Microsessions
Join us in the Microsession Theater in the Expo during breakfast, lunch and breaks on Monday and Tuesday for 15-minute quick-take sessions on a variety of timely topics.
Microsession Theater sponsored by
Monday, October 5:
CUPA-HR Research: Forecasting Workforce Pay Increases | 8:35-8:50 a.m.
Need data to back your proposed compensation budget? Hear about a new resource available to CUPA-HR members that offers forecasted pay increases for administrators, professionals and tenure-track faculty. We’ll show projected increases for 2026 that are based on over 20 years of data from CUPA-HR’s annual workforce surveys.
Brielle Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Survey Researcher, CUPA-HR
Get in the CUPA-HR Leadership Pipeline! | 10:05-10:20 a.m.
CUPA-HR continues to exercise a commitment to developing future higher ed HR leaders. Attend this microsession to learn about the “Ignite,” “Higher Ed Leadership Experience” and “Navigators” initiatives as past participants share their stories and the impact these experiences have had on them.
Mark Coldren, Leadership and Engagement Specialist, CUPA-HR; Mariah Miller, Manager of Talent Acquisition and Development, Rhodes College; TJ Bowie, Director of Employee Relations and Culture, Elon University
Doing More With Less: Empowering Higher Ed HR With Cornerstone Workforce AI Agents | 10:25-10:40 a.m.
Higher education HR teams are facing unprecedented challenges related to managing complex talent needs, strict compliance demands and evolving workforce expectations — all with tighter budgets and leaner teams. The secret to scaling your impact without increasing your headcount lies in intelligent automation. Join us for an exclusive, hands-on walkthrough of Cornerstone’s Workforce AI Agents. Designed to act as digital force multipliers for your HR department, these purpose-built agents take on the heavy lifting of talent management across the entire employee lifecycle.
Jocelyn Dangler, Regional Vice President, Education Sales and Account Management, Cornerstone OnDemand
CUPA-HR Research: AI Position-Matching Tool | 12:45-1:00 p.m.
CUPA-HR is home to the highest-quality workforce data for higher ed. With a new AI-powered tool, finding the right position match for your institution’s positions just got easier. Join us to learn more about this tool and how you can use it to match positions for data provision or DataOnDemand.
Kate Roesch, Data Visualization Developer, CUPA-HR
Leadership Reflection | 2:20-2:35 p.m.
This microsession invites higher ed HR professionals to pause and reflect on who they are as leaders, beyond titles or roles. Using CUPA-HR’s leadership definition as a guide, participants will engage in a brief reflection to connect with their inner leader that will result in clearer, more intentional ways of showing up and leading beyond the conference.
Rebecca Larson, Associate Director of Leadership Development, and Brian Roe, Director of Leadership Development, both of CUPA-HR
When AI Makes Employment Decisions: HR Risks in Higher Ed | 2:40-2:55 p.m.
As AI becomes more common in hiring and other employment decisions, colleges and universities need to understand the legal and compliance risks these tools can create. This microsession explores bias risks in AI-driven employment decisions and shares practical strategies for governance, vendor oversight and HR compliance.
Awo Ansu, Deputy General Counsel, University of Maryland Global Campus
Tuesday, October 6:
CUPA-HR Research: An Introduction to DataOnDemand’s Area Size Report | 8:35-8:50 a.m.
Need to assess your workforce size relative to your peers? Look no further than DataOnDemand’s Area Size Report. Learn how our newest report can provide detailed benchmarking data on workforce size for entire areas across our Administrators, Professionals and Staff Surveys.
Melissa Fuesting, Ph.D., Associate Director of Research, CUPA-HR
Radical Hope: How Do You Lead in a Future That Is Trying to Run You Down? | 10:05-10:20 a.m.
Hera about the concept of “radical hope” and how to lead with that hope in turbulent times.
Jay Stephens, Vice President of People and Culture, University of Montana-Missoula
The Supervisor’s Playbook: Practical Habits for Great People Leaders | 10:25-10:40 a.m.
This microsession will focus on the “quick wins” from the Supervisors Playbook – the small, practical supervisor habits that have a big impact on trust, engagement and retention.
Ben Lennander, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Human Resources, and Chief People Officer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln