Conference Program

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• Communication and Coalition Building for Higher Education Advocacy: Practical Approaches to Legislative Engagement
  Sue Balter-Reitz, Professor of Communication, Montana State University – Billings
  Michael Lane Bruner, Professor of Rhetoric and Public Policy (retired)
  John Cech, Senior Fellow, Government Affairs, Smith Garson
  Scott Jenkins, Trillium Insights
  Ben Cannon, Executive Director, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission
  Clayton Christian, Commissioner of Higher Education, Montana
• Algorithmic Governance? How AI is Reshaping Institutional Norms and Quality Assurance Standards
  Melanie Gottlieb, Executive Director, AACRAO
• Advancing Student Success: Strategic Prioritization for Student Success (Invitation Only)
  Jill Robinson Kramer, Vice President, Gardner Institute
  Drew Koch, Chief Executive Officer, Gardner Institute
• Preparing for 2027: A Peer Evaluator Workshop on NWCCU’s New Standards (Invitation Only)
  Ed Harri, Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  Teresa Rivenes, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

• Navigating the Inflection Point: Board Governance, Financial Viability, and Strategic Consolidation in Higher Education (Presidents/CEOs Only)
  Selena Grace, President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Practical AI Tools for Accreditation: Getting the Most Out of AI at Work
  Justin Gandy, Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Institutional Research, Dallas Baptist University
• Measuring What Matters: How Unique Mission Outcomes Demonstrate Distinctive Value
  Teresa Rivenes, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  Scott Friskics, Director of Sponsored Programs, Aaniiih Nakoda College
  Erik Gimness, Director of Institutional Research, The Evergreen State College
  Tyson Heath, Director, Academic Standards and Policies, Western Governors University
  LoriAnn Sanchez, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Northwest Nazarene University
• Getting Ahead of OBBBA’S New AHEAD Regulations: From Compliance to Improvement Insights
  Alexandria Radford, Principal, Sova

Higher education is experiencing a period of rapid upheaval, shaped by changing student needs, workforce expectations, AI, and increasing pressure to demonstrate impact. This keynote focuses on sensemaking—helping institutions understand how these forces connect and what they mean for learners and institutional missions. Drawing on examples from across the sector, the session explores emerging responses, including new approaches to learning, outcomes, and collaboration, and why partnerships with learners, their communities, employers, and policymakers have become central to sustaining quality and relevance. The session places learners at the center of these efforts, and creates space for intentional action rooted in mission, quality, and trust.

With an ever-changing political landscape, there has been an increased focus on higher education and whether there is value in attending a postsecondary institution. Varying approaches to determining the value of academic programs have been presented based on who was sitting in the oval office, and recent efforts by the Trump Administration have piqued the interest, and sparked concerns, of many in the higher education space.   

During this session, we will learn about what is currently happening in the higher education landscape as it relates to actions by the federal government and what these actions might mean for the future of higher education. This insider’s perspective will be valuable in learning both the current and pending actions in the Federal government impacting higher education. 

• Transforming Institutions so All Learners Thrive – Seven Key Lessons from Over Three Decades of Work
  Drew Koch, Chief Executive Officer, Gardner Institute
• When Governance Fails: Lessons in Leadership, Trust, and Renewal
  Lloyd Duman, Former Interim Provost, North Idaho College
  Holly Edwards, Associate Dean of Academic Support, North Idaho College
  Alex Harris, Dean of Students, North Idaho College
  Steve Kurtz, Accreditation Liaison Officer, North Idaho College
  Sherry Simkins, Dean of Transfer and General Education, North Idaho College
• Design with the End in Mind: Strategies for Successful Development of Reduced-Credit Bachelor’s Programs
  Boyd Baggett, Associate Academic Vice President – Curriculum, Brigham Young University – Idaho
  Rebecca Collins, Associate Vice President of Institutional Research, Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
  Chris Guymon, Senior Associate Provost in Academic Affairs, Utah Tech University
  Jennie Harrop, Associate Dean, George Fox University
  Bruce Kusch, President, Ensign College
  Gail Niklason, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Weber State University
• When Everyone Plans to Grow: Examining Enrollment Goals and Market Capacity in the West
  Jonathan Dunning, Associate Dean of Liberal Arts, Sciences, & Business, Nevada State University
  Gwen Sharp, Interim Vice Chancellor, Academic & Student Affairs, Nevada System of Higher Education
• Partners in the Possible: A Community College Library Model for AI Literacy, Campus Outreach, and Grant-Driven Innovation
  Erin Smith, Associate Dean Instructional Support Services, Spokane Community College
  Tori Stanek, Associate Dean of Connected Learning, Spokane Falls Community College
• Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Fellowship Presentations
  Heather Bennett, Vice President, Institutional Engagement and Strategic Initiatives, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Designing for a Moving Target: Preparing Students for Employers Who Don’t Yet Know What They Need
  Aaron Reed, President, Neumont University

• NWCCU Annual Meeting of the Membership
• From Static Review to Living Planning: Using Accreditation to Build an Adaptive Institutional Effectiveness System
  Leonel Nieto, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Salt Lake Community College
  Suzzanne George, Interim Director, Strategic Analysis and Accreditation, Salt Lake Community College
• Five Fronts, Not One: What 2,001 Students and 240 Presidents Reveal About the Relevance Gap
  Joe Sallustio, Chief of Industry Engagement, Ellucian | Co-Founder, The EdUp Experience and HigherEd PodCon
• Using Relationship-Rich Strategies to Build a Culture of Assessment
  Shari Ellertson, Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Insights and Institutional Effectiveness, Boise State University
  Teresa Focarile, Director of Educational Development, Center for Teaching and Learning, Boise State University
• From Attrition to Achievement: A Data-Driven Four-Pillar Strategy for Business Program Retention
  Jennifer J. Newmann, Program Director, Business Education, Bryan University
• Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Fellowship Presentations
  Heather Bennett, Vice President, Institutional Engagement and Strategic Initiatives, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Scaling Undergraduate Research for Equity and Institutional Effectiveness: A Collaborative, Data-Informed Model
  Hideki Takei, Professor and Department Co-Chair, Central Washington University

• The Power of Partnership: How NWCCU, ISU and NAC Built a Pathway to Workforce Pell Innovation
  John Louviere, Chief Officer for Online Enterprise and Extended Learning, Idaho State University
  Matt Freeman, Associate Officer, Idaho State University, Albion Institute
  RaeLyn Price, Associate Officer for Workforce Training, Idaho State University, Albion Institute
  Tony Zhang, Funder, ZaristAI
  Rebecca Busacca, President, The National Accreditation Commission
• When AI Joins the Assessment Team: Frameworks, Use Cases, and Faculty-Friendly Strategies
  Lindsey Brown, Director, Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness, Washington State University
  Armine Ghalachyan, Assessment Specialist, Washington State University
  Sara Mahuron, Assessment Specialist, Washington State University
• How Do You Know It’s Working?: Assessment Practices to Ensure Program Quality
  Boyd Baggett, Associate Academic Vice President – Curriculum, Brigham Young University – Idaho
  Ed Harri, Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• The Viewfinder National Campus Climate Data Center: An Inside Look at Data from the Northwest Region of the United States
  Gabriel Reif, Vice President for Research and Evaluation, Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys/Insight into Academia
• Connected Learning in Practice – Applied Bachelor’s Degrees for Adult Learners
  Sunaina Virendra, Faculty and Department Chair, Skagit Valley College
  Darren Greeno, Vice President Academic Affairs, Skagit Valley College
• Navigating Student Affordability: Using Data to Inform Program Feasibility
  Justin Atkins, Director of Accreditation and Academic Assessment, Utah Valley University
  Sam Gedeborg, Senior Director, Academic Planning and Effectiveness, Utah Valley University
  Quinn Koller, Director of Academic Strategy, Utah Valley University
• Cutting and Reinvesting in Academic Programs: Strategic Reallocation in the Utah System of Higher Education
  Steven Hood, Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs, Utah System of Higher Education
  James Sage, Associate Provost, Southern Utah University
  T. Chase Hagood, Vice Provost for Student Success, University of Utah

• Ask the Liaisons
  Ed Harri, Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  Chris Bragg, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  Lindsay Couzens, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  Teresa Rivenes, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Data in Action: Aligning Analytics, Leadership, and Student Success
  Rosemary Thackeray, Assistant to the President for Assessment and Planning, Brigham Young University
  Zachary Barrus, Associate Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, Brigham Young University
• People, Plans, and Purpose: The Power of Inclusive Strategic Planning
  Kristen Handley, Institutional Effectiveness Director, University of Alaska Southeast
  Abi Spofford, Chief of Staff, University of Alaska Southeast
• Using the Carnegie Classifications as a Tool to Drive Institutional Analysis and Student Success
  Sara Gast, Deputy Executive Director, Carnegie Classifications, American Council on Education (ACE)
• Leveraging Institutional Culture and Climate to Sustain Academic Leadership
  Dimitria A. Harding, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Miles Community College
• Courage, Caring, and Code: How Joyce University Went from Observing AI to Building It
  Josh Knotts, President/CEO, Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
• Innovation with Integrity: Building Equitable Credit for Prior Learning Pathways
  Rebecca A. Schwartz, Executive Director of Strategy, Innovation, and Effectiveness, Carroll College

Credential completion is a foundational component of postsecondary education’s value proposition. The data are clear: to maximize the return on investment from their postsecondary education, students must complete their programs, and states and institutions are critical partners in that effort. As institutions, systems, and states face complex and often competing challenges, including financial and demographic pressures, it is more important than ever to identify and invest in strategies and approaches that best support student success. Drawing on a landscape analysis of Western states, territories, and freely associated states, the presentation will highlight how states are advancing student success through coordinated policy, finance, and data strategies and will provide a practical framework for aligning statewide completion efforts with institutional priorities and resources.

Academic freedom and open expression are under enormous strain at American universities. How did these tensions arise? And how should our institutions help faculty and students converse across their differences? Universities need to foreground instructional quality, which has too often taken a second seat to research. And they need to model the norms of democratic discourse that too many of us seem to have forgotten.