Higher Education Conferences to Attend in 2024

Our tracker of virtual, in-person and hybrid higher education leadership conferences for the upcoming academic year.

By: Volt
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After years of virtual gatherings, higher ed leaders are ready to reconnect with old friends and forge new connections over coffee breaks and evening receptions. There’s a certain magic to those impromptu conversations and chance encounters that simply can’t be replicated through a webcam. 

We have curated a list of higher ed conferences and professional development programs to help you navigate the changing landscape. Whether virtual, hybrid or in-person, many more sessions are also available to registrants as on-demand content, a trend that seems likely to stay.

Here is our guide to the college leadership conferences that typically dot the higher education professional development calendar, with a breakdown of the current plans for how each will be held in 2024.

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Higher Education Conferences Happening in Spring 2024

OLC Innovate 2024 – Education Reimagined

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a group of higher education leaders and innovators who work to advance quality digital teaching and learning experiences. OLC Innovate 2024 offers a virtual higher education conference for educators of all experience levels.

2024 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit

NAGAP will host the 2024 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit to connect industry professionals April 24-27 in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Digital University Week – Inside Higher Ed/Times Higher Education

Digital University Week, hosted by Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education, brings together leaders in higher education’s digital transformation to explore the opportunities and challenges of a digital-first future on May 6-8 in St. Louis, Missouri.

NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo

NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo will be held May 28-31 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Learn, network and connect with international education professionals while exploring “Resilience. Renewal. Community.”

The National Conference of Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education

  • Website: https://ncore.ou.edu/
  • When: May 28 – June 1, 2024
  • Where: Honolulu, HI
  • Attendance: In-person
  • Cost: Starting at $495

The 36th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education is set to take place on the island of Oʻahu. Prepare for an enriching five-day event featuring captivating conference sessions, valuable networking opportunities, inspiring moments, knowledge exchange, and community engagement.

2024 Career Education Convention

The  Career Education Convention is the largest gathering of private career education professionals in North America. This event features well-known keynote speakers, experts leading concurrent sessions, and an environment to connect and network with others in the sector. Year after year, the Convention attracts a diverse audience of sector leaders from across the country.

The Learning Ideas Conference 2024

The Learning Ideas Conference is the place where the international community gathers to find new paths, solutions and innovations in learning and technology for the workplace and higher education. The conference is for anyone interested in new ideas in learning: researchers, learning and development professionals, university faculty, user experience designers, technologists, and more!

Higher Education Conferences Happening in Summer 2024

Exclusive to the Slate community, this dynamic in-person event is led by members of the Slate community featuring opening keynote, Slate-centric sessions, affinity group break-outs, Preferred Partners showcase, entertainment, networking, and an epic dance party.

The NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education is a convergence of three conferences in one registration! The Conferences convene the student success-focused community to engage in important professional development, exchange innovative ideas, and network with peers. You will engage with content from the Assessment, Planning, and Data Analytics Conference, First-generation Student Success Conference, and the Dismantling Systemic Barriers to Student Success Conference.

The Institute for Higher Education at Sunriver

More than ever, those of us who are passionate about higher ed and its mission, seek and need to share ideas, inspiration, and innovation—while also stepping back for a moment to reflect, decompress, and refresh our perspective. That’s what the Institute for Strategic Enrollment Management offers.

Engage Summit

The Engage Summit is a roadmap for AI readiness in higher ed. This conference is a guide to understanding and applying AI at an institution by exploring the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement. June 25-26 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

EduWeb Summit 2024

EduWeb is a community of higher education professionals and industry partners passionate about advancing their marketing, communications, and digital work from colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. In 2024, eduWeb will celebrate its 19th year. The annual conference and trade show has grown to attract attendees from 16 countries and all 50 states.

UPCEA Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable (SOLA+R) and Distance Teaching & Learning Conference (DT&L)

The conference will emphasize the vital role of leadership in navigating these changes. Effective leadership is not just about embracing technology but also about inspiring and guiding our academic communities toward a future that prioritizes inclusivity, innovation, and student success. The landscape of education is continuously evolving, and the 2024 conference will provide a platform to explore innovative strategies, share best practices, and envision the future.

RNL National Conference 2024

The 2024 RNL National Conference gives a chance to hear the best strategies, solutions, and advances that will help your institution be more successful than ever. The conference will feature more than 100 sessions across six conference tracks. More details about the agenda, speakers and entertainment will be posted soon.

UNCF Unite 2024

UNITE, powered by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), is the nation’s leading annual gathering for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs). This influential event brings together thought leaders, change agents, and community partners to accelerate institutional transformation, address shared challenges, and celebrate achievements. Through networking, discussions, and celebration, UNITE fosters innovation within higher education and propels institutions towards a brighter future for all students.

2024 AMA Summer Academic Conference

2024 AMA Summer Academic Conference in Boston, MA will demonstrate the responsibilities of marketing to promote innovative, sustainable, inclusive and equitable technology-based offerings that advance the quality of life for humanity and the earth.

Higher Education Conferences Happening in Fall 2024

HighEdWeb Association Annual Conference 2024

HighEdWeb Annual Conference 2024 offers a wealth of opportunities for professionals, programmers, marketers, social pros, managers, designers, and writers in the higher education industry who want to explore the web, digital media, and its influence on their organization. Dive deep with diverse track sessions led by experts, gain inspiration from a captivating keynote address, and participate in stimulating group discussions. Leave empowered with the latest knowledge and a renewed network of fellow higher education professionals.

NACAC 2024 Conference

NACAC Conference 2024 will bring over 6,000 attendees to Los Angeles to share best practices, inspirational ideas, cutting-edge research and professional stories at the premier event for college admission counseling professionals.

UPCEA Convergence

Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education examines new and emerging trends and models, especially at the institutional level, in the emergent field of alternative credentials. Presented jointly by UPCEA and AACRAO, two of the organizations most critical to the future development and implementation of innovative credentials, this event brings together key campus stakeholders in credential innovation—deans of professional education, chief online learning officers, registrars, and their staff—to define and develop their institutional strategy with respect to alternative credentials.

Leadership in Higher Education Conference

Regardless of position or experience, the preconference workshops, plenary presentations, and concurrent sessions can adapt to any institution or leader. You’ll learn new methods to manage change and enhance productivity while networking with everyone from like-minded peers to nationally recognized experts.

EDUCAUSE Annual Conference

The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is THE event where professionals and technology providers from around the world gather to network, share ideas, grow professionally, and discover solutions to today’s challenges. It’s the largest gathering of your peers…people you can relate to, learn from, and stay connected to throughout the year.

Global Inclusion 2024

Since 2013 Diversity Abroad’s annual conference has constituted the most comprehensive forum for education professionals, students and stakeholders committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in global education and cultural exchange. As in prior years, Global Inclusion will embody Diversity Abroad and its member community’s holistic approach to addressing and accelerating systemic and equitable change in all aspects of global education and cultural exchange.

2024 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

For more than 30 years, the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education has been a premier event that paints a vibrant picture of the evolving higher education landscape.  Beyond the sessions and presentations, the Symposium is a vibrant community where knowledge seamlessly transitions into action. So save the date and plan to meet up in Las Vegas, November 10-13, 2024.

OLC Accelerate 2024

The OLC Accelerate 2024 conference will offer everything you need to know about the most innovative and impactful research and effective practices in the field of online, blended, and digital learning. This event will support administrators, designers, and educators alike by providing a comprehensive list of sessions and activities tailored to address the challenges and goals of our entire community.

Higher Education Conferences Happening in Winter 2024

UPCEA MEMS 2024

UPCEA MEMS is a must-attend conference for education professionals who want to stay on top of the trends in higher ed marketing. Presented from a variety of perspectives, sessions elevate the conversation about today’s higher education landscape. For over 30 years, MEMS has drawn professionals from institutions of all sizes to showcase thought leadership in higher education and explore trends in adult student recruitment and retention.

Did we miss any higher ed conferences? Have any of these been updated already? Let us know on Twitter @volthighered.

Volt

Volt

Staff


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