The 2023 Student Development & Affairs Symposium will be on January 11th & 12th in Overland Park, KS on the campus of Cleveland University – Kansas City.

Your $25 registration includes breakfast, lunch, and a full day of learning on the 12th. Thanks to Varsity Health's sponsorship, we are also offering a pre-summit session on DEI Development for just an additional $50. 

JANUARY 11TH, DEI EXPLORATION AND TRAINING

Universal Approach to Mitigate Bias & Support all Students with Grand River Solutions

Check-in at Noon. Program runs from 12:30 to 4:30pm. 

This DEI workshop will focus on cultural identity development, bias awareness, and developing a shared language. Participants will explore cultural perceptions in relation to how we communicate including the intent of our words vs. impact of our words. We will utilize the framework of Cultural Humility to develop a shared language, identify strategies to engage students, and support their academic success. 

Speaker Bio
Kateeka J. Harris has nearly two decades of experience in higher education at four-year and two-year colleges and universities including Title IX compliance, student conduct, multicultural program administration, and undergraduate admissions. Ms. Harris believes that equity and inclusion are undeniable pillars of education and strives to incorporate diverse, equitable, and intentionally inclusive practices into all aspects of her work. 

JANUARY 12TH, STUDENT AFFAIRS AND DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

8:00am Check-In and Breakfast
8:45am Welcome
8:55am Understanding the Benefits of Student Body Volunteer Efforts
There are numerous benefits to student volunteering at the postsecondary level. These can include improved physical, emotional and mental health, stronger connections to the community, new skills to advance careers, and broader support networks. Participants will explore these benefits and share ideas for incorporating civic engagement and volunteerism into the college years. Information will also be shared about AmeriCorps national service and the opportunity it presents to future and current college students.  

Speaker Bio
Jessica Dorsey is the Executive Director of the Kansas Volunteer Commission, a program of the Kansas State Department of Education. In this role, she oversees Commission programming related to AmeriCorps, mentoring, volunteering and civic engagement. Jessica has a Doctorate Degree in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Kansas. 

9:55am Adapting to Conflicting Student Lived Experiences
This DEI workshop will focus on addressing employee bias as it relates to working to uphold faith based institutional values and moral beliefs while appropriately providing support for students whose lived experiences are perceived to be in conflict with those institutional moral beliefs and values. 

Speaker Bio
Kateeka J. Harris has nearly two decades of experience in higher education at four-year and two-year colleges and universities including Title IX compliance, student conduct, multicultural program administration, and undergraduate admissions. Ms. Harris believes that equity and inclusion are undeniable pillars of education and strives to incorporate diverse, equitable, and intentionally inclusive practices into all aspects of her work. 

11:25am Resuscitate Me! Taking Care of You to Take Care of Them
Participants will have a working definition of mindfulness and explore the implementation meditation to minimize stress.

Speaker Bio
Phelica Glass, MSW, LSCSW, GSW, GCCA-C, FAAGC, CSOTP, SPARC, SLC., is a clinical social worker with 25 years of social work experience. She owns a private practice in Topeka, where she specializes in grief care. She is a well-known public speaker, educator, advocate, and corporate contractor. 

12:15pm LUNCH
1:00pm Holistic Student Health with Sponsor, Varsity Health

We will explore the variables and components to consider when providing a holistic healthcare solution to students on college campuses. Whether on-campus or virtual, student healthcare can ensure physical, mental, and spiritual health are all addressed while encouraging students to become their own knowledgeable healthcare advocates. 

Speaker Bio
Seth Sjostrom, founder and Vice President of Clinical Development at Varsity Health has been a consultant and entrepreneur in the healthcare industry for over twenty years. Seth has been published in several trade and business journals as well as the author of sixteen published books. 

1:15pm Students’ Lived Experiences in Transferring Credits

As universities and colleges work with students to achieve their educational goals, policies need to be evaluated to better implement transfer friendliness. StraighterLine and UPCEA conducted empirical research that identified students’ lived experiences and perceptions regarding transferring institutions. The results of the research focus on students’:

• transfer behavior and motivations for transferring, 
• important factors in making the decision to transfer, 
• challenges in transferring, and 
• the level of communication received from institutions during the transfer process. 

Speaker Bio

Dr. Amy Smith, Chief Learning Officer for StraighterLine, is an academic innovator devoted to increasing access to higher education for all learners. Her career spans many of the biggest institutions in the world of online higher education. She’s held senior leadership positions at University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Colorado State University (CSU) Online, which is ranked #11 in undergraduate education by U.S. News and World Report. In addition to leading StraighterLine’s academic partnerships team, Amy heads up SL Labs, the research and design arm of the organization. In this role, she and her team focus on researching, designing, and building best-in-class product and service offerings to provide optimal value for StraighterLine’s students and clients.

2:15pm Communicating as Non-Communicators

Even when your title does not have the word Communications in it, you still have to engage with students. Publications, Emails, and social media trends can often put you on the spot to promote and protect your department’s brand. Understand how students at your institution communicate, and learn some key practices and tools for effectively engage with them, such as personas, and the Social Media Engagement Flowchart. Get your communications questions answered! 

Speaker Bio

Jackie Lalley is cofounder of Yodelpop, a women-owned agency that shares in the vision to build a better world. Prior to co-founding Yodelpop, she worked as director of communications for a national nonprofit strengthening families and preventing child abuse. She and her team have helped hundreds of organizations, associations, and agencies create positive social change with their marketing. Jackie has an MFA in writing and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. She is also a songwriter, musician, and former contributor to The Onion. 

3:45pm Addressing Food Insecurity on College Campuses.
College communities are well-positioned to address factors contributing to student hunger and provide relief to their pressing needs. This session focuses on the sometimes-invisible struggles of students facing hunger and highlights how food insecurity impacts the student beyond food. Additionally, we offer ideas for supporting your communities in need today, tomorrow, and for the future.

Speaker Bios
Kate LaRosh is a nutrition services coordinator with Harvesters Food Bank, specializing in providing support to network partners as they help their neighbors in need. Kate has a background in food science and nutrition and is currently pursuing the RDN credential. 

Ken Regier is the Special Projects Coordinator for the Kansas Food Bank in Wichita, Kansas.  His role includes analysis, strategic planning and developing non-traditional partners as the Food Bank works towards our goal of people being “Better Off”.  Ken’s background in non-profit Human Resources, Student Development, construction and farming all have strangely equipped him for his current role.

4:45pm Announcement of 2024 Host and Farewell