Student Success Conference

About Our Annual Conference

The CU Boulder Student Success Conference is jointly sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Division of Student Life. 

This year's annual conference will take place Feb. 18, 2026

This annual event is open to all staff and faculty and serves as an opportunity to:

 
Engage in personal and professional development 

 
Enhance and share student success practices across campus

 
Connect with and learn from colleagues who are committed to maximizing the success of our students

Conference Champion Team

  
Shelly Bacon
Senior Associate Vice Provost, Office of Undergraduate Education
Executive Sponsor

  
Joe Thomas 
Senior Associate Vice Chancellor, Division of Student Life
Executive Sponsor

  
Robin Swift
Project Manager, Academic Affairs
Executive Sponsor

  
Colin Spaulding
Associate Director for Events, Division of Student Life
Logistics Lead

  
Meagan Larsen
Director of Student Life Communication & Marketing, Division of Student Life
Communication Lead

  
Nash Albrecht
Assessment Specialist, Division of Student Life
Assessment Lead

  
Dylan Dybedahl-West
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Enrollment Management
Enrollment Management Lead

  
Scarlett Pontón De Dutton
Director of Campus Advising Initiatives & Strategy, Office of Undergraduate Education
Undergraduate Education & Advising Lead

  
Jamie Petersen
Sr. Community Center Coordinator, Division of Student Life
Co-Chair of Awards Committee

  
Jason Hogstad
Academic Advisor, College of Arts & Sciences
Co-Chair of Awards Committee

  
Eric Klinger
Faculty Director Writing Center, Office of Undergraduate Education
Co-Chair of Educational Sessions Committee

  
Nikki Grafnetterova
Academic Coordinator, Athletics
Co-Chair of Educational Sessions Committee

Conference Champion Roles

  Executive Sponsors: Provides strategic oversight, resources and support to ensure the event aligns with student success initiatives, CU Boulder priorities, and accreditation needs. They determine the overall budget, choose the leads, and provide the overarching vision for the ongoing conference.  

  Logistics Lead: Ensures the facilities and materials needed for the conference are in place. They work closely with other committees to ensure the appropriate space and setup for each element of the conference achieve the goal.

  Communication Lead: Led by Student Life Communication, this person will work toward marketing all aspects of the conference, including the call out for committees, volunteers, ed sessions, awards, general marketing of the event via campus channels, along with any swag or branded materials. This person leads the registration process of the conference and maintains virtual and print materials for the conference and works closely with other committees to provide up-to-date information. 

  Assessment Lead: This person works to collect and analyze data each year to inform quality and educational improvement of the conference over the year, both from volunteer leader/committee perspectives and participants. They work to integrate learning outcomes with overarching campus goals and accreditation needs.

  Enrollment Management Lead: In addition to fully participating in conference planning activities, this person serves as the primary liaison to the enrollment management community (admissions, financial aid, scholarships, bursar, precollege) to ensure participation and representation from those areas.

  Undergraduate Education & Advising Lead: In addition to fully participating in conference planning activities, this person serves as the primary liaison to the advising community, the OUE community, and the faculty community to ensure participation and representation from those groups. 

Resources

View resources from past sessions and tips for this year's conference.

Presentation Resources from 2025  Tips for Creating a Conference Poster