Program - PDF Download

Agenda

Thursday, October 25th

Thursday's events are hosted at various locations in Highland Mall all within walking distance of each other. Pay close attention to locations on each portion of the agenda.

Holiday Inn Midtown Address: 6000 Middle Fiskville Rd Austin, TX 78752

Highland Campus Address: 6101 Highland Campus Dr. Austin, TX 78752

Highland Business Center Address: 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd Austin, TX 78752

Friday, October 26th

Friday's event is hosted at Holiday Inn Austin Midtown: 6000 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752

Find breakout session descriptions online here.

Keynote Biographies

John Gardner

John is an educator, university professor and administrator, non-profit organization chief executive officer, author, editor, public speaker, consultant, change agent, student retention specialist, first-year, sophomore, transfer, and senior year students’ advocate, and initiator and scholar of the American first-year and senior-year reform movements. He serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Gardner Institute. The Institute was founded by John and his wife, Betsy O. Barefoot, in October 1999 as the Policy Center on the First Year of College. The Policy Center was launched by an initial grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, and has been subsequently funded by additional grants from Pew, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Lumina Foundation for Education, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and USA Funds. In 2007 the Policy Center underwent a legal and name change to the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education and an expansion of its mission to focus more broadly on excellence in undergraduate education, as a fully autonomous 501(c)(3) non-profit entity. Since its inception in 1999, the Institute has received over $8,000,000 in support from its philanthropic partners, most recently again from Lumina Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.

Laura Niesen De Abruna, Ph.D.

Laura Niesen de Abruna began serving as provost of York College on July 1, 2016. She previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sacred Heart University. Niesen de Abruna has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, both as a faculty member and as an executive manager with expertise in strategic planning, fundraising, enrollment management, board relations, and graduate and undergraduate curriculum development.

See slide deck from presentation.