Symposium on Transforming the Postsecondary Experience
Innovation And Design So Every Student Can Graduate
October 14-15, 2026
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis
Gain new knowledge to apply to your work!
The Symposium on Transforming the Postsecondary Experience™ is a national convening for higher education professionals focused on transforming the systems and practices that shape the student experience. The symposium centers on organization-level transformation, bringing together faculty, staff, and leaders who are beginning this work, as well as those engaged in ongoing transformation efforts.
The symposium includes a required workshop experience, in which all participants select one of eight workshops for focused participation, alongside concurrent conference sessions and a plenary experience. Sessions emphasize practical approaches to examining, aligning, and improving academic and support systems to strengthen student success and institutional effectiveness.
The conference will begin on October 14 at 7:15 am and end on October 15 at 5 pm.
Pre-conference workshops will be held on October 13.
Call For Proposals
The Call for Proposals will open on February 2026 with a deadline of April 15, 2026.
Select from eight deeper learning tracks
Curriculum Transparency and Complexity
This track focuses on transforming the curriculum system to create clearer, more navigable programs of study that support timely student advancement.
This workshop explores how curricular complexity—particularly prerequisite chains and program structure—affects student progress. Participants will examine the Gardner Institute’s approach to curricular redesign through complexity mapping and improvement science. Teams will work with custom or in‑session maps to analyze a chosen program of study, identify friction points, and consider changes that support timely, coherent student progression.
Participants will learn to:
- Interpret curricular complexity maps and understand how structural choices affect student movement through programs.
- Use improvement science techniques to investigate curricular barriers and unintended consequences.
- Consider how policies, advising structures, and course sequences interact within programs of study.
Participants will leave with:
- An initial improvement plan based on their program map and evidence.
- A clearer understanding of which program elements may benefit from redesign or simplification.
- A list of additional evidence and stakeholders needed for ongoing program‑level analysis.
Improving the Graduate Student Experience
This track focuses on transforming the graduate student experience system through structured institutional self‑study and evidence‑informed improvement.
This workshop introduces participants to the Gardner Institute’s task‑force‑based approach to institutional self‑study, applied specifically to the graduate student experience. Participants will explore current conditions affecting graduate students, discuss promising practices, and consider how to lead structured, collaborative inquiry. The session focuses on reviewing evidence, fostering collaboration across campuses, and driving improvement at the departmental or school level.
Participants will learn to:
- Apply the self‑study framework to evaluate the graduate student experience.
- Identify areas where policies, practices, and structures affect graduate student progress and support.
- Facilitate collaborative conversations that lead to evidence‑informed improvement.
Participants will leave with:
- An outline for an institutional self‑study focused on graduate students.
- A plan for convening stakeholders and gathering evidence.
- Clear next steps to initiate improvement efforts on their campus.
Leading Institutional Transformation for Student Success
This track focuses on transforming the leadership and alignment system that supports institution‑wide student success planning, coordination, and implementation.
This workshop supports faculty and staff who lead to institutional change efforts. Participants will explore leadership approaches aligned with the Gardner Institute’s model of student‑centered transformation. The session emphasizes building alignment across units, translating strategic priorities into actionable steps, and fostering the conditions needed for sustained change.
Participants will learn to:
- Identify effective leadership practices that support student success initiatives.
- Align institution-wide strategic goals, operational plans, and day‑to‑day work.
- Navigate common barriers to the implementation of change using evidence and campus collaboration.
Participants will leave with:
- A personal leadership action plan template to align with institutional priorities.
- Approaches for supporting cross‑departmental collaboration.
- Resources for further exploration of leadership capabilities and action planning.
Purpose-Driven Advising
This track focuses on transforming the advising system to strengthen how institutions guide students through educational, life, and career decision‑making and progression.
This workshop introduces participants to the Gardner Institute’s advising redesign framework and the concept of purpose‑driven advising. The session focuses on examining how advising structures, practices, and evidence can guide students as they make informed decisions aligned with their long‑term educational and career goals. Through collaborative analysis, participants will consider how institutional advising ecosystems can be strengthened using evidence, system mapping, and consistent expectations.
Participants will learn to:
- Apply the Gardner Institute’s advising redesign principles to evaluate their current advising ecosystem.
- Identify where advising structures support or hinder student progress and clarity.
- Examine examples from peer institutions to understand how purpose‑driven advising has been implemented effectively.
Participants will leave with:
- An initial roadmap outlining how purpose‑driven advising could operate on their campus.
- A list of evidence sources and stakeholders needed for an advising ecosystem self‑study.
- Clear next steps for initiating advising redesign conversations at their institution.
Transforming the Gateway Course Experience
This track focuses on transforming the gateway courses to improve outcomes in high‑enrollment, high‑impact introductory courses.
In this workshop, participants learn how to apply the Gardner Institute’s gateway course redesign model to improve high‑enrollment, high‑risk introductory courses. Participants will review evidence‑based strategies for redesigning gateway courses to increase student success and reduce DFWI rates. The session provides a structured approach for analyzing current conditions, identifying misalignments, and developing practical next steps for gateway course transformation.
Participants will learn to:
- Apply the Gardner Institute’s gateway course redesign model at their institution.
- Consider system‑level and course‑level strategies for improving student success.
Participants will leave with:
- An initial plan for strengthening a gateway course supported by evidence.
- A framework for further data inquiry and cross‑departmental collaboration.
- A set of next steps for gaining support for gateway course transformation.
Strengthening the Student‑Athlete Experience
This track focuses on transforming the student‑athlete support system to strengthen academic momentum, engagement, and overall educational experience.
This workshop examines the academic and co‑curricular experience of student‑athletes, focusing on structures that support their success in and beyond the classroom. Using a system‑level lens, participants will review evidence, identify opportunities to improve coordination between academic affairs, student affairs, and athletic units, and discuss practices that deepen engagement and academic momentum for student‑athletes.
Participants will learn to:
- Examine how institutional systems shape the student‑athlete experience.
- Identify strengths and gaps in current academic and support structures.
- Consider and apply a framework that promotes deeper student‑athlete academic progress.
Participants will leave with:
- A clearer understanding of the institutional systems affecting student‑athletes.
- An initial set of improvement priorities informed by evidence.
- Next steps for engaging colleagues in strengthening student‑athlete support.
Transforming the First Year of College
This track focuses on transforming the first‑year experience system through structured institutional self‑study and evidence‑informed improvement.
This workshop introduces participants to the Gardner Institute’s Foundations of Excellence principles, guiding teams through a critical examination of the first‑year student experience. Participants will explore how effectively their institution supports new students, for whom the current experience works, and why. Through structured reflection, evidence review, and facilitated inquiry, teams will identify strengths and gaps across the first‑year system and develop actionable ideas for improving student transitions, engagement, and success
Participants will learn to:
- Apply the Foundations of Excellence principles to evaluate their institution’s first‑year experience.
- Examine key questions related to new‑student transitions, learning environments, and support structures.
- Interpret evidence about first‑year student outcomes to identify strengths, inequities, and areas for improvement.
- Learn from national leaders and peer institutions about proven first‑year experience strategies that can be adapted to campus context.
Participants will leave with:
- A more nuanced understanding of the current first‑year experience at their institution.
- An initial set of improvement priorities grounded in evidence and aligned with the First-Year Redesign model.
- Clear next steps for strengthening the first‑year experience and building cross‑campus alignment around new‑student success.
Using AI to Strengthen Student Success Systems
This track focuses on transforming institutional systems that use AI so they align human decision‑making, academic processes, and technology in support of student success.
This workshop supports institutions exploring and experimenting with generative AI, agentic workflows, or interconnected AI systems. We will seek to build a shared understanding about appropriate use, boundaries, and purpose. This session offers a structured way to pause, learn, and align AI adoption with student success before expanding further.
The workshop is grounded in the concept of grounding intelligence, defined as the human-centered values, capacities, and decision-making structures that guide responsible AI use. Participants analyze a current or emerging AI initiative on their campus, examine how AI tools interact with people and processes, and identify opportunities to strengthen alignment with student success goals.
Participants will learn to:
- Apply the grounding intelligence framework to guide AI use in academic and student‑support contexts.
- Analyze how AI tools interact with institutional systems and workflows.
- Identify areas where human oversight and clarification are needed.
Participants will leave with:
- A structured approach for guiding AI adoption across departments.
- A system map illustrating how an AI initiative interacts with institutional processes.
- A set of next steps for improving alignment between AI tools and student success outcomes.
Conference Registration Fees
Early Bird rate (Register by August 1, 2026): $875
Regular Registration: $950
Student Registration (graduate and undergraduate): $450
- Registration Fee includes: Opening reception, two breakfasts, two lunches, refreshment breaks, and conference materials.
- Participants whose main designation is Student are eligible for a student discount.
- Registrants from Transformation schools receive a 20% discount on the posted fees
- Registrants from non-Transformation schools who attended the 2023, 2024, or 2025 Symposium receive a $50 discount on posted fees.
- For more information, contact events@gardnerinstitute.org
Conference Location Information:
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, 1 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Room Rate $209 per night
Flights
Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education
Please click here to book your flights.
You may also call Conferences and Events® at 1.800.328.1111* Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST) and refer to Meeting Event Code: NY4H9
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