2026 Conference Schedule

Monday, November 9

  • Check in at the registration & information desk in the Hyatt Regency’s Constellation Ballroom Foyer to pick up your name badge and conference materials.

    ISSP representatives are here throughout the conference to answer your questions.

  • Meet exhibitors with creative technology and service solutions in the Exhibit Hall outside of the Constellation Ballroom Foyer. Don't forget to download the Guidebook conference app and scan each exhibitor’s QR code to participate in the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt and be eligible for fun prizes.

  • Session description coming soon.

  • Welcoming Remarks Presenter:

    Julie Selander - Executive Director, One Stop Student Services, University of Minnesota and President, ISSP

    Opening Session description coming soon.

  • Enjoy a quick break before we reconvene for the One Stop Leadership Panel.

  • Panelists:

    TBA

    Facilitated by:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Enjoy coffee, tea, and soda in the Constellation Ballroom Atrium while you network with colleagues and exhibitors.

    Meet exhibitors with creative technology and service solutions in the Exhibit Hall.

    Don't forget to download the Guidebook conference app and scan each exhibitor’s QR code to participate in the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt and be eligible for fun prizes.

  • Presenters:

    Chris Coleman & Daniel Janak - Morgan State University

    This session examines the strategic design and implementation of a student services center that integrates a customer service team within a one-stop model, with particular attention to institutional coordination, service alignment, and spatial constraints. Drawing on cross-divisional visioning sessions with senior leadership, the presentation illustrates how shared governance and collaborative planning informed a unified student services strategy, aligning academic and administrative units around a common student-centered framework. Participants will explore how these visioning processes surfaced institutional priorities, clarified service redundancies, and established a cohesive operational model that bridges traditionally siloed functions.

    In addition, the session identifies critical secondary student support services—such as career development, counseling referrals, technology assistance, and student success coaching—that are often excluded from initial one-stop designs but are essential for holistic student support. Emphasis will be placed on how integrating these services enhances continuity of care, reduces referral fatigue, and strengthens student outcomes.

    Finally, the session addresses the practical challenge of adapting and scaling a one-stop model within facilities that have limited capacity for physical expansion. Attendees will learn strategies for maximizing existing space through tiered service delivery, hybrid in-person/virtual models, and efficient workflow design, as well as how to leverage staffing structures and technology to extend service reach without requiring significant capital investment.

  • Presenters:

    Chalah Harris & Latisha McCray - Seminole State College

    Colleges and universities continue to seek ways to simplify the student experience while improving efficiency and service delivery. Integrating One-Stop service centers with contact center operations creates a unified support model that allows institutions to meet students where they are—whether in person, online, or by phone.

    This session will explore how institutions can combine the strengths of both service models to create a seamless, student-centered support system. Participants will learn how centralized service teams can provide consistent information, reduce barriers to access, and improve response times while maintaining strong partnerships with key campus departments such as admissions, financial aid, and enrollment services.

    Using practical examples and operational insights, the session will highlight strategies for staffing, training, communication workflows, and technology that support a successful hybrid model. Attendees will also learn how data and performance metrics from contact center operations can inform improvements in front-line student services.

    By the end of the session, participants will gain ideas and actionable strategies to enhance their own student service environments and better support students throughout their institutional journey.

  • Presenters:

    Christopher Morett, President - Co | Here Campus and Workplace

    Student services spaces, whether already existing or in the planning phase, are rarely formally evaluated for their strategic impact or even basic functioning. This evaluation gap exists despite the fact that these facilities are a crucial tool for achieving student services outcomes, not to mention extremely expensive to build and maintain.

    Bolstering evaluation is one of the most effective, efficient ways to ensure our spaces are doing what we want them to through their design and operation. This session will help attendees build their evaluation toolkit and provide practical organizational strategies for conducting evaluation at all phases, from pre-planning of new or retrofitted spaces to the operational phase of existing facilities.

  • Presenter:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Refresh your coffee and enjoy a quick break before we reconvene for our final sessions of the day.

  • Presenters:

    Salim Williams & Jean Valencia - UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ

    Beginning college is often both exhilarating and demanding, frequently accompanied by a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. While students may look to professionals for clear direction, many underestimate their own capacity to shape their level of engagement in ways that align with their individual needs. By analyzing survey reflections, registration data, and participant feedback, institutions can identify effective practices and assess whether existing approaches have become outdated or no longer serve students well. Quantitative data provides an important narrative; however, it does not fully capture the underlying idea. Bringing together survey insights helps connect students’ real experiences with the data, giving a clearer picture of what’s working and what may need another look or some improvement.

  • Presenters:

    Michelle Rill, Lindsay Levy, Pia St. Pierre, & Amanda Sherry - Penn State World Campus

    Leading a fully remote staff requires more than managing tasks—it demands intentional strategies to build trust, drive performance, and support growth without the benefit of shared physical space. This presentation provides practical techniques, tips, and tricks for leaders who want to build a culture of continuous improvement while effectively training, mentoring, and supervising remote employees.

    Attendees will learn how to design meaningful onboarding and ongoing training experiences, create opportunities for intentional team-building practices that strengthen connection and collaboration across distance, and use mentoring conversations to motivate and empower staff. We will share actionable methods for reinforcing accountability and innovation, including simple check-in structures and tools that encourage reflection and shared learning.

    In addition, participants will examine strategies for supporting personal and professional development. Best practices for supervision will be discussed, including setting clear expectations, managing performance with empathy, and balancing flexibility with consistency. Supervision techniques tailored for remote environments—such as purposeful one-on-one conversations and strengths-based feedback—will be highlighted.

    By the end of this session, attendees will walk away with practical, immediately applicable strategies to elevate their remote teams, strengthen supervision, and create a motivated, growth-oriented workforce—no matter where staff are located.

  • Presenter:

    Sean Heffron - Sacred Heart University

    Does your institution communicate with parents? If not, why? In this session, we'll review research linking parental communication expectations and university practices to student success and higher retention rates. We'll discuss how some institutional policies may be preventing important conversations and interventions, and the role a misinterpretation of FERPA may play in the foundation of these policies.

  • Presenter:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Join your colleagues for a private reception at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore in the Constellation Ballroom Atrium.

    Enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a complimentary drink ticket provided (see inside of your registration name badge). Credit cards also accepted at the bar.

  • Take the evening to explore Baltimore’s culinary scene! Enjoy one of the many fantastic restaurants near the Inner Harbor or within walking distance of the hotel.

Tuesday, November 10

  • ISSP representatives are available during this time if you have any questions.

  • Meet exhibitors with creative technology and service solutions in the Exhibit Hall outside of the Constellation Ballrooms.

    Don't forget to download the Guidebook conference app and scan each exhibitor’s QR code to get involved with the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt to be eligible for fun prizes.

  • Join your colleagues for a hearty breakfast in the Constellation Ballroom Atrium.

  • Panelists:

    TBA

    Facilitated by:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Enjoy coffee and tea in the Constellation Ballroom Atrium.

    Meet exhibitors with creative technology and service solutions in the Exhibit Hall.

    Don't forget to get download the Guidebook conference app and scan each exhibitor’s QR code to get involved with the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt to be eligible for fun prizes.

  • Presenter:

    Alecia Fields - Montgomery County Community College

    Today’s students don’t rely on just one way to ask for help—and neither should our service models. From walk ins to phone calls, emails to AI driven chatbots, One Stops are supporting students across more channels than ever before. But how do you keep track of it all?

    In this session, Montgomery County Community College will share how they built an integrated, technology driven approach to managing and tracking student service interactions in a hybrid One Stop environment. Attendees will learn how in person traffic, phone calls, emails, and chatbot conversations are captured in a unified system that provides meaningful insight across the One Stop and partner departments.

    This connected approach reduces silos, strengthens collaboration, and gives staff a clearer picture of how—and where—students are seeking support. Most importantly, it helps ensure students receive consistent, high quality service no matter which “door” they choose to walk through while also:

    • Supporting accountability and service quality by ensuring referrals and follow up are tracked and visible

    • Providing actionable data for decision making to improve workflows, allocate resources, and enhance operations

  • Presenters:

    Ryan Fisher & Nichole Rishel - The Pennsylvania State University

    This session examines the development and launch of the Enrollment Services Center (ESC) at Penn State, University Park, a centralized, front-facing hub serving Enrollment Management. Presenters will outline the strategic roadmap that guided the ESC from concept to implementation, including the consolidation of high-volume student support functions for Student Aid, the Registrar, and Undergraduate Admissions.

    Attendees will gain insight into the ESC’s service model, governance structure, and operational approach, as well as the collaborative partnerships established with departmental home offices. The session will highlight key planning and implementation decisions, and our approach to maintain service continuity during the transition to a centralized model.

    The session will conclude with a discussion on continuous improvement efforts and current challenges. Participants will be encouraged to engage in dialogue, share experiences, and discuss strategies their institutions have used to address similar organizational and service delivery challenges.

  • Presenter:

    Tim DuFresne - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

    This presentation adapts strategies in Patterson, et. al's "Crucial Conversations" for work in a One-Stop-Shop setting. How do we adapt these strategies for brief encounters? How can front line staff create an environment of safety and mutual purpose. Additionally, how can leaders incorporate these principles into conversations with staff and escalations?

  • Presenter:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Refresh your coffee and enjoy a quick break before we convene for our final sessions of the day.

  • Presenter:

    Kenny Kolanko - Rutgers University

    Delivering front-line care that requires intricate knowledge of financial aid processes, billing policy, registration guidelines, and admissions procedures demands an almost encyclopedic working knowledge of complex systems to provide the best student advocacy possible.  Even more daunting are those questions that come into one’s space but are outside the sweet spot of one’s respective support channel.  Can you answer the question?  Can you provide support?  To whom does a student get referred?  At times, it can feel impossible to have total working knowledge of a city-sized university that has multifaceted processes and thousands of colleagues. Not to mention, inquiries arrive in droves – via email, the phones, and in-person visitors – requiring speedy response to move onto the next moment of support.

    So how does Rutgers-New Brunswick’s One Stop manage complicated student outreach with questions ranging from the initial admissions application to diploma pick-up (and everything in between)?  By developing, managing, and consistently growing a student response and reference database!   

    Rutgers-New Brunswick’s One Stop fields nearly 200,000 student, family, and support inquiries every year, with an average team response rate of 1.59 days in 2025 (not just business days – total days).  To support student concerns with consistency across a team of more than 70 contributors (including student colleagues), the One Stop created and manages a robustly organized email response database of more than 650 email responses for frequently asked questions. This operationally critical tool enables the Rutgers-New Brunswick’s One Stop team to get essential information into the hands of students and their support with expediency and accuracy, whilst also providing tried and tested resources to support newly onboarded staff.

  • Presenters:

    Jaclyn Demetrak, Renee Keller, Colleen Moore - Wayne State University

    Student assistants are often positioned as supplemental support, primarily responsible for basic front-line tasks. However, this limited approach can underutilize their potential and place increased strain on full-time staff. At the Warrior One-Stop (WOS) at Wayne State University, a strategic shift was made to redefine student assistants as integral contributors to office operations and service delivery.

    This session explores how WOS evolved its student staffing model to move beyond transactional responsibilities toward a more intentional, skill-based structure. By implementing targeted hiring practices, structured onboarding and training, clearly defined roles, and ongoing development opportunities, student assistants became key players in improving workflow efficiency and enhancing the student experience.

    Attendees will learn how this transformation reduced operational bottlenecks, increased consistency in service delivery, and allowed professional staff to focus on higher-level responsibilities. Practical strategies, tools, and lessons learned will be shared to help institutions of varying sizes and structures rethink how student employees can be leveraged as strategic assets within their offices.

  • Presenters:

    Juan Lopez & Scott Hagg - University of California, Merced

    The session features Juan Lopez, a UC Merced alumnus and Enrollment Services Advisor who leads our student digital marketing team, alongside Vice Chancellor Scott Hagg, who brings extensive expertise in enrollment strategy and student success.

    As digital marketing continues to evolve, the expectations and behaviors of the students we serve evolve alongside it. Today, students primarily engage with information in digital environments like social media, which requires student services professionals to adapt and continuously develop communication methods to remain relevant and impactful.

    This presentation highlights a strategic method for leveraging social media and digital marketing to connect with students on their preferred platforms, deliver essential information, and boost engagement and retention. Focus on transitioning from passive, informational content to interactive, student-centered tactics that foster visibility and relationships among students, faculty, and staff. One component involves student employment and cross-training, where student staff improve their digital marketing skills while gaining insight into various service areas—facilitating professional development and peer connections that support retention and anti-melt efforts.

    We will showcase our Spring Checklist Campaign, developed in collaboration with Financial Aid, the Registrar, Billing, and Health Services. This initiative assists students in navigating essential pre-summer tasks through engaging content that motivates them to act while generating excitement through incentives. We will discuss how the foundational data collected from these initiatives contributes to a comprehensive, continuous ongoing strategy to improve messaging, enhancing campaigns, and advocating for resources.

    Participants will learn actionable techniques to produce student-focused content, build partnerships, and utilize data to enhance student success.

  • Presenter:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Enjoy lunch in the Constellation Ballroom Atrium of the Hyatt Regency Baltimore.

    During lunch, we’ll announce the winner of our “Guess the 2027 ISSP Location” contest and we’ll reveal our 2027 institutional host and conference location for next year.

    After lunch, take some time to meet with exhibitors in the Exhibit Hall to learn more about creative technology and service solutions.

    Feel free to grab your comfortable shoes (and depending on the weather, bring a light jacket and umbrella) and be back in the Constellation Ballroom promptly at 1 pm for important tour logistics.

  • Join us promptly at 1:00 pm in the Constellation Ballroom for important tour logistics and instructions.

    Chevaun Whitman, Morgan State University, will share an overview of their integrated student services model before we load buses and head over to see it in action.

    We will begin loading the buses at approximately 1:15 pm with the last bus leaving for Morgan State University around 1:30 pm.

  • Buses will depart from the Hyatt Regency Baltimore at 1:15-1:30 pm and we’ll travel to Morgan State University with an approximate arrival time of 2:00 pm.

    Tour guides at Morgan State University will greet us at the bus stop and will then guide groups of attendees through various tour stops with presentations along the way.

  • Join us for a reception on the Morgan State University campus with light hors d’oeuvres and beverages.

    Thank you to our sponsor for their gracious sponsorship of the Tuesday evening reception.

  • Buses will provide transportation back to the Hyatt Regency Baltimore beginning at approximately 5:15 pm with the last bus leaving at approximately 6:15 pm.

  • Savor the local flavors! Discover one of the many unique restaurants just steps away from the hotel or around town.

Wednesday, November 11

  • ISSP representatives are available until 12:45 pm to answer your questions.

  • Meet exhibitors with creative technology and service solutions in the Exhibit Hall outside of the Constellation Ballroom.

    Don't forget to download the Guidebook conference app and scan each exhibitor’s QR code to get involved with the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt to be eligible for fun prizes. You must scan all 10 unique QR codes (and complete the quick online survey when you’re done scanning) by 10 am Tues to be eligible for the giveaway drawing.

  • Join your colleagues for a hearty breakfast in the Constellation Ballroom Atrium.

  • Presenters:

    Arbeena Thapa & Anthony Surratt - The University of Texas at San Antonio

    The UT San Antonio One Stop Enrollment Center serves as both a primary access point to higher education and an intentional starting point for developing the future student services workforce. This session explores how Student Associates (and temporary Enrollment Service Associates) in front-line reception and call center roles transition into full-time One Stop counselor and senior counselor positions. Through UT San Antonio case studies and real examples, presenters will demonstrate how access work can be structured as a strong talent pipeline and a pathway for long-term career growth in student services.

    Grounded in an access-to-opportunity framework, this session positions front-line service as both an equity responsibility and a professional development strategy. Student employees build technical knowledge alongside emotional intelligence through experiences such as empathetic call center support, de-escalation, complex problem solving, and serving as the first point of contact for students and families navigating enrollment processes. These interactions foster communication skills, confidence, and career readiness over time.

    Participants will engage in case-based activities and small-group discussions to map student employee growth from entry-level roles to professional staff. Attendees will leave with a replicable framework for aligning access, workforce development, and retention, including strategies for structuring roles, scaffolding skill development, and building sustainable internal talent pipelines across institution types.

  • Presenters:

    Jessica Streich & Melanie Price - Pellissippi State Community College

    One-Stop offices are often tasked with knowing information beyond admissions, financial aid, registration and student accounts. As questions arise outside these departments, it is often difficult to find valid and current information to share. This often creates confusion and misinformation disseminated to students.

    This session will focus on how cross-functional teamwork, shared training, and streamlined communication may be used to break down silos and improve service consistency. Attendees will discuss and explore current collaborations that are working for them, and opportunities to grow collaborations internally and externally to address a wide range of student inquiries, reducing handoffs and wait times. Emphasis is placed on building a culture of accountability, empathy, and continuous improvement.

    The session also incorporates data-informed decision-making to identify service gaps, optimize workflows, and enhance overall effectiveness. Regular feedback from students and staff often guides ongoing enhancements to the one stop, ensuring the department remains responsive to evolving needs.

    By aligning processes and strengthening collaboration, this supports institutional goals of student success, retention, and satisfaction—ultimately creating a more accessible and supportive enrollment experience for all learners.

  • Presenters:

    Jessica Bailey & Bethany Warner - Eastern Kentucky University

    On May 1, 2026, Big E Central launched its sequel—expanding beyond a traditional one-stop to include Academic Readiness, Student Intervention, College Enrollment, and Career Services. In one move, we tripled our staff, expanded our scope, and now support students from admission through graduation—and into career outcomes.

    This session is a real-time look at that expansion. Not a polished retrospective—an honest, in-the-moment conversation about what’s working, what’s not, and what we’re still figuring out as we scale. We’ll share how we’re working to reduce student friction, eliminate fragmented intake, and build a more coordinated model of case ownership across the full student lifecycle.

    Big E Central 2.0 builds on our original foundation with clearer service level agreements (SLAs), more defined referral pathways, and stronger alignment between frontline staff, faculty, and advisors. The goal is simple: connect students to the right support at the right time. Bringing career navigation into the model earlier is also helping students better understand why they’re here—and what they’re working toward.

    Join us for a candid sequel—because the real work starts after the launch.

  • Presenters:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Enjoy coffee and tea in the Navarro Ballroom foyer.

    Don't forget to scan each exhibitor’s QR code to get involved with the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt to be eligible for fun prizes. You must scan all 10 unique QR codes (and complete the quick online survey when you’re done scanning) by 10 am Tues to be eligible for the giveaway drawing.

  • Presenter:

    Sandy Banos - California State University, Fullerton

    Traditional communication strategies in higher education often rely on websites, email, and institutional messaging that students may overlook or find difficult to navigate. As a result, critical information about resources, deadlines, and support services does not always reach those who need it most. This session examines how social media can be used more intentionally to improve student engagement, access, and support.

    Drawing from experience helping launch a new student services department at a large public university, this presentation highlights how targeted social media strategies can rapidly expand reach and impact. In under a year, these efforts grew an Instagram account to over 3,500 followers and significantly increased visibility of key student resources, demonstrating the value of meeting students where they already are.

    Attendees will explore practical approaches to content design, tone, consistency, and platform use that resonate with today’s students, particularly first-generation and historically underserved populations. The session also positions social media as a form of institutional support by simplifying complex processes, increasing transparency, and strengthening students’ sense of connection and belonging.

  • Presenter:

    Shannon Vander Meulen - WaitWell

    Panelists:

    Coming Soon

    Finding and keeping the right talent is one of the most persistent challenges facing student service centers today. This panel session brings together experienced professionals from one-stop environments to share candid insights and proven strategies around recruiting, developing, and retaining both professional staff and student workers.

    Panelists will explore the full talent lifecycle — from crafting compelling job postings that attract mission-driven candidates, to onboarding practices that set new hires up for success from day one. The conversation will dig into the unique dynamics of managing a blended workforce, where seasoned staff and student employees must work side by side to deliver seamless, high-quality service.

    Topics will include:

    -Recruitment tactics for sourcing experienced professionals and engaging student workers who reflect the diverse communities you serve

    -Onboarding and training frameworks that build competency and confidence quickly in fast-paced, high-volume environments

    -Team building approaches that foster culture, connection, and a shared sense of purpose across a mixed staff

    -Retention strategies that address burnout, career development, and what keeps both professional and student employees engaged and coming back

    -Real-world challenges panelists have faced — and what they've learned along the way

    Whether you're rebuilding your team, refining your hiring process, or simply looking for fresh ideas to strengthen your one-stop, this session offers practical takeaways you can bring back and put to work immediately.

  • Presenters:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Presenters:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Refresh your coffee and enjoy a quick break before we reconvene for our final sessions of the day.

  • Presenters:

    Mike Ormsby - University of Connecticut & Jay Stefanelli - Rutgers University

    Integrated student services (“One Stop”) models are now commonplace across higher education, yet decisions about staffing capacity are still often guided by professional intuition, legacy practices, or borrowed benchmarks rather than empirical evidence. This session shares preliminary findings from a multi-institutional study, offering a research-informed perspective on what actually shapes staffing in integrated service environments.

    Grounded in Service Management Theory, the study draws on survey data from 50 U.S. colleges and universities to examine how institutional characteristics, governance structures, service scope, and service channels relate to reported staffing capacity (measured in FTE). Early findings complicate several common assumptions. Institutional enrollment size and organizational independence show meaningful associations with staffing levels, while factors frequently cited in practice (functional breadth, number of service channels, institutional sector, and unionization) do not emerge as significant predictors in this sample. Descriptive results also suggest that many One Stops operate at far higher ratios of students to staff than traditional, function-specific benchmarks, particularly during predictable peak periods.

    Designed for professionals across institutional types and varying levels of One Stop maturity, this interactive session focuses on translating research into practice. Participants will engage in live polling, brief small-group discussion, and a hands-on staffing reflection activity to examine how their own institutional scale, reporting structures, and service models influence capacity decisions. Rather than offering prescriptive ratios, the session emphasizes evidence-informed questions, shared language, and practical frameworks attendees can use to strengthen staffing and resource conversations with campus partners and senior leadership.

  • Presenters:

    Lisa M.C. Ginder - Kean University & Jen Vaden - Vaden Higher Education Consulting

    Launching a One Stop sounds straightforward — until you're in it. Before there's a plan, there's the work of getting the right people to care, finding resources that don't exist yet, and navigating the circumstances and personalities that can stall progress before it starts.

    From making the case for a vision no one's bought into yet, the staffing plan that hit walls, to the timeline that shifted underneath us — you will learn how we pivoted without losing momentum.

    In this session, we'll name the things nobody warns you about — the politics that surface mid-process, the staffing realities that don't match the plan, the curveballs that hit right before launch — drawing from our experience re-establishing an integrated One Stop through Kean University's new Cougar Help Center.

    Walk away with practical strategies for building support, securing space, staff, and funding, and managing the surprises that come with getting a One Stop from idea to reality.

  • Presenters:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Presenter:

    TBA

    Session description coming soon.

  • Make your way to the Constellation Ballroom for the Closing Town Hall, some final remarks, and we’ll draw names for some fun giveaways.

  • Facilitated by:

    Julie Selander, University of Minnesota

    Continuing with the topics discussed throughout the conference, the closing Town Hall session will offer the opportunity for facilitated breakout conversations with your colleagues aimed at helping you deepen your understanding of what you learned at the conference, and will help you identify take away ideas to implement when you return to the office.

  • We'll close out the conference with some final remarks from ISSP President, Julie Selander, followed by the announcement of contest and giveaway winners.

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