Please note: Conference sessions are subject to change.

Session Block 1

Session Location: Hancock Center 2023

Session Title: "Not to sound sexist, but..."

Session Description:

Have you ever been stunned by what a colleague said and wish you had responded differently? Have you been shocked that your words or actions caused offense to a female colleague? Attend this interactive workshop to learn tactics for mitigating a variety of situations and become a better ally.

Conference Track: Access and Opportunity

Audience: College Admission Professionals High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Christina Berardi, Associate Dean of Admissions, Salve Regina University

Presenter 2: Erin Earle, Ed.D., Director, Campus Visit Experience, The University of Rhode Island

Presenter 3: Diane Soboski, Associate Director of Admissions, College of the Holy Cross

 

Session Location: Hancock Center 1021

Session Title: Building a Bridge for Transfer Students

Session Description:

This session will explain the success of pathway programs between four-year and two-year colleges. In addition, we will provide concrete examples and steps you can take to implement similar models at your institutions.

Conference Track: Transfer

Audience: College Admission Professionals

Presenter 1: Chris Doyle, Director of Undergraduate Admission, Marist College

Presenter 2: Kurt Thiede, Founder and President, Community College Pathways

 

Session Location: Lowell Thomas Communications Center 019

Session Title: "We" are having trouble submitting "our" application!

Session Description:

In the world of selective college admissions, parents are anxious, and our students sometimes feel disengaged. How can we help empower students and give parents the confidence to put their children in the driver's seat? We will detail effective strategies to accomplish this from both sides of the desk.

Conference Track: Secondary Counseling Best Practices

Audience: High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Tara Dowling, Director of College Counseling, Rocky Hill School

Presenter 2: Laura Duffy, Dean of College Counseling, Brewster Academy

Presenter 3: Byron Gittens, Regional Coordinator for the Northeast, University of Maryland College Park

Moderator: Kayon Ellis, Admissions Counselor, University of Rochester

 

Session Location: Student Center, Nelly Goletti Theatre

Session Title: Call Me, Maybe? Using Your Counterpart to Maximize Your Counseling

Session Description:

School counselors, CBO advisors, and admissions counselors are vital resources for each other. Learn how counselor calls can help admissions counselors hear advocacy about hard-to-read students and can help you monitor applications, gain context about changing applicant pools, learn likely decisions, and provide better counseling to next year’s applicants.

Conference Track: Secondary Counseling Best Practices; Marketing and Recruitment

Audience: College Admission Professionals High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Nils Leitz, Admissions Counselor, Northeastern University

Presenter 2: Rhiannon Pabich, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Northeastern University

 

Session Location: Student Center 3101

Session Title: Demystifying SUNY . . . an in-depth look at “the System”

Session Description:

SUNY is the largest system of public higher education in the country. How well do you know SUNY’s 64 campuses? Campus and system representatives will help you understand the differences between our campuses and our offerings so you can find the best fit for your students!

Conference Track: Access and Opportunity

Audience: High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Robert Piurowski, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, SUNY Delhi

Presenter 2: Michael Roe, Associate Dean of Enrollment, Dutchess Community College

Presenter 3: Krista Medionte-Phillips, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Binghamton University

Presenter 4: Karen Brown, Executive Director of Admissions, SUNY Oneonta

Moderator: Beryl Jeffers, Director, SUNY Welcome Center, SUNY System Administration

 

Session Location: Lowell Thomas Communications Center 021

Session Title: Doing the Work: Collective Impact in New York

Session Description:

Collective Impact initiatives are making huge strides toward equity in postsecondary completion in communities across the United States. Join us in analyzing the collective impact work in New York City. We will explore its roots, its potential for impact and how it compares with what is happening elsewhere.

Conference Track: The State of Higher Education

Audience: College Admission Professionals High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Judith Lorimer, Director, Goddard Riverside Options Center

Moderator: LaKisha Williams, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Goddard Riverside Options Center

 

Session Location: Lowell Thomas Communications Center 133

Session Title: ENGAGE Z: Effective Digital Communications for Higher Ed Admissions and Marketing Professionals

Session Description:

Come learn about some of the digital strategies The College at Brockport has used to better engage and nurture Gen Z student prospects through the recruitment funnel. A recent study will be examined to show how personalized digital experiences have yielded significant increases in highly-qualified leads, applications, acceptances, and enrollment.

Conference Track: Marketing and Recruitment

Audience: College Admission Professionals

Presenter 1: Robert Wyant, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, The College at Brockport

Presenter 2: James Horigan, Executive Vice President, CustomViewbook

 

Session Location: Student Center 3104-3105

Session Title: Events…Have Options!

Session Description: Come learn about a variety of visiting options - walking/riding hybrid tours, Student for a Day experiences, Accepted Student Days …and more! One small, private institution and one larger public institution that are looking to make lasting impacts on prospective students will discuss how they have adapted; events to incorporate their expanding campuses and new generations of students.

Conference Track: Marketing and Recruitment

Audience: College Admission Professionals

Presenter 1: Brittany Flannery, Associate Director of Freshman Admission, Southern New Hampshire University

Presenter 2: Rachel Littlefield, Admission Officer, University of Rhode Island

 

Session Location: Hancock Center 2017

Session Title: Examining Barriers to College Access for Low-income and Rural Students

Session Description:

Common recruitment strategies for high school visits may be perpetuating access issues for low-income and rural populations. This session will review recent studies on feeder networks, access to information, and stratification concerns in the college search process for low- and moderate-income families and provide recommendations for improved practice.

Conference Track: Access and Opportunity

Audience: College Admission Professionals High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Steve Jenks, Admission Counselor, Ithaca College

 

Session Location: Lowell Thomas Communications Center 027

Session Title: In defense of "holistic review" - noncognitive factors predict success

Session Description:

Would you like to admit students who are most likely to succeed? RWU measured which factors beyond GPA and tests are predictive of success. The results prove that noncognitive factors are worth taking into consideration. Learn about the research and brainstorm ways that this data can benefit our process.

Conference Track: Retention, Completion, and Success

Audience: College Admission Professionals

Presenter 1: Amy Tiberio, Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management and Marketing, Roger Williams University

Presenter 2: Jennifer Dunseath, Assistant Vice President, Institutional Research, Roger Williams University

Presenter 3: Megan Ryan, Senior Institutional Research Analyst, Roger Williams University

 

Session Location: Hancock Center 2020

Session Title: Multicultural Recruitment: In-Depth Perspectives From Admissions Counselors of Color

Session Description:

This session will dive into the various experiences, challenges, and areas of development for multicultural recruitment through the lenses of admissions counselors of color at their respective NYSACAC and NEACAC institutions.

Conference Track: Access and Opportunity

Audience: College Admissions Professionals

Presenter 1: Tarik Cristen, Admissions Counselor, University of Rochester

Presenter 2: Miguel Santiago, Associate Director of Admissions, Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment and Retention, Hampshire College

Presenter 3: Maria Asayag, Senior Assistant Director, Columbia University

Presenter 4: Courtney Roach, Admissions Counselor, Trinity College

Moderator: Zee Santiago, College and Career Planning Manager, Office of Postsecondary Readiness, NYC Department of Education

 

Session Location: Music Building 3202

Session Title: Navigating the Service Academy Application Process

Session Description:

Learn about the Service Academy application process, including Congressional nomination and medical qualification requirements. Get advice on how to best guide students interested in attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, or U.S. Naval Academy and walk away with a clear understanding of what these federal service academies are looking for.

Conference Track: College Admission Policy and Procedures

Audience: High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Chris McMunn, Associate Director for Operations, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Session Location: Student Center 3102-3103

Session Title: Strategies for developing relationships with school counselors

Session Description:

Have you been told to "build up your territory" or struggling to do so? Relationships with school counselors are one of the keys to establishing your institutional identity within an area. Learn about strategies and initiatives to either establish your school or reinforce its image throughout your territories.

Conference Track: Marketing and Recruitment

Audience: College Admissions Professionals

Presenter 1: Erik DeAngelis, Associate Director of Admission, Brown University

Presenter 2: Stephanie Dupuis, Associate Dean of Admission, Salve Regina University

Presenter 3: Lynne O’Shaughnessy, Assistant Director of College Counseling, Berwick Academy

 

 

Session Location: Music Building 3201

Session Title: The Problems with the Letter of Recommendation

Session Description:

Conventional wisdom says that letters of recommendation help students in the admissions process, but is that really the case? This panel will explore the recommendation letter's inception as a discrimination tool, inherent structures that compromise underresourced teachers' ability to effectively advocate for their students, and implicit biases that can either actively hurt students or simply fail to help them. We will close with some possible alternatives to the current model that could end up being more equitable.

Conference Track: Access and Opportunity

Audience: College Admission Professionals High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Carter Delloro, Associate Director of College Counseling, Taft School

Presenter 2: Jami Silver, Director of College Advising, Kingswood-Oxford School

Presenter 3: Kora Shin, Associate Dean of Admission, Wesleyan University

Presenter 4: Jarrett Saunders, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at UMass Amherst

 

 

Session Location: Hancock Center 2019

Session Title: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Inspiring Activism and Tools of Resistance in Historically Marginalized Students

Session Description: Your student has decided where to enroll and it’s straight to a predominantly white institution. From the reports of racial incidents to the spike in hate crimes, many historically marginalized students have concerns over how it will feel to occupy a predominantly white space. In this session, participants will learn how to encourage activism and resistance in their students.

Conference Track: Secondary Counseling Best Practices

Audience: High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Diandra Emsley, College Access Coordinator, StreetSquash Harlem

 

Session Location: Student Center, Cabaret

Session Title: The Value of Added Context in Admission

Session Description:

Learn about the College Board’s environmental context dashboard, a new tool that provides data to help admission officers consider an applicant’s neighborhood and high school in context to make more informed admission decisions. Hear from College Board experts on how this tool could impact holistic admission.

Conference Track: College Admission Policy and Procedures

Audience: College Admission Professionals

Presenter 1: Kate Gerbode-Grant, Director, Higher Ed Services, The College Board

Presenter 2: Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions & Financial Aid, Yale University

 

 

Session Location: Music Building 4001

Session Title: Travel Season Tips and tricks

Session Description:

New to the glamorous world of Admissions travel? Wondering how you’ll balance it all on the road? Meet Admissions professionals eager to share their advice for making travel season as comfortable, healthy, and enjoyable as possible. There will be time to share your own advice or ask questions.

Conference Track: Marketing and Recruitment

Audience: College Admission Professionals

Presenter 1: Lauren Wilshusen, Director of Admissions, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Presenter 2: Lauren Avalos, Associate Director and Director of Staff Development and Training, MIT

Presenter 3: Franci DaLuz, Assistant Director of Admissions, Umass Boston

Presenter 4: Brittany McLure, Admissions Recruiter, Johnson State College

 

 

Session Location: Hancock Center 2005

Session Title: TRiO Works!

Session Description:

Learn how USDOE's TRIO programs - Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search - benefit high schools and their impact on college admissions. TRIO staff, alumni, and a college admissions counselor will talk about the demographics of TRIO students, services provided, and ways of seamless collaboration for holistic recruitment, student support, and follow up.

Conference Track: Access and Opportunity

Audience: College Admission Professionals High School, College, and Community Based Organization Professionals

Presenter 1: Jennifer Efferen, Program Director, TRIO Upward Bound, Pace University

Presenter 2: Nicola Fennel, College Access Coordinator, StreetSquash Harlem

Presenter 3: Jonathan Hoster, Undergraduate Recruitment Specialist, Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science

Presenter 4: Steve McGrath, Lead Outreach Advisor, TRIO Educational Talent Search, University of New Hampshire

Moderator: Chairman Walkin, College Success Programs Manager, Coney Island Prep High School