Conferences

2026 Iowa TRIO Spring Conference

April 8-10

2026 Iowa TRIO Conference 

                                          TRIO Stronger Together 

Registration, call for proposals and hotel reservations are open for the Iowa TRIO Spring Conference.   The conference will take place at the Gateway Hotel in Ames on April 8th-10th.   The conference will start at 1pm on the 8th and will conclude by 11am on the 10th.   This year's conference will offer a variety of speakers, concurrent sessions, staff recognition and time to connect with other TRIO professionals.   

Keynote Speaker 

Dr. Chris Hulleman (University of Virginia) conducts research on educational interventions grounded in theories of social and personality psychology, motivation, and human development. Recently, his work has focused on examining the extent to which helping students find relevance in their coursework for their lives increases learning and interest. Chris partners with practitioners and other researchers to develop interventions that boost motivation, learning, and achievement in school and sports. Examples of this include a national researcher-practitioner network, a national network of researchers focused on learning mindsets, and a national researcher-practitioner network focused on the transition to college. For more information on Chris's motivation research, see the Motivate Lab website.   Chris grew up in Iowa and graduated from Central College.   He is very familiar with TRIO programs and is a sought-after speaker at conferences (including NCAN) across the United States.   

Panel Presentations

Enrollment management/admissions panel of administrators from an Iowa community college and 4 year private and public colleges in Iowa  (A look into what the future holds for college enrollment and other factors affecting college attainment) 

Panel of current TRIO college students

Concurrent Sessions & Presentations

AI, Leadership Development, Ricochet Programming, Iowa Workforce Development (Future job growth/job needs in Iowa),  Health/Wellness - related to your job/students, "Pursuing Less" - strengthening work and life habits, Pre-college curriculum sharing, Financial Literacy, Advocacy, updates from EOA, COE and many more...

An Evening at Reiman Gardens

Dinner on Thursday evening will be held at Reiman Gardens.  Come join us for an evening of great food, entertainment, awards and time to explore the gardens!   Music will be provided by current TRIO students 

Funtivity

Bingo, Lego build competitions and a ton of Silent Auction items:   Gift certificates, hotel stays, gift cards... Join the fun and help us support Iowa TRIO student scholarships! 

See links below for conference registration (Costs same as the 2024 conference!), call for proposals (concurrent sessions will take place on Thursday, April 9th) and hotel reservations.  

Registration includes a reception on Wednesday afternoon, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thursday and breakfast on Friday.  

Kurt Roberts and Melissa Anderson, Conference Co-Chairs 

Conference Registration Link: (regular registration ends March 20th) 

https://forms.gle/K7LTM6cJRa3YMCxp8

Call For Proposals Link: (Proposals extended to February 25th)

https://forms.gle/xkEbSR5qfdUvR8jA8

Gateway Hotel Reservation Link:   $125 rate/per night, reserve your room by March 17th! 

https://reservations.travelclick.com/2958?groupID=5080999