Concurrent Sessions 3

Sponsored by

Concurrent Sessions 3 | Monday, October 5 – 3:00-4:00 p.m.

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Core

TRACK:

Risk Management, Compliance and Public Policy 

2026 HIGHER ED EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR LAW UPDATE 

Join Ira Shepard, CUPA-HR’s general counsel, and Carolyn Pellegrini of Saul Ewing LLP for an interactive session covering the latest information and updates on key higher education employment and labor law challenges and considerations.

Ira Shepard, General Counsel, CUPA-HR; Carolyn Pellegrini, Partner, Saul Ewing, LLP

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Core

TRACK:

Academic HR

FROM FACULTY TO SUPERVISOR: DEVELOPING DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AS PEOPLE MANAGERS 

Faculty culture can be unfamiliar to HR, making support challenging. This session will showcase a partnership and roadmap for developing department chairs, critical yet often untrained leaders who are essential to university transformation but are frequently uneasy about taking on leadership responsibility.

Learning Objectives: 

    • Identify the unique supervisory challenges faced by department chairs managing faculty and staff.
    • Build HR and academic affairs buy-in for department chair development.
    • Develop a training progression model for department chairs as people managers.

Meredith Gatzke, Vice President for Human Resources and Chief HR Officer, and Emily Isaacs, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, both of Montclair State University

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Building Capabilities 

TRACK:

Talent Management

FROM SILOS TO SYSTEMS: ALIGNING TALENT STRATEGY FOR LEADER IMPACT

When higher ed HR operates in silos, it can limit integrated talent management. This session will highlight a practical, competency-driven model that connects talent acquisition and development across the employee lifecycle. You’ll leave with low-resource strategies to align hiring, onboarding and development.

Learning Objectives: 

    • Explore a competency model that connects hiring and leadership development.
    • Pinpoint key talent handoffs and gaps across the employee lifecycle.
    • Translate insights into a clear, actionable goal with your talent acquisition or talent development partner.

Annalisa Teixeira, Ph.D., Executive Director, Learning and Organizational Development, and Lyndon Huling, Ed.D., Executive Director, Talent Acquisition and Compensation Services, both of the University of California-Davis

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Strategic Leadership

TRACK:

Leadership Development

RADICAL HOPE: HOW DO YOU LEAD IN A FUTURE THAT IS TRYING TO RUN YOU DOWN?

Learn about the concept of “radical hope” and how you can develop and exhibit radical hope in your HR and higher education leadership. Learn how this concept is defined, how it shows up in your work, and what it means for your future.

Learning Objectives: 

    • Learn what “radical hope” is and why it matters.
    • Develop the attributes of a radically hopeful leader.
    • Understand how the attributes of radical hope show up in the way you lead and work.

Jay Stephens, Vice President of People and Culture, University of Montana-Missoula

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Core

TRACK:

Data and Metrics

RIGHTSIZING THE WORKFORCE: HOW DATAONDEMAND INFORMS STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 

This panel discussion will focus on how Kennesaw State University and Loyola University Maryland used CUPA-HR’s DataOnDemand to assess their workforce sizes and in turn create data-based recommendations for strategic workforce planning moving forward. You’ll gain an understanding of the process behind their workforce planning initiatives and learn how DataOnDemand can play a key role in rightsizing your institution’s workforce.

Karen McDonnell, Vice President, Human Resources and Chief HR Officer, Kennesaw State University; Kristi Yowell, Chief People and Culture Officer and Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Loyola University Maryland; Melissa Fuesting, Ph.D., Associate Director of Research, CUPA-HR

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Core

TRACK:

Total Rewards

TAKING THE LEAP: HOW ONE UNIVERSITY REWROTE ITS BENEFITS PLAYBOOK

Many institutions feel locked into state-sponsored benefit plans — facing unpredictable rate increases, limited flexibility and little control over long-term strategy. In this session, you’ll learn how the University of Delaware made the decision to separate from the state health plan and take ownership of its benefits program.

Learning Objectives: 

    • Know when to exit a state plan — and what it takes to do it well.
    • Win campus buy‑in with faculty, staff and leadership alignment tactics.
    • Learn about decision points, pitfalls and early outcomes that University of Delaware saw.

Scott Gaskill, Vice President, and Daniel Graf, Senior Health Benefits Consultant, both of Segal; Gisela McKenzie, Benefits Manager, and Jared Aupperle, Assistant Vice President, Human Resource Support and Services, both of University of Delaware

LOCATION:

TBD

m

LEARNING FRAMEWORK:

Engagement

TRACK:

Culture Building

THE 5 LANGUAGES OF APPRECIATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Attend this interactive session to explore how people experience recognition differently based on the 5 Languages of Appreciation. Learn about the five languages and how you can use them to show appreciation to colleagues, and discover practical strategies to strengthen engagement, collaboration and culture. 

Learning Objectives: 

    • Learn about the five appreciation languages and how each shows up at work.
    • Recognize how colleagues prefer appreciation and how it affects engagement.
    • Apply strategies to express appreciation and strengthen teamwork and engagement.

Natalie Rice, Vice President of Human Resources, Point Park University