Increasing access and spurring success for non-traditional, first-generation college students. Modeling how community colleges adapt to rapid change. Using the Carnegie Student Access and Earnings Classification to assess how institutions are doing when it comes to work-based learning and quality education-to-career guidance.Those are just three of an array of concurrent sessions that will be conducted during the ACE Experience 2026 (ACEx2026), a multi-faceted, high-impact convening for college and university leaders set for Feb. 25-28 in Washington, DC.
ACEx2026, anchored by the ACE Annual Meeting Feb. 26-27, will empower campus leaders to foster innovation and resilience and champion higher education’s vital role in building our nation’s future.
The session titled "Access and Completion Imperatives for Non-Traditional First-Generation College Students" will look at lessons from Urban College of Boston and College Unbound to shift the conversation away from higher education institutions that serve a small proportion of the country’s undergraduate students to those that serve the majority of working and middle-class families. Sharing their knowledge and experiences will be Adam Bush, president of College Unbound, and Yves Salomon-Fernandez, president Urban College of Boston.
During "It’s in our DNA: How Community Colleges Model Institutional Agility for Higher Education’s Future," Pam Eddinger, president, Bunker Hill Community College; Tracy Hartzler, president, Central New Mexico Community College; and Anne M. Kress, president, Northern Virginia Community College, will offer their insights on adaptive capacity as a core competency needed by all higher education leaders navigating an era of unprecedented change.
And "Using the State Opportunity Index and Carnegie Student Access and Earnings Classification Data to Identify Opportunities for Career-Oriented Investments" will feature Nichole Torpey-Saboe and James Dean Ward of Strada Education Foundation, who will leverage 2025 State Opportunity Index survey data of 56,000 college students nationwide to understand how students’ experiences vary across levels of access and earnings.
In addition to the ACE Annual Meeting, ACE member presidents and chancellors can participate in ACE on the Hill on Feb. 25, a high-level policy engagement event that will connect campus leaders directly with lawmakers. The ACE Women’s Network Leadership Conference and Women’s Leadership Dinner will take place Feb. 27-28, as will the ACE Council of Fellows Gathering.
Click here for more information about ACEx2026 and to register.