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

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 get involved with the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt to be eligible for fun prizes.

Join your colleagues for a hearty breakfast at The Westin Riverwalk Ballroom.

Presenters:

Justin Makowski & Colleen Ubl - Rutgers University-New Brunswick

In student support environments, the stakes are always significant: providing thorough and holistic advocation can be the difference between a student walking across the stage at graduation or never finishing their educational pursuits. Even more critical, any university department can intersect with students challenged by an inability to meet even their most fundamental needs – including food to eat or a safe place to live. With research indicating that, depending on the higher-educational environment, between 40-60% of students are pressed with either food or housing insecurity over the course of an academic semester, high-traffic offices need to be equipped with deliberate processes to effectively identify and support those experiencing urgent basic-needs challenges.

This can’t be done alone.

Only with intentional collaboration and a shared commitment to finding creative solutions for students facing the most sensitive difficulties can any space be positioned to effectively support basics needs issues. Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s One Stop exercises a ‘drop what you’re doing and break glass for emergency’ philosophy to helping those with the most critical needs while prioritizing team empowerment for leveraging campus resources needed to support those who require the most critical care.

In this presentation, we will:

-Define basic needs and methods for identifying those who require special support

-Provide specific tools and processes that have been developed to support basic needs at Rutgers-New Brunswick’s One Stop

-Share how one can design and develop a “break glass for emergency” process in their space

Presenters:

Amanda Sherry & Lindsay Levy - Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

As student services continue to evolve in the digital age, staying connected with students is more important than ever. In this session, we’ll share practical strategies for managing student interactions and ensuring consistent, personalized support across a variety of digital platforms. Whether communicating via phone, email, or live chat, we will explore how our office effectively maintains up-to-date resources, streamlines processes, and collaborates across teams to meet the needs of every student.

We’ll explore the tools and technologies that empower us to stay connected with students in a timely, relevant, and engaging way. Participants will gain insights into the critical components of virtual student support, including communication best practices, seamless teamwork strategies, outreach strategies, and innovative methods for improving student engagement online.

By focusing on effective communication, collaboration, and continual learning, we aim to provide a supportive, efficient, and engaging online environment for our students. We hope to share strategies that can be applied across institutions to foster positive, student-centered experiences in the digital space.

Presenters:

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

In today’s fast-paced higher education environment, standing still means falling behind. At Warrior One-Stop, we believe that “good” is only the beginning. This presentation will explore how our team has embraced a culture of continuous improvement to elevate student services, streamline operations, and foster a mindset of excellence across the organization.

Attendees will gain insight into the practical strategies we've implemented— ranging from leadership transitions and organizational restructuring to process mapping, performance metrics, and enhanced cross-departmental collaboration—each playing a key role in elevating our operations from good to exceptional. We’ll share our wins, lessons learned, and tools you can take back to your own institution to inspire change and build momentum. Whether you're just starting your improvement journey or looking to level up even further, this session will offer valuable takeaways and fresh inspiration.

Presenters:

Beth Griesbauer - Gravyty and Representative from Rice University

AI is no longer a futuristic concept. It's a present-day opportunity to transform how student service teams engage, support, and scale. But while interest is high, many One Stops and service departments still struggle to move from isolated pilots to sustainable, institution-wide solutions. This session will explore what it truly means to be “AI-ready” in higher education, offering a practical roadmap for student-facing teams looking to future-proof their operations and deliver consistent, efficient support.

Rather than focusing on hype or high-level theory, we’ll zero in on everyday challenges faced by student service professionals, such as managing peak periods, responding to repetitive inquiries, and bridging gaps across departments. Through real-world use cases from institutions that have successfully implemented their AI strategies, attendees will see tangible outcomes such as reduced response times, increased deflection rates, and improved operational efficiency and student satisfaction.

Attendees will walk away with a clearer understanding of what AI readiness looks like in your context—from identifying high-impact use cases to aligning stakeholders and navigating change.

Enjoy refreshments in the ballroom foyer.

Presenter:

Alexis Hernandez, Gianna Burciaga, & Marianelly Garza - The University of Texas at Austin

Join UT Austin’s Texas One Stop and Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid trainers to learn more about how we enhance teamwork through our trainings. Whether your college or university is large or small, we can extend experiences into creating training plans/materials, collaborating with other home offices, and fostering a growth-oriented mindset.

Our session will focus on:

- The foundational elements of a strong team culture, and why it matters for student success

- Approaches on making training engaging and what we do outside of direct training to build a collaborative office environment

- Strategies for integrating team culture development into onboarding, ongoing professional development, and day-to-day operations

- Collaborating with other home offices in staying up to date with new financial aid policies and procedures

- Recognizing what’s working (and what’s not) in your current team dynamic, and how to design training to address those concerns

At the end of our session, you will walk away with practical, people-centered strategies to build a positive team culture through training.

Presenter:

Elliot Felix - The Connected College / Buro Happold

One Stops flourish or fail based on how effectively groups and teams collaborate. We’ve all seen the signs when this doesn’t work. Turf wars. Redundant systems and services. Poor hand-offs and referrals. Data – and delivery – that’s all over the place. Deadlines missed. Staff demotivated. The list goes on and the problems persist instead of our students.

In this interactive session, we will identify common barriers to collaboration and offer evidence-based solutions and examples on how to get over, around, or through these barriers. This will be drawn from Elliot Felix's consulting work at 100+ colleges and universities as well as his recent book The Connected College on how institutions can more effectively collaborate to increase student success.

The session will be organized in three parts:

Act I will provide an overview of what success looks like at connected colleges or universities where everyone is working together so students succeed

Act II will cover the common barriers to success such as ineffective strategy, outdated organizational structures and redundant systems

Act III will provide inspirational, evidence-based examples on how to unlock collaboration within and across teams through communication, coordination, co-location, and more.

Presenters:

Rebecca Bentley & Katherine McCarthy - University of Connecticut

Student employees can add to the success of your One Stop Office. UConn currently has 34 student employees working on the front line of our office, answering questions on Undergraduate Admissions, Registrar and Financial Aid. Our Student Employees are an integral part of the staff as they can connect with students and families in a unique way. We would like to share our best practices from posting the position, interviewing, hiring and training our student employees. Leveraging technology and understanding the generation of students we have to train and update in the ever-changing world of higher education. This session will be interactive, asking attendees to share their best practices and challenges faced with student employees, allowing for open discussion and idea sharing

Presenters:

Shannon Vander Meulen - WaitWell

As student expectations evolve and institutions continue to adapt, remote student services have become a vital component of the modern One Stop Student Center. This session will explore the opportunities and challenges of delivering student students in a virtual environment.

We’ll hear from institutions at different stages — including those considering a hybrid model, institutions currently operating in a hybrid format, and one that opted not to provide student services virtually. We’ll explore what’s working, what’s not, and what others can learn from their experiences.

Topics will include best practices for creating seamless, student-centered hybrid services, common pitfalls to avoid, and how institutions can leverage data and technology to enhance accessibility, engagement, and the overall student experience.

Don't forget to turn in your Exhibitor Passport by 11:40 am to be eligible for prizes.

Presenters:

Debra Fenty, Staci Davis, & partner office representatives - Ball State University

Cardinal Central, Ball State University’s one-stop student service center, opened virtually in October 2022, offering virtual appointments, email, and phone service. We opened our physical space in June 2023. We’ve had successes and challenges, which we expect will continue as part of our growth. For various reasons, roles and responsibilities have shifted within Cardinal Central and with our partnering offices.

Join us for an insightful panel discussion on Collaborative Partnerships: Defining Roles in Service Teams. In today's dynamic service environments, the success of a One-Stop Integrated Service Center hinges on clearly defined roles and responsibilities with partner offices. This session will bring together Cardinal Central partners who were on the initial Planning Team to explore the nuances of role definition in collaborative service environments.

Our collaborative partnership began during the planning phase, which gave our partners a sense of ownership and buy-in very early in the process. The Planning Team ensured each area had a voice and could share their individual service experiences and what could be expected in Cardinal Central. We did not always agree, but open, honest, and transparent communication has been key to our ongoing relationships. We will share our Responsibilities List, its creation, and the importance of reviewing and revising as warranted.

Presenter:

Amy Chae - University of Alberta

The University of Alberta's Student Service Centre (SSC) embarked on a year-long project to develop comprehensive Service Catalogues and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with partner units from the Office of the Registrar. This initiative aimed to reduce ambiguity and foster stronger interdepartmental trust through transparent communication and defined service expectations. This presentation will provide a practical roadmap for implementing similar strategies at your institution, sharing our methodology and collaborative approach involving Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and leadership review.

Attendees will gain actionable insights into the process of creating effective Service Catalogues and SLAs. We will showcase our tools, share real-world examples, and discuss the key lessons learned. Discover how clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and service parameters can lead to improved staff collaboration, enhanced student experiences, and greater operational efficiency. Learn how to transform interdepartmental interactions and build a culture of service excellence at your institution.

Presenter:

Erin Porter - Texas A&M University

Standing up a new integrated services unit is a significant achievement. But that’s just the beginning! The challenge comes with sustaining that forward momentum and fortifying the one stop against stagnation, or worse….decline. Creating a culture of continuous improvement is essential for ensuring that integrated student services remain responsive, efficient, and student-centered over time. It fosters a proactive mindset across teams, encouraging regular reflection, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration to adapt to evolving student needs and institutional goals.

This session will describe how Aggie One Stop maintains a culture of continuous improvement within itself and among its partner offices. We will share practical strategies that attendees can adapt for their own campuses, including tools such as customer satisfaction surveys, quality management reviews, staff feedback loops, semester check-ins with partner offices, campus liaison programs. This session will also include an interactive component, inviting participants to share their own approaches to measuring success and driving ongoing enhancement in service delivery.

Presenters:

Presenter information coming soon

Session details coming soon

Make your way to the 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 two rounds of 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 closing remarks from ISSP President, Julie Selander, followed by the announcement of contest and giveaway winners.