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Signature Convening
InformationAASCU 2026 Summer Meeting for Academic and Student Affairs Leaders
July 13, 2026 - July 16, 2026
Dates
Monday, July 13, 2026 - Thursday, July 16, 2026Registration Deadline
Monday, July 13, 2026Location
Click here for directionsAASCU 2026 Summer Meeting for Academic and Student Affairs Leaders
Regional public universities (RPUs) are navigating one of the most complex periods in higher education history, marked by shifting federal policy, accelerated technological change, financial pressures, demographic disruption, and intensifying public scrutiny. At the same time, these institutions remain the nation’s most powerful engines of social mobility, civic leadership, and regional vitality.
This summer convening brings together senior academic and student affairs leaders to examine how RPUs are leading with purpose, evidence, and innovation in turbulent times. Rather than focusing solely on constraints, the meeting will elevate strategic choices, courageous leadership, and scalable practices that empower institutions to thrive while staying true to their mission.
Cancellations
Received before Friday, June 12, 2026, are eligible for a refund, minus a $500 administrative fee.
Received between Monday, June 15 and Monday, June 22, 2026, will incur a 50% administrative fee.
Received after June 22, 2026, and no shows are not eligible for a refund.
Refunds
All refunds will be issued within 30 days of receipt of the refund request. When writing to cancel or submit a refund request, please email Felicia Durham at durhamf@aascu.org and include in the subject line “ASM26 Cancellation” and indicate to whom and where the refund should be issued if paid via a check.
Add Ons
| Monday - July 13 | ||
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| 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm | ||
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Student Centered Course Scheduling Cohort Workshop (Closed Session)
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| 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm | ||
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Historic Mississippi River Cruise
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Join colleagues for a memorable afternoon aboard a narrated Mississippi River cruise exploring the rich history of New Orleans. Guests will be picked up at the Roosevelt at 1:30 PM, board the boat and depart at 2:00 PM, and return to port at 4:00 PM. The cruise will be fully narrated by a licensed historian, highlighting the Battle of New Orleans, Mississippi River history, and the city’s development. Guests will also enjoy a 40-minute stop at Chalmette Battlefield (Jean Lafitte National Historical Park) where they may explore the site through a self-guided walk or a tour led by a historian. |
$100.00 | |
| Tuesday - July 14 | ||
| 8:00 am - 2:00 pm | ||
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SSEI (Closed Session)
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| 9:30 am - 11:30 am | ||
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Workshop: From Task Forces to Transformation: Aligning AI Strategy for Student Success and Community Impact
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Regional public universities are experimenting rapidly with artificial intelligence, launching AI task forces, pilots, and use cases across academic affairs, student success, operations, and community engagement. Yet many institutions now face a common challenge of how to move from distributed experimentation to a coherent, institution-wide strategy that advances student success, supports community opportunity, and enables sustained innovation at scale. This interactive workshop helps participants examine how AI initiatives are being integrated into institutional planning, governance, and cross-campus alignment. Participants will explore emerging models for AI leadership and change management including how institutions are coordinating multiple AI task forces, aligning AI work with strategic priorities, and creating structures that support fast-paced innovation without sacrificing mission or academic values. Through guided activities, peer exchange, and practical frameworks, attendees will assess their own institutional context and leave with a tangible action plan for advancing AI implementation in service of student success and community engagement. |
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Workshop: The Strategic Portfolio Pivot: Maximizing ROI and Growth in the Turbulent 2020s
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In an era defined by "demographic cliff" myths and shifting student populations, academic leaders must move beyond defensive posture to proactive portfolio growth. This high-impact, two-hour interactive workshop equips Provosts and senior leaders with a data-informed roadmap to optimize their academic offerings. We will look across the continuum beginning with understanding enrollment opportunities and identifying high-ROI opportunities to fixing "leaky" revenue in high-DFW courses and leveraging AI for both curricular innovation and operational efficiency. Attendees will move from viewing programs as costs to seeing them as the primary engines for institutional mission and margin. |
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| 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm | ||
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Workshop: The Exceptional Value of RPUs: How to Tell a Distinctive Story to a Skeptical Public
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This interactive workshop equips participants with research-based strategies and practical tools to clearly communicate the value of Regional Public Universities (RPUs) to key audiences, including policymakers, boards, campus stakeholders, and the public. Drawing on findings from a study of AASCU institutions that demonstrate exceptional student outcomes—such as closing attainment gaps by race, income, and geography; high retention and completion rates; low student loan debt; and strong price-to-earnings premiums—the workshop reframes student success as a multidimensional value proposition rather than a narrow set of metrics. Participants will explore how high-performing RPUs align institutional culture, state policy mechanisms, and internal decision-making to support equitable student success—and how those practices can be translated into clear, evidence-based narratives about institutional value. The workshop emphasizes how student success is operationalized as a shared, institution-wide responsibility, reinforced through intentional hiring and onboarding, widely shared yet flexible definitions of student success, and the strategic use of data for continuous improvement. |
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Workshop: Leveraging Student Perspectives to Foster System Change: The Student Voices Initiative
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This workshop will highlight the core tenets of the Student Voices Initiative - a project that supports institutions to train students as focus-group facilitators. These student facilitators host focus groups with their peers - with no faculty, administrators or staff in the room – and ask explicit questions about what their institution is doing to support and thwart student belonging We focus on belonging because it is a consistent and strong predictor of academic success (e.g., retention, graduation rates) and student well-being (e.g., resilience, burnout rate) and we have developed protocols for both tracking belonging and the effectiveness of this initiative as it relates to belonging and student outcomes. Student responses are recorded and coded in accordance with a qualitative coding scheme designed to capture what kinds of opportunity structures (i.e., aspects of the institution that impact belonging) are mentioned. The pedagogy, research, and findings from implementing this initiative at over 40 institutions from 17 diverse states and territories will be shared with participants. We will cover the basic tenets for implementation of the initiative at your institution and provide resources (e.g., focus group protocols, data tools) for you to consider leveraging. We will also hold time for brainstorming about where and how student voices can be better incorporated at your institution and provide an option for additional follow-ups for interested participants. This pedagogy is customizable and can be tailored to specific aspects of your institution that would benefit from more student input. We encourage institutions to think about two aspects of this work prior to attending: 1. Which students at your institution may benefit from feeling a greater sense of belonging?; and 2. Which aspects of your institution would benefit from having more student input and representation? |
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Workshop: Bridging the Early Career Readiness Gap
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How Campus Leaders Can Leverage Technology to Prepare Students for Career Success Colleges and universities are under increasing pressure from all sides—parents, employers, governments, accreditors, and students themselves—to improve career outcomes for graduates and demonstrate a return on their investment of time and money. With new accountability measures on the horizon, institutions must find new ways to prioritize career readiness and job placement. This interactive session led by EAB expert Tara Zirkel, EdD, will explore how student success leaders can respond to this mandate while balancing limited resources and staffing challenges. We’ll discuss: - The latest research on the career readiness gap facing 2- and 4-year institutions - New developments on accountability measures related to employment outcomes and graduate earnings - Three recommendations for how technology can supplement your advising teams' capacity and skills to provide students with effective early career guidance - Success stories from institutions putting these practices into action |
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Speakers
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Sponsors
Continuing Education
Hotel
Click here to book your accommodations: The Roosevelt New Orleans
130 Roosevelt Way
New Orleans. Louisiana 70112
Sitting one block from Bourbon Street, The Roosevelt New Orleans is located 1 block west of the heart of Louisiana’s famous French Quarter. Our hotel is 14.6 miles from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Group Rates
Group rates may be honored three days before group arrival and three days after group departure, based on availability. We encourage you to book your accommodations early.
Note: Please use the reservation link provided, as we cannot provide or honor the group rate for reservations made outside the block or via third parties (Expedia, Tripadvisor, Kayak, etc.).
Room Rate:
$199 /night plus LA tax (16.35%)
Hotel Reservation Deadline:
June 19, 2026