Student Success Conference 2027: Call for Programs

This year’s Student Success Conference, themed Cultivating Belonging: Advancing Student Success Through Connection, Care, and Community, brings faculty, staff, administrators, and researchers together to explore how a strong sense of belonging drives engagement, persistence, and achievement. As higher education continues to evolve, fostering a strong sense of belonging has become increasingly important to supporting student engagement, academic success, retention, and overall student development. 

We invite you to submit a program proposal by Friday, November 6, 2026. Proposals should align with Rutgers University's Academic Master Plan 2.0 student success priorities, including: 

• Creating a welcoming, equitable, and supportive learning environment for all students. 

• Promoting student success through timely degree completion and minimizing barriers that contribute to excessive educational costs and debt. 

• Expanding access to high-impact learning experiences that prepare students for personal, academic, and professional success. 

As you develop your proposal, we also encourage consideration of how fostering a culture of care, belonging, and support for faculty and staff strengthens our collective ability to help students thrive. 

Together, we can explore how connection, care, and community contribute to student success and help create learning environments where all students can thrive. 

Join colleagues from across Rutgers-New Brunswick in sharing your expertise, research, experiences, and innovative practices that advance student success and strengthen our campus community. 

Submit your Program Proposal by Nov. 6!

To support the goals of Rutgers University's Academic Master Plan 2.0 and the theme of Cultivating Belonging: Advancing Student Success Through Connection, Care, and Community, proposals should align with one or more of the following conference competencies: 

Belonging, Community, and Student Engagement 
Advancing strategies that foster meaningful connections, increase student engagement, and create welcoming campus communities where students feel valued and supported. 

• Building and sustaining a culture of belonging 

• Student engagement and connectedness 

• Community-building initiatives and campus partnerships 

• Student leadership development and involvement 

Student Success, Persistence, and Academic Achievement 
Promoting student learning, academic progress, retention, persistence, and degree completion through innovative and student-centered practices. 

• Retention and persistence strategies 

• Academic success coaching and advising innovations 

• High-impact educational practices and experiential learning 

• Supporting student transitions and academic momentum 

Holistic Support and Well-Being 
Supporting the whole student through comprehensive approaches that promote well-being, resilience, and access to essential resources. 

• Basic needs support and student well-being 

• Mental health promotion and wellness initiatives 

• Crisis response and student care interventions 

• Trauma-informed and holistic student support approaches 

Inclusive Excellence and Equitable Outcomes 
Creating equitable opportunities and removing barriers to success for students from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. 

• Fostering inclusive excellence and equitable student outcomes 

• Supporting first-generation, transfer, commuter, adult, international, military-connected, LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, and other historically underserved student populations 

• Reducing barriers to student success and degree completion 

Collaboration, Innovation, and Research 
Leveraging partnerships, technology, research, and innovation to strengthen student support and improve institutional outcomes. 

• Partnerships across academic affairs, student affairs, and community organizations 

• Technology and innovation in student support services 

• Data-informed approaches to improving student outcomes 

• Research on belonging, engagement, persistence, and student success 

Faculty and Staff Success 
Recognizing that student success is strengthened when faculty and staff are supported, connected, and equipped to foster belonging and learning. 

• Faculty and staff practices that foster student belonging and success 

• Creating cultures of care and support for employees 

• Professional development strategies that strengthen student support efforts 

• Practices that promote student belonging through faculty and staff interactions 

We encourage submissions that provide: 

• Practical and scalable strategies 

• Assessment results or measurable outcomes when applicable 

• Actionable takeaways participants can adapt to their own work 

• Approaches that advance student belonging, success, and equitable outcomes 

• Proposals should include sufficient content and engagement strategies to effectively fill a 50-minute session, with clear learning objectives and actionable takeaways for participants.