2026 Higher Education Summit

Conference Agenda

Tuesday, May 19th | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Concurrent Pre- Conference Workshops

These sessions are intended to provide background on a variety of topics and offer high-value take-aways.

Time	Session	Speakers
1:00 p.m.	Strengthening Your Compliance Program for Long-term Success	Paige Smith & Amy Missinne Universities of Wisconsin
1:00 p.m.	Compliance 101 for Student Affairs Practitioners	Blaze Bowers, Drexel University
2:00 p.m.	Break
2:15 p.m.	Spotlight on Speech: Panel on Expressive Activity on Campus	Frank Cella, Marsh Mel Charbonneau, Madison College Craig Fisher, UW-Madison Cat Jorgens, Carroll University Christina Olstad, UW-Madison
2:15 p.m.	College and Career Attainment Network	Rebecca Larson, WAICU Carole Trone, Fair Opportunity Project
3:00 p.m.	Career Connectedness: Supporting Students’ Journeys	TBD
3:00 p.m.	Compliance 202 for Distance Education and State Authorization	Paige Smith, Universities of Wisconsin

Wednesday, May 20th | 8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Conference

Time	Session	Speakers
8:00 a.m.	Breakfast and Welcome
9:00 a.m.	Keynote: Federal Higher Education Landscape and Constitutional Crisis	Peter Lake, Stetson University College of Law
10:15 am	Break
10:30 a.m.	Immigration Panel: Impacts on Students, Employees, Research, and Campus Operations	Quinn Williams, Universities of Wisconsin Colleen Larsen, Wisconsin Technical College System Natalia Lucak, Community Immigration Law Center Dr. Gerardo-Mancilla, Edgewood University
11:30 a.m.	Navigating Title VI Non-Discrimination and Free Speech in an Evolving Educational Landscape	Wade Harrison, Universities of Wisconsin Peter Lake, Stetson University College of Law
12:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:15 p.m.	Belonging to Flourish in a Culture of Wellbeing in Higher Education	Dr. Tony Chambers, Center for Healthy Minds
2:15 p.m.	Panel on AI and Student Success	Meacie Fairfax, Complete College America Alli Jerger, Waukesha County Technical College Krissy Lukens, St. Norbert College Dr. Gabriel Valez, Marquette University
3:15 p.m.	Birds of a Feather Tabletop Conversations
4:30 p.m.	Evening Reception

Thursday, May 21st | 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Conference

Time	Session	Speakers
8:00 a.m.	Breakfast
8:30 a.m.	Keynote: Creating Better Connected Colleges and Universities	Elliot Felix, Author
9:30 a.m.	Washington Update: Legislative and Regulatory Developments	Jon Fansmith, ACE
10:30 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m.	The Case for Financial Sustainability	Dr. Chuck Ambrose, Husch Blackwell
11:45 a.m.	Lunch
12:30 p.m.	The Legal Perspective	Aaron Lacey, Coburn Thompson
1:30 p.m.	Designing Student Success: Aligning Financial Aid Strategies and Holistic Assessment	Elliot Felix, Author Katy Weisenburger, UW-Madison CoraBeth Schmitz, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Katie Glass, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
2:15 p.m.	Capstone fireside chat	Peter Lake, Stetson University College of Law Elliot Felix, Author