchored in the goals to ensure student success from recruitment through graduation (Goal 1) and foster a people-centered culture (Goal 5), ASEP integrates cross-campus collaboration and data-driven decision-making, with a holistic approach to student engagement and success.

From Silos to Synergy: Implementing a Centralized Academic Advising Model at a Mid-size Public 4-year Institution

• Stella Vay, Manager of Advising & Student Services (University of Toledo)
• Emily Shinaver, Manager of Advising & Student Services (University of Toledo)
• Whitney Valencia, Manager of Advising & Student Services (University of Toledo)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session will explore how institutions can strengthen academic advising systems to close critical gaps that impede student success—such as inequitable access, inconsistent advising practices, siloed departments, and limited advisor capacity. We will present our institution’s current initiative to centralize academic advising, aimed at reducing inconsistencies, fostering cross-college collaboration, and ensuring more equitable support for all students.

Through a practical framework, real-world examples, and interactive activities, participants will explore approaches to developing more cohesive, data-informed, and student-centered advising models. We will share how we identified specific student success gaps, engaged campus stakeholders, and implemented targeted strategies to promote collaboration and accountability across units.

This session is ideal for academic advisors, advising leaders, student success professionals, and higher education administrators involved in academic advising, policy development, and strategic planning.

Moving On Up: Aligning North Texas Behind Vertical Transfer to Unlock Economic Mobility

• McKenna Griffin, Data Visualization Specialist (Dallas College)
• Dillon Lu, Data Science Analyst (Dallas College)
• Lanita Etea, Pathway Specialist (Dallas College)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

In this session, team members from Dallas College will present the results of a research-practice partnership focused on long-term transfer student success, culminating in the launch of a new regional transfer alliance known as the Dallas Transfer Collaborative. Researchers will share findings from a ten-year longitudinal study of transfer students in North Texas, including data such as vertical transfer rates, bachelor’s completion, time to degree, and wages disaggregated by transfer path, student demographics, and field of study. Practitioners will explain how the historical findings inform recent initiatives and describe the operational implementation of the Dallas Transfer Collaborative, including meta majors, transfer portals, and advising implications from direct work with students.

Audience: This session is ideal for institutional leaders, transfer and advising professionals, state and regional policymakers, and institutional research staff.

Takeaways: Participants will learn how to use long-term, disaggregated data to understand transfer student outcomes and identify equity gaps, gain a model for building a regional transfer collaborative, and walk away with actionable strategies for transfer advising.

Implementation: The Dallas Transfer Collaborative is currently entering its second year of implementation, with three partnering universities and meta major pathways in business, health, and education already in place. This year, the initiative will bring in additional partners (including high schools offering dual credit), add a STEM/IT meta major, and develop a robust evaluation plan.

Data: The presentation will include a longitudinal study of transfer students, focused on cohorts of students who transferred between 2009-2012 and their outcomes up to 2022; the work was supported by the Institute for Higher Education Policy and Coleridge Initiative.

The Journey to Completing College Starts in High School

• Laura Moore, Chief Higher Ed Officer (National Education Opportunity Nework)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This unique and innovative model of college courses, paired with support, has resulted in Equity Lab scholars attending 4-year colleges at 50% higher rates than similarly situated students (48% vs. 30%). They also persist in college at higher rates compared not only to similarly situated students, but also to the national average for all students. These findings show that our scholars select and remain on postsecondary paths that are more likely to lead to degree completion and upward mobility.

The Power of Cross-Sector Collaboration to Improve Credit Mobility, Transfer, and Credentialing in Texas

• David Deggs, Senior Director, Higher Education and Workforce Development Programs (Educate Texas)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

There are approximately 2.6 million Texans with some college but no credential or degree. Within a large state higher education system, consisting of 7 university systems and 50 separate community college districts, it takes a cross-sector collaboration to solve big problems such as ineffective credit mobility, transfer, and credentialing systems. The Texas Transfer Alliance is addressing these problems through collaborative technical assistance focused on technology systems improvement and target pathways enhancements. This session will provide an overview of the collaborative strategies the Texas Transfer Alliance is implementing statewide through cross-sector collaborative efforts to create a stronger transfer system that recognizes the various mechanisms by which students demonstrate college-level learning.

Transforming the Student Transfer Journey at the City University of New York (CUNY)

• Alicia Alvero, Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (City University of New York)
• Kara Heffernan, University Dean for Student Success Initiatives (City University of New York)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session explores two system-level initiatives at the City University of New York (CUNY) focused on moving toward more seamless vertical transfer within the CUNY system. Launched in 2020, CUNY Transfer Explorer is a platform developed to provide easily accessible information about how credits move into and between CUNY colleges. The tool has evolved over the years, becoming a key tool for students to use to plan their transfer journey. And in 2023, following a resolution by the CUNY Board of Trustees, the CUNY Transfer Initiative was launched. Originally intended to ensure curricular alignment, the Transfer Initiative expanded to address other systemic issues related to transfer, including but not limited to University policies, admissions and registrarial processes, and advisement practices. The first phase of the Transfer Initiative, to align the curriculum in six of CUNY’s largest majors, will launch in Fall 2025. In this session we’ll provide an overview of the work to date, share successes, and discuss challenges and lessons learned. Session attendees—it’s ideal for institutional leaders and administrators seeking actionable strategies to increase degree completion through improved transfer practices—will gain insights into how to foster cross-functional partnerships, recognize and reward faculty and staff, and harness data, all in support of driving transformational change.

You Control Who You Enroll: Institutional Accountability in college access and success.

• Doreen Larson, Founder/ CEO (Enrollment Essentials, LTD)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

College enrollment need not be subject to the vagaries of the economy, competition with employment, or even the size of high school graduating classes. It is the within the control of the institution to make it harder or easier to enroll, to qualify for aid, to access classes, and to efficiently complete programs. External factors may guide students to our doorstep, but from there, we either create or remove barriers to access and completion. Taking responsibility for enrollment is both exciting and daunting. Colleges typically assume they will lose students between application and registration and blame external economic and demographic factors for impacting enrollment. However, enthusiasm and motivation quickly build when institutional changes result quickly in enrollment growth. Utilizing the enrollment tools discussed in this session will demonstrate that power is in the hands of a college and will generate the close partnership with students resulting in retention and completion.

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Data-Driven Strategies

Implementation of real-time metrics for student success at University of Cincinnati

• Susana Luzuriaga Voight, Vice Provost for Academic Analytics (University of Cincinnati)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

The presentation will include steps to implementation including successes and challenges, roll-out and adoption. It will be mostly focused on a demonstration of dashboard designs, as the design themselves are key to adoption. Key metrics: (a) Internal PDP dashboard: understanding our gateway course completions by major; (b) How to detect higher-than-normal withdrawal courses mid-semester; (c) Why detecting real-time student withdrawals helps to understand reasons for attrition.

Pathway to Student Success – Tracking Entry to Employment

• Bob Haas, Provost and Chief Strategy Officer (Marion Technical College)
• Laura Rittner, Vice President of Operations & Student Success (Ohio Association of Community Colleges)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

The Ohio Association of Community Colleges has spearheaded statewide success initiatives at community colleges through its Student Success Center since 2015. Major elements of this include the implementation of a Student Success Leadership Institute designed to train future community college leaders, nurturing community college affinity groups (Academic, Financial, Research, Presidents), and funding the development of comprehensive data dashboards. This session will provide details about the Success Center, explain the dashboards, and describe how a small community college uses the data to improve student success. The presenters will also describe recent efforts to track post-graduate employment outcomes.

Participants can expect to learn how to use momentum data to improve student success and the importance of tracking graduates’ employment outcomes.

Purpose First: Using Major Exploration Data to Drive Student Success and Institutional Alignment

• Amanda Jones, Director (MyMajors)
• Guy Townsend, President (MyMajors)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session explores how early major and career exploration—when embedded into the student experience—can yield actionable data that boosts institutional performance and student success. Through real-world examples and data from institutions like Colorado State University, Valdosta State, and Long Beach City College, participants will see how early exploration generates insight into student confidence, goals, work status, and major fit—before students ever meet with an advisor. Designed for leaders in enrollment, advising, and institutional research, this session shows how colleges can use this data to close performance gaps, improve yield and retention, and empower advisors with proactive tools. Attendees will leave with frameworks and templates for embedding major exploration as a purpose-first strategy across the student journey.

Translating Tutoring Data into a Student Success Strategy

• Tom DiRoma, Senior Partner Success Executive (Knack Technologies)
• Angie Pellerin, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success (Louisiana State University Shreveport)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

As higher education evolves to prioritize real-world learning and measurable student outcomes, institutions are seeking scalable, evidence-based models that both engage students and support academic success. Peer tutoring—an educationally purposeful peer interaction (EPPI) is emerging as a powerful tool in this effort. Drawing on the work of Knack’s Senior Advisor, Dr. George Kuh and recent collaborations with Knack, this session will explore how peer tutoring aligns with the characteristics of high-impact practices (HIPs) and contributes to an institution’s experiential learning ecosystem.

Presenters will share aggregated, anonymized data from Knack’s national partner network—highlighting trends in course-level demand, confidence growth, and equity impact. LSU Shreveport’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Angie Pellerin, will affirm how these data insights inform strategic decisions and advance institutional goals around engagement, retention, and support for underserved students. Designed for academic affairs leaders, IR professionals, and student success champions, this session will offer a data-informed framework for recognizing and scaling peer tutoring as a HIP on your campus.

Using machine learning to model and predict students who need support to reach graduation

• John Harnisher, Director of Education Initiatives (DataKind)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Using ethical, AI-enabled software can shift student success from reactive to proactive by identifying students who need early, additive interventions. DataKind’s human-centered, actionable, cost-efficient, and trustworthy tool analyzes student data, detects patterns in progress toward graduation, and models current students who may need additional support to reach graduation on time. The modeling can yield insights that go beyond traditional indicators. Thanks to generous philanthropic support, DataKind will scale its approach with 100 new institutional partnerships by 2026 at no cost to colleges. Session participants can expect to learn about the software approach, its impacts, and how to start partnering with DataKind.

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Scalable Solutions

Building Buy-in: Heritage’s Model for Sustainable CCA Implementation

• SaraBecca Martin, Associate Vice President of Accreditation, Compliance, & Institutional Effectiveness (Heritage University)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session explores Heritage University’s experience gaining campus-wide support for Complete College America (CCA), CCA Accelerator, and fostering campus community buy-in. Participants will learn strategies to integrate CCA goals into institutional culture through strategic planning and community engagement. Heritage will share its successes and challenges in involving faculty, staff, and administration in the CCA Accelerator projects. The session offers actionable insights for adapting these strategies to diverse contexts, focusing on building lasting support for student success initiatives. This session is ideal for faculty, administrators, and student success leaders driving change.

Credit Transfer: Key to Making Good on Dual Enrollment’s Potential for Increasing Postsecondary Success

• Jennifer Zinth, Founder and Principal (Zinth Consulting, LLC)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This session will provide a national landscape on the transferability and applicability of dual enrollment courses once students matriculate after high school graduation. Participants will learn the importance of ensuring that dual enrollment credits transfer in the same manner as those credits completed by adult students, as well as state dual enrollment and transfer policies that can increase the likelihood that students will select dual enrollment courses that transfer and apply to their intended program of study or credential. Attendees will gain an understanding of best practices they can consider replicating in their state, and questions they must consider in adopting these best practices. This session is ideal for various audiences engaged in dual enrollment or postsecondary credit transfer, including state leaders and agency staff, institutional leaders, institutional staff engaged in dual enrollment programming or credit transfer roles, as well as dual enrollment and credit transfer advocacy professionals and nonprofit leaders.

Equitable Placement, Support and Completion strategies for STEM Calculus Student Success

• Bala Sethu Raja, Dean of Business and Mathematics (Citrus College)
• Sophia Lee, Professor – Mathematics (Citrus College)
• Robert Chen, Professor – Mathematics (Citrus College)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Participants will:

• Understand how co-requisite math courses (Calculus 1 with Support) at Citrus College integrate support to improve student outcomes.
• Explore pedagogical strategies and just-in-time remediation techniques that foster inclusive, student-centered learning.
• Learn about the experiences of students firsthand from their corequisite class enrollment in Calculus I and other classes.
• Learn about the role of embedded tutoring, counseling, and classroom design in promoting equity and success.
• Gain insights into how data-driven practices guide continuous improvement and close equity gaps.

Key words:

1. Equity in Mathematics
2. Co-requisite Support
3. Inclusive Pedagogy
4. Student Success Strategies
5. Data-Driven Improvement
6. Active Learning & Blended Strategies in Pedagogy

Lessons from a National Landscape Scan: Designing & Scaling First-Gen Student Support

• Suzanne Lyons, Senior Consultant (Phase Two Advisory)
• Melinda Karp, Founder & Principal (Phase Two Advisory)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Over one-half of U.S. undergraduates identify as first-generation college students – up from one-third just ten years ago.

Come hear the results of an updated national landscape scan exploring how colleges and universities support these students, drawing on survey findings from 571 individuals at 411 institutions and focus group findings from 73 individuals (including students!) at 65 institutions. We will share student reflections on navigating first-gen tailored and general supports, and college personnel reflections on moving from generic or traditionally silo-ed approaches towards intentional universal design and coordinated student support.

Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own college’s efforts, as well as implications for program-based versus intentional universal design in the current sociopolitical context.

Paving the Way for Mental Wellbeing as Foundational for College Success: Lessons from Texas

• Jenna Parro, Director, Cross System Strategy and Practice (Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute)
• Leilani Lamb, Director, Education and Workforce Strategy (Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

This interactive session introduces the Minding College Minds Framework, showcasing results from the inaugural Texas Learning Community designed to build comprehensive campus mental health systems that support student success. Participants will explore the Minding College Minds approach through real-world case studies and will have an opportunity to engage with the MCM Implementation Assessment tool in small groups to evaluate their own institutional practices. We will highlight how we have refined the Learning Community model based on data and demonstrate how the framework is being scaled across Texas institutions. The session will also provide information on adapting this scalable approach to other state contexts. This session is ideal for college leaders, policy professionals, and philanthropists seeking scalable and holistic solutions to student success.

Scaling Apprenticeship Models: Building Workforce Pathways in Teaching and Nursing

• Amber Garrison Duncan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (Competency-Based Education Network)
• Erin Crisp, Assistant Vice President for Learner Success and Workforce Pathways, Grow Your Own Center (University of Tennessee System)
• Jonathan Wang, Head of Growth (Craft Education)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Apprenticeships are reshaping how we prepare the next generation of teachers and nurses while advancing workforce diversity. This session spotlights breakthrough models from Tennessee, Washington, and Arkansas that combine competency-based education with scalable, equity-driven pathways. Policymakers, institutional leaders, and workforce partners will explore key lessons, promising early outcomes, and practical strategies for replication. Participants will leave with actionable insights to drive similar innovations in their own states or systems.

Strategy in Action: Designing Labor Market Systems at a Rural HSI

• Matt Gianneschi, President (Colorado Mountain College)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

What does it look like when an institution designs with its communities, not just for them? In this session, leaders from Colorado Mountain College (CMC)—a Hispanic-Serving, open-access, rural institution— will share how they have implemented labor market–aware, equity-focused strategies at scale, always with a deep understanding of who lives in their communities and who stands to benefit most across an 11-campus system serving mountain and resort regions.

CMC’s efforts span multiple fronts:

• Redesigned and expanded concurrent enrollment partnerships rooted in equity
• Disaggregated data analyses of DFW rates to address gaps for Latino male students, integrated into institutional performance metrics
• Growth and diversification of the teacher education pipeline, one of the most diverse programs at the college and in the state
• Strategic integration of labor market data into academic program design and resource allocation

We’ll share how we’ve turned conversations into concrete actions investing in homegrown talent, and designing data tools to foster transparency and accountability. We’ll discuss how CMC leans into the cultural, geographic, and linguistic realities of the students it serves, while building institutional culture that reflects care, integrity, and innovation.

You’ve Got the Credits – You Deserve the Degree! A Scalable Completion Solution

• Matthew Goodman, Vice President/Academic Dean (Southern Maine Community College)
• Staci Grasky, Executive Director of Academic Program Development (Maine Community College System)

Innovation Exhibition Description:

Many students accumulate substantial credits but never attain a degree due to strict program requirements or unavoidable life disruptions. This session will explore how the Maine Community College System (MCCS) transformed this challenge into an opportunity through the newly established Professional Studies AAS degree – a completion solution designed to recognize student achievement while eliminating systemic barriers to graduation.

Attendees will gain insights into how the MCCS structured the degree for adaptability across multiple institutions as well as how Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) has identified eligible students and leveraged data-driven outreach strategies to award the degree to dozens of students, with the prospect of conferring many times more through additional, planned outreach. The discussion will explore implementation obstacles, solutions, and expansion plans, helping participants uncover opportunities to apply similar models within their own colleges. Through interactive activities, attendees will walk away with actionable frameworks tailored to their institutional needs.

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