Higher Education Sessions

We are bringing something new to the ACT Regional Conferences! Sessions designed and led by Higher Education professionals just for you. These sessions are designed for a small group of emerging enrollment leaders and practitioners to engage in collaborative learning. 

What You'll Gain 

  • Leadership and Team Development Strategies: Practical approaches to managing and developing your enrollment team.  
  • Peer Insights: Hear how your peers approach enrollment challenges in real time as the landscape continues to shift. 
  • Data and Trends: Discuss national and regional higher education enrollment trends and gain ideas for your institution. 
  • Networking Opportunities: Build meaningful connections with colleagues from across the region. 

Who Should Attend 

  • Emerging Enrollment Management Professionals: Professionals who are stepping into greater responsibility in enrollment management and are eager to grow leadership skills, expand perspective, and connect with a broader peer community. 
  • Admissions Directors: Directors of all levels overseeing recruitment, outreach, or admissions operations who are looking for fresh ideas, peer benchmarking, and space to think beyond the day-to-day demands of the role. 
  • Mid-Level Managers in Enrollment and/or Student Success: Managers working at the intersection of enrollment goals and student outcomes — team leads and coordinators who want to strengthen their leadership presence and cross-functional impact. 

Higher Ed Session Information

A7/B7: Higher Education Enrollment Forum

Participants should stay for both Part I and Part II.  Following the lunch break, participants will join other conference attendees and select their schedule from the remaining afternoon breakout sessions.

Part I: Leading through Change

This session is intended to bring enrollment managers together to provide professional development, peer connection, and leadership inspiration while helping you think differently about student success and institutional transformation.

Explore new ways to navigate a rapidly changing landscape shaped by enrollment challenges, AI, evolving student expectations, and the connection between education and workforce outcomes. 

Discussion Topics Include:

  • Leadership during times of change and uncertainty
  • Building a growth mindset throughout a career in higher education
  • Skills and competencies that will define successful leaders over the next decade
  • Student Success & outcomes measurement
  • New ways to connect higher education and workforce outcomes

Part II: Innovative Pathways to Student Success

This session is intended to introduce discussion and encourage participants to think differently about connecting education and workforce outcomes. 

Following a leadership-focused first session, our second session will shift the conversation toward innovative approaches institutions can use to improve student outcomes, career readiness, and workforce alignment. 

Discussion Topics Include:

  • An overview of WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC)
  • Core workplace skills assessments and employer relevance
  • Higher education use cases for both two-year and four-year institutions
  • Career services integration opportunities
  • Employer engagement and talent pipeline development
  • Student success and outcomes measurement

Higher Ed Enrollment Forum Interest Form
Fill out this quick form to let us know you want to participate AND use the red "register now" button above to register for the conference.

C7: Hidden in Plain Sight: Using your Free ACT Reports to Drive Enrollment Strategy

Most admission offices are sitting on free, institution-specific reports from ACT and don't even know it. The Freshman Class, Score Send, and EMR/EMRS Reports offer a detailed picture of who's applying, who's testing, and other institutions they were considering. Attendees of this session will discover exactly where to find these reports, how to read them, and how to turn the data into smarter recruitment and enrollment decisions.

D7: Who Gets to be “College Ready”? Equity, Data and the Future of Access

College readiness shapes how students are advised, placed, and supported — but the measures used to define it are evolving. From academic indicators to career-focused signals and broader assessments of potential, the field is reexamining what "ready" really means and who gets to decide. This roundtable invites practitioners to explore how readiness is defined and measured across contexts, who may be left out of those definitions, and how data and assessment tools can better support equitable access.

E7: The War Eagle Welcome: A Strategic Partnership Between Admissions and Alumni Engagement

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Alumni Engagement team at Auburn have teamed up to create a regionally based recruitment experience to connect prospective students with local alumni. At a time when students are increasingly concerned about the cost of attendance and return on investment while also craving authentic in-person interactions, higher education professionals must collaborate creatively to meet these needs. This pilot program achieves this by offering prospective students the chance to learn about the admissions process and scholarship opportunities, while also connecting with alumni to understand the lifelong benefits of an Auburn degree and student experience.

F7: Beyond the Score: Turning Readiness Data into Student Success

How can institutions turn academic readiness data into timely, targeted action? This session presents a replicable HBCU student-success framework that connects readiness and placement information with Early Alert, advising, tutoring, and academic interventions. Participants will learn to: (1) identify readiness indicators that signal students may need support; (2) develop coordinated, targeted interventions; (3) connect students to resources before challenges become barriers; (4) track participation and evaluate intervention effectiveness; and (5) apply the framework using existing campus resources to strengthen persistence and retention and improve outcomes for diverse student populations.