For over 50 years, significant investments and changes have been made by many colleges and universities to improve the first year. But most of us are not where we want to be in terms of new student success. The world is changing and so are our students. Two of the founders of the FYE movement will help you take stock of your first year: where you are now, and where you want to go. What insights, principles, and new ideas could you use to help your institution and your students navigate the changing world while continuing to address persistent problems?

Presenters:

John N. Gardner, Founder and Executive Chair & Betsy O. Barefoot, Senior Scholar, Gardner Institute

This workshop is designed for student success professionals who want to better analyze and interpret data to inform practice—no research background required. Participants will engage in hands-on activities across four key areas: (1) designing effective surveys; (2) visualizing survey data; (3) facilitating focus groups; and (4) analyzing text data, including AI tools. Activities are beginner-friendly and grounded in what professionals most often encounter in FYE roles. Participants leave with practical tools, templates, and the confidence to apply what they've learned. These skills support efforts to amplify program impact, advocate for student success, and contribute to institutional improvement.

Presenters:

Rajeeb Das & Ann Bernhardt - Texas A&M University

Chelsie Hawkinson - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Chronicle of Higher Education headlines show disconnection is a growing concern in a digital age where reaching students is increasingly complex. Workshop participants will gain practical strategies to engage students across a variety of classroom and beyond-the-classroom contexts, including first-year seminars. The session will address the nuances of engaging students at different types of institutions—including two-year colleges, liberal arts colleges, and research universities—recognizing that institutional context shapes student needs and available resources. Special attention will be given to engaging special populations and identifying the dispositions of effective instructors. Participants will be equipped to foster engagement in powerful ways.

Presenters:

Dottie Weigel - Messiah University

James Winfield - Southern New Hampshire University’s Global Campus

Inspired by Gayles' (2023) call to humanize higher education, this preconference explores how higher education professionals can integrate genius and joy into the First-Year Experience. Drawing on Gholdy Muhammad's (2020, 2023) Historically Responsive Literacy framework, we will share how the framework was used to develop a new elective course appropriate for first-year college students designed to “bring out” their unique gifts and talents using an asset-based approach. This session will demonstrate how intentionally cultivating genius and joy can empower first-year students, helping them feel visible, valued, and affirmed in rigorous teaching and learning environments.

Presenters:

Joy Gaston Gayles & Jayla Moody Marshall - North Carolina State University        

One of the most important factors for first-year seminar success is the utilization of peer educators (Friedman, 2019). Peer education is an intervention strategy supporting student persistence and degree completion and serves as a transformative learning experience contributing to the retention, persistence, and belonging of the peer educators themselves (Bunting & Young, 2024). How do you build and sustain a high impact peer educator program? This workshop requires attendees to consider essential elements of peer educator programs with campus experts, establish goals for program creation or improvement and develop sustainable action plans to initiate or elevate their peer educator programs.

Presenters:

Brad Harmon - Furman University     

Tom Price - Temple University

Callyn Fahey & Bella Grille- University of South Carolina

Whether launching a new initiative or refreshing an existing one, this interactive 4-hour workshop blends data, creativity, and collaboration to help your Common Read program thrive. In today’s politically charged campus climate, Common Reads remain vital tools for dialogue, belonging, and critical thinking—but success requires more than a great book. It takes strategy, structure, and stakeholder alignment. Led by the Penguin Random House Common Reads Advisory Board, this session offers practical tools, real-world insights, and a persuasive proposal template to support program design and institutional buy-in—tailored to your campus and ready to implement in an evolving higher education landscape.

Presenters:

Spenser Stevens - Penguin Random House        

Bernie Savarese - University of Tennessee

Katharine Pei - Washington University at St. Louis

 Paula Patch - Elon University

This session explores four powerful strategies to help college students discover and pursue their purpose with clarity and confidence. Participants will examine Ikigai (a Japanese framework for meaningful living), the Hero’s Journey (a narrative arc for personal growth), Genius Hour (student-driven inquiry aligned with passion), and the Life Map (a reflective tool for visualizing life experiences and future goals). These approaches foster self-awareness, resilience, and direction—critical traits for academic and personal success. Attendees will gain practical insights and adaptable activities to integrate into advising, instruction, or mentoring, empowering students to envision and actively shape a purposeful future.

Presenter:

Brad Garner - Indiana Wesleyan University

Men face unique challenges adjusting to the academic and social demands of college life. This pre-conference workshop is designed for practitioners committed to improving the first-year experience for men in college. This interactive workshop examines strategies that enhance student engagement, academic performance, and campus belonging. Participants will review national data, examine barriers to engagement, learn about high-impact practices, explore models of mentoring and advising, and work collaboratively to design approaches that support persistence and graduation for male students. Attendees will leave with strategies to foster engagement, motivation, and persistence among male students.

Presenters:

Maurice "Tony" Davis & Wayne Jackson - Jackson-Davis Educational Consulting

Jamil D. Johnson - University of South Carolina

Transfer and transfer-intending students face multiple complex and unique challenges as they prepare to transition and acclimate into new institutions. As such, it is important for faculty, staff, and leaders to take into account students’ distinct journeys in their development of first- or transfer-year experience efforts. Creating and strengthening a tailored transfer-year experience for students serves as a crucial bedrock for successful navigation of the transfer process as well as academic and social success. In this session, we will focus on the knowledge, project planning, and management tools needed to build an interconnected and comprehensive transfer-year experience.

Presenters:

Catherine Hartman - North Carolina State University        

Emily Kittrell - National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students

Jeffrey Mayo -The University of Texas at Austin

Emily Kolby - University of Washington

College students today face unprecedented levels of anxiety, stress, and disconnection, which can hinder both academic and personal success. This interactive workshop empowers college educators and staff to support student well-being by cultivating persistence, resilience, and mindfulness—essential skills for thriving in today’s world. Facilitated by experienced educators, the session offers evidence-based strategies and practical tools that can be immediately applied in teaching, advising, and mentoring. Participants will engage in experiential learning, explore adaptable wellness practices, and leave with a digital toolkit to foster a culture of empowerment and holistic growth across diverse institutional contexts.

Presenters:

Marinda Ashman, Benjamin Johnson, & Stacy Waddoups - Utah Valley University

Sandi Bennett - Brigham Young University

Today’s students are nearly always in transition – they enter, choose majors, temporarily leave and return, move back and forth between work and school, and experience many more periods of change. While these transitions present challenges, they can also be the source of tremendous growth. In this workshop we introduce a new theory of transitions grounded in ideas of community, participation, and becoming. Participants will have opportunities to work collaboratively to apply theory-based practical tools, evaluate their current practices, and develop prioritized plans for improving and refining the ways they support students across their many transitions.

Presenters:

Dallin George Young - University of Georgia                

Bryce Bunting - Brigham Young University

Discover how design thinking can transform the first-year seminar, orientation, advising, and other FYE programs. During this interactive workshop, you will learn how this approach led to the creation of a new, open-access self-assessment tool for first-year seminars.  Explore how to use this first-year seminar tool on your campus and how to engage in a user-centric design thinking approach to transform the first-year experience. You will leave with fresh ideas, practical strategies, and a clear plan to enhance the first-year experience for all students at your institution.

Presenters:

Christine Harrington & Michael Sparrow - Morgan State University         

Carmen Araoz - ITHAKA S+R