Explore the program.

Today, many college courses teach about democracy and change, but few courses provide students the opportunity to learn by doing them. The Colorado ’26 Institute meets this need by providing faculty the necessary training to teach social action.

Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply; however, we want to restrict participation to those faculty who are committed to implementing this experiential social action course model in the 18 months following the Institute. Click here to apply.

Here is what Dr. Arun Agrawal, co-host of the NSS Conference and Professor of Development Policy at Notre Dame University, has to say about the Institute: “I have personally gone through the Institute and found it incredibly helpful in developing a social action course. Teaching social action has been one of the highlights of my career, as it provides students with concrete tools with which to organize social action campaigns. I highly recommend it!”

The trainers for the Colorado ’26 Institute are Dr. Gretchen Sneegas, Assistant Teaching Professor, Geography, University of Washington-Seattle, and Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton, Sociology Professor Emeritus from San José State University, who developed a social action course in 2006, and has taught it 30 times. Checkout our website to learn more about teaching social action.

The application deadline is Friday, July 31, 2026. The Colorado ’26 Institute will run from Saturday, August 15th, 9 am-4:30 pm, and Sunday, August 16th, 9 am-3:30 pm; lunch will be covered during the Institute. You are encouraged to register for the NSS conference as well! The NSS call for contributions is now open; non-presenting attendees are also welcome to register and attend. To cover hosting costs, the NSS will charge $60 for the 2-day Institute if you also register for the conference. If you choose to attend only the Institute, the NSS hosting cost is $100.

If the August date doesn’t work for you, we have four in-person Institutes scheduled for the Fall and Spring (Alabama, Berlin, NYC, Virginia & Indiana) and a virtual Winter Institute as well. These Institutes have no hosting fees.

Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) is a vibrant community of over 1,300 professionals, college admission counselors, secondary school counselors, CBO advisors, enrollment leaders, and education advocates. We are united in our mission to support students in finding their best post-secondary opportunities.

Learn more about the Annual Conference and register today. Hillary and Janine will be presenting along with Ellen Ridyard of the Philadelphia Education Fund and Jossie Johnson of Chestnut Hill College.

The Engagement Scholarship Consortium will hold its 2026 conference October 7-8 in Knoxville, Tennessee (pre-conference programs: October 5-6). Hosted by the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and the institutions of the ESC’s South Region, the conference is being organized around the theme “Changing Lives and Improving Society: Data-Driven Engagement and Innovation.” ESC 2026 will be a place for engaging conversations about the many ways we work collaboratively to define and build social and economic prosperity.

Pre-conference opportunities offer participants additional ways to connect, reflect, and strengthen their practice before the full conference begins. Designed for emerging scholars, university leaders, engagement professionals, and community-engaged practitioners, these sessions offer focused opportunities for professional development, peer learning, and deeper exploration of the work of engagement. This year’s featured pre-conference programs will include:

• Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop (see application link above)
• Outreach and Engagement Practitioners Network Workshop
• Engagement Academy for University Leaders

Click the link below to learn more about registration rates and deadlines for attendees from ESC member institutions and other universities, students, and community partners.

Learn More and Register

Registration deadline: September 30, 2026

The Partnership for Student Success is excited to announce that the second annual PSS Summit will be held on Tuesday, October 6th in Washington, DC. Schools, districts, nonprofits, and higher education institutions are invited to join us to collaborate, network with peers, and celebrate their efforts to expand evidence-based supports for K-12 students, with a focus on high-impact tutoring, mentoring, student success coaching, postsecondary transition coaching, and wraparound/integrated student supports.

Registration will open in June 2026 and is free and required to attend the Summit.

We are seeking session proposals for the Summit both from members of our coalition and other interested parties. These workshop, panel, or roundtable sessions should expand attendees’ knowledge on relevant topics, foster collaboration, and/or highlight promising approaches to common implementation challenges.

We hope that you or a colleague will submit a session idea and attend the Summit in October.

The Partnership for Student Success Team

Based at the Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Education

LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO SPEAK BY JUNE 30

📍 Standards Institute – Philadelphia
📅 July 20–23, 2026
🔗 https://unbounded.org/events/standards-institute-philadelphia-2026/
💲 1,950.00 per participant (no added flight/hotel costs since this year’s event is local!)

🧠 Learning Pathways for Literacy Transformation:

• K-5 ELA – Elementary English language arts teachers learn the high-leverage competencies needed to unpack grade-level ELA standards, texts, and skills, and reach every single student in their classroom. An emphasis on multilingual learners is intentionally embedded.
• Adolescent Literacy Solutions – Middle- and high-school literacy teachers, including special educators, ESL teachers, interventionists, and coaches, learn how to strengthen their students’ literacy foundation and accelerate their mastery of multisyllabic word reading, fluency development, vocabulary, and comprehension.
• Leadership for Literacy – Principals, assistant principals, and other school- and district-based literacy leaders learn how to create the systems that enable structured literacy and develop a 90-day action plan for jump-starting the shifts necessary for implementing Science-of-Reading-aligned instruction.
• Instructional Leadership – School- and district-based instructional leaders consider key components of planning, instructional delivery, and coaching that lead to GLEAM instruction, and assess their roles in operationalizing it within a school system.
• UPP (UnboundEd Planning Process) – Educators and instructional coaches across grade levels and content areas learn to apply the GLEAM unit- and lesson-planning process.

✨ Inspiring Keynotes…including Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain and Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power

✅ Next Steps

Consider which team members are ready to take advantage of this opportunity given your SY26-27 plans/budget.
Register at https://unbounded.org/events/standards-institute-philadelphia-2026/.
Email suruchi.keenheel@unbounded.org or schedule a 15-minute meeting here if you have questions or need support.

The 9th Annual Black Men in Education Convening (#BMEC2026) is coming back to Philadelphia this November 13-15th! This year’s theme is Rooted in History: Constructing the Next 100 Years of Education. #BMEC2026 will be a transformative event, featuring dynamic speakers, interactive workshops, opportunities for professional growth and–as always–the ability to build friendships and community while fostering mentorship and strengthening networks.

Use our online submission portal to submit your proposal. Acceptance notifications will be sent via email by August 7th, 2026.

Learn more and submit your proposal.

The 2026 Conference will highlight the full range of global learning initiatives that prepare students for work, life, and citizenship in an interconnected world.

Dates:

• October 13–14, 2026 | Virtual
• November 12–14, 2026 | Washington, DC, Grand Hyatt

AAC&U invites proposals for conference sessions that prepare faculty, staff, and administrators to advance understanding and practice by fully integrating global learning into the educational experiences of all students at institutions of all types. The submission deadline is June 12.

Submit a proposal.

Organized in partnership with the University of California, Davis and a diverse regional Steering Committee, Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life (IA) invites participants to gather in Davis, California for the 2026 IA National Gathering, October 23-24. Reflecting on the importance of transitions – from political crises to global climate change, and personal identity to organizational transformation – this call for participation invites proposals that share stories, research, creative works, and community practices exploring the complex process of transitioning away from systems of fear and domination and towards restoring collective spirit.

Tides of Transition: Restoring Collective Spirit in Troubled Times calls on us to re-story and honor the places, knowledges, relationships, and ecologies that have been made broken through centuries of violence and abandonment, and the current intensifying fear and repression. We know that our communities are tired, and we know that being together revives our collective spirit, giving us the strength and inspiration we need in troubled times. In this moment of upheaval, the 2026 IA National Gathering draws participants to Davis, CA in the spirit of mending the roots of our connections, and to “awaken,” as Buddhist monk and activist Thích Nhất Hạnh teaches, “from the illusion of our separateness.”

The 2026 IA National Gathering also marks a transition within Imagining America, as this occasion is the last gathering organized by the IA-UC Davis team before IA moves to a new home campus in July 2027 (host announcement in summer 2026). At this moment in a natural cycle of transition for IA, we will celebrate the good work we have done together over the past decade and join the new host in dreaming up the exciting possibilities to come.

Attend a Virtual Info Session on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 3:00-4:00 PM. Learn more about submitting a proposal to the 2026 IA National Gathering by attending this virtual information session. Register here.

Submissions are due Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Review the Call for Participation here.

Whether you’re looking for new ideas, practical strategies, or connections with peers who understand the challenges facing higher education, this meeting offers an opportunity to learn from others, exchange ideas, and plan what comes next. Shaped by the higher education community, the program is grounded in practice and responsive to issues institutions are navigating right now.

Designed to affirm and advance the mission of higher education in service to students and society, the meeting will feature inspiring and insightful plenary sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and interactive sessions that explore both big-picture questions and practical strategies. Participants include faculty, provosts, deans, presidents, student affairs professionals, and many others from across disciplines and institutional types.

A special advance registration rate is available for a limited time! Lock in the lowest rates with the flexibility to cancel without penalty on or before June 15.

Learn more and register.

Special thanks to all who responded to the survey we shared earlier this year – thanks to your input, we’ll be Rooting Deeper and Rising Together – and now we are inviting YOU to help bring that theme to life!

As you well know, nonprofits continue to operate in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. As such, we’re seeking proposals that will support conference attendees in rooting deeper into the relationships, purpose, and strength that have carried us through to now, and rising together into the work we are called to do. Formats this year include working sessions and learning sessions. Each session will be supported by a synthesizer.

• Working Sessions are intended not just to inform, but to gather attendees around a common challenge and offer time, tools, and frameworks to move toward solutions together in real time. Think real-world simulations, design-thinking activities, “impact labs”, and more.
• Learning Sessions are intended to provide some context around the topic chosen – with questions and prompts to generate stories and ideas from those on the ground doing the work. This could look like a more “traditional” workshop format, where facilitators share timely, relevant information, invite attendees to discuss how this topic is showing up in their work, and offer practical, actionable takeaways.
• Synthesizers will help us capture what’s shared, synthesize insights, and connect dots for attendees (this is a role we explored in 2025 and are excited to fully implement this year!).

This is a conference that thrives on collaborative sessions rather than top-down delivery – facilitators with both subject matter expertise and true facilitation skills are encouraged to apply, as well as nonprofit professionals with valuable, on-the-ground experience.

Proposals are due by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, June 4, 2026.

Learn more and submit your proposal here.

Need support or clarity before you submit? 

We’re offering open office hours for anyone interested in talking through their proposal ideas, session format, or application process. Join us for part or all of this two session:

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 pm via this Zoom link.
• Thursday, May 28, 2026, 10:00 – 11:00 am via this Zoom Link.

The 2026 CUMU Conference, Anchored in Purpose on November 8–11 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, Houston, TX, explores how purpose-driven strategies — rooted in place and responsive to community needs — advance social and economic mobility for students, support regional prosperity, and enhance community well-being. Together, we will examine how campuses stay steadfast in mission while adapting to evolving challenges, forging partnerships that amplify impact, and activating institutional strengths to build stronger institutions and healthier, more vibrant communities.

Learn more.

The Summer ’26 Institute will be hosted by Bobby Hackett, President of the Bonner Foundation, and Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton, Professor Emeritus from San José State University, who developed a social action course in 2006, and has taught it 30 times. Checkout our website to learn more about teaching social action.

Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply; however, we want to restrict participation to those faculty who are committed to implementing this experiential social action course model in the 18 months following the Institute.

Apply here for the Summer ’26 Institute by June 1, 2026.

Here is what Dr. Cassandra Stimon, Associate Professor of Social Work from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, has to say about the training:

“The Institute was one of the most effective uses of my time in my 30+ years in higher education. The Institute provided a structure and the tools to implement social action in an organized and meaningful way as a part of the educational experience. I left the Institute invigorated, armed with new knowledge and tools. I wondered where the Social Action Institute had been all of my higher ed life.

The Summer ’26 Institute will run from Monday, June 15-17th from 1-5:30 pm EST. There is no charge for the Summer ’26 Institute. If the date doesn’t work for you, we have four other in-person Institutes scheduled for the Fall and Spring (Alabama, NYC, Indiana, and Virginia) and a virtual Winter Institute as well.

We’re excited to share the programming for June 24–25, 2026, in Cleveland, featuring data-driven insights and practitioner voices on the topics impacting your work every day.

Explore approaches to real challenges:

• Alternative capital pathways for businesses that traditional systems overlook
• AI and automation strategies small businesses are using
• Rural success stories that bust persistent myths
• Succession planning across diverse business contexts
• How fintech is reshaping capital access
• Wraparound support services that help businesses and owners thrive

From fireside chats to breakout discussions to networking sessions, you’ll exchange strategies with small business support organizations, lenders, program administrators, and local government staff from across the country.

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, employing nearly half of all workers and building vibrant communities nationwide. Organizations like yours play a vital role in supporting their success. This symposium brings together insights, connections, and strategies that strengthen that work.

When: June 24–25, 2026 (Begins at 1:00 p.m. ET Wednesday and concludes at 1:15 p.m. Thursday)

Where: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, 1455 E 6th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114

Who should attend: Small business support organizations • Lenders • Program administrators • Local government staff working with small businesses

Seats are limited. Secure your place today — view the agenda and register here.

Questions? Contact Alma Felix at Alma.Felix@phil.frb.org.

This year’s theme is “From Talk to Transformation: Embedding Dialogue for Lasting Civic Impact.” In recent years, dialogue and civil discourse have become central strategies in higher education’s response to polarization and democratic strain. Campuses are investing significant time, resources, and attention in dialogue initiatives, sometimes driven by external pressures, sometimes by a genuine commitment to democratic learning.

Yet an important question remains: How do we ensure dialogue moves beyond episodic conversations to become a sustained, mission-aligned practice with lasting civic impact?

Learn more and register by May 25.

This year’s convening theme is Rooted in History: Constructing the Next 100 Years of Education. 

Building on our success hosting the country’s largest and most impactful gathering of Black male educators over the last eight years, we’re proud to announce that early bird registration is now open.

#BMEC2026 will be a transformative event, featuring dynamic speakers, interactive workshops, opportunities for professional growth and–as always–the ability to build friendships and community while fostering mentorship and strengthening networks.

Our empowering agenda of speakers, panel discussions, and workshops (which we’ll share soon!) will inform, inspire, and activate Black men and others in the educational ecosystem to continue leading with humility and courage.

Learn more by visiting our website and register today for the 2026 Black Men in Education Convening!

Created for those who are seeking an authentic approach to leadership, the Changemakers Retreat is an immersive, four-day experience designed for community engagement professionals and campus leaders who want to push boundaries.

Break up your day-to-day life in a low-stress environment with people who “get” you. Reflect and reconnect with purpose alongside peers who are similarly dedicated to this work. The retreat is limited in size to ensure a tailored experience. Registration will close on May 15th.

Please note that there is a $450 fee to participate. Participation is open only to faculty and staff at member campuses.

Click here to register and view full details.

We invite submissions exploring the many ways that higher education and community organizing intersect at this moment of significant political, social, and institutional upheaval. Across national contexts, colleges and universities are facing mounting pressures: political attacks on academic freedom and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, demands to justify their civic and economic contributions, and challenges to their role as institutions serving the common good. At the same time, these pressures create new opportunities for partnerships, organizing strategies, and forms of democratic engagement.

This themed issue (Higher Education and Community Organizing: Defending, Reimagining, and transforming Universities) seeks contributions that critically examine how community organizing is being used to defend, re-envision, and transform higher education—and how colleges and universities, in turn, can contribute to broader struggles for social justice.

Learn more.

Through expert guidance, workshops, and collaborative design, campus teams examine existing practices, identify opportunities for alignment, and build shared capacity across academic and student-affairs contexts. Teams leave the institute with a focused action plan to advance this work across the curriculum, cocurriculum, and the institutional structures that support student success and belonging.

The priority application deadline is May 15.

Dates: July 14-17, 2026

Learn more and register.