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Academic Partnerships Annual Meeting
Honoring Our Mission, Shaping Our Future
April 14-16, 2027 | Metropolitan State University | Denver, Colorado
The Western Academic Leadership Forum (Forum) and the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (Alliance) invite chief academic officers, senior academic leaders, and higher education professionals to submit session proposals for the 2027 Academic Partnerships Annual Meeting.
Call for Session Proposals Key Dates
Proposal deadline: Friday, November 13, 2026
Proposal decisions: Friday, December 11, 2026
Session Topics: What We’re Looking For
We welcome session proposals that offer fresh perspectives, promising practices, and actionable takeaways for senior academic leaders at 2-year and 4-year institutions, related system offices, and state coordinating boards. Specifically, we are looking for sessions that address one or more of the following areas:
Leading Institutional Transformation
Explore strategic leadership, organizational transformation, governance, culture, or decision-making that position institutions to thrive amid change.
Designing the Future Academic Enterprise
Share approaches to academic planning, program innovation, curriculum redesign, technology-enabled learning, artificial intelligence, credential innovation, or sustainable academic models.
Advancing Student Success and Educational Opportunity
Highlight innovative approaches to access, belonging, persistence, completion, career readiness, transfer, dual enrollment, adult learners, technology-enabled support, or partnerships that expand opportunity.
Strengthening Faculty and Academic Excellence
Examine faculty development, evaluation and promotion, academic workforce trends, research support, teaching innovation, or faculty leadership in a changing higher education landscape.
Higher Education Policy, Partnerships, and Public Impact
Explore accreditation, public policy, academic freedom, external engagement, workforce and community partnerships, institutional alliances, public trust, or long-term impact.
Session Formats
Choose the format that best fits your topic and approach:
Lightning Session — 15 minutes
Share a promising practice, emerging idea, or focused insight in a concise, high-impact format designed to energize and inspire participants.
Presentation or Workshop — 40 minutes + 10-minute Q&A
Dive into a topic through a presentation, practical demonstration, interactive workshop, or facilitated learning experience.
Panel Discussion — 40 minutes + 10-minute Q&A
Bring together 2–3 experts to explore a key challenge or opportunity through multiple perspectives, dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving.
Case Study Roundtable — 30 minutes
Bring a real-world institutional challenge to a small-group setting where participants can examine the case, exchange ideas, and collaboratively develop strategies and solutions.
Ready to Share Your Ideas?
Help shape the conversation at the 2027 Academic Partnerships Annual Meeting. Submit a session proposal that brings your experience, ideas, and practical solutions to a community of higher education leaders.
For questions about the proposal process, please contact:
